We’ve sent submarines to the bottom of the sea to map the ocean floor. Only about a quarter has been mapped in detail. We’ve built telescopes to see a million miles into space, only to continue guessing what most of the universe is made of.
Still, the biggest unexplored territory isn’t out there; it's the body we live in.
I am infinitely curious and love challenges, but trying to figure out this body of mine is like searching for the Holy Grail… No wonder finding a cure for cancer is so elusive.
We’re in a time when we have never measured ourselves more. Watches track our heart rate and sleep; blood panels, gene tests, and full-body scans are sold like groceries; and longevity (a curious adventure for sure) is a booming industry.
Billions of dollars have been invested in our health, yet many of us aren't healthy. Six in 10 American adults live with at least one chronic disease, and four in 10 live with two or more.
All that data hasn't added up to true understanding, so what do we actually know about the body?
Why Our Body Confuses Doctors
I recently faced this in my own life. Several doctors examined my charts, and they all came to slightly different conclusions. Each was smart, and each was confident, but they can’t all be right.
So which doctor is wrong, if they’re wrong at all?
This situation isn't unusual. In 2015, the National Academies of Sciences concluded that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime. A Mayo Clinic study found that about one in five people who got a second opinion left with a completely different diagnosis. Only about one in eight had their first diagnosis confirmed as it stood.
Blaming doctors isn’t always fair. Our body, our Holy Grail, often refuses to give a clear answer about what it needs. So symptoms overlap, and tests come back borderline. Medicine must be built on averages.
Where the doctors often differ is about medications.
What We Actually Know About The Body
Science has come a long way, and it helps to be clear about what’s actually nailed down:
The body parts list: Innovative new body imaging and DNA tests have helped us better understand our body’s parts and systems and their interconnectivity.
Plumbing and wiring: Anatomy is nearly complete. We know how the heart pumps, how the kidneys filter, and how nerves fire.
Disease drivers: Smoking causes lung cancer. High blood pressure and LDL cholesterol drive heart attacks and strokes. Single-gene mutations cause conditions like cystic fibrosis.
What works on average: Regular exercise, enough sleep, not smoking, and managing blood pressure extend life. This is based on millions of people and decades of study.
What We Still Don't Know
This list is longer.
What our DNA actually does: Having the parts list isn't an airtight health forecast. Only 1 to 2% of our DNA encodes proteins, and scientists argue about the rest. Even proteins are tricky. Thousands have little or no known function.
How genes connect to disease: For heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's, hundreds or thousands of small genetic differences each nudge risk a little. But they only tend to explain why diseases run in families, and not why some family members get different diseases despite having the same genes.
How to reliably change trillions of bacterial passengers: We carry roughly as many bacterial cells as human cells, mostly in the gut. They affect digestion, immunity, and possibly mood, but we still don't know how to change them reliably on purpose. Most probiotic marketing runs far ahead of the scientific evidence.
All our parts: In 2015, researchers found lymphatic vessels draining the brain—structures textbooks said didn't exist. We are also learning more about muscle’s effect on the liver, fat, and brain. We're only starting to understand all our parts and what they do.
The brain: We know how individual neurons fire, but how three pounds of brain tissue produces a thought, a memory, or a feeling remains a mystery. Even how the brain clears its own waste during sleep, neuroscientists debate fiercely.
Sleep: We spend a third of our lives asleep and still can't fully explain why. A 2012 discovery of sleep as a brain-cleaning system drew massive attention, though newer studies dispute how it actually works.
Aging itself: Researchers list a dozen biological processes that drive aging, but they don't agree on which come first or which to target. No drug has been proven to slow aging in people.
So, How Far Along Are We?
I want a number. Are we at 50%? 90%? Why does a drug work for me and not you? Why does one heart fail at 60 years old while another beats strongly at 95?
Nobody knows the true scale of what we don't know. Each discovery opens more questions.
What we do understand are the parts and averages. That’s where most medical decisions get made.
Tools to close that gap are arriving: cheap gene sequencing, round-the-clock wearables, and AI that spots patterns across millions of patient records.
Measurement still isn't the answer; it only begs more questions.
Living With the Mystery
So what do I do with all this?
I treat confident answers with suspicion—whether they come from a doctor, a supplement ad, or a podcast. When my doctors disagree, it isn't a failure on their part; it’s a picture of where the science stands.
I always get a second opinion. And even third opinions.
I stick with the few things that hold up: move, sleep, eat real food, stay close to people, and don't smoke.
The ocean and the stars will keep their secrets for a while. So will we. The difference is that we live inside this mystery every day.
Unlock early bird pricing until October 9!
We are thrilled to announce that the next Livelong Women’s Health Summit is happening in Dallas in January 2027. Unlock early bird pricing until October 9 and don’t miss out on an experience you’ll never forget.
How did you enjoy today's newsletter?
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.
