"Your body isn't broken," the doctor said gently.
"What you're experiencing has a name. It's called NAD+ depletion. And it happens to almost every single person — it just hits hardest right around the age you are now."
It was the first time in three years someone had said anything other than "it's just stress," "it's just your age," or "this is just part of being a woman."
She leaned in close.
"Let me show you what's actually happening."
She pulled up a chart on her screen.
"These are your NAD+ levels as you get older." She traced the dropping line with her finger.
"Every cell in your body needs an enormous amount of energy — to make power in your mitochondria, repair its own DNA, run the signals that keep you sharp and steady. All of it runs on NAD+."
"And here's the crucial part — by the time you reach midlife, your NAD+ levels have dropped sharply. Around your age, you've lost up to half."
"Wait," I interrupted. "You're saying this isn't just menopause? Not just my age? That there's something actually running low inside my cells — and nobody ever tested for it?"
"Exactly." She nodded.
