You’re trying. You really are.
You exercise when you can, watch what you eat, and probably have a doctor—maybe several. You’ve googled your symptoms, read the studies, and done your best to sort the signal from the noise. And yet, when something goes wrong—or when you just feel vaguely not right—you’re not sure where to turn.
Your doctor can see you for fifteen minutes. The wellness industry wants to sell you something. The internet is a choose-your-own-anxiety adventure.
That gap—between what the healthcare system offers and what you actually need—is exactly what this newsletter is about.
Who am I?
I’m Lucy McBride, MD. I’m a primary care physician with 25 years of clinical experience, and I see patients every day at my practice in Washington, DC. I trained at Princeton, Harvard Medical School, the University of Cambridge, and Johns Hopkins Hospital. I’ve published in The Atlantic and The Washington Post, and I’ve been on CNN, MSNBC, and PBS.
But here’s what actually matters to you: I’ve spent my career watching the same thing happen, over and over. Patients who come in confused, overwhelmed, and caught between a system that treats their symptoms and a wellness industry that promises to fix their lives. Both fail them in different ways. Both leave them feeling passive, reactive, and like their own health is happening to them rather than with them.
I’m here to offer something different.
This newsletter
Are You Okay? is where I share straight talk about health—evidence-based, non-judgmental, and grounded in real clinical experience. This isn’t a “Here’s What To Do” kind of thing. It’s a “Here’s How to Think About What You Need—and How to Get It.”
Every week I write about the things my patients actually ask me: Ozempic and GLP-1 medications (pros and cons). Alcohol use. Health anxiety. Hormone therapy. Cancer screening. Sleep. Aging. Sex. Caregiver burnout. Giving ourselves permission not to be okay. The difference between medical advice and medical fear. Why the most important things about your health rarely show up on a lab report.
I also write about the harder questions underneath all of those—about trust, about uncertainty, about how to make good decisions with incomplete information in a world that wants to sell you certainty.
My approach is what I call the Three A’s: awareness of your medical facts, acceptance of the things you cannot change, and agency over what you can. Moving through all three—that’s the work. That’s what this newsletter is here to support.
I'm not selling you on the medical system or on wellness culture—I think both have real limitations and real value, and I'll tell you which is which. You deserve a trusted guide who will be straight with you—about what the evidence says, what it doesn't, and what only you can decide.
My book, Beyond the Prescription: A Doctor’s Guide to Taking Charge of Your Health (Simon & Schuster, August 11, 2026), is the deeper map. The newsletter is where we do the weekly work of getting there.
What subscribers are saying
“You cover great topics and respond to feedback — and you are nuanced in your approach to healthy living.” — Cindy
"I enjoy your emails and podcasts. Right in my sweet spot of health being MUCH more than weight, blood tests and medications. Grateful for doctors like you!" — Dina
"I really enjoy and value your work. That's not just a platitude: not many people perfectly blend rigid scientific research and critical thinking with a deeper understanding of health and wellness. Thank you!" — Shmuel
"I love your emails and your approach to health. Your common sense, your knowledge, and your candor are a WINNING combination. Your advice has been invaluable to me and well worth a paid subscription. Thank you!!! — Kathye
Free subscribers receive my weekly newsletter, evidence-based and direct, every Tuesday morning, plus access to the Beyond the Prescription podcast.
Paid subscribers receive everything above, plus: access to the weekly Friday Q&A where you can submit your own questions; private subscriber chats; and periodic live conversations with me.
Either way, you’ll leave with more clarity than you arrived with.
– Lucy
