Diabetes
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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 …
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…
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…
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 …
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. …
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
What Is the Best Time to Eat?
A small study shows that the timing of meals can have a profound impact on blood sugar, insulin secretion and blood pressure. But what is the best time to eat? A reader is concerned that her late-nigh…
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…
Should Doctors Prescribe Ozempic for Weight Loss…
If you have been reading our newsletter, you know that semaglutide is one of the hottest medications in the pharmacy. As I write this, the Food and Drug Administration is reporting that this self-inje…
What Do You Eat to Reduce Your Risk for Diabetes…
Type 2 diabetes is among the most common chronic diseases in the US. Researchers believe that three fourths of the cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented with lifestyle modifications. An analysis…
Is Cooked Oatmeal Better for You Than Instant Oa…
Oats have been a dietary staple for many centuries, and they have a reputation as a healthy whole grain. Eating cooked oatmeal on a regular basis (daily or several times a week) can help control chole…
Why You Should Eat the Mediterranean Way
The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a number of health benefits. We have written previously about studies showing that a Mediterranean-style eating plan can protect the brain, reduce arthr…
Can Restricting Eating Time Help Control Blood S…
People at risk of developing type 2 diabetes may be able to reverse this process by restricting eating time to a nine-hour period every day. One reader embraced this approach and was thrilled with the…