Tyson Garfield, DO

Blood pressure control is a major part of healthy aging. But the medication has to be tolerable enough to keep taking.

A new JAMA analysis found that side effects and medication discontinuation differ across blood pressure drug classes and combinations. That matters because dizziness, swelling, cough, or fatigue should not be ignored, and they also do not always mean treatment has failed.

The practical takeaway: if a blood pressure medication feels hard to tolerate, talk with your clinician or pharmacist before stopping. Dose, timing, monitoring, or a different regimen may make the plan more livable.

Read the full Medicine Check post: themedicinecheck.com/latest

Could your wearable be picking up early brain-health risk signals?

A new JAMA Neurology study published on May 18, 2026 found that one week of accelerometer data in adults 60 and older modestly improved dementia risk prediction beyond standard risk factors.

Important caveat: this is about risk prediction, not diagnosis, and it does not prove that changing sleep alone prevents dementia.

The bigger healthy-aging message is still useful: daytime activity, sleep quality, and daily timing may be part of the long-term brain-health picture.

Read the full breakdown at themedicinecheck.com/latest

Longevity is about how long you live.
Healthspan is about how well you live.

I believe healthy aging isn’t just adding years to life — it’s preserving the ability to move, think, connect, and enjoy the moments that matter most.

A long life is meaningful when it’s filled with purpose, independence, joy, and connection.

Healthy aging isn’t complicated — but it is hard.

What’s one thing you’re doing today to invest in your healthspan?

📈 How much should you really be saving for retirement?

One of the biggest misconceptions in personal finance is that you can “catch up later” simply by saving a higher percentage of your income.

But time matters more than most people realize.

In this week’s post, I compared three hypothetical savers:
• Someone who starts investing in their 20s
• Someone who starts in their 30s
• Someone who starts in their 40s

Even though the later savers contributed a higher percentage of their income, the earlier saver still ended up with substantially more by age 80.

That’s the power of compound growth.

But there’s another side to this conversation that matters just as much:

Retirement planning isn’t only about maximizing wealth. It’s about building both your wealthspan and your healthspan.

Saving early can create:
✔️ More flexibility
✔️ Less financial stress
✔️ Greater freedom later in life
✔️ More ability to prioritize your health and experiences

The goal isn’t simply to retire rich.

It’s to create a life where your money supports your well-being across your entire lifespan.

👉 Read the full post here: themedicinecheck.com/latest

This is a picture of a lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. This was one of the last hikes Lauren and I went on together before we knew about her ovarian tumor diagnosis (the photo is from January 1st, and her diagnosis was the 2nd). I see it and think of the bliss that I had and the hard things to come.

It's important for me to share because I think to the future. Often. "Pay yourself first" is a way of life for me. Save consistently. Invest for the future. We've done that. And we still do.

But Lauren's diagnosis and surgery forced me to rethink. After her diagnosis, my instinct was to do as I have always done:
Rebuild. Replenish. Optimize.

Instead, we made a different decision. We’re still paying ourselves first. But we’re also making intentional space to live now. For us, that means planning a return trip to the Alps, a place deeply meaningful to her, and finally building a covered patio at home where she can enjoy everyday life in Denver.

Before, these were “someday” goals. Now, they don’t feel like things to delay.

That experience reminded me of something I talk about often with patients: what matters most. It applies just as much to our finances as it does to our health.

Life doesn’t always wait. Financial planning isn’t just about building wealth for the future. It’s about aligning your resources with what matters, both now and later.

We still save. We still invest. But we’re also more intentional about living the life we’re building along the way. If this is something you’ve been thinking about, I’d encourage you to reflect on your own balance.

Are you only planning for someday—or are you also living today?

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👉 Read the full post here: https://www.themedicinecheck.com/latest/pay-yourself-first-but-dont-forget-to-live

Illness doesn’t just affect your health—it changes how you think about money.

When my partner was diagnosed earlier this year, we quickly moved from “having insurance” to actually using it. Within weeks, we met our out-of-pocket maximum on a high-deductible health plan.

We were fortunate. We had an emergency fund. We had savings in an HSA. Financially, we were prepared in ways we hadn’t fully appreciated before.

But even then, the experience changed how we think about insurance.

Most people don’t fully understand terms like:

Deductible
Out-of-pocket maximum
Coinsurance

…until they’re in a situation where it matters.

One thing that stood out was timing. This all started on January 2nd, which meant once we met our out-of-pocket maximum, the rest of the year’s care was covered. Had this happened in November or December, the financial impact could have been very different.

Health events don’t follow financial calendars—but our systems are built around them.

This experience reinforced something I’ve come to believe strongly:

Preparation doesn’t eliminate stress—but it reduces friction.

➡️ Get the details at themedicinecheck.com/latest

The path to health and wealth isn’t complicated — but it is hard.

The time between diagnosis and surgery can feel like a blur.

Appointments. Decisions. Waiting.

For us, the three weeks between discovering an ovarian mass and getting a final diagnosis felt much longer than that. Much, much longer.

This “in-between” period is something we don’t talk about enough. It’s filled with uncertainty, and it’s often one of the hardest parts of the experience. Anxiety, difficulty focusing, disrupted routines. That’s all normal, but it was hard to accept.

Surgery brings answers, but recovery brings its own challenges. Healing isn’t just physical. It’s learning how to navigate a body that feels different, managing setbacks, and adjusting expectations along the way.

One of the biggest lessons we learned is how much small, practical supports matter:

A cozy blanket for the hospital
A walker for early mobility
A bed rail to help get in and out of bed
A shower chair to conserve energy and improve safety

These simple tools made recovery more manageable and allowed energy to go toward healing instead of basic tasks.

If you or someone you love is preparing for surgery, don’t just prepare for the procedure—prepare for recovery.

➡️ Read more at themedicinecheck.com/latest

The path to health and wealth isn’t complicated — but it is hard.