Featured series · 8 parts
By Dr. Palak Patel, MD, CMD
Living longer isn’t the same as living well. Over eight weeks, Dr. Palak Patel walks through what the research says about healthspan — and what you can actually do about it.
Start with Part 1Off the Charts
Please note that I am not a cardiologist and my explanation of the EKG might be faulty or too simplified. That having been said, I will say that few medical tests are as familiar—and at the same time as frequently misunderstood—as the electrocardiogram, better known as an EKG. It is quick, painless,…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·October 23, 2026
Off the Charts
A little while ago I discussed a blood test, the CBC which explained the cells and cell fragments in a blood sample. Today, let’s have a look into a blood test that evaluates 14 substances of the blood chemistry, called the comprehensive metabolic panel, or CMP. The CMP evaluates electrolyte levels…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·October 16, 2026
The Science of Aging Well
Part 8 of 8 (series finale) in our series on the science of aging well — and what you can actually do about it
Every week for the past two months, someone in this series has asked me some version of the same question, usually near the end of the visit, almost as an afterthought: "But what about the pills? The NAD+ drips, the longevity clinics — is any of that real?" It's the right question to end on. So…
By Dr. Palak Patel ·October 9, 2026
Off the Charts
Rabies is among medicine’s most feared infections: a virus that attacks the brain and spinal cord and is almost always fatal once symptoms begin. Yet it also offers one of public health’s most important lessons—after a possible exposure, prompt wound care and vaccination can prevent the disease…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·October 9, 2026
Off the Charts
Thank you Joy Bishop for suggesting this fabulous topic! Immunotherapy is a broad subject and I will try to hit on some highlights. Pretty much everyone knows that the immune system protects us from infections and helps identify “invaders” in our body, such as the actual bacteria or viruses, as well…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·October 2, 2026
The Science of Aging Well
Part 7 of 8 in our series on the science of aging well — and what you can actually do about it
We’ve spent six weeks talking about arteries, muscle, and bloodwork. It’s time to talk about the organ running the whole operation — and the one thing it needs that no supplement can replace. Elena is sixty-four and walked into my office with a small leather notebook, the kind you’d expect to hold a…
By Dr. Palak Patel ·October 2, 2026
The Science of Aging Well
Part 6 of 8 in our series on the science of aging well — and what you can actually do about it
Michael is fifty-two. He plays doubles tennis every Saturday, and when he crossed my waiting room to shake my hand, I clocked him without meaning to — under four seconds, the same test we talked about last week with Ruth and her hallway. (Michael, like the composite patients earlier in this series,…
By Dr. Palak Patel ·September 24, 2026
The Science of Aging Well
Part 5 of 8 in our series on the science of aging well—and what you can actually do about it
We've come to believe the best answers need the most expensive machines. The body has quietly disagreed for decades. Ruth is seventy-six and came in three weeks after a fall in her kitchen, convinced she needs a full-body scan to find out how "frail" she's become. (Ruth, like the composite patients
By Dr. Palak Patel ·September 17, 2026
The Science of Aging Well
Part 4 of 8 in our series on the science of aging well — and what you can actually do about it
We assume there's a deadline for getting healthier. The data never signed off on that assumption. Harold is eighty-two and apologizes before he even sits down. "I know it's probably too late for me," he says. (Harold, like the composite patients earlier in this series, is drawn from patterns seen o
By Dr. Palak Patel ·September 10, 2026
Off the Charts
Thank you Renay Radniecki for suggesting the subject today: Raynaud Phenomenon. Incidentally, my mother also suffers from this. If your fingers or toes go white, or blue when you step out into cold weather—or this happens when you are under stress—you may have Raynaud phenomenon - named after Dr…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·September 10, 2026
Off the Charts
Vitamins are often marketed as simple add-ons to a healthy lifestyle—something to take with breakfast, perhaps, or when we feel run down. Biologically, however, they are far more important and more interesting than that. A vitamin is an organic compound needed in very small amounts for normal…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·September 3, 2026
The Science of Aging Well
Part 3 of 8 in our series on the science of aging well — and what you can actually do about it
We believe we are the sum of our ancestors' mistakes, but science suggests a different inheritance. David sits in my office with his father's chart practically memorized. Heart attack at fifty-eight. Stroke at sixty-three. Dead at sixty-six. David is forty-nine, and he says it like a verdict already…
By Dr. Palak Patel ·September 3, 2026
Off the Charts
Hearing loss is common, especially with aging, but the remedy is often not simply a matter of “turning up the volume.” There are many causes, can come in several forms, and may be reversible, manageable, or treated with hearing technology and rehabilitation. In the United States, disabling hearing…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·August 27, 2026
The Science of Aging Well
Part 2 of 8 in our series on the science of aging well — and what you can actually do about it
James lists his symptoms like items on a grocery list he never wanted to buy: tired, foggy, achy, and slow to heal. (James, like Margaret last week, is a composite drawn from patterns I see often in the clinic — not one specific patient.) He's convinced it's all one thing: age. It surprised him when…
By Dr. Palak Patel ·August 27, 2026
The Science of Aging Well
Part 1 of 8 in our series on the science of aging well — and what you can actually do about it
Margaret sits in my clinic clutching a piece of paper like a lifeline. She is seventy-one. (Margaret is a composite, drawn from a version of this conversation I have in the clinic most weeks — not one specific patient.) She isn't asking about her cholesterol. She looks at me and asks, "Will I still…
By Dr. Palak Patel ·August 20, 2026
Off the Charts
Yesterday I was invited to be on a discussion panel to discuss the movie: „The 100 Year Effect”with Dr Kent Thornburg. It was the first showing in the 2026 Wild River Film Festival. This fantastic documentary discusses epigenetics and how we can make a difference in the next generations. Most of us…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·August 20, 2026
Off the Charts
Ovarian cancer is not among the most common cancers in women, but it remains the deadliest gynecologic cancer in the United States. One reason is that it is often difficult to detect early, when treatment is most likely to be successful. About 21,000 Americans are expected to receive an…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·August 13, 2026
Off the Charts
I looked at the news today and saw yet another article about measles. This made me think that perhaps I need to write on it once again. Most people think of measles as a rash-and-fever illness that children used to get before vaccination became routine. It is far more than that. Measles is one of…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·July 30, 2026
Off the Charts
Warm weather brings people outdoors—and into closer contact with bees, wasps, and hornets. For most, a sting is an unpleasant but manageable part of summer. The pain is immediate, the swelling annoying, and within a few days, it fades. But in rare cases, a sting can trigger a life-threatening…
By Gigi Reed, MD ·July 1, 2026
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