Question 22 of 433
What does Peter Diamandis mean by “don’t die of something stupid”?
The short answer
That many deaths come from diseases that could have been found early, and that you should look for them on a schedule instead of waiting for symptoms.
In his Longevity Guidebook, Dr. Diamandis describes an annual “upload”: a day of testing with well over a hundred blood markers, whole-body and brain MRI, an AI-analyzed heart scan, a cancer blood test, bone and body composition scanning, and genome sequencing. He reports that a meaningful share of apparently healthy people have a serious finding. Those figures come from his own company and have not been independently verified.
The principle is right. The price is the problem, along with the false alarms that come from scanning healthy people from head to toe. Here is my version of “don’t die of something stupid,” and most of it is covered by insurance:
Blood pressure at home.
Lipids with ApoB, and Lp(a) once.
Blood sugar.
A heart calcium score at the right age.
Colon, breast, cervical, lung, and skin screening on schedule.
A bone density scan.
A sleep apnea test if you snore.
Your vaccines.
A seat belt, a helmet, and a working smoke detector.
Most “stupid” deaths are not exotic. They are a missed colonoscopy and an untreated blood pressure.
“This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship.” From the book’s medical disclaimer. Full disclaimer
GUIDELINE-BASED for selected preventive services; NOT DEMONSTRATED for survival benefit of an extensive screening package.Evidence grade (draft mapping)FNot demonstrated / insufficientGGuideline-based / consensusPart 2, Q22 · Part sources
From Longevity Unmasked by Afshine Ash Emrani, MD, FACC. Medical disclaimer. This book is for education. It is not medical advice, and reading it does not make you my patient or create a doctor-patient relationship. Nothing here is meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Medicine is personal: a test, drug, supplement, or exercise plan that helps one person can harm another. Do not start, stop, or change any medication or treatment because of something you read in these pages. Talk with a licensed clinician who knows your history first. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911. The author disclaims responsibility for any loss or harm arising from use of the information in this book.