Diabetes
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 GLP-1 Agonists Fix What Ails You — and War…
Popular drugs approved for diabetes control and weight loss produce many other effects in the body as well. Drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) have helped some people cut back on alcohol consump…
Should You Consider Intermittent Fasting for Goo…
Americans love to snack. Stop to fill up your gas tank and you can purchase all sorts of treats—ice cream, popcorn, candy, crackers, cookies and nuts, just to name a few of the many enticements. Go …
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 …
Prostate Drugs Finasteride and Dutasteride May S…
The FDA approved finasteride (Proscar) to treat BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) in 1992. Then it gave dutasteride (Avodart) the green light for enlarged prostates in 2001. The history of these medi…
Are Pecans Good for Your Heart?
Have you ever wondered whether your favorite food is good for your heart? If your favorite foods include ice cream and cookies, you don't have to wonder. The answer is a clear no. If you love oatmeal …
Helping Your Heart Means Boosting Your Brain
We have long suspected that taking care of your heart health with exercise, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, stress management and social interaction could also benefit your brain. …
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…
Chelation Therapy: Breakthrough or Bust for Hear…
Please prepare yourself for medical whiplash. Brace for a trip down a rabbit's hole into a Wonderland of contradictions. Mainstream medicine believed for many years that chelation therapy was worthles…
When Should You Drink Coffee for Maximum Health …
Full disclosure. I am not an impartial observer when it comes to coffee. I love a cup or two of Joe (pun intended) each morning to get my day started. And I have been known to have another mug late mo…
What Is the Difference Between Healthspan and Li…
Healthspan and lifespan are such similar words that it is only reasonable to wonder about their differences. In short, lifespan refers to how long you live, regardless of your state of health. Healths…
What Is Blackseed Oil Good For?
As Americans grow disenchanted with pharmaceuticals, they have become interested in botanical medicines. Many of these come from different medical traditions. Scientists may not have devoted much time…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.,…
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…