Badillo Longevity Lab

Should you get ApoB tested?

It may be especially useful if you have a family history of early heart disease, high triglycerides, insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, or a "normal" LDL that doesn't match the rest of your risk. It counts the particles that drive plaque, and it's one blood test with no fasting needed.

What it can't do alone: tell you your full heart risk. Blood pressure, Lp(a), smoking history and family history all matter too.

Save this and ask about ApoB at your next physical. Want help deciding what's worth testing? Start with a free 15-minute discovery call. Link in bio.

Cold plunges: worth it or waste?

Dr. B's verdict: maybe.

Cold water may ease soreness after a hard workout, and the alertness and mood boost are real, but short-lived. The bigger claims about fat loss, immunity and longevity don't have strong human evidence yet. And if you lift, plunging right after strength training may blunt some of your gains.

Skip it or ask your doctor first if you have heart disease, a heart rhythm problem, high blood pressure, Raynaud's, or you're pregnant. Never plunge alone or after drinking.

The best recovery tool is still sleep. What trend should Dr. B rate next? Drop it below.

Heartburn or heart attack? From an ER doctor: they can feel alike, and that's exactly the problem.

More reassuring: a burning feeling after a big meal that eases with antacids and doesn't spread. More concerning: pressure, squeezing or tightness, pain spreading to your arm, jaw, neck or back, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea or lightheadedness. Women and people with diabetes are more likely to have subtler symptoms.

When in doubt, get checked. Nobody in the ER is annoyed that your heartburn turned out to be heartburn.

If this is happening right now, call 911 or go to the ER.

Save this. Send it to the person who always says "it's probably nothing."

What actually happens in a concussion? Picture jello in a jar.

Your brain floats in fluid inside your skull. A hit to the head, or even a hard jolt to your body, makes it move fast and bump the inside of your skull. Brain cells get stretched, their chemistry gets thrown off, and your brain needs more energy while it has less to work with. That's why rest matters.

You don't have to pass out to have a concussion. Go to the ER now for a headache that keeps getting worse, repeated vomiting, slurred speech, weakness, confusion, trouble waking up, a seizure, or any head injury while on a blood thinner.

If this is happening right now, call 911 or go to the ER. Save this for the next hard fall, and send it to a sports parent.

Perimenopause isn't just hot flashes.

It can show up as poor sleep, brain fog, mood changes, lower libido and weight shifting to your middle. And the drop in estrogen matters beyond symptoms: it's linked to changes in bone density, cholesterol and heart risk.

That's why this transition deserves a real plan, not "that's just getting older."

Tomorrow is World Menopause Day. Save this, send it to a friend in her 40s, and if this sounds like you, start with a free 15-minute discovery call. Link in bio.

"I can walk on it, so it's not broken." Not always.

Some small or stable fractures can still hold your weight, especially right after an injury. Pain right over the bone, a lot of swelling, pain that keeps getting worse, or trouble using it normally are reasons to get it checked.

Did you run the marathon? Watch for pain right over a bone in your foot or shin that doesn't settle, since stress fractures are common after long races.

If this is happening right now, go to urgent care or the ER. Have a question for Dr. B? Drop it below.