By: Joe Graedon December 23, 2024 0 Comments
    Cooking Oil Confusion: What’s Best, Olive …

    Health professionals have been misleading Americans about food for decades. We were told that cholesterol and fat were our enemies. Eggs, shrimp, nuts and olive oil were bad. That led the food industr…

    By: Terry Graedon December 16, 2024 3 Comments
    Will a Mediterranean Diet Benefit Your Brain?

    The Mediterranean diet has earned a reputation for promoting heart health, as we discuss below. A Harvard study suggested it might also be good for the brain, especially for people with type 2 diabete…

    By: Joe Graedon December 16, 2024 10 Comments
    The Perils of Cold Weather Shipping of Medicines…

    Baby, it’s cold out there! Many parts of the United States are either experiencing freezing temperatures or soon will be. As I write this, it's very cold in all the usual places: Colorado, Idaho, Mo…

    By: Joe Graedon December 9, 2024 2 Comments
    If You Need Surgery While on Ozempic or Wegovy B…

    Semaglutide is one of the hottest drugs in the pharmacy. You may recognize the brand names Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss. Anesthesiologists in Canada and the US are raising the alarm…

    By: Joe Graedon December 2, 2024 11 Comments
    Is There a Dark Side to the Diabetes Drug Jardia…

    If you watch television, there is a decent chance you have seen a Jardiance commercial. The manufacturer is promoting “Big News” about this diabetes drug. Towards the end of the TV spot, the inter…

    By: Terry Graedon November 28, 2024 13 Comments
    Show 1368: Why Overcoming Loneliness Is Crucial …

    In this week’s interview, Dr. Robert Waldinger of Harvard University explains why overcoming loneliness is essential for our health. His research, summarized in The Good Life, shows that close relat…

    By: Terry Graedon November 25, 2024 37 Comments
    What Are the Health Benefits of Coffee and Choco…

    Americans have a puritanical streak. This way of thinking suggests that if something hurts or tastes bad, it must be good for you. Conversely, if it tastes good, you might conclude it's bad for you. T…

    By: Joe Graedon November 25, 2024 38 Comments
    People Are Having Too Much Fun on Drug Commercia…

    Have you ever seen prescription drug commercials on a smart phone, tablet, laptop or television? It’s hard NOT to. They have proliferated like wildfire on a parched plain. If Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,…

    By: Joe Graedon November 20, 2024 6 Comments
    Will Diabetes Drug Metformin Also Help Your Lung…

    Metformin is a very old drug that is used to treat type 2 diabetes. It was developed from the French lilac plant, Galega officinalis. Healers in the 17th century used extracts from this plant to treat…

    By: Joe Graedon November 20, 2024 6 Comments
    How Can You Overcome the Harms of Sitting Too Mu…

    How many hours a day do you sit? Be honest, please. If you work in front of a computer, as so many of us do, we’ll bet you spend more than eight hours a day sitting. And that doesn’t count time si…

    By: Joe Graedon November 11, 2024 24 Comments
    Master Your Metabolism by Using a CGM (Continuou…

    Have you ever broken the law? Almost everyone has at one time or another. Sometimes it’s a little infraction, like driving 40 mph in a 35 mph zone. Or perhaps you crossed a street outside of the des…

    By: Terry Graedon October 30, 2024 5 Comments
    Make Sure Your Vegetarian Diet Is High Quality

    A vegetarian diet can be beneficial. Scientists who want to know more about the value of vegetarianism often study groups that avoid eating meat, such as Seventh Day Adventists. Many Seventh-Day Adven…

    By: Terry Graedon October 28, 2024 15 Comments
    Will Ozempic Lead to Hair Loss?

    Over the past several years, the FDA has approved a number of injectable medications designed to help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar. You may have seen some of them advertised o…

    By: Terry Graedon October 23, 2024 13 Comments
    What Are Pros and Cons of Cinnamon for Blood Sug…

    Millions of American adults have prediabetes. The CDC defines this as having fasting blood sugar over 100 but less than 126 mg/dL, the cut-off for a diagnosis of diabetes. Learning that you have predi…

    By: Terry Graedon October 21, 2024 22 Comments
    Psyllium Fiber Is Versatile Remedy

    Psyllium fiber has become a household name, especially in the brand name formulations where it is found: Konsyl, Metamucil, Nature's Way Psyllium, and dozens more. From the 1930s to the 1960s a produc…

    By: Joe Graedon October 16, 2024 24 Comments
    Post-Covid Symptoms Are Debilitating

    Many people insist that more than 99% of the people who catch COVID-19 recover. They maintain that it’s just not that big a deal, even though more than 100 million people have caught the coronavirus…

    By: Joe Graedon October 14, 2024 8 Comments
    Some Diabetes Drugs Can Trigger Perineal Gangren…

    Do you know what the perineum is? A lot of people do not know what doctors or drug companies mean when they say the “skin of the perineum.” When a television commercial for a type 2 diabetes drug …

    By: Terry Graedon October 14, 2024 2 Comments
    Can You Manage Your Blood Sugar Naturally?

    Metformin is a first-line medication for people with type 2 diabetes. Although doctors also prescribe it for different disorders, from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) to prostate cancer, the majori…

    By: Joe Graedon September 30, 2024 8 Comments
    COVID and Diabetes: Another Aftereffect of the P…

    Most people have tried to put COVID in the rear view mirror. Sadly, though, COVID is still with us. We keep hearing about a surprising number of people who have caught COVID-19 for the first, second o…

    By: Joe Graedon September 30, 2024 24 Comments
    Is Metformin a Miracle or a Menace?

    The diabetes drug metformin has a lot of friends and foes. It never fails to amaze us when people try to either put a medicine on a pedestal or have the FDA ban it. Most drugs have both benefits and r…

    By: Joe Graedon September 18, 2024 7 Comments
    Brewing Heart Health: Caffeine from Coffee and T…

    Public health officials frequently tell us DON’T! Don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol, don’t eat processed foods. It’s relatively rare for researchers to say DO this thing that you really like.…

    By: Terry Graedon September 12, 2024 3 Comments
    Do Early Foods Raise Diabetes Risk?

    What children usually eat for breakfast may affect whether or not they develop type 1 diabetes. The study was conducted in Finland, where rates of type 1 diabetes are very high. Many factors may contr…

    By: Joe Graedon August 29, 2024 24 Comments
    How Are Home Tests and Devices Revolutionizing H…

    The FDA announced on March 5, 2024 that it approved "...the first over-the-counter (OTC) continuous glucose monitor (CGM)." Many people with type 2 diabetes already use such devices, but they require …

    By: Terry Graedon August 21, 2024 14 Comments
    What Is the Outcome of Prediabetes?

    Doctors are increasingly diagnosing people with prediabetes. These individuals have slightly elevated blood sugar levels that don’t yet meet the criteria for frank diabetes. Some studies have used a…

    By: Joe Graedon August 15, 2024 40 Comments
    Prices Slashed on 10 Blockbuster Drugs For Medic…

    Americans pay more than the people in other countries when it comes to prescription drugs. That’s largely because other countries negotiate prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers. Until now, Ameri…

    By: Terry Graedon August 12, 2024 15 Comments
    Do You Need a Continuous Glucose Monitor Without…

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 84 million American adults have prediabetes. That means one-third of us have blood sugar that is somewhat higher than it should be–above …

    By: Terry Graedon July 10, 2024 2 Comments
    Show 1391: Key Steps for Healthy Feet

    This week, Joe and Terry Graedon welcome your questions about keeping your feet healthy. Dr. Jane Andersen is a foot and ankle specialist who will take your calls about a range of podiatric problems. …

    By: Terry Graedon July 10, 2024 17 Comments
    Fasting to Reduce the Risk of Diabetes

    Public health officials concerned about the epidemic of diabetes and pre-diabetes have focused on weight loss through exercise and healthy eating. Increasingly, evidence suggests that intermittent fas…

    By: Joe Graedon July 1, 2024 3 Comments
    Prednisone and Diabetes: A Life-Threatening Gluc…

    We have described prednisone as a “Deal with the Devil.” That’s because this drug is the classic double-edged sword. It can save lives and make life worth living for some people. For others, tho…

    By: Terry Graedon June 12, 2024 83 Comments
    Are Non-Sugar Sweeteners a Healthy Choice?

    When people hear that sugar-sweetened beverages pose health hazards, some respond by switching to diet soft drinks. That certainly seems reasonable, but evidence now suggests it might not be the best…

    By: Terry Graedon June 10, 2024 22 Comments
    How to Improve Your Health with Chocolate

    Could you improve your health with chocolate? Despite widespread skepticism that chocolate could have health benefits, researchers keep uncovering additional evidence. We'll summarize some of that bel…

    By: Terry Graedon June 5, 2024 15 Comments
    How to Stay Healthy with a Mediterranean Diet

    Would you like to be able to improve your health by what you put on your plate? Health professionals and patients alike may doubt that diet can be as powerful as pills. When it comes to important bene…

    By: Terry Graedon May 29, 2024 6 Comments
    Show 1387: The Patient-Led Revolution in Health …

    For years, the reigning paradigm in health care has been “Doctor knows best.” Providers rarely sought input from patients about their needs or experience. That picture has been changing, though, a…

    By: Terry Graedon March 13, 2024 4 Comments
    Daily Exercise Boosts Lifespan

    Everyone agrees that exercise is beneficial for your health, though not everyone actually participates in daily exercise. Muscle-strengthening exercise, in particular, can reduce the risk of premature…

    By: Joe Graedon March 4, 2024 3 Comments
    Kidney Stones and Rybelsus (Semaglutide) aka Oze…

    Occasionally a reader experiences a very serious medical problem and attributes it to a medication. Such is the case with the reader below. She wants to know if there is a connection between kidney st…

    By: Joe Graedon February 26, 2024 7 Comments
    Are You Taking “Good” Drugs or “Bad” Dru…

    You have doubtless heard that we live in a “polarized” world where the middle ground has been lost. Pundits usually apply this concept to politics: Republicans vs. Democrats or liberals vs. conser…

    By: Joe Graedon February 19, 2024 40 Comments
    Do Statins Cause Diabetes? Many MDs Wish It Were…

    If you search the medical literature for statins and diabetes, you might be surprised at what you find. Many health professionals would prefer that no one ask: do statins cause diabetes? There is trem…

    By: Joe Graedon February 7, 2024 12 Comments
    Is New Weight Loss Drug Zepbound Better than Weg…

    As you no doubt know, the buzz machine has been working overtime promoting weight loss drugs like Wegovy (semaglutide) and now Zepbound (tirzepatide). Zepbound is a twin of the diabetes drug Mounjaro,…

    By: Terry Graedon January 29, 2024 5 Comments
    Metformin Led to Vitamin B12 Loss and Excruciati…

    Metformin is a first-line treatment for type 2 diabetes, along with regular activity and a healthful diet low in processed foods. While metformin can be extremely helpful in controlling blood sugar an…

    By: Joe Graedon January 14, 2024 18 Comments
    Can You Save Money by Importing Drugs from Canad…

    The Trump administration made headlines when it announced a plan to allow the importation of drugs from Canada. The stated goal was to save patients money. Alex Azar, then head of Health and Human Ser…