5HT: 5 Healthyish Things, including Dr. ChatGPT and wishing friends goodnight

People loveee making fun of WebMD and Dr. Google (and the classic panic spiral 😵‍💫)—but let’s be real: Who hasn’t Googled a weird symptom and walked into their doctor’s office convinced they have Lupus (it’s always Lupus in House after all)?

Lately, though, a new “doctor” has come to town: Dr. ChatGPT. One in five Americans say they’ve already used AI for health advice—and in one small study, 40% of medical experts even admit ChatGPT’s responses are more helpful than Google’s.

Compared to old-school symptom surfing, Dr. ChatGPT:

• 📋 Delivers faster, more tailored answers

• 📋 Pulls from loads of medical data and studies

• 📋 Allows you to follow up and dig deeper 

It’s already a go-to for folks like Joanna Schneider Demeireles (friend and writer of A Little Woo), who describes Dr. ChatGPT as “part health coach, part research assistant, part gut-check.” She uses it to prep for appointments, synthesize health info, and summarize treatment options and research. 

Buuut it's not without its flaws. ChatGPT does get things wrong. In my experience, it makes up studies surprisingly often. Sometimes, it tells you what you want to hear (instead of what you need to hear). And it definitely can’t provide you with real care. Not to mention, you know, privacy. 

The good news is there are smart folks working to make better and safer versions of Dr. ChatGPT. One company I work with is actively building an AI tool trained by doctors that’ll allow you to pull in a real doctor at the click of a button. That’s a pretty exciting hybrid! (And one I’ll share more about when I can.)

Ultimately, I see a future where we all have a doctor in our pocket 👩‍⚕️—one who knows our full medical history (no more repeating ourselves 🙏) and is up-to-date with the latest research (while having memorized everything ever researched). Having a real person to turn to will still be important, buuut maybe they become your second opinion, not your first.

Remember the new tool I mentioned last week that uses AI to predict biological age and cancer survival time? Turns out, there’s some solid evidence behind what your face can reveal—things like skin tone, eye clarity, adiposity (basically how fat your face is 😬), facial symmetry, and even blood flow. More than I thought! 

To see what my face said about my health, I asked (you guessed it) Dr. ChatGPT 😆. I got the idea from Justin Mares (friend and CEO at TrueMed), who fed ChatGPT a selfie and asked it to analyze his health. I took his prompt and adapted it:

Check out my actual response from ChatGPT here. Basically, it ends up being part science 🧬, part astrology 🔮—and I think I’m a fan? I see it as more for funsies than something to take seriously. But noticing my “nasolabial folds” (think the smile lines between your nose and mouth) are “pronounced” and noting that can come from loss of recent facial fat is pretty eerily on point. (Also, shoutout to reader Pavel Sokolovsky for tipping me off that you can share ChatGPT threads!)

It also continues to make me think we’re heading toward an inevitable future where AI is constantly scanning our health. (This Withings mirror is already sort of doing that.) And I’m into it.

In the meantime, feel free to steal my ChatGPT prompt. If you learn anything weird, wild, or oddly accurate—hit reply and let me know!

Bros are calling their friends to wish them goodnight, and I think it’s just adorable. 🥹 

This TikTok trend is so simple but can go a long way. (Science says we tend to underestimate how much people appreciate a random outreach.) And while this trend is not exclusively for bros, a lot of men are calling their homies to say goodnight—with sweet and entertaining reactions. Even Ed Sheeran joined in!

And obviouslyyy I did it too 😄. I’m grateful to have built a very close group of guy friends over the years. I love them all, and they deserve a reminder of that, so I’m glad this trend gave me the nudge.

If you’re thinking of doing it but feel a little shy about it, you’re not alone. According to HuffPost, a bunch of folks feel this way about making the call, even for friends they’ve known for years. But with reactions like these, it could be worth the slight phone fright. 📞

Building off my at-home healthcare topic from last week, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are also pulling care out of the hospital in a good way. I first came across ASCs—and the upside they unlock—while consulting with Commons Clinic, a multi-specialty clinic (that just announced $26M in funding and launched a new Wholebody program—congrats again, Nick Aubin and team!).  

At their physician-owned ambulatory surgery center, MOSI, surgeons perform advanced, same-day procedures. Basically, you could get a total knee replacement or a spinal fusion—and be home for dinner. It’s a game changer for convenience—and life-changing for anyone who can’t afford days off to recover in a hospital.

But ASCs aren’t just faster. They’re often safer and more affordable. That’s right, better and cheaper, a killer combo. There’s no hospital overhead, so everything costs less. And surgical site infections are nearly 50% less common (!) in ASCs than in hospitals. One analysis found that they save patients $5 billion annually in copays and deductibles. They’re often more modern, too. ASCs have seen a sharp rise in robotic-assisted surgery—which brings its own benefits. 

As always in healthcare, hospitals find a way to win, too. Many ASCs are hospital-affiliated, but shifting outpatient procedures to ASCs helps hospitals serve more patients and reserve beds for higher acuity care. Plus, Medicare reimburses ASCs at about 58% of what it pays hospital outpatient departments, which adds up to massive savings over time. 

It’s a shift in infrastructure where everyone wins, and I’m here for it.

Last month, I told you about InsideTracker and how it provides a clear, personalized picture of your health by combining blood biomarkers 🩸, DNA 🧬, and fitness tracker data 💪. That way, you can make smarter decisions, feel better, and take control of your health. Amazing, right? 

Now, I want to tell you more about what the process actually looks like. First up: I scheduled my blood draw. Instead of schlepping to a clinic and waiting under fluorescent lights that make everything feel vaguely dystopian 😵‍💫, I got to do it from my living room.

One of InsideTracker’s nurses (hi, Brittney! 👋) came straight to my living room—wearing a “Professional Vampire” 🧛 bat pin (adorable)—and had the whole thing done in under 10 minutes. 

It was so quick it almost felt suspicious. Like... that’s it? 🧐 And it made me realize just how much time and money we waste dragging people into clinics. Between check-ins, waiting rooms, and unnecessary overhead, there’s got to be a better way—and this felt like it.

Of course, not everyone was as chill about it. My oldest daughter Isla saw the vials and syringes and immediately burst into tears, convinced I was getting a “boo boo.” So yeah—if you’ve got kids at home, maybe give them a heads-up 😂.

After that, I got my results via email a week or so later, along with my detailed action plan. I won’t spill it all just yet—you’ll get more deets from that call in an upcoming edition—but here’s an early spoiler: I need to be getting more sleep.

In the meantime, see what your biomarkers have to say with these ✨exclusive✨opps I’m resharing for 5HT readers here: 

1. 🔥Get 20% off everything. Use code “IT5HT” to get 20% off of InsideTracker.

2. 🏆Enter to win the ultimate InsideTracker bundle. One lucky 5HT reader will score a free 1-year InsideTracker membership, the Ultimate Test, and a Healthspan Category Test—a package worth over $580. Contest entry ends July 31, 2025, at midnight, so enter while you can!

Other things happening now

• Ann Wojcicki wins back 23&Me in a last-minute bidding war. Pretty epic.

• Starbucks adds 15g of protein to its drinks with…foam? I love protein, so I love this.

• Sword Health secured $40M in funding AND launched a mental health service to expand beyond MSK.

• The Menopause Society invests $10M in menopause care education, which is sorely needed.

• A new breast cancer vaccine has just completed phase 1 of clinical testing. 🤯

• Senators introduce a bill that would ban drug ads to consumers. Let’s ban them!

• For the first time in literal decades, the FDA is reviewing infant formula. The basic infant formula in the US (fave Bobbie aside) is atrocious and needs an upgrade.

• A cholesterol-lowering drug might help with Alzheimer’s (thanks for the tip, 5HT+ subscriber Cory Zacker)—a special edition on preventing Alzheimer’s is dropping next week for 5HT+ subscribers!

• Equip launches a David bar competitor called Prime Bar. Its founder breaks it down here–and throws some serious shade  👀.

• Headspace launches DTC therapy and counseling (congrats to long-time friend Karan Singh).

• ICYMI: There’s a new way to spend an airport delay.

👋 Who are you again? I’m Derek Flanzraich—founder of two venture-backed startups in Greatist (👍) and Ness (👎). I’ve worked with brands like GoodRx, Parsley, Midi, Ro, NOCD, and Peloton. I now run Healthyish Content, a premium health content & SEO agency (among other things).

Every Thursday, I share 5 health things I feel strongly about so you can live healthyish. (Disclaimer: I’m more your friend with health benefits. None of this is medical advice.) 

And oh, you also feel strongly about some health things? Hit reply—I’d love to hear it.