Vitals.
Your Weekly Check-In
free · a 5-min read · every Sunday

The stuff a doctor tells his friends about living better.

A real resident doctor, in your inbox once a week. No fear-mongering, no jargon. Just what's actually worth knowing — a little health, some motivation, a cool fact, the occasional bit of news.

Hey — I'm Shaun. Pull up a chair :)

what's in every issue

Same little rhythm, every Sunday.

Every issue runs the same sections, so you always know what you're getting — and you can read the whole thing before your coffee gets cold.

🔬

truth or mythIs it true?

One viral health claim, ruled on by a real doctor — with the actual study, in plain English. The verdict you'll screenshot for a friend.

✏️

storytimeBehind the OR doors

A wild thing from inside the hospital that week, drawn out doodle-style in the vlog. (Issue #001: open-heart surgery.)

⏳

worth your timeA few honest picks

A study, a tool I actually use, a read or a watch. Real things worth your time — never ads dressed up as things.

℞

doctor's ordersOne tiny order

A single do-it-today nudge for living a little better. General wellness, zero pressure — small enough you'll actually do it.

🔮

the cliffhangerNext week, and a question

A teaser for next week's myth, plus a question to hit reply on. The best answers become future issues.

🐾

chip & chewyThe sign-off

Every issue ends with my dogs — Chip the scruffy one and Chewy the wise little Yorkie — and the tiny life-lesson at the bottom of the page.

a peek inside

Here's a reading.

🔬 truth or myth

Is breakfast really the most important meal?

The claim: eating breakfast boosts your metabolism and helps you lose weight. The reality: when researchers pooled the randomized trials, the weight-loss story didn't hold — people told to eat breakfast took in more total calories over the day, not fewer. So it's "breakfast isn't a magic weight-loss lever," not "skip breakfast." If it keeps you off the 3pm vending machine, keep eating it.

🔴 Verdict: Myth — as a weight-loss hack

📋 Systematic review + meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials — Sievert et al., BMJ 2019 (PMID 30700403).

→ the kind of thing you screenshot for the friend who guilt-trips you for skipping it.

one more reason to join

The 100K Subscriber Giveaway

We're almost at 100,000 — and when we hit it, I'm doing a giveaway to say thanks for being here. Sign up for Vitals and you're automatically in. No catch, just a little celebration. 🎉

Cartoon Shaun in scrubs with his dogs Chip and Chewy

P.S. Chip & Chewy already subscribed. 🐾

This is the life we chose, baby.