Dr. Eric PiferMD · Board-Certified Internist
Takes an active approach and wants a close relationship where your doctor gets to know you and takes your goals seriously.
The conversation
13 minutes with host Joe Brown. Start anywhere: chapters on the right.
- 0:00You should lift more weights at 65 than at 55
- 0:43Welcome & meet Dr. Pifer
- 1:24Thinking about health as you get older
- 2:08What 30 years in medicine taught him about routine checkups
- 4:10The heart test many checkups miss (ask your doctor)
- 5:14Lifting weights and protein after 65
- 7:01Sleep and blood sugar
- 9:38Why sleep gets worse with age
- 10:13Weight-loss medications for older adults (talk to your doctor)
- 10:56What to look for in a doctor after 65
- 12:10Wrap-up
For general information, not a substitute for advice from your own doctor.
How he thinks
about care
- Degree
- MD, Medical College of Pennsylvania (1993)
- Training
- Internal medicine residency and Chief Resident, Temple University Hospital
- Board certification
- Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine
Background from lifelabconciergemedicine.com.
Dr. Eric Pifer is a board-certified internist and the founder of LifeLab Concierge Medicine in San Francisco. He earned his MD at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1993, trained in internal medicine at Temple University Hospital, where he was Chief Resident, and taught at the University of Pennsylvania. He spent more than eight years as Chief Medical Officer at El Camino Hospital, held physician-leadership roles in Marin, and built a major San Francisco medicine program before launching LifeLab in 2026.
He is the author of The LifeLab Protocol (2025), a practical guide to metabolic health and healthy aging. His focus: healthy aging, metabolic health, sleep, blood sugar and strength.
He takes a more active approach than a once-a-year checkup, uses test results to decide how closely to manage heart and metabolic risk, and wants a close relationship where the doctor gets to know you and takes your goals seriously.
Summary written by Top Providers from his Episode 16 interview.
In his words
Verbatim from his Episode 16 interview.
So my approach is much more active than what most primary care doctors typically doDr. Eric Pifer, Episode 16
your doctor should use the results of that test to determine how aggressively to treat your metabolic risk factors like your cholesterolDr. Eric Pifer, Episode 16
you have to lift weights even more at 65 than you did at 55Dr. Eric Pifer, Episode 16
spends the appropriate amount of time getting to know you and talking to you about your specific goals for yourself and takes those goals seriouslyDr. Eric Pifer, Episode 16
That's how impactful poor sleep is on your metabolism and it can happen right away.Dr. Eric Pifer, Episode 16
Clips
Under a minute each, cut straight from the interview.
Shorts0:39The heart test missing from most checkups
What a coronary calcium scan looks for and how your doctor can use the results. Ask your doctor whether it's right for you.
Shorts0:42Why you should lift MORE weights at 65
Why strength training and protein matter even more after 65. Check with your doctor before starting a new program.
Shorts0:34One bad night of sleep vs. your blood sugar
How one bad night of sleep can affect your blood sugar the next day.
Shorts0:35Why sleep gets worse as you get older
Why sleep gets lighter and more broken up as you get older.
Shorts0:26What to look for in a doctor after 65
Why a close relationship with a doctor who takes your goals seriously matters more as you get older.
Saw him on a clip? This is the whole conversation.
The clips aren’t on TikTok or Instagram yet. Each slot fills in with a link once the clip is posted, and every clip links back here.
The practice
Details checked against lifelabconciergemedicine.com.
LifeLab Concierge Medicine
- Address
- 2100 Webster Street, Suite 401, San Francisco, CA 94115
- Phone
- (415) 707-3898
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