Key takeaway: Dr. Robin Berzin, founder and CEO of Parsley Health, says the majority of chronic illness in women is modifiable or reversible, but a standard 15-minute primary care visit built around 15 to 20 lab tests is not designed to catch it early. She recommends every woman get a full-body DEXA scan, including bone density, by age 35 at the latest, because osteopenia and osteoporosis are reversible with weight training, impact, and the right nutrition. She would also add fasting insulin, hsCRP, ferritin, B12, and a full thyroid panel (not TSH alone) to routine bloodwork.
Most chronic disease is modifiable. The system just isn't built to tell you.
Dr. Robin Berzin, the Columbia-trained physician who founded Parsley Health, joined us for a Studio Session on why so much of what we shrug off as aging is chronic disease with a long runway and how to tell serious root-cause care from expensive noise.
More than half of American adults are living with two or more chronic conditions, and 60% of adults aged 18 to 34 now have at least one.
"The vast majority of today’s chronic illness is modifiable or reversible, and this is the secret that our healthcare system doesn’t tell us," Berzin said. "We are living longer, but we are living longer in poor health."
Root-cause medicine, in her framing, is simply the habit of asking why before reaching for the prescription pad. "You’re not lying awake at night because you have a deficiency in Ambien," Berzin said, listing the real drivers of insomnia: anxiety, alcohol, perimenopausal hormone shifts, inflammation, an overheated bedroom. She is emphatic that this is not anti-conventional care, reminding listeners that we shouldn’t try to "Reiki your UTI away”.
What makes this kind of care hard to find is structural. The average primary care visit runs about 15 minutes and works from 15 to 20 lab tests; a visit at her clinic runs an hour and looks at over 100 biomarkers. Women lose the most in that gap. For example, 80% of autoimmune patients are women, who wait five to seven years for a diagnosis. Berzin’s larger argument is:
"We’ve over-focused women’s health on gynecology, fertility, when what we need for women is truly whole-person health care."
She also walked through why she recommends every woman get a full-body DEXA scan in her 30s, the five labs she would add to a standard annual panel, how to direct a 15-minute appointment with your own PCP, the red flags that should send you running from a functional-medicine practitioner, and exactly what is in her own supplement drawer.
Note: You must be a member of the Livelong Women’s Circle™ to view this replay. If you aren’t a member of the Livelong Women’s Circle yet, you can sign up for a free account here. Replays will be available for 7 days from today to general Circle members. Inner Circle members have forever access to all Studio Session replays.
To learn more about the functional medicine, root-cause approach and Parsley Health, visit parsleyhealth.com.
Join us for an upcoming Studio Session
📍 Wednesday, September 16 at 11:00 a.m. ET / 8:00 a.m. PT — The Truth About Aging With Clarity, Dignity, and Purpose with Rosanne M. Leipzig, MD, PhD.
📍 Monday, October 5 at 1:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 a.m. PT — Bone Loss Is Not Inevitable: What Actually Rebuilds Bone, and How to Know If It Is Working with Dr. Doug Lucas and Sarah Glicken.
Ask your own questions
Every Studio Session has a live Q&A, and Inner Circle members get first crack at it plus permanent access to every replay, the full session archive, and our smaller member-only conversations. Use code LLWCIRCLE for $75 off through the end of the month.
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The information provided about wellness and health is for general informational and educational purposes only. We are not licensed medical professionals, and the content here should not be considered medical advice. Talk to a doctor before trying any of these suggestions.
