Healthcare is no exception, and in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the national awakening to the scourge of systemic racism in our country, more and more conversations about racism in healthcare are being had, across our country, and in the medical literature. This is only a good thing, and I hope and pray they lead to rectification of the healthcare disparities faced by people of color in this country.

One such conversation was recorded in the excellent Critical Matters podcast, hosted by Dr. Sergio Zanotti — world-renown Critical Care Medicine specialist and Chief Medical Officer for Sound Critical Care, a national critical care medicine practice. He was speaking with Dr. Greg Johnson, Sound Physicians’ Chief Medical Officer for Hospital Medicine and thought leader within his field and a champion for diversity, inclusion, and belonging within medicine.

In this episode, Dr. Zanotti and Dr. Johnson have an honest conversation about healthcare, race, and racism in healthcare. It was eye-opening, and it is a must-listen for every healthcare professional in this country. You can listen to it here:

Dr. Johnson reiterated that many Black Americans must go to great lengths to let members of the healthcare team taking care of their families know the value of their loved one: what job they do; what they mean to their families; what they mean their communities.

First of all, I was shocked by this. And yet, when I thought back to my Black patients and their families, I realized that many of them did just that: go out of their way to let me know how important this patient in front of us was to them, their family, and their community.

Just the other day, I had a husband tell me, “This woman, she is the rock of our family.” Another family member of a patient with COVID-19 told me something similar. I never paid attention to this phenomenon, and I am so very grateful I heard this conversation to open my eyes to this reality.

This is wrong. This is horrific. This is terribly sad. No one should have to justify to me why their loved one is important, how prominent their loved one is in the community. It is absolutely horrible that Dr. Tyson’s had to show the healthcare professionals taking of his father that his father was a prominent lecturer in order to garner respect from them. How can this be?

Every patient we take care of has worth, has value. Black, Brown, Yellow, Red, or White, all our patients have worth, and the fact that Black Americans feel the need to describe how important their loved ones are to get respect is truly nauseating. And you know what they are saying to us? Black Lives Matter.

Painful though it may be, it is reality, and it is of absolute importance that we in healthcare are cognizant of this reality and work to rectify it. Indeed, I told that husband that his wife has worth, and I will do all that I can to care for her within her values and wishes.

Racism in healthcare is real; it is pervasive; it is indeed a pandemic. We need to acknowledge it and then work to overcome it. All of us in healthcare have a responsibility to do what we can to achieve this end. And for starters, all of us in healthcare should listen to this conversation about racism in healthcare to understand the problem and how to fix it.

The post Every Healthcare Professional Must Listen To This Conversation appeared first on Medika Life.

Lydia Romero strained to hear her husband’s feeble voice through the phone.

A week earlier, immigration agents had grabbed Julio César Peña from his front yard in Glendale, California. Now, he was in a hospital after suffering a ministroke. He was shackled to the bed by his hand and foot, he told Romero, and agents were in the room, listening to the call. He was scared he would die and wanted his wife there.

“What hospital are you at?” Romero asked.

“I can’t tell you,” he replied.

Viridiana Chabolla, Peña’s attorney, couldn’t get an answer to that question, either. Peña’s deportation officer and the medical contractor at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center refused to tell her. Exasperated, she tried calling a nearby hospital, Providence St. Mary Medical Center.

“They said even if they had a person in ICE custody under their care, they wouldn’t be able to confirm whether he’s there or not, that only ICE can give me the information,” Chabolla said. The hospital confirmed this policy to KFF Health News.

Family members and attorneys for patients hospitalized after being detained by federal immigration officials said they are facing extreme difficulty trying to locate patients, get information about their well-being, and provide them emotional and legal support. They say many hospitals refuse to provide information or allow contact with these patients. Instead, hospitals allow immigration officers to call the shots on how much — if any — contact is allowed, which can deprive patients of their constitutional right to seek legal advice and leave them vulnerable to abuse, attorneys said.

Hospitals say they are trying to protect the safety and privacy of patients, staff, and law enforcement officials, even while hospital employees in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Portland, Ore., cities where Immigration and Customs Enforcement has conducted immigration raids, say it’s made their jobs difficult. Hospitals have used what are sometimes called blackout procedures, which can include registering a patient under a pseudonym, removing their name from the hospital directory, or prohibiting staff from even confirming that a patient is in the hospital.

“We’ve heard incidences of this blackout process being used at multiple hospitals across the state, and it’s very concerning,” said Shiu-Ming Cheer, the deputy director of immigrant and racial justice at the California Immigrant Policy Center, an advocacy group.

Some Democratic-led states, including California, Colorado, and Maryland, have enacted legislation that seeks to protect patients from immigration enforcement in hospitals. However, those policies do not address protections for people already in ICE custody.

More Detainees Hospitalized

Peña is among more than 350,000 people arrested by federal immigration authorities since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. As arrests and detentions have climbed, so too have reports of people taken to hospitals by immigration agents because of illness or injury — due to preexisting conditions or problems stemming from their arrest or detention.

ICE has faced criticism for using aggressive and deadly tactics, as well as for reports of mistreatment and inadequate medical care at its facilities. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told reporters at a Jan. 20 news conference outside a detention center he visited in California City that he spoke to a diabetic woman held there who had not received treatment in two months.

While there are no publicly available statistics on the number of people sick or injured in ICE detention, the agency’s news releases point to 32 people who died in immigration custody in 2025. Six more have died this year.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not respond to a request for information about its policies or Peña’s case.

According to ICE’s guidelines, people in custody should be given access to a telephone, visits from family and friends, and private consultation with legal counsel. The agency can make administrative decisions, including about visitation, when a patient is in the hospital, but should defer to hospital policies on contacting next of kin when a patient is seriously ill, the guidelines state.

Asked in detail about hospital practices related to patients in immigration custody and whether there are best practices that hospitals should follow, Ben Teicher, a spokesperson for the American Hospital Association, declined to comment.

David Simon, a spokesperson for the California Hospital Association, said that “there are times when hospitals will — at the request of law enforcement — maintain confidentiality of patients’ names and other identifying characteristics.”

Although policies vary, members of the public can typically call a hospital and ask for a patient by name to find out whether they’re there, and often be transferred to the patient’s room, said William Weber, an emergency physician in Minneapolis and medical director for the Medical Justice Alliance, which advocates for the medical needs of people in law enforcement custody. Family members and others authorized by the patient can visit. And medical staff routinely call relatives to let them know a loved one is in the hospital, or to ask for information that could help with their care.

But when a patient is in law enforcement custody, hospitals frequently agree to restrict this kind of information sharing and access, Weber said. The rationale is that these measures prevent unauthorized outsiders from threatening the patient or law enforcement personnel, given that hospitals lack the security infrastructure of a prison or detention center. High-profile patients such as celebrities sometimes also request this type of protection.

Several attorneys and health care providers questioned the need for such restrictions. Immigration detention is civil, not criminal, detention. The Trump administration says it’s focused on arresting and deporting criminals, yet most of those arrested have no criminal conviction, according to data compiled by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse and several news outlets.

Taken Outside His Home

According to Peña’s wife, Romero, he has no criminal record. Peña came to the United States from Mexico in sixth grade and has an adult son in the U.S. military. The 43-year-old has terminal kidney disease and survived a heart attack in November. He has trouble walking and is partially blind, his wife said. He was detained Dec. 8 while resting outside after coming home from dialysis treatment.

Initially, Romero was able to find her husband through the ICE Online Detainee Locator System. She visited him at a temporary holding facility in downtown Los Angeles, bringing him his medicines and a sweater. She then saw he’d been moved to the Adelanto detention center. But the locator did not show where he was after he was hospitalized.

When she and other relatives drove to the detention facility to find him, they were turned away, she said. Romero received occasional calls from her husband in the hospital but said they were less than 10 minutes long and took place under ICE surveillance. She wanted to know where he was so she could be at the hospital to hold his hand, make sure he was well cared for, and encourage him to stay strong, she said.

Shackling him and preventing him from seeing his family was unfair and unnecessary, she said.

“He’s weak,” Romero said. “It’s not like he’s going to run away.”

ICE guidelines say contact and visits from family and friends should be allowed “within security and operational constraints.” Detainees have a constitutional right to speak confidentially with an attorney. Weber said immigration authorities should tell attorneys where their clients are and allow them to talk in person or use an unmonitored phone line.

Hospitals, though, fall into a gray area on enforcing these rights, since they are primarily focused on treating medical needs, Weber said. Still, he added, hospitals should ensure their policies align with the law.

Family Denied Access

Numerous immigration attorneys have spent weeks trying to locate clients detained by ICE, with their efforts sometimes thwarted by hospitals.

Nicolas Thompson-Lleras, a Los Angeles attorney who counsels immigrants facing deportation, said two of his clients were registered under aliases at different hospitals in Los Angeles County last year. Initially, the hospitals denied the clients were there and refused to let Thompson-Lleras meet with them, he said. Family members were also denied access, he said.

One of his clients was Bayron Rovidio Marin, a car wash worker injured during a raid in August. Immigration agents surveilled him for over a month at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, a county-run facility, without charging him.

In November, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to curb the use of blackout policies for patients under civil immigration custody at county-run hospitals. In a statement, Arun Patel, the chief patient safety and clinical risk management officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, said the policies are designed to reduce safety risks for patients, doctors, nurses, and custody officers.

“In some situations, there may be concerns about threats to the patient, attempts to interfere with medical care, unauthorized visitors, or the introduction of contraband,” Patel said. “Our goal is not to restrict care but to allow care to happen safely and without disruption.”

Leaving Patients Vulnerable

Thompson-Lleras said he’s concerned that hospitals are cooperating with federal immigration authorities at the expense of patients and their families and leaving patients vulnerable to abuse.

“It allows people to be treated suboptimally,” Thompson-Lleras said. “It allows people to be treated on abbreviated timelines, without supervision, without family intervention or advocacy. These people are alone, disoriented, being interrogated, at least in Bayron’s case, under pain and influence of medication.”

Such incidents are alarming to hospital workers. In Los Angeles, two health care professionals who asked not to be identified by KFF Health News, out of concern for their livelihoods, said that ICE and hospital administrators, at public and private hospitals, frequently block staff from contacting family members for people in custody, even to find out about their health conditions or what medications they’re on. That violates medical ethics, they said.

Blackout procedures are another concern.

“They help facilitate, whether intentionally or not, the disappearance of patients,” said one worker, a physician for the county’s Department of Health Services and part of a coalition of concerned health workers from across the region.

At Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, nurses publicly expressed outrage over what they saw as hospital cooperation with ICE and the flouting of patient rights. Legacy Health has sent a cease and desist letter to the nurses’ union, accusing it of making “false or misleading statements.”

“I was really disgusted,” said Blaire Glennon, a nurse who quit her job at the hospital in December. She said numerous patients were brought to the hospital by ICE with serious injuries they sustained while being detained. “I felt like Legacy was doing massive human rights violations.”

Handcuffed While Unconscious

Two days before Christmas, Chabolla, Peña’s attorney, received a call from ICE with the answer she and Romero had been waiting for. Peña was at Victor Valley Global Medical Center, about 10 miles from Adelanto, and about to be released.

Excited, Romero and her family made the two-hour-plus drive from Glendale to the hospital to take him home.

When they got there, they found Peña intubated and unconscious, his arm and leg still handcuffed to the hospital bed. He’d had a severe seizure on Dec. 20, but no one had told his family or legal team, his attorney said.

Tim Lineberger, a spokesperson for Victor Valley Global Medical Center’s parent company, KPC Health, said he could not comment on specific patient cases, because of privacy protections. He said the hospital’s policies on patient information disclosure comply with state and federal law.

Peña was finally cleared to go home on Jan. 5. No court date has been set, and his family is filing a petition to adjust his legal status based on his son’s military service. For now, he still faces deportation proceedings.

The post ‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees appeared first on Medika Life.

In fact, many older medications for mental health treatments have resulted in distressing side effects. They may require other medications to address them, such as tardive dyskinesia or dystonias.

I have seen psychiatric patients given medications that caused them to be unable to move their heads off their shoulders or have difficulties with walking, breathing, unstoppable hand tremors, or even raising their arms to perform some activity. It was extremely distressing to see, and the patients were terrified because no one had told them this might happen. Also, no one mentioned the fact that there might be some neurological problems going on that would only be covered behaviorally by additional medications. The potential disruption might not be stopped, but hidden.

An example of what we’re seeing now is illustrated by a woman whose joint inflammation always appeared right before her worst emotional state. When her body experienced joint pain and swelling, her mental state would severely deteriorate. She had believed this reaction occurred naturally because of her pain experience throughout many years.

But a new day in medicine is coming. Scientists have discovered complex and promising processes occurring beneath the surface as they conduct their recent research. Some discoveries, as so often happens, have been found not by looking for mental health issues, but something else.

The Invisible Fire Within

Everyone understands inflammation to be the response that occurs during ankle twists and cuts. Our bodies respond to healing by showing redness and swelling, which we easily detect during the recovery process. But the human body contains a less apparent form of inflammation that maintains a chronic low-grade condition throughout months and years without producing noticeable symptoms. What is this mysterious condition, and how can we ameliorate it?

The body’s concealed inflammation plays a leading role in mental health conditions, starting from depression and anxiety, and reaching cognitive decline, according to recent scientific research. Alzheimer’s researchers have theorized that inflammation may play a role in this severe disorder. Medical researchers have now found that ongoing inflammation interferes with mental processes by modifying brain operations and emotional responses. A reason and a treatment may have lain waiting for many decades.

Breaking Down the Blood-Brain Barrier

Here, we have to consider the brain’s most vital protection — the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that prevents both illness and medication from entering. Medical students have learned over the last several decades that the brain functions as an “immune-privileged fortress,” protected by the blood-brain barrier that blocks inflammatory processes from reaching it. The protective wall shields essential nutrients while blocking unwanted, harmful substances from entering.

The BBB may even deny medications that are beneficial to enter, which has led to slow advances in treatment for many illnesses. Unfortunately, some substances like alcohol, result in a way around the BBB. ETOH affects the brain through vitamin deficiency, particularly of vitamin B1. This is probably how such distressing disorders as Wernicke’s psychosis may occur. Eventually, it’s inflammation that appears to play a significant role in much of physical and mental health.

Research findings demonstrate that extended periods of inflammation can create permeability in the blood-brain barrier. During periods of persistent stress and inflammation, the brain’s protective wall becomes compromised, which enables inflammatory substances to cross into brain tissue. When inflammatory signals enter the brain, they disrupt the manufacturing process of essential neurotransmitters, which include serotonin and dopamine, while antidepressants attempt to manage these chemicals.

Caroline Ménard examined stressed mice at Laval University and discovered that their blood-brain barrier exhibited extensive damage that differed from that of healthy controls. Research has discovered depression-related damage in post-mortem brain samples similar to the findings in stressed mice studies. Can mouse studies really tell us about human mental health? Most probably, it is a promising effort and may reveal important aspects of human mental health.

The Gut-Brain Highway

Your gut serves as the starting point for the mental health connection that stems from inflammation. The digestive tract holds 70% of your immune system and creates many brain neurotransmitters. It seems impossible that something we give so little thought to is so important.

When the gut microbiome loses equilibrium because of diet issues, antibiotics, or stress, harmful bacteria produce toxins that damage the gut lining. This, then, begins a chain reaction where the gut lining damage enables inflammatory substances to enter your bloodstream, where they could trigger inflammation throughout your entire body, which affects your brain. But if we know this, then we have information that can be useful in maintaining our mental and physical health.

The brain receives signals about mood changes in gut inflammation, according to Harvard Medical School research, and digestive symptoms from anxiety and depression also activate these signals. The connection between chronic digestive disorders and anxiety and depression risk stands at three times higher than the population average, according to research.

The Science Behind the Connection

Research-based evidence supports the link between inflammation and mental health, even though it was once theoretical. An analysis of 1.5 million participants discovered that patients with inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease had double the chance of developing anxiety and depression.

The findings become more significant because the enhanced risk factors appeared in different inflammatory disease conditions. Mental health problems develop directly from inflammation rather than from being sick with an illness. Additionally, we know that diseases such as cancer can affect depression. But it may not be that people know they have cancer, but that cancer causes biological depression just as it causes changes in taste perception.

Genetic research has established evidence that exceeds mere association because it shows a clear cause-and-effect relationship. One study linked higher specific biochemical levels to depressive symptoms, mood alterations, appetite changes, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and symptoms of irritability. Their advanced genetic analysis showed that these associations result from genuine causal relationships instead of random chance.

When Stress Becomes Inflammation

The process through which psychological stress produces physical inflammation remains unclear. A major study was published that explains this process thoroughly.

Scientists conducted laboratory stress tests on healthy participants. They observed specific activation in 17 of 19 volunteers while their catecholamines and cortisol levels increased immediately after stress exposure before returning to normal levels in 60 minutes. This factor functions as a cellular switch that activates inflammatory processes.

According to the study, noradrenaline (norepinephrine) acts as a primary stress hormone that triggers inflammatory mechanisms in immune cells. The biological process transforms psychological distress into inflammatory cell responses, which occur in just minutes.

The Vicious Cycle

After inflammation enters the brain system, it generates an endless cycle of inflammation. The brain contains microglia, which act as immune cells that receive activation signals from inflammatory signals. The protective housekeeping function of these cells transforms into destructive behavior when exposed to prolonged inflammation, which leads them to produce more inflammatory substances.

The research term “inflammatory soup” describes how the mixture of inflammatory factors damages brain cells while making it harder for the brain to remove proteins, which contribute to mental decline. The described mechanism reveals why long-term inflammation elevates the chances of developing depression and dementia.

Practical Steps to Cool the Flames

Evidence-based methods exist to combat chronic inflammation and promote mental health support:

1. Embrace Anti-Inflammatory Foods

The Mediterranean diet stands as one of the most extensively studied dietary patterns for its anti-inflammatory effects. Focus on:

The diet should comprise abundant amounts of fruits and vegetables, which are rich in antioxidants, whole grains, legumes, and fatty fish like salmon and sardines that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, olive oil should be the primary fat source, and nuts and seeds should be included, with a minimal consumption of processed foods and red meat.

2. Feed Your Good Bacteria

Your gut microbiome acts as a central element in both inflammation processes and mood regulation. Beneficial bacteria need support through the following actions:

The diet should include fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi.

Use antibiotics only in situations where their use is absolutely required. You don’t want to kill the good bacteria along with the bad, and that’s what you’re doing here if you use antibiotics casually. You should consult your healthcare provider before taking any probiotic supplement because you need a high-quality product.

3. Move Your Body Regularly

How often have we read that exercise is one of the most important ways to manage both stress and mental health issues? But how many health care professionals indicate exercise in their treatment plans? Who gets a prescription to join a gym for exercise, and if they did, how much better would they be?

Regular moderate exercise stands as the most potent anti-inflammatory intervention available, even though intense exercise temporarily causes inflammation. Physical exercise reduces persistent inflammation, according to research, and being inactive is associated with persistent systemic inflammation.

The recommended weekly amount can be achieved through activities including brisk walking, swimming, cycling, dancing, yoga, or tai chi.

4. Prioritize Sleep Quality

The process of inflammation exists both as a cause and an effect of insufficient sleep. You should create a sleep-conducive environment through these steps:

The bedroom environment should be kept cool in temperature, dark, and quiet. A regular evening schedule should be followed as part of your bedtime routine.

You should refrain from using screens for an hour before bedtime.
Caffeine consumption should be limited to the time before 2 PM.

5. Manage Stress Effectively

Stress management techniques need development because psychological stress directly causes inflammation, according to research.
Daily mindfulness meditation practice of just 10 minutes will help decrease inflammatory markers.

When experiencing stress, use the 4–2–6 deep breathing method, which involves breathing in for four counts, then holding for two before exhaling for six counts.

Social support serves as a strong protective measure that reduces inflammation caused by stress.

Happiness stands as a vital factor that helps decrease stress levels, according to research.

6. Consider Professional Help

Seek advice from your healthcare provider regarding potential inflammation involvement in your symptoms when you experience ongoing mood issues, particularly with inflammatory conditions.
The discussion should include whether inflammation contributes to your symptoms.

The Future of Mental Health Treatment

The modern era brings opportunities for highly customized treatments in mental health care. Research shows that depression has inflammation as its main cause in approximately 1 out of 4 patients according to recent studies.

The scientific community is currently developing three new treatments for these patients:

• Anti-inflammatory medications traditionally used for arthritis
The semaglutide GLP-1 drug shows anti-inflammatory properties among its therapeutic benefits
• Targeted therapies based on individual inflammatory profiles
• Personalized nutrition and lifestyle interventions

A New Understanding of Mental Health

The scientific breakthrough in studying inflammation and mental health functions as a transformative method for understanding depression and anxiety. A combination of biological origins from lifestyle changes and medical interventions points to more effective treatment of these psychological conditions.

Therapy and social support, along with traditional methods, remain essential. The identification of inflammation through diet, exercise, stress management, and sometimes medication becomes necessary for many patients who seek recovery.

Moving Forward

The recommended lifestyle modifications work for everyone, so you can start with these first. But don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you’re struggling. A healthcare provider who understands the inflammation-mental health connection can help determine if this perspective might be useful in your specific situation.

Understanding the biological elements of mental health does not decrease their complexity but provides additional methods to enhance one’s well-being. Mental health development results from multiple biological factors that combine with psychological elements and social interactions. Managing inflammation represents an essential step in solving one part of the complex puzzle.

The post Mental Health Secrets Are Being Unraveled, and Inflammation Is the Culprit appeared first on Medika Life.

Statistics confirm that being short results in actual monetary losses. Studies in the Journal of Applied Psychology demonstrated that male workers earn higher wages by about 2 percent for each extra inch of height. A 6-foot-tall man earns more money than his 5’6″ counterpart annually due to height differences without any impact on their intelligence skills or work ethic.

The Hidden Discrimination in Plain Sight

Height discrimination also known as “heightism” stands as one of the least discussed prejudices in our contemporary society. The available data indicates that ninety percent of CEOs possess above-average height measurements and only three percent have heights below 5’7“. The acceptance of height-based leadership limitations continues despite our modern push for diversity and anti-discrimination practices. Why such an emphasis on height? Maybe it’s because instinctively it is associated with a number of urban myths or even evolutionary myths.

Our ordinary language perpetuates this discriminatory pattern. People who impress us physically stand above us while people we dismiss physically stand below us. People praise someone’s “towering intellect” and describe respected individuals as having “impressive stature.” When shorter individuals demonstrate powerful opinions people usually label them as having “Napoleon complex” while tall individuals show the same confidence without receiving such judgment.

Dr. Tanya Osensky who stands at 4’11” documented these personal experiences through her research on height discrimination. Her research demonstrates that people reject discriminatory attitudes toward short individuals because heightism continues to remain an unacknowledged legitimate discriminatory practice.

A Journey Through History’s Beauty Standards

The fixation on height has existed since ancient times but its intensity has never reached current levels. Throughout time beauty standards have transformed like shifting desert dunes. In ancient Greece, the perfect woman was characterized by her plump figure combined with wide hips and small breasts. The Renaissance era brought about a beauty standard which included large forehead sizes so women would shave their hairlines to create an appearance of greater forehead dimensions.

The 1700s and early 1800s emphasized physical balance because beauty standards required women to maintain proportions between their height and other body measurements. The cultural focus during this time centered on moderation rather than extremes. During medieval times, women who carried extra weight were considered attractive because it signified wealth while skinny women were linked to poverty or religious devotion.

During the 17th century, the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, who reigned for 72 years in France, earned his nickname “Le Talon Rouge” because he wore red-heeled shoes, which became the ultimate symbol of status and privilege across Europe. Today, of course, we have the uber-rich wearing red-soled shoes, Louboutin.

He mandated red-heeled footwear for anyone wishing to enter his luxurious Versailles court. Only nobles had the right to wear red heels, with their social status determining the maximum height of their heels. Louis XIV often wore heels that reached four inches, which heightened his already commanding presence.

These fashion choices served as tools for political influence. Don’t we still see certain expensive items as portraying importance and influence? The expensive red dye and impractical shoes indicated that the wearer possessed enough wealth to avoid both walking on dirt and performing manual labor. The sight of crimson heels gliding across marble floors signaled that authentic power was approaching. We’re not talking about ballet here when we say “The Red Shoes.”

The fashion trend expanded throughout Europe yet Louis XIV maintained his position as the most influential trendsetter who demonstrated that minor details reveal the most about true authority. I don’t know about you, but red-soled shoes seem highly impractical unless you never have to walk anywhere.

I wonder how my local shoemaker would have handled re-soleing those shoes. He re-soled plenty of my shoes when I was in elementary school. In fact, he re-soled them so often, they were like rockers on the bottom of my shoes. There is only so many times you can half-sole a child’s oxford.

Western society at some point established an unprecedented connection between height and power as well as success and attractiveness that previous civilizations never established. The belief in male stature superiority emerged from 19th century eugenic and Social Darwinist movements which developed pseudoscientific theories about tall men being superior.

The Psychological Impact of Being Short

The consequences of height discrimination extend well past financial losses. Research showed that height satisfaction rates were extremely low among short men reaching only 26% but very high among tall men at 87%. The enormous height satisfaction difference between tall and short men shows how deeply our height-obsessed culture affects their mental state. The more it appears that height is a definite advantage in dating.

Research conducted with Swedish men established that social class directly linked to height while showing height increases resulted in lower suicide rates. The combination of short stature and lower social standing made men more prone to suicidal thoughts which highlights the fatal nature of height discrimination.

Chinese research revealed that men who were unhappy with their height displayed avoidance behaviors when encountering height-related words which demonstrates how deep their psychological distress has become.

When Desperation Leads to Drastic Measures

People, seemingly men in particular, who experience severe height discrimination may choose to undergo dangerous surgical procedures to achieve minimal height growth. They are now choosing to undergo leg-lengthening surgery which costs $75,000 while requiring doctors to break their bones and stretch them apart over several months.

Doctors perform this procedure by placing telescopic rods into fractured bones and using external remote controls to extend them at 1 millimeter per day for two to three months. The medical procedure requires patients to remain bedridden for weeks and carries risks of infection alongside potential nerve damage and joint complications.

According to research it has been revealed that one in ten young men between 16 and 24 years of age considered undergoing leg-lengthening surgery. It would seem a rather drastic way to handle something that may not be related to height. For example, look at some of the world leaders and their stature. Leader of the Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is 5 feet 7 inches, while Ireland’s Michael D. Higgins is 5 feet, 3 inches, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is 5 feet, 6 inches, and France’s Emmanuel Macron is 5 feet, 7 inches.

The goal of some of these leg-lengthening procedures is to grow from 5 feet 7 inches to 6 feet and an ultimate goal of reaching 6 feet 2 inches. According to one patient, his depression stemmed from his height while he acknowledged that undergoing the “very painful, very hard” procedure led him to believe his new height would help him “reach everything in life.” The sad fact is, it may have nothing to do with his height at all.

The Professional Price of Being Short

Height bias at work generates specific measurable consequences that have substantial impact. Research shows that taller men and women receive more leader-like perceptions from others while being perceived as intelligent and healthy than their shorter colleagues. The recruitment process favors taller candidates because recruiters consider them more skilled and employable. Then, of course, there is “the beauty effect.” There is even a scale to determine who is more culturally acceptable as beautiful and who is not. I Out the validity of the scales since it was on a very small sample in Nepal. But beauty does get people certain advantages, and the beauty market will prosper as a result.

The Chinese government has outlawed height requirements for employment yet certain positions including bank staff and lawyers and airline personnel must have a minimum height of 5 feet 7 inches. Research in China during a ten-year period demonstrated that employees with shorter stature earned reduced wages than taller employees who held similar positions.

Breaking the Height Ceiling

Society faces a significant political and social challenge because of income loss caused by short stature particularly when short stature emerges from childhood poverty and malnutrition plus the effects of ADHD medications. However, there is a bit of blowback on the latter. According to research well-nourished and healthy childhood development leads to both physical and cognitive success.

The process repeats itself when economically disadvantaged children fail to achieve their complete height because of inadequate nutrition leading to height-based discrimination in adulthood which maintains social inequality.

Standing Up for Change

Surgery or accepting discrimination do not provide the solution because we need to transform how society views height in relation to leadership. It seems that we have already crossed that bridge in international politics. Employers now understand that remote work can help decrease height bias since height cannot be easily assessed through video conferencing.

But real change requires more than corporate policies. Each person needs to analyze their own prejudice. When you unconsciously believe taller people have more capability and shorter people have less authority, take a moment to evaluate if your judgment is based on genetic makeup.

Height discrimination survives through the lack of open discussion. The first step toward building an equitable society begins with open dialogue about height bias because we should judge people based on their character and contributions rather than their physical height.

Throughout history, influential figures such as Napoleon, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa demonstrated that true stature exists beyond physical height because their impact on the world determined their actual size. I wonder how tall Jesus was.

The post The Height Problem No One Wants to Talk About appeared first on Medika Life.

The proper terminology is “epistemic injustice,” whereby a person’s concerns are dismissed by someone else, causing that person to question their own perception of reality, or to make them feel “crazy.”

The article was describing the experiences of patients who were referred to a specialized clinic for vulvovaginal disorders. When I read the article and the term “medical gaslighting,” I reached out to the primary author, Dr. Chailee Moss, to have her come on my podcast (the link the episode is at the end of this article) to discuss her article and the “medical gaslighting” itself.

The findings of the article were eye-opening: less than half of patients said that past practitioners were supportive; a little more than a quarter were actually belittling, and one fifth were described as not believing the patient. What shocked me was that 20.6% of patients were given a recommendation to drink alcohol to relieve their symptoms. Moreover, 16.8% of patients felt unsafe during a medical encounter and 39.4% said they were made to feel crazy.

The actual narrative responses were also instructive, and they are reproduced here:

The most important takeaway from the article and my conversation was that we must do all that we can to ensure patients feel heard. Even if we can’t find something specific to treat, we should do our utmost to ensure that patients’ concerns are not perceived as being dismissed. This applies to all specialties, including critical care. Also, “drink more alcohol” should NEVER be a medical recommendation, in my opinion. It was a very important lesson for me, and it is one I will do my best to remember every day of my practice.

Listen to the podcast episode: https://www.healthcaremusings.com/the-freedom-fighters-of-medicine/

The post Can Doctors “Gaslight” Their Patients? appeared first on Medika Life.

No phone.

No watch.

No distractions.

Just her presence — so quiet, it filled the room.

She had metastatic cancer, but that wasn’t what she came to talk about.

“I spent my whole life moving,” she said. “Rushing, fixing, solving. Even when I sat still, my mind didn’t stop. But cancer… cancer taught me something else.”

“It taught me how to be still.”

She didn’t say it with resignation. It felt like a victory.

Most people come into the clinic with questions about what to do.

They want a treatment plan, a supplement list, a way forward.

She came in with something simpler, and somehow, deeper — a way to be.

“I used to think stillness was laziness,” she told me.

“But now I think it’s wisdom. Sitting in the garden with my tea, letting my dog nap beside me.”

No music.

No news.

Just being there.

“That,” she said, “was the first time I really lived.”

Want more quiet insights from the exam room?
Follow me on Medium → https://medium.com/@drmichaelhunter

She wasn’t being poetic.

She was just telling the truth.

Stillness

Stillness is a challenging concept to sell in our culture.

We equate motion with progress.

We blur productivity and purpose.

We fill every space with noise.

But healing, aging, grieving, and loving — all require stillness.

I’ve seen patients search for answers in pills, scans, and data.

But sometimes the answer comes in silence.

A deep breath.

A quiet morning.

A patient who learned to stop chasing life long enough actually to feel it.

She asked me no questions.

She just said thank you.

And as she left, I realized I was the one who’d been given something.

Final Thoughts

I’ve met thousands of patients.

But the ones who stay with me are rarely the ones who fought the hardest or read the most studies.

They’re the ones who discovered a truth we forget in our rush: That stillness isn’t the opposite of life.

It’s the quiet space where life shows up.

If this story moved you, you might appreciate my free guide:
10 Daily Habits That Quiet the Noise
Simple shifts to reclaim your focus, calm, and clarity — no meditation required.
👉 Download it free → https://achievewellness.gumroad.com/l/nzjqr

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Many of us may take multiple medications daily, and we depend on our prescriber’s ability to monitor those that are safe for us and exclude those that may be problematic. Anyone who wishes to be safer may do a bit of their research, and that’s fine. It does not mean you are suspicious; you only wish to ensure there’s no problem.

Hundreds of medications are listed, and it’s almost impossible for anyone to know if a medication could cause one of those rare effects for you. It is, therefore, in your best interest to be vigilant for these effects. In addition to being aware of the side effects, most patients would not know that the number of side effects may increase as the number of people taking the medication increases. Not every side effect manifests immediately, and it may require a significant increase in medication usage for it to show up.

How does a side effect enter the PDR? Usually, during clinical trials where drugs are being tested on patients, the principal investigator (PI) and those involved at the clinical sites will note any side effects that subjects report. Occasionally, an ultra-concerned clinical investigator may turn up a problem that isn’t one.

I recall a woman who developed a rash during clinical trials of a medication. Later, researchers determined that her caregiver had caused the rash by applying skin cream to her. The rash, however, continued to appear as a side effect of the drug. Although the rash wasn’t severe wasn’t related to the medication, it suggested that the researcher was very cautious about their protocol records.

Over the past several years, the discovery and prescribing of weight loss drugs (usually GLP-1) have been noted to have some mild side effects, and several studies have indicated what to expect in terms of side effects. Gut bacterial action causes bad breath (Ozempic breath), but it was easily manageable, provided the healthcare prescriber also examined any dental problems.

The Potential Risks

In another study, semaglutide was associated with a prevalence of nausea (44.10%), vomiting (24.58%), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) (6.28%) in obese individuals.

However, researchers are now expressing additional concerns about side effects that have emerged after tens of thousands of people have used these medications. How do these drugs work, and what are they noting?

By stimulating the body to create more insulin, these drugs decrease blood sugar levels. They also slow food’s passage through the stomach and lessen the sugar released into the bloodstream. When the digestive process is delayed, patients experience prolonged feelings of fullness, which can reduce their caloric intake and lead to weight loss. The action of the drugs would seem beneficial, especially for those who need to control their blood sugar levels and their weight.

But there was an increased risk, however, of gastrointestinal disorders, hypotension, syncope, arthritic disorders, nephrolithiasis, and interstitial nephritis associated with GLP-1RA use compared to usual care.

Researchers also followed more than 200,000 diabetics taking GLP-1 meds and over 1.7 million diabetics using other medications to decrease blood sugar for around 3.5 years. The study did find that using GLP-1 was not without its hazards. They found these medications were associated with an increased risk of pancreatitis of 146% and an increased risk of arthritis of 11%. But most of the study’s participants were white men in their 60s and 70s with US VA ties. Such a sample would not necessarily provide the most robust results, and future studies need to be much more diverse in the population studied.

The Vanity Factor

Aside from any physical effects, there is also something women especially might be concerned about: Ozempic face. A New York dermatologist came up with this term. It means that losing weight can make your face look older because of the tissue that is being lost. The fact that videos describing it have received millions of views indicates the extent of concern.

But when it comes to treating type 2 diabetes, the GLP-1 RA family provides positive benefits. In addition to a favorable impact on weight and a low risk of hypoglycemia, all medicines in the class have shown substantial reductions in A1C.

Despite some noted adverse side effects, the medications have proven beneficial to a significant number of users. However, as with everything, the benefits and risks must be weighed carefully, and Ozempic face should not be a negative when considering questions of health.

The post Skinnier, Sicker? Weight-Loss Meds Raise Concerns appeared first on Medika Life.

Higher scores for diet quality and greater consumption of shortfall nutrients, especially nutrients of public health concern, are associated with dietary patterns that are rich in canned and dry beans. Improved weight-related outcomes are also linked to bean dietary patterns. In essence, dietary recommendations for the United States should consider the nutritional and health advantages of encouraging more people to eat canned and dry beans.

But plant-based diets have some benefits that may surprise many. Reduced mortality from prostate cancer and improved ecological sustainability are only two of the several advantages of plant-based diets.

According to a recent study conducted by academics, beans and peas are the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives to meat and milk. Given the current emphasis on environmental and climate change, we must consider alternatives to our current meat-based diet and assess their value.

The study published in the PRNAS found that soybeans, peas, and beans, as well as other legumes, performed better than processed foods like veggie burgers and plant milks.

Even after considering possible savings and investments, lab-grown meat was the most ineffective substitute due to its expensive price tag and the absence of health advantages.

What’s This About “Pulses?”

Pulses have become less common in people’s everyday diets and the prevalence of chronic diseases has increased during the last century, both of which have altered people’s eating patterns. Whole grain and legume consumption is associated with improved cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive health as well as longer life expectancy, according to both a priori and a posteriori dietary patterns. Contrarily, cardiovascular disease and premature death have been linked to diets heavy in sugar, processed foods, and red meat.

Some examples of pulses are peas, beans, and lentils. As an illustration, while pea pods are legumes, the peas within them are the pulse. While most of us eat legumes for their seeds or pulses, the whole plant is used in agriculture for cover crops, cattle feed, and fertilizers. Pulses include beans of many varieties, including kidney, black, pinto, navy, chickpeas, and many more. (This information was sourced from: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/legumes-pulses/). But pulses aren’t the only thing to consider. For example, beans are “resistant starches” and that is the importance they bring to our diet.

Everyday foods often contain starch, a type of carbohydrate. After cellulose, it is the chemical component found in plants in the highest abundance. In its chemical form, starch consists of two molecules of monosaccharide. Starch falls into one of three types according to its physical and physiological characteristics: quickly digestible, slowly digested, or resistant starch. It was also discovered that resistant starch remained undigested. Research has shown that the gut microbial communities make use of these undigested carbohydrates. Here is where all the magic starts.

Resistant starch does not produce an increase in blood sugar levels since it is not broken down in the small intestine. Beneficial bacteria proliferate while harmful bacteria deplete as a result of fermentation in the large intestine, leading to an improvement in gut health. Glycemic management (especially important for diabetic patients) can be enhanced by promoting healthy gut bacteria. A reduction in cholesterol levels and the danger of colon cancer are among the other advantages of resistant starch. It also helps with constipation and both treats and prevents it. Because of its long fermentation process, resistant starch produces less gas than other fiber types.

Our best sources of resistant starch foods include:

• Plantains and green bananas (as a banana ripens, the starch changes to regular starch)
• Beans, peas, and lentils (white beans and lentils are the highest in resistant starch)
• Whole grains, including oats and barley
• Cooked and cooled rice. Why “cooled” rice? Because it increases the resistant starch content.

So, beans aren’t the only food with resistant starch qualities, but they are the easiest to obtain and least expensive when prepared in dried form. Canned beans may seem fine for quick meals, and that’s true, but they also may contain high levels of salt, which is unsuitable for anyone’s diet.

Concerned about your health and that of the plant? Reconsider a plant-based diet and beans as a staple in your meals.

The post Beans Are Now the Super Food That We All Need, So Get Ready for a New Diet appeared first on Medika Life.

It’s a brilliant question — practical, personal, and rooted in lived experience.

We’ve all been there: eating blueberries, sipping matcha, nibbling dark chocolate, hoping it’ll offset the chaos of our lives.

We’re told that foods like blueberries are miracle cures — that if we just eat clean enough, we can outrun stress.

But here’s what I’ve seen in practice:

You can’t eat your way out of chaos.

→ Why Everyone’s Brain Feels Broken Right Now — And What I Tell My Patients

Still, food matters. Deeply.

Let’s unpack what antioxidant-rich foods can do for a burned-out brain — and where their power ends.

(P.S. That “Let food be thy medicine” quote? Not really Hippocrates.)

What Are High-ORAC Foods, Anyway?

ORAC, short for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity measures how well a food can neutralize free radicals (unstable molecules that damage cells, accelerate aging, and promote inflammation).

Some of the highest-ORAC foods include:

These are some of the most evidence-based foods that fight burnout by countering oxidative stress and inflammation.

Consuming these foods regularly can make your body more efficient at extinguishing the “metabolic fires” triggered by stress, poor sleep, and inflammation.

So yes, these foods help.

But they’re not enough.

Stress, Sleep, and the Limits of Diet

Take a real-world example:

A 49-year-old entrepreneur came to me burned out.

She exercised.

Ate mostly plants. Drank matcha. Took magnesium.

Still exhausted. Irritable. Foggy.

Why?

She was sleeping five hours a night, answering emails at midnight, skipping meals, and never pausing.

Her nervous system was locked in a state of fight-or-flight.

And even the most antioxidant-rich foods won’t restore the parasympathetic state we need to digest, repair, and think clearly.

Nutrition supports healing, but it doesn’t initiate it when the system is overloaded.

Curious how patients actually recover from burnout? My ebook, What Dying Patients Taught Me About Living, shares what I’ve seen firsthand.
👉 [Get your copy here]

What Antioxidants Can Do

So what can antioxidants do?

A nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich diet can help:

• Lower CRP (a marker of inflammation)
• Improve cognition under stress.
• Stabilize mood via the gut-brain axis.
• Protect mitochondria from oxidative stress.
• Support neurogenesis (yes, new brain cell growth)

These are some of the most powerful antioxidant benefits for the brain — and they’re magnified when paired with rest and rhythm.

One 2023 study found that a Mediterranean-style, antioxidant-rich diet was linked to a lower risk of depression.

Related: 10 Tiny Habits That Quiet Your Mind — Without Meditating

Another study showed that people who consumed more polyphenol-rich foods had better memory scores, regardless of their sleep quality.

The takeaway? Antioxidants can buffer the damage. But they can’t reset the machine.

What They Can’t Do

Let me be direct:

No number of blueberries can fix:

• Poor sleep hygiene
• Work addiction
• Emotional suppression
• Constant digital overload

Clean eating can quietly backfire — especially when it becomes a way to control life instead of nourish it.

Food is a foundation, not a fix.

What Actually Works (In Real Life)

Here’s what I tell patients when they’re doing all the “right” things — but still feel off:

1. Anchor meals to rhythm, not mood

Eat at consistent times daily. This stabilizes your gut clock and supports digestion.

2. Start the day with color

Aim for 3+ natural colors before noon: blueberries, spinach, turmeric, red pepper.

3. Pair food with ritual

Eat away from screens. Use real dishes. Go outside if you can. This activates your parasympathetic system.

4. Don’t supplement stress away

Magnesium, ashwagandha, resveratrol — all useful. But only after the basics are covered: sleep, movement, light, and breath.

5. Get morning light every day

Even 10 minutes of sunlight in the first two hours after waking can reset your circadian rhythm, improve sleep, and reduce stress reactivity.

Rhythm Over Rescue

Here’s the core truth:

Health isn’t about rescue. It’s about rhythm.

We chase the perfect food, supplement, or hack to undo imbalance.

But the body doesn’t crave intensity.

It craves consistency.

Yes, antioxidant-rich foods help.

But when food is paired with consistent rest, movement, morning light, connection, and meaning?

That’s when transformation happens.

A Series for the Questions That Matter

Reader questions shape how I practice medicine — and how I write.

If this one resonates, know this:

You’re not alone. Many of you are doing the right things, just in the wrong context.

You can eat perfectly and still feel off.

When food becomes a companion to healing, not a crutch, that’s when the real magic begins.

The food is just the beginning.

Healing comes when your life makes space for rest.

Download my recent ebook:
My latest ebook: What Dying Patients Taught Me About Living
👉 Grab your copy here.

Read next:
→ 25 Tiny Habits That Strengthen Mental Health
→ The Silent Fire: How Chronic Inflammation Fuels Aging — and 4 Ways to Cool It Down
→ 10 Tiny Habits That Recharge You, Without Quitting Your Job

Author bio: Michael Hunter, MD, is a cancer physician, over-60 competitive bodybuilder, and bestselling wellness writer. His latest ebook is available here.

Illustration generated using ChatGPT’s image tools.

The post Can Blueberries Save You From Burnout? appeared first on Medika Life.

I cared whether I could still carry my groceries. Climb stairs. Finish a sentence without losing the thread

I cared how many good years I had left.

Not lifespan. Healthspan.

I wanted to know how long I could stay sharp, strong, and independent. Not just alive, but thriving. So I started asking a new question of my patients, my research, and myself:

What’s the one blood test that tells me how fast I’m aging?

Most people think it’s cholesterol. Or maybe blood sugar. But those are lagging indicators. They tell you what’s broken, not what’s brewing.

The test I care about most now?

Hs-CRP.

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein.

Hs-CRP levels predict more than inflammation — they can forecast your future health. The higher the number, the shorter the path to chronic disease.

It’s not flashy. It doesn’t trend on social media.

However, it may be the most important number you’re not tracking.

Why Inflammation Matters More Than You Think

Hs-CRP is a marker of inflammation.

And inflammation, more than almost anything else, is what turns time into damage.

Chronic inflammation accelerates heart disease. It promotes cancer. It fuels Alzheimer’s, frailty, and age-related decline.

You don’t need a PhD to understand this: aging well means inflaming less.

Hs-CRP doesn’t measure one disease. It measures your body’s silent alarm system.

And when it’s elevated, things are already smoldering.

In healthy adults, hs-CRP should be below 1.0 mg/L.

Between 1 and 3 is a moderate risk. Anything above 3 is a warning sign.

Here’s the problem: Most people don’t know their number. And most doctors don’t order it unless you’ve already had a heart attack.

But if you care about your healthspan, you should.

Ask your doctor to add hs-CRP to your next blood panel. It could change how you age.

Why Most Doctors Don’t Order This Test

Medicine tends to focus on what’s urgent, not what’s important.

Hs-CRP doesn’t diagnose a specific disease. It doesn’t tell you what organ is failing. It just whispers: something’s wrong.

And in modern medicine, whispers get ignored.

In the U.S., insurance may not routinely cover it unless you’re already at high cardiovascular risk.

Clinical guidelines don’t push it for prevention.

And most physicians are too busy putting out fires to go looking for smoke.

But that’s exactly what this test reveals: slow, quiet inflammation that may not make headlines, but shortens your healthspan all the same.

Can You Order hs-CRP Without a Doctor? Yes — in most U.S. states, you can. Services like Ulta Lab Tests, Request A Test, or Walk-In Lab allow you to order an hs-CRP online for $30–$70. You choose a local draw site, such as Quest or Labcorp. No doctor visit required. Exceptions: New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island restrict consumer lab orders.

What My Patients Taught Me

Some of my fittest-looking patients had elevated hs-CRP.

Not because they were overweight.

But because they were inflamed.

Sleep deprivation. Chronic stress. Processed foods. Environmental toxins. Dental infections. Even loneliness.

Inflammation has many faces.

And that’s what makes hs-CRP so powerful: it doesn’t just reflect one system. It integrates them all.

The gut. The immune system. The heart. Even the brain.

Want more patient insights? Read What Dying Patients Taught Me About Living.

The Science Behind CRP and Aging

The liver makes C-reactive protein in response to inflammation. But it’s not just a random flare-up detector — it’s a proxy for systemic stress.

Numerous studies have shown that oxidative stress is linked to accelerated telomere shortening and dysfunction. Oxidative stress caused by inflammation, cell factors, or environmental exposures contributes to degenerative diseases and cancer.

The lower your inflammation, the slower your biological clock.

What Happened When I Lowered Mine

The first time I measured my hs-CRP, it was 2.9.

I was sleeping 5 hours a night, skipping meals between consults, and not drinking enough water.

Nothing looked wrong on paper. But I felt off—mentally slower, physically stiff, emotionally flat.

Six months later, I made three changes:

• I walked every morning before checking my phone.
• I swapped protein bars for real food.
• I prioritized sleep as if it were a prescription.

My hs-CRP dropped to 0.7.

My brain felt clearer.

My joints were less inflamed.

Even my mood improved.

One number, many ripple effects.

Lowering Your hs-CRP (and Raising Your Healthspan)

No drug magically cures inflammation. But lifestyle can.

What works?

• Fiber (especially soluble fiber from legumes, chia seeds, oats, and vegetables
• Omega-3s (like those from fish or algae oil)
• Sleep (7–8 hours, not negotiable)
• Walking (daily, ideally in nature)
• Resistance training (2–3x/week)
• Social connection (yes, seriously)
• Oral hygiene (brush, floss, and keep your mouth free of inflammation — it’s your body’s open door to systemic disease)
• Screen-free wind-down time (to calm your nervous system)

You don’t need to be perfect. But you do need to be in rhythm.

I check my hs-CRP every 6 months now. Not because I’m afraid of dying.

But because I want to live well.

The Textbook Answer

For most healthy individuals, routine C-reactive protein (CRP) testing is not necessary.

However, there are some exceptions where it can be useful, especially high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP), which can assess chronic, low-grade inflammation, a known risk factor for heart disease and other conditions.

Here’s a breakdown of when it might be useful:

You might consider hs-CRP testing if you:

• Have a family history of heart disease or early cardiovascular events.
• Have metabolic syndrome or multiple cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity).
• Have autoimmune symptoms (e.g., fatigue, joint pain, skin issues) and your doctor is evaluating for inflammatory conditions.
• You are already diagnosed with heart disease or chronic inflammatory conditions (like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus), and your provider uses CRP to monitor disease activity.

You probably don’t need CRP testing if:

• You’re young, healthy, and asymptomatic with no notable risk factors.
• You’re not going to change your treatment plan based on the result (i.e., no action would be taken).

Final Thoughts

You can’t choose your genes. But you can choose your daily fire level.

Inflammation is optional.

Hs-CRP is the one number I now track more than cholesterol, blood pressure, or glucose.

Because it reveals how much damage I’m silently absorbing.

And how much resilience I still have left.

If you want to extend your healthspan, start by asking for this one test.

Your primary healthcare provider can tell you if it is appropriate for you.

Curious how gut health and inflammation silently erode your health?
Read The Silent Killer in Your Gut — one of my most-read essays.

Scientific Sources

1. Ridker, P.M., Moorthy, M.V., Cook, N.R., Rifai, N., Lee, I.M., & Buring, J.E. (2024). Inflammation, Cholesterol, Lipoprotein(a), and 30-Year Cardiovascular Outcomes in Women. New England Journal of Medicine, 391(9), 2087–2097. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2405182

2. Lassale, C., Batty, G.D., Steptoe, A., Cadar, D., Akbaraly, T.N., Kivimäki, M., & Zaninotto, P. (2019). Association of 10-Year C-Reactive Protein Trajectories With Markers of Healthy Aging: Findings From the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 74(2), 195–203. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/gly028

3. Yao, S.-M., Zheng, P.-P., Wan, Y.-H., Dong, W., Miao, G.-B., Wang, H., & Yang, J.-F. (2021). Adding high-sensitivity C-reactive protein to frailty assessment to predict mortality and cardiovascular events in elderly inpatients with cardiovascular disease. Experimental Gerontology, 146, 111235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2021.111235

Want to Lower Inflammation and Extend Healthspan — Without Guesswork?

Want a clear plan to lower your inflammation and extend your healthspan?

I built a doctor-designed guide to lower your inflammation, heal your gut, and extend your healthspan:

Extending Life and Healthspan

Inside, you’ll find:

• The daily habits I use to reduce inflammation
• The #1 longevity lever I recommend to patients (that isn’t a pill)
• What I tell patients who want to age without decline

It’s simple. Practical. And rooted in the science, I trust.

Michael Hunter, MD, is a physician and writer focused on healthspan, helping people live longer, healthier lives — one lab result at a time.

The post The Number That Predicts How Fast You’re Aging appeared first on Medika Life.