Episode 061: Beyond Supplements: The Science of Flavonoids and Whole-Body Health

Can colorful plants help support brain health, immune function, and inflammation balance?

In this episode of The Beljanski Cancer Talk Show, Sylvie Beljanski speaks with Brian Dickerson, healthcare attorney and founder of Flavent Relief, about flavonoids and the potential role of plant-based wellness products in supporting overall health.

Brian shares how his background in healthcare law and his work with horses, dogs, and people led him to explore natural compounds found in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and teas. He explains why flavonoids—plant compounds associated with vibrant colors—have become a central focus of his work.

The conversation explores nutrition, antioxidant support, inflammation balance, brain health, immune wellness, and the importance of consuming a diverse range of colorful whole foods.

- - - - -

About the Guest:

Brian Dickerson is a healthcare attorney and natural-health entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare, food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries. He is the founder of Flavent Relief, a natural health products company focused on flavonoid-rich plant extracts and formulations designed to support immune health, brain health, inflammation balance, and overall wellness for people and animals.

- - - - -

Social Handles:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/owenhemsath/
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/owenvideo
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OwenHemsath

- - - - -

PODCAST
Thank you for listening.
Please subscribe and share.
This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com
https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/

Hey there! If you've been getting value from our podcast, we’d be so grateful if you could take a moment to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps us reach more people, and it truly means the world. Thanks so much for taking the time—it really makes a difference!

==================

Want to stay in the loop? Sign up and grab a FREE chapter of Sylvie’s eBook! 👉 https://www.beljanski.org/podcast/

To help support cancer research, head over to https://beljanski.org and learn more.

Grab the book and support The Beljanski Foundation! Get it here: https://www.beljanski.org/book (Use code EP1 at checkout for FREE shipping)

Stay connected and follow us for the latest updates: https://linktr.ee/thebeljanskifoundation

Transcript

00:00 Introduction to Integrative Health and Flavonoids
Sylvie Beljanski (00:00): Welcome to the Beljanski Cancer Talk Show where integrative science and holistic healing come together. I am Sylvie Beljanski and in each episode we explore nutrition, lifestyle, mental health and research-backed approaches to support the whole person through cancer and chronic diseases. Hello and welcome to this new episode of the Beljanski Cancer Talk Show. Today I am joined by Brian Dickerson and I got the privilege to know him because his company, Flavent Relief, joined us last year at the Beljanski Cancer Conference which was hosted in Texas. So we are very much looking to see his company this year in San Diego and in the meantime I have the pleasure to have this discussion with him.

So Brian Dickerson is a healthcare lawyer with over 30 years in practice. He used his knowledge in health as a healthcare lawyer who presented company within the food and pharmaceutical industry to establish a natural health products manufacturing company with brands focusing on the use of flavonoids. His companies cultivate the plants which are known to develop beneficial levels of flavonoids and then these flavonoids are extracted from the plants and utilized in dietary supplements and healthcare products to provide bioavailability benefiting brain cell health, overall wellness and longevity support. He used his experience responding to traumatic brain injuries, especially from college football, to focus on health and wellness and specifically brain health. His companies manufacture and distribute products not only in the human wellness space, but also for dogs and horses in the hopes of avoiding the side effects which are caused by pharmaceutical industry. So Brian, welcome to the Beljanski Cancer Talk Show and I am very intrigued with your biography. First, how come a lawyer turned into a health advocate and health professional? I'm very uh intrigued because that's also what happened to me. So what is your story? 

02:30 The Journey from Law to Health Advocacy
Brian Dickerson (02:30): Well, well, thank you um and thank you for having me on the show. The start was I represented pharmacies, healthcare practitioners, uh pharmaceutical companies, food companies and saw a lot of what comes about from those companies and the dollar being the prime aspect of those companies and and not the beneficial health. And 2014 I had two of my clients at least the client contacts uh step out and start doing their own business and it was in the nutraceutical space and it was in the natural space and really saw the benefits of the natural space and saw how the adversity we have to overcome in the natural space because we don't have the FDA approving the natural products and the pharmaceutical products get to make the claims and so it It was a challenge number one, but I also saw it was more beneficial to humans than the dogs and the horses. And as you mentioned in the intro, we rescue horses and see plenty of horses that have used the Banamine and bute their whole life, which is the NSAID for horses and their livers are done by the time they're 17 or 18. And I wanted to figure out a way to make them better. And it was a natural plants and then it progressed to dogs. and then it progressed to the humans.

Sylvie Beljanski (03:56): So in those plants you are you're I mean your bio says you are specifically focusing on the flavonoids. Can you explain the audience what are flavonoids?

04:09 Understanding Flavonoids and Their Benefits
Brian Dickerson (04:09): So flavonoids are what protects the plants. Um and they're going to be very vibrant colors. So the pomegranate, you get the purples, the reds, chamomile, you get another purple that's protecting the flower. But all of those colors are derivative of the flavonoids. And then when you look at green, you look at the bright green Ginkgo, parsley, rosemary, oregano. So the flavonoids are protecting those plants from ultraviolet rays, anything in the atmosphere that's going to make a better cellular growth. And so what the flavonoids do for humans is the same thing. That's why we always supposed to eat fruits and vegetables. And that's why when you look at the blue zone areas from the Mediterranean to Japan, they eat the vegetables, they eat the greens, they get the reds, the purples. Here in America, our diets, as you know, from the last 30 years, have changed just to processed foods. And you're not getting those fruits and vegetables, so you're not getting the flavonoids. So, the same thing that the flavonoids do for the plants.

Sylvie Beljanski (05:13): So, I mean, you hear that all the time nowadays. I mean, eat the rainbow. That's the I mean, the common things that uh people are now advertising. Eat the rainbow. Eat all those colors. But uh how do they actually benefit by which um by which mechanism of action do they actually benefit um the the body and help boost the immune system?

Brian Dickerson (05:47): So when you look at let's say quercetin for an example which is common in the majority of plants and I keep bringing up Ginkgo because of your family's history with using Ginkgo and green tea. The quercetin actually has like a barrier around the cell. So it protects any outside interference. So if it's going to be viral, if it's going to be bacterial, that quercetin is protecting the cell. If there's something in the body that the body is trying to protect, that quercetin is going to be around the cell and help counterbalance the negative aspects in the body. The quercetin has been found to be antiparasitic with plants and in animals and we know it is as humans as well. But that quercetin with the parasite going back to a 2023 study shows that it paralyzes the parasites and so you've got that benefit. When you look at luteolin and apigenin you're looking at flavonoids that help basically eat sugar. So they help reduce insulin levels. And so when you look at people that are becoming sick that need to have a stronger immune system, just those three flavonoids along are helping the body have a stronger cell growth, stronger cells themselves and be able to fight off any outside interference.

07:14 The Role of Flavonoids in Immune Support
Sylvie Beljanski (07:14): When it comes to plants, I mean people hear different things. I mean sometimes they always beneficial but they we hear sometimes about antioxidant benefits. Sometimes we speak about the alkaloids which have shown to have anti-cancer properties. Sometimes we hear of about sterols. You are speaking of flavonoids. What is the difference of with all between all those words and how people can sort out what really they mean and what they should focus on?

Brian Dickerson (07:51): Well, the the alkaloids and the flavonoids work together a lot as far as antioxidants. Blueberries, for example, you're looking at the flavonoids and the antioxidants and blueberries that help people with immune. Elderberry, same thing. But what are we looking at? We're looking at that dark purple, dark blue color and that's where it has a lot of flavonoids and with the alkaloids you're going to see that benefit of protecting the cells and protecting the outside influence whether it's a virus, whether it's bacteria, whatever it may be. So what I see most problematic we have here in the states is you're not eating the blueberries that were the natural non-GMO blueberries. you're not eating the dill that is non-heirloom dill. So if you're not eating good plants and vegetables, not just stuff you get at the grocery store, but plants and vegetables that have not been GMOed, you're not going to have a lot of flavonoids in it and you're not going to have all the alkaloids in it. But if you are able to get the organic product, then you're getting those flavonoids. But again, you're gonna be eating a lot of greens, a lot of reds, a lot of purples. And if you don't have the time in your diet, you need to somehow supplement that so it's in your body and helping your body.

09:12 The Importance of Soil Quality and Supplementation
Sylvie Beljanski (09:12): Yeah. And the soil is no long today is no longer what what the soil was and the quality of the soil was several years ago. I mean, several decades ago. I mean it has been a slow but definitive erosion of the quality of the soil and what the soil is able to provide to to the plants. So there is a need indeed for for supplementation. How do you measure the need for that supplementation? I mean it's not like you can go to the doctor have a simple test and they say oh you are deficient in vitamin D. How does it work to to know you need to take flavonoids?

09:56 Measuring the Need for Flavonoid Supplementation
Brian Dickerson (09:56): Well, the way I look at it is from immunity to our brain health to the extra strength. If I know I'm going to be on the road and I'm not eating my fruits and vegetables and my food that I control, I know that it's not going to be the sustainable benefit of whether the flavonoids, the nutrition. So, it's very good when you're traveling to have this. If you're having a busy life at home and you can't get the good fruits and vegetables and a good diet, you're shortchanging yourself. As far as how much, there's guidelines on flavonoids, but you got to remember we're talking micrograms. I mean, the the beauty of a flavonoid is in the microgram. So, you're not needing 10, 15, 20 milligrams of each flavonoid. When you get them together, they work better. And that's what the key is with our process.

We're planting heirloom plants. So they've not been heirloom seeds and then they come out to be heirloom plants. As far as the soil comment you make before, it's all straight compost. So it's really good soil. the seeds are able to cultivate well and then we harvest the plants at appropriate times and it's all controlled indoor temperature lighting and then we extract the flavonoids from the plants and when we're extracting them we're extracting them together. So you're going to have quercetin, apigenin, luteolin, all connected, bounded together like it's meant in nature. Whereas when you see a lot of vitamins out there, they're just selling the quercetin, the beta-sitosterol, apigenin separately, and it's also a pill. So it's or capsule. So it's going down your digestive tract and your stomach acids doing a little bit destruction of that before your body gets to absorb it. What we've done is we pulled the extracts, we mix it with MCT oil because MCT oil has the best evidence as far as keeping the flavonoids vibrant and alive. And the other benefit MCT oil on a tincture, you drop it in your tongue, it's going to cross the blood brain barrier in about 5 to 10 minutes.

12:06 Cultivation and Extraction of Flavonoids
Sylvie Beljanski (12:06): So, so where is this um first two two questions, where are you cultivating your plants? Where is it coming from? And uh and where is also this MCT oil coming from?

Brian Dickerson (12:18): Well, where we're growing them is in Florida.

Sylvie Beljanski (12:21): Florida. So, it is it is domestic. It's done here in the States.

Brian Dickerson (12:27): Correct. It's all domestic as far as the plants, as far as where they're being grown. They're in our shipping containers that we have controlled environments.

Sylvie Beljanski (12:34): Very nice. And this MCT oil you were mentioning able to uh cross the blood brain barrier. Can you tell me more about about that?

Brian Dickerson (12:45): Yeah, the MCT oil is not nut oil. It is actually the heart of the palm. And so we're getting the best heart of the palm oil and that's the MCT oil. That's what has the best absorption rate in the human cell. And that is coming from Indonesia because that has the best source of palm oil for MCT.

Sylvie Beljanski (13:02): So what are the benefits of those flavonoids and uh and those pills that people are are taking uh I believe on a regular basis to see results. Everything takes consistency.

13:20 Benefits of Flavonoids for Inflammation and Pain Relief
Brian Dickerson (13:20): So the the benefits that we're seeing is everything from inflammation control. And what I mean by that is everybody hears anti-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory. Some part of inflammation is good for your body because it's letting you know where there may be a problem, but you also want to control inflammation. And with the flavonoids from the cannaflavins, the cantiflobin, the naringenin, you're looking at flavonoids that can control the actual inflammation. So you have an the proper level of inflammation. Since those flavonoids are connected to the quercetin, the apigenin, the rutin, those flavonoids are giving you the antioxidant benefits. the apigenin and rutin come from chamomile. So it's also giving you a nice calming effect, making you relax, helping you enjoy your life instead of always being stressed out. And so putting all these flavonoids together, they also have the evidence and research of being antiparasitic and helping with insulin control. And so for an immunity system, whether it's be a body that's got a um auto immune disorder or something like that, it's going to help in all facets of the body's needs.

14:51 Tailoring Flavonoid Products for Specific Ailments
Sylvie Beljanski (14:33): So for people I mean who have different kind of of ailment, are you offering different kind of flavonoids? How do you sort the offer and how do you understand who should take what?

Brian Dickerson (14:51): It's a good question. So, we've designed the different products for ailments, but more purposely to help the body organs that are dealing with those ailments. So the immune system, the immunity product is designed to have the flavonoids that are higher antioxidant with anti-inflammatory processes, but it's going to be definitely hitting that antioxidant aspect. When you look at our brain health, that's going to be helping more circulatory than using the naringenin, which has been shown in multiple studies to help with brain health. Then you look at our extra strength and the extra strength has more just higher anti-inflammatory process pain relief to the pain receptors and then secondarily it's an antioxidants. And if you ask how are we determining what dosage supplement so it's supposed to supplement your current diet. So you're going to know better than we are what your issues are if you're eating properly if you're not. But what we've done in the past is with like Dr. Karlfeldt at the Karlfeldt Center um in Idaho. He's been working with us for two years and he has his protocol as far as what he recommends to his patients. And we have other doctors that have their own protocol. Um, we're we work with Front Row MD and their clinicians review our products and actually recommend what they believe is the best on our website and we work with doctors to get that right tweak that it may be because everybody has a different issue with their body. Everybody has a different nutritional value and diet diet and this helps with that as far as determining what is the best.

17:00 Expected Results and Timeframes for Flavonoid Use
Sylvie Beljanski (16:31): Very good. So people need to take generally the product for for how long to feel better to feel the difference to feel their less inflammation. I assume I mean considering the fact it is plants it's doesn't happen overnight. I mean the results are more sustainable and have less side effects than with pharmaceutical products but it also takes longer for the body to uh kick in to recognize the effect.

Brian Dickerson (17:00): So the the benefits of having the flavonoids that have that COX 2 receptor aspect is you can feel it very quick. I can tell you from having CTE from college football and having migraines all the time, getting a migraine, I could take either the brain health or the extra strength and in five to 10 minutes the migraine's gone. And I'm talking my migraines are normally take three or four Excedrin. It was drinking two Cokes and I had the peripheral flashes and from there then I couldn't be anywhere where there's light for about 3 to four hours and then I'd have this massive skull cap was what I call it. Just felt like your head's in pain and I'd be done for the whole day. So if in the situation where you're starting to get that migraine when I take it there's relief within 10 minutes.

Sylvie Beljanski (17:54): That's amazing. 10 minutes. That's amazing for something natural.

Brian Dickerson (17:59): Yeah. And we've got multiple testimonials from people with migraines that that's what they're doing. A gentleman named Billy Atwood in Weatherford, Texas, he's got his personal testimonial, suffered from migraines, too, and he uses the product and gets great results. But the thing is even for other pain and immunity issues because that has that receptor COX receptor and crosses the blood brain barrier 5 to 10 minutes people will see results very quickly and where we started this off with was the horses and the horses don't have a placebo effect they either feel good or they don't feel good and we could tell by using the product on the horses seeing them being able to react and respond how well it worked and how quickly it worked. And in 2021 November, we had Dr. Donato Borrillo. He conducted a clinical study using 65 patients, pain levels, acute, chronic from 8 to 10, and they went on the extra strength back then. And I I would say that's like our alpha version, 300 cc's, so less than 1 milligram. And we had people reporting back that their pain levels went down to a four to five. And then after using it for two to three weeks, it was till one to two. And there was a peer review article that came back that we ended up having 96% of those patients saying that they didn't have any pain like they did before. They felt the relief. But the funniest thing was during the study when it ended, we had I think 10 or 15 patients said that they really didn't feel anything. And then 10 days later, they called back the doctor and they're like, "How do we get the product?" Because they're like, "We didn't realize how it just eviscerated our pain and we were feeling good." And we're talking acute pain. So, we're we're talking stuff that people get affected by and it helps.

Sylvie Beljanski (20:03): When you are facing cancer, the choices can feel overwhelming. Conflicting advices, endless options, and very little clarity. At Maison Beljanski, everything begins with science. For decades, molecular biologist Dr. Mirko Beljanski studied how specific plant extracts interact with cancer cells. Work that continues today through independent research and real world use. Maison Beljanski offers carefully formulated supplements inspired by that research along with targeted support for immune health, cellular resilience, digestion, detoxification, and overall wellness. You will also find educational books, organic teas, personalized health coaching, and wellness programs designed to support the whole person, not just the diagnosis. This is not about quick fixes. It's about informed choices, thoughtful formulations, and supporting the body alongside conventional care. Explore the products, the research, and the resources at maisonbeljanski.com. Because when science leads, wellness follows. That's amazing. And when it comes to serious things, I mean like cancer or cancer running in the family, how those this flavonoids approach can can help those people.

21:32 Flavonoids and Cancer Support
Brian Dickerson (21:32): Well, what I'll tell you, because we know how the FDA responds with cancer, is we're helping the body and we're helping the body system fight anything that's um interfering. And when it comes to sugar, we've got the data, the research showing how it reduces the sugar insulin. If you actually were to do this like in an in vitro in a slide, you will see the flavonoids around sugar, corn fructose, it just eats it away, dissolves it. If you see the studies on the parasites, it really just paralyzes the parasites. So, it drops from the host and it just floats there and then the binder, which is the MCT oil again, will help remove it. And we've got videos and pictures again tested on horses first where we've got 7 to 13 in worms coming out of the fecal matter from the horse after we've given them the flavons and I know this isn't humans. 

Sylvie Beljanski (22:37): No, but significantly absolutely and you assume that all the worms are not going to like the flamoids wherever they are located. I mean it doesn't matter whether in the intestine of of a horse of a human they don't if they don't like the floids and grow it's an awesome way to detoxify the body without any side effect and complication and it's an easy way to do it and and at the end of of of it you I mean this detoxification process I assume you feel better instead of feeling exhausted and having a need to slowly reenter enter into a normal diet.

When cancer enters your life, the questions don't stop at treatment. You start asking why, what else, and what more can I do to support my body. At the Beljanski Foundation, we believe cancer care deserves deeper answers. Answers rooted in science, not in shortcuts. For decades, groundbreaking molecular research by Dr. Mirko Beljanski explored how specific natural compounds selectively target cancer cells while sparing healthy ones. That work continues today through independent research, education, and global collaboration. At beljanski.org, or you will find evidence-based resources, expert-led conferences, books, and conversations that explore integrative approaches to cancer and chronic disease alongside conventional care. Whether you are a patient, a caregiver, or practitioner, this is the place to learn, to question, and to think more expansively about healing. Visit beljanski.org or to explore the research, attend upcoming events that connect with the Beljanski community because informed choices begin with credible science.

24:38 Natural Detoxification and Health Benefits
Brian Dickerson (24:38): It does. And one aspect again I'll apply to the horse is how it applies to humans is the horse. It's called a colic and that's when the stomach twists. So, we know a lot of people that have bad stomachs, bad bad issues, whether it be an inflammation, uh, a bowel type aspect. With a horse, it can kill a horse. And a horse and colic is one of the biggest scares that anybody that owns a horse has. And we have our horse product, the Equiflaven, same flavonoids as the immunity um that we now have an insurance company that will back it. So if you give your horse two doses of 5 cc's a week and if that horse goes in a collet and you give it 10 cc's of the product, so 10 milliliters, and that horse needs surgery, we have a warranty that'll pay $10,000 towards that surgery. It's amazing how confident we are that if you used the product twice a week on your horse, thousand pound animal with a very sensitive stomach, you're not going to have that issue. And so that same benefit applies to the human stomach. 

Sylvie Beljanski (25:53): Absolutely. That's why I mean the FDA requires that we do conduct studies on animals before testing on humans because similar results can be expected. 

Brian Dickerson (26:06): Correct. 

26:07 Accessing Flavonoid Products and Discounts
Sylvie Beljanski (26:07): Absolutely. So how people can get their hands on those flavonoids and how to reach out to you?

Brian Dickerson (26:15): Well uh our website is flaventrelief.com.

Sylvie Beljanski (26:20): Can you spell it? How do you spell

Brian Dickerson (26:22): F L A V E N T R E L I E F dot com.

Sylvie Beljanski (26:30): Okay.

Brian Dickerson (26:31): And before the end of the podcast, we'll broaden out the uh the backdrop and there's a QR code there that people can use that QR code to be able to get to the website. But and out of your family and everything you guys have done for cancer and pushing natural health, we'll have a code as well. And anybody use that code, the JASC code, you're going to get 35% off your order just so we can get everybody getting that natural product and that benefit.

28:10 The Synergy of Natural Health Approaches
Sylvie Beljanski (26:56): Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm I'm sure that the audience is highly appreciate that and I do believe that I mean those natural products having no side effects are also able to work very well in synergy with everything that we are doing with the Beljanski products and everything I hear from you about sustaining naturally the body and helping the body to fight inflammation, cancer cells and so on is really similar to the approach that we are doing also with natural products. I mean we are working with natural products which we cannot grow unfortunately here in the US. I mean our the plant extracts we are working with are coming from the Amazon or from Africa. All those plants are working in the same intelligent way to support the body to provide you with what nature is intended to provide you and uh and doesn't have the toxic any of the toxicity associated with medicine. That's why it's not medicine. It is nature and the benefits of nature.

Brian Dickerson (28:10): Yeah. It's true nature's health.

Sylvie Beljanski (28:12): Yeah. Exactly. which which was there long before pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceuticals appeared at the 19th century. I mean the chemicals for centuries and centuries it was just all medicine was natural and based on plants mostly.

Brian Dickerson (28:30): I always had the conversations with people who are like well there's no way a plant can do that. You need to have pharmaceuticals. You need to have that involvement. And I will say at one point in time representing the healthcare companies, pharmaceutical companies, food companies had that perception as well. But once you see the side effects and the surmounting effect of those side effects and then you see how the natural plants work and then kind of for me you go back and see how your grandfathers ate and how your grandfathers talked about their fathers eating and my grandfathers both lived to their 90s. So didn't do too bad.

Sylvie Beljanski (29:08): Yeah, abs. Absolutely. And now you see that there are more and more cancers. People are getting sick younger and younger and you have to I mean what they are doing which is not sustaining their health and why do they get sick in the first place?

Brian Dickerson (29:26): Well, you look at that a lot of them are just eating the processed food that's being thrown on commercials and social media pop on there. It's all about processed food and unfortunately they probably haven't been educated on what they should be.

Sylvie Beljanski (29:39): Absolutely.

Brian Dickerson (29:40): And it's not available.

29:45 Conclusion and Upcoming Events
Sylvie Beljanski (29:45): Well, you make it available through uh I mean it's really complementing the food to provide the body what the body needs and I love this approach and I think everybody should uh should learn about quality supplements to supplement your food and provide your body what it needs to sustain itself and stay healthy.

Brian Dickerson (30:08): And one of the things that we have in common with Beljanski is before we even knew about your grape organization when we look at us using the Ginkgo plant growing the Ginkgo plant extracting the green tea that the same use that we get the benefit the epicatechins and the research on the epicatechins and how they can help rebuild cells in the body. There's there's that great synergy. She's showing you've been doing it for years and we're finding the research of these plants and we can get the specific plants to help further that.

Sylvie Beljanski (30:37): Very good. Excellent. Well, we look forward to seeing Flavent at uh at the Beljanski conference in San Diego this this June. It's going to be a treat and I am sure that the audience will highly appreciate seeing you and seeing your products over there.

Brian Dickerson (31:00): Well, we can't wait to be there. Well, hope everybody can go there opportunity to be there.

Sylvie Beljanski (31:06): Thank you. Thank you very much.

Brian Dickerson (31:08): Thank you.

Sylvie Beljanski (31:09): Thank you for listening to the Beljanski Cancer Talk Show. If this conversation supported or inspired you, please follow the podcast, share it with someone who may benefit, and leave a review to help others discover these integrative perspectives. For more resources and to see what we offer, please visit beljanski.org.