“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Benjamin Franklin
Humble Beginnings
I’m a Bay Area native who grew up on Chipotle burritos and the best Indian food the world has ever known (thanks, Mom). When I wasn’t cramming for one exam or the next, you could find me shooting hoops with the fellas or hangin’ out with my baby sister.
I didn’t go far for undergrad, and I’m glad I didn’t, because my years at Cal were some of the best of my life. Not only did I dig my heels in and build the foundation for my eventual career in medicine, but living in Berkeley taught me the meaning of community, diversity, and leadership. Suffice it to say, I love this city and I’ll be back one day. (Don’t get me going or I’ll spend the next few hours daydreaming about the Berkeley Bowl or Star Meats…) I spent two “gap” years prior to attending medical school at Emory University School of Medicine working for a healthcare startup in San Francisco, and more importantly, falling in love with travel and rock climbing. I’ll never forget my months in Costa Rica, India, Germany, Italy, and swaths of the US, but my obsession with bouldering and lead climbing ended up being more integral to my career and life trajectory.
A Taste of Old Age
A few particularly rough falls from the climbing wall left me with an array of back injuries that sidelined me for almost two years. I spent months on end in bed, often virtually attending medical school classes because sitting/standing were pure agony. In retrospect (strictly, in retrospect), it was a gift. I was forced to experience what most of us are blessed enough to ignore until our golden years: disease and frailty. For a relatively short period of time in my 20s, I saw firsthand what my life could (and probably would, knock on wood) look like in my 80s. I learned what it means to lose your autonomy and independence to illness — and then gain it back. I narrowly escaped going under the knife, but through a rigorous rehabilitation process, I painstakingly re-learned things most of us take for granted like sitting, walking, transferring, and loading/unloading weight.
It became increasingly clear that I was one of the lucky ones. I was young, spry, and stubborn enough to get back on my feet. The same cannot be said about many older adults who are struck down by injury or illness. The cost of years of ignoring their bodies is too great, and no amount of money or cutting-edge medical therapeutics can make up for it. Moreover, it became glaringly obvious how little even doctors in training — let alone patients — are taught about how to prevent disease. I’ve spent the subsequent years trying to bridge that gap for myself.
The Mission
This blog is my effort to distill key concepts and new updates in the field of prevention. Full disclosure: I will selfishly focus on areas I find most interesting and relevant to maximizing longevity: atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (lipid disorders), cardiorespiratory/strength fitness, and sleep. Not coincidentally, these are also some of the fundamental pillars that support overall health. Lastly, I almost assuredly will ramble on from time to time about other topics relevant to medicine and medical training.
Thanks again for dropping by! Please comment with your thoughts, questions, and concerns!
Academic Timeline
Mission San Jose High School
University of California, Berkeley (BA in Molecular and Cell Biology)
Emory University School of Medicine (Doctorate of Medicine)
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (Internal Medicine Residency)
Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship) – ongoing
Sid Parihar, MD 