1 in 5 people regularly use ChatGPT for health advice.

But 1 in 5 of those people also end up following advice that turns out to be wrong, according to data from Cornell.

As AI explodes into healthcare, it’s tempting to use it like a free, 24/7 doctor. And in some ways? You should.

AI is going to transform medicine. At Parsley Health, we’re already using AI behind the scenes to improve accuracy and efficiency for members. I even use it to pressure-test my thinking and clarify complex data for patients. But as your friendly MD, I want you to use it wisely—not blindly.

So let’s talk about how to actually use AI for health, what to avoid, and why your prompt matters more than you think.

🤓 What to know: The advice might be correct—but not right for you.

ChatGPT is fairly accurate—here’s how it performed in a recent study using clinical vignettes (Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2023):

• 72% overall accuracy

• 77% for final diagnoses

• 68% for clinical management

• 60% for differential diagnoses

Pretty good, but not good enough for complex or deeply personal care.

Case in point: One of my longtime patients recently showed up to a Zoom visit with a full AI-generated treatment plan. He’d uploaded his labs and health goals and asked ChatGPT for “alternatives to statins.” He got exactly what he asked for: two second-line drugs, plus plan for nutrition, supplements, exercise, much of which we were already doing.

On paper, the answer was technically “correct.” But it missed the point.

It didn’t address why he was resistant to statins in the first place, or which alternative might actually move the needle on his cholesterol based on his history, inflammation markers, and family risk.

AI is only as good as your prompt. And if you're not a doctor, you might not know what you're leaving out.

🚨 5 reasons to be cautious with AI health advice

▶️ Inputs matter

Without medical training, it’s easy to leave out key details—like allergies, medications, family history, or subtle lab markers. That missing context can drastically alter your care plan. What sounds like solid advice may be based on an incomplete picture.

🔮 Hallucinations happen

ChatGPT and other LLMs occasionally “hallucinate” fake studies, citations, and treatment protocols. These outputs often sound authoritative, but they’re not grounded in real evidence. I catch these regularly when I fact-check content. Always verify citations.

🌎 Context is everything

Even great answers can be wrong if they don’t apply to your body, history, and lifestyle. AI can’t intuit your underlying issues or recognize that your insomnia is tied to perimenopause and not just stress or screen time. That kind of nuance still needs a human.

🔒 Privacy isn’t guaranteed

Pasting your lab results or health history into ChatGPT might feel harmless but it's not HIPAA-compliant. You don’t know where that data goes or who can access it. Use secure patient portals (like Parsley’s or your hospital's) for anything sensitive.

🕵️ Efficiency ≠ expertise

AI is amazing at summarizing, organizing, and brainstorming. But it lacks real-world clinical judgment. It doesn’t yet know when a symptom combo means “watch and wait” or “go to the ER now.”

💪 What to do: 5 ways to use AI to make you a smarter patient.

At its best, AI can empower you to take ownership of your health, organize messy health information, and answer quick questions to help you avoid that unnecessary trip to urgent care. 

✅ DO use AI to…

🔬 Understand your lab results. If your doctor rushed through your CBC or thyroid panel, AI can help decode what those numbers mean and flag what you should follow up on.

🩺 Triage sudden symptoms. Wondering if that chest rash needs urgent care? Or if your toddler’s fever can wait till Monday? ChatGPT can help you think through next steps (not replace clinical care).

🧾 Prep for appointments. Bring your best self to the doctor’s office: AI can help you list symptoms clearly, prepare smart questions, and suggest treatments to ask about.

💊 Organize your supplement routine. Overwhelmed by your growing vitamin shelf? AI can help create a simple schedule and check for possible interactions (though it’s not a replacement for pharmacist-level oversight).

🧷 Solve random low-level issues. I recently cracked a nail half way down the nail bed—I had no idea if nail glue was safe or useful (not a manicure girl). AI helped me triage and recommended the right products to help it heal.

❌ DON’T rely on AI to…

🚫 Diagnose chronic or complex health issues. AI isn’t trained to detect patterns across years of symptoms or pick up on subtle emotional or hormonal cues that change the clinical picture. If your symptoms are vague, weird, or long-term, start with a real provider.

🚫 Prescribe meds or supplements. Asking AI for treatment advice might give you something plausible but not necessarily safe. A UTI could seem benign enough to ask Chat about, for example, but if you don’t know to ask about warning signs for kidney infection, it might suggest something that delays critical care. This is an example of right answer, wrong prompt. 

🚫 Source “natural” remedies. AI scrapes the entire internet—which includes plenty of sketchy advice. Like the patient who got “dandelion tea for a UTI.” Not effective.

🚫 Be your therapist. Yes, it’s conversational. Yes, it can echo therapy terms. But it’s not trauma-informed, can’t assess risk, and has already been linked to some users spiraling emotionally. Mental health is real medicine that requires support from someone trained to guide you.

🚫 Upload or store health information you want to keep private. Freemium LLMs aren’t secure vaults. If there’s no privacy policy, assume your info is not private.

⚡️ Quick Hits

🚶‍♀️ 7,000 steps = major health boost

Forget 10K: a new Lancet study found that just 7,000 steps/day cuts risk of death by 47%, heart disease by 25%, dementia by 38%, and depressive symptoms by 22% 

If you’re not already there, three brisk 10-minute walks should easily get you to 7K.

🧠 Artificial sweeteners = faster brain aging

Heavy use of sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and erythritol was linked to a 62% faster decline in memory and thinking skills—equal to 1.6 extra years of brain aging. 

If you want some sweetness, add honey, which is rich in polyphenols that help reduce oxidative stress. 

🌕 Preload your magnesium for PMS

Cramping? Mood swings? Magnesium helps relax muscles, ease cramps, stabilize mood, and improve sleep quality—all of which tank in the luteal phase.

Take 400mg of magnesium glycinate at night in the 5 days leading up to your period to blunt symptoms.

💛 The Momgevity Files

This week I took on a really exciting new collab (can’t wait to share more soon!) that had me on a 5 a.m. flight to Boston and back the same day. I landed at 10:30 p.m. and was up again at 6:30 the next morning with the kids.

“I am a SHEro!” I thought as I rolled out of bed.

By 10 a.m., I was an emotional and energetic wreck.

I could have stayed at a hotel overnight and prioritized sleep. But I didn’t want to miss two precious bedtimes and two school drop-offs. So there I was: bleary-eyed, sipping a rare second espresso, wondering if it really would’ve been so bad to be gone for two days instead of one. But as we got ready for school, the kids begged me not to go away again anytime soon.

That was hard to hear—especially with at least four short trips already on the calendar this fall. My five-year-old even announced she’s coming with me next time. (Honestly, I’d love to have her join me at Eudamonia in West Palm Beach this November. She’s my BFF and would love geeking out in consumer wellness Disneyland.)

With their “feedback” in mind, I tried to do some life math this week. Here’s how Fall ’25 is shaping up in terms of energy demand on my body, mind, and soul:

• Career demands = 11/10

• Kids’ needs = 9/10

• Social life = 10/10

• Space for my marriage = 5/10 (still trying to plan that weekend away…)

• Time for myself = basically zero

I love what I do—and it’s a privilege to get to do so much of it—but lately, I’ve felt like I’m doing a really bad job at maintaining my own energy balance. One of my mom friends texted last week: “Life is eating me alive right now.” Honestly? Same.

As I write this, I’m debating skipping a big event I’d committed to tonight. I’m thinking of going to yoga instead and being home to tuck the kids in. It feels hard to say no, and even harder to prioritize my wellbeing. (If I skip the event, should I let the sitter go?!!)

But here’s the truth: I need to make more time for things in the non-productivity bucket. Like a rare 6 p.m. yoga class that restores my lifeforce instead of draining it.

At 44, I don’t want to live tired. Longevity, for me, isn’t about making it to 150—it’s about having the energy to fully live my story for decades to come. It’s not just the highlight reel on social media—the photo shoots, big work wins, parties, and travel.

It’s also the rest.

The downtime.

The quiet.

Those moments are the highlights of the story too.

Stay strong, stay curious, and breathe,

Robin

As always, this newsletter is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any health decisions or changes to your treatment plan.