Dr. Neal H. Patel

10/15/2026

We’ve become very good at eliminating empty moments. The second nothing is happening, there’s always something available to watch, read, hear, or scroll through.

Try leaving one small pocket of your day unfilled. Could you make it 10 minutes?

10/13/2026

What does BDNF have to do with protecting the brain? Dr. Munjal Acharya shares what his research found and why it opens up an interesting conversation about brain health.

*dresearch

10/11/2026

Your brain needs a steady supply of energy to do its job. When you haven’t eaten for a while, you may notice it gets harder to focus, think clearly, or stay patient.

Sometimes the brain fog isn’t asking for another coffee. It might just be asking for lunch.

10/09/2026

Some days in medicine ask more of you than others. In those moments, it can help to remember what still makes the work meaningful, whether it’s a patient interaction, a small win, or simply knowing you made a difference.

What brings you back to your “why”?

10/07/2026

“Neuroprotective” is a big claim, which is exactly why the research behind it matters. Dr. Munjal Acharya and I talked about what researchers are learning about C*D, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and cognitive health.

There’s also an important question when cancer treatment is involved: could protecting healthy cells interfere with chemotherapy’s effect on cancer cells? Promising research still needs careful clinical context.

*dresearch

10/05/2026

Medicine trains you to notice when something changes in your patients, but it can be surprisingly easy to miss those same changes in yourself. Poor sleep, low energy, shorter patience, and constant fatigue can slowly become “just part of the job.”

What have you been calling normal lately that probably deserves your attention?

10/02/2026

Here's a brain exercise you can do while you're sitting there.

Blinking and breathing happen without you. This asks you to run both on purpose, at the same time. Holding two rules at once is the work, and that effort is what challenges your brain instead of letting it coast.

Thirty seconds. Try it with me.

09/30/2026

C*D gets talked about for almost everything. But chemo brain?

Dr. Munjal Acharya and I dig into what his research actually found, from memory and inflammation to what would need to happen before this could ever reach patient care.
The science is promising. The unanswered questions matter just as much.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TY7tCAf_yWk

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What happens to the brain after chemotherapy, and why are researche...

09/30/2026

Cannabis is surrounded by strong opinions, but what does the evidence actually say?

I took 10 common claims about cannabis and looked at what the research supports, what it doesn’t, and where the answer isn’t so simple.

Scan the QR code to get the free guide and take a closer look at the facts.

09/27/2026

We can spot burnout in a patient across a desk. In ourselves it takes years, and usually someone else pointing it out.

Nobody needs to teach us what burnout looks like. We need to be willing to see it in the mirror.

If you're reading this and recognizing yourself, that counts as someone pointing it out. Send it to the colleague you were just thinking of.