I’m not an expert, but here are some things that seem to have helped my health tremendously. There are few things that really matter in this world. Health is one of them, so, if this post could help even one other person, I want to share.

Young, Fit, and Dying

Our mortality rate is 100%. But the vast majority of us have significant control over the quality of life that we live: we can live longer and in better health. Life is so much better if we’re healthy. Yet more and more people at younger and younger ages are developing chronic diseases (type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, etc) and thereby living worse lives and dying younger.

About six weeks ago, I did a battery of blood tests (through Function Health — I’m not promoting them or anything else and am just sharing in case you’re curious where). I look quite healthy, but I did the extended blood tests out of curiosity and because my grandfather and my uncle on my mother’s side died of heart attacks when they were relatively young. My cholesterol had been a bit high the last few years, but my doctor hadn’t seemed particularly concerned, so neither was I.

These were the results for my heart health:

Most of my heart health biomarkers were out of range, and the genetic tests for heart health also showed that I had three out of five of the genetic mutations that put me at elevated risk for heart attacks. I also subsequently found out that another of my uncles on my mother’s side just had major heart surgery to remove plaque from five arteries that were 95% blocked — and he’s very healthy, doesn’t drink, eats well, exercises, etc.

I decided to take my results seriously.

Taking Health Seriously

The health report recommended a few supplements: red yeast rice (essentially a statin), pgx fiber, and berberine.

I spent a few hours with Chatgpt going over those supplements, what interactions they could have, what else I could do, what else I could take, etc.

I got my bloodwork redone two days ago (through my primary care physician, so the bloodwork was not nearly as extensive).

In less than five weeks (because it took a few days to get my initial results, to do the research, to have the supplements arrive, etc), my total cholesterol dropped 51 points from the “above” range to not just the normal but to the “optimal” range. It had been in the “above” range for the last 6 years. Every other metric improved as well: glucose levels, liver enzymes, etc. And, I feel better than I have felt since senior year of high school — so the best I have felt in about 17 years. I have more energy during the day, but I also get more tired at night and sleep better. Odd how that has happened actually.

So, what did I do?

• Supplements: Of note, Chatgpt told me and I have heard from others as well that your supplements need to be top-notch so that you’re not getting heavy metals, inconsistent dosages, etc. You don’t want to take something that does more harm than good. I’m not promoting anything, so I’m not saying what to take or not to take, but you can do likewise: ask Chatgpt what the safest and highest quality supplements are. Here’s what I now take.
  • Science backed supplements:
    • Red Yeast Rice: 1 pill (600mg)
    • PGX Fiber: I take 3 pills per day of this with plenty of water
    • Berberine: 2 pills per day
    • Fish Oil: 3 pills per day
    • Glutathione: 2 pills per day (not necessarily for cholesterol specifically, but the research seemed compelling that it improves mitochondrial function, which has a host of benefits that decrease risk factors for type 2 diabetes, cancer, etc)
    • A single pill multivitamin (Thorne and Pure Encapsulation seem to provide great quality)
  • Science backed but less so (the latter aren’t for cholesterol necessarily, but I have had some IBS symptoms since I studied abroad in South Africa in college, generally I want to be as healthy as possible, and my research pointed me to the following).
    • Colostrum: 2 pills per day
    • Probiotic: three different types (one pill from the brand Seed, one pill of Florastor, and one of Akkermansia)
    • Histaeze: I have had bad indoor allergies for over 20 years; since I have started taking four pills of this per day, I have been able to almost cease taking any other allergy medication (I previously took Zyrtec and Flonase every day). Now, I only take Flonase once every few days.
    • CoQ10 + PQQ: Helps mitochondrial function, which protects against other chronic diseases
    • Curcumin: Great for decreasing inflammation, which causes a host of problems, such as causing your gut, cells, and brain to be more permeable to toxins and increasing your chances of multiple chronic diseases
• Lifestyle: I work a lot and am pretty sedentary. Ok, fine, very sedentary.
  • Walks: For the last few years, according to my watch, I have averaged around 4,000 steps per day. Not enough. I doubled that to around 8,000 steps per day over the last 5 weeks. In other words, I have stepped it up to being a very slothful Amish man (they average over 18,000 steps per day).
  • Alcohol: I essentially quit drinking (I was having two drinks most nights).
  • Food: Honestly, I already ate quite healthily, so I really haven’t changed that much at all, but I have avoided red meat even more than before.

Not only has my bloodwork improved in essentially every way, but, best of all, I just feel happier and healthier. Let’s hope it continues.

American Medicine

I really like the doctors I have had, and I very much like my current doctor. She’s a great person, she’s caring, and she’s knowledgeable. So the following isn’t a knock against doctors (including my friends who are doctors). I do think that, unfortunately, sometimes people need to look beyond traditional medical care. That is a dangerous suggestion because people get into all types of crazy things: skepticism doesn’t have great boundaries, and you can get tricked into pursuing the latest fads. Maybe I have been as well. But, my bloodwork in just 5 weeks’ time and my happiness and energy make me think that the research (honed with Chatgpt) on the above is likely correct.

I am very glad that I seem to have found some remedies. But (again with the skepticism), I am surprised that I was never presented with them before. My doctors seemed fairly unconcerned with my bloodwork in years past. Chatgpt told me, based on the years of bloodwork I uploaded to it and my family history, that I likely had a 50% chance of dying of a heart attack before the age of 80. That’s a really high chance from just one thing that could kill me.

So I am surprised that the medical profession did not do more lab tests and never put my bloodwork in terms that actually helped me understand the gravity of them. The standard advice was diet and exercise. That’s not incorrect advice, obviously, but also there may have been more that I could fairly easily do to decrease my risks of chronic disease and death. For instance, I had IBS symptoms for over 15 years. I have seen more doctors than I can remember, done tests, taken fiber, taken probiotics, taken antibiotics, adjusted my diet, etc. Nothing worked. But, again, in five weeks, I feel better than I have in that respect in fifteen years. Why? I don’t really know. Maybe it’s just the decrease in inflammation, the very specific and research backed probiotics I’m taking (previously I just took what had the best ratings on Amazon), the overall improvement in my health, a combination of those, or something else. I really don’t know. I’m hoping it continues, and I am reinforced in that hope by the stories of others who have taken similar paths and found long-term improvement.

Will any of this work for you? I have no idea. If you have been to a lot of doctors, tried a lot of treatments, and nothing has worked, then it might be time to look elsewhere (but please do your research on safety, drug interactions, and science backed remedies). I hope you feel better and healthier too.