“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.

1. Dr. Zalzala started in computer science before switching to medicine.
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3. He nearly dropped out of medical school early on.
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5. Traditional care can become “cut it out or block it” too often.
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7. Functional medicine focuses more on prevention and root causes.
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9. A migraine case triggered his telehealth lightbulb moment.
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11. Early telehealth had very little infrastructure in 2016–2017.
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13. Doctors helped build protocols, documentation, and EMR workflows.
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15. Telehealth isn’t for every case, but it can deliver focused, consistent care.
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17. Peptides are often misunderstood and not the same as “peptides” people mean online.
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19. The Women’s Health Initiative headlines shaped years of fear around HRT.
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21. HRT for women is gaining traction again, with emphasis on proper dosing.