“Telehealth is not ideal for everything.” – Dr. Sajad Zalzala

In this episode of Compound Wisdom, Steve Sood sits down with Dr. Sajad Zalzala of Root Causes Medical to unpack what longevity medicine actually looks like when you move beyond “wait until you’re sick, then treat.”

Dr. Zalzala shares how he started in computer science, nearly left medical school, and ultimately moved toward functional, holistic, and integrative medicine after realizing traditional care often defaults to “cut it out” or “block it.” From there, a migraine patient became his telehealth “lightbulb moment,” leading him into the early telehealth world (2016–2017), where doctors were often building the protocols and infrastructure as they went.

The conversation then goes deep on today’s longevity landscape: why peptides are misunderstood, why women’s HRT is being re-evaluated after years of fear-driven headlines, why TRT injections can become a long-term commitment for men, and why stem cells still feel like a gray-zone “Wild West” without consistent outcomes data. Dr. Zalzala also introduces his Optional Aging Academy and the “seven drivers of aging” framework—built to make aging science more actionable for real people.

Takeaways

Dr. Zalzala started in computer science before switching to medicine.
He nearly dropped out of medical school early on.
Traditional care can become “cut it out or block it” too often.
Functional medicine focuses more on prevention and root causes.
A migraine case triggered his telehealth lightbulb moment.
Early telehealth had very little infrastructure in 2016–2017.
Doctors helped build protocols, documentation, and EMR workflows.
Telehealth isn’t for every case, but it can deliver focused, consistent care.
Peptides are often misunderstood and not the same as “peptides” people mean online.
The Women’s Health Initiative headlines shaped years of fear around HRT.
HRT for women is gaining traction again, with emphasis on proper dosing.
TRT injections can be hard to stop once started, especially for younger men.
Stem cells show promise but need better standards and outcomes reporting.
He believes telehealth’s next leap is shared data + outcomes registries.
The long-term question: How do you make health changes stick?

Chapters

00:00 – Recording setup and welcome

00:29 – From computer science to medicine (the overseas “awakening”)

01:35 – Almost leaving medical school + early struggles

02:03 – Why “cut or block” medicine felt incomplete

03:01 – Ray Kurzweil influence + the path toward longevity thinking

03:44 – Finding doctors who practiced prevention and root-cause care

04:13 – Where allopathic medicine shines (and where it doesn’t)

04:56 – Migraines: the telehealth “lightbulb moment”

06:25 – Early telehealth: learning the space (2016–2017)

06:53 – Doctors building protocols, documentation, and systems

07:32 – The stepping-stone years and learning regulations

08:10 – Launching AgelessRx in 2019 (longevity accessibility)

09:26 – Telehealth vs in-person: what it can’t replace

10:53 – Telehealth as focused care (“super specialist” effect)

12:52 – Longevity products overview: peptides, HRT, TRT, stem cells

13:18 – Peptides: what they are and why they’re misunderstood

15:13 – Peptides vs HGH and the “guardrails” idea

16:37 – Women’s HRT: WHI fallout and what’s changing

18:56 – HRT dosing: why “back to 30-year-old levels” can be risky

22:24 – TRT for men: time/place, and why injections can trap patients

27:10 – “Superman” phase, why it fades, and the hard part of stopping

28:17 – Stem cells: types, gray zones, and missing standards

31:16 – Hallmarks of aging vs “seven drivers” framework

34:36 – Optional Aging Academy: assess, intervene, reassess

36:58 – One change for telehealth: shared outcomes + best practices

38:30 – Closing question: how do you make it stick?

39:25 – Wrap-up and thanks

Takeaways

Chapters

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