By: Joe Graedon December 19, 2024 12 Comments
    What’s in Your Frying Pan? Omega-6 or Omega-3 …

    Americans have long been urged to embrace polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) vegetable oils because they are low in saturated fats. These oils made from corn, peanuts, soybeans, safflower and sunflower…

    By: Joe Graedon December 9, 2024 6 Comments
    Cure or Catastrophe: The Unpredictability of Med…

    Physicians who prescribe medications like to believe that their choices are based on evidence. In fact, there is a mantra that most prescribers have embraced: “Evidence Based Medicine,” abbreviate…

    By: Terry Graedon November 21, 2024 9 Comments
    Show 1409: From Hippocrates to Hypocrisy: The Hi…

    This Saturday morning, November 23, 2024, an expert from Australia helps us examine the hidden risks of healthcare. Healthcare providers have the best of intentions, but they simply cannot truly uphol…

    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 18, 2024 27 Comments
    Can Repatha Substitute for Statins to Lower Chol…

    Not everyone can tolerate statins to lower cholesterol. Some people react to drugs like atorvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin or simvastatin with muscle pain and weakness, arthritis, mus…

    By: Joe Graedon August 19, 2024 98 Comments
    Has Your Doctor Fired You? Can Doctors Do That?

    The relationship between a patient and her doctor is special. Patients tell their doctors things they wouldn't tell anyone else. Doctors are expected to hold these revelations in confidence and to tre…

    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: Terry Graedon July 8, 2024 9 Comments
    How to Improve Your Cholesterol with Cocoa

    We always enjoy learning about cocoa flavanols and how they can benefit our health. A few readers have reported on their personal experiments using cocoa flavanols to help with cholesterol control. Wi…

    By: Joe Graedon July 7, 2024 12 Comments
    Low LDL Cholesterol Linked to Bleeding Strokes

    Ask any golfer if you can have too low a golf score and he will think you're nuts. After all, the lowest score wins in golf. Ask almost any cardiologist if you can have too low LDL cholesterol levels …

    By: Joe Graedon May 13, 2024 7 Comments
    Do Your Drug’s Benefits Outweigh Its Risks?

    We are always surprised that medications seem to be held to a much lower standard than any other product or service. Why do healthcare professionals and patients willingly accept such poor performance…

    By: Terry Graedon April 28, 2024 27 Comments
    Should You Restrict the Number of Eggs You Eat?

    For decades, public health authorities have been warning Americans to restrict the number of eggs they eat. Egg yolks are rich in cholesterol, and high cholesterol levels are associated with heart dis…

    By: Terry Graedon April 15, 2024 3 Comments
    Do Statins Lower CoQ10 Levels? Can Supplements C…

    Doctors prescribe the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins as an essential step in treating heart disease. Many physicians also prescribe them for prevention. While many people take these medicin…

    By: Joe Graedon April 8, 2024 37 Comments
    How Does Red Yeast Rice Compare to Statins?

    Tens of millions of people take statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs. Many physicians believe such drugs are dramatically effective against heart disease. We will not deal with that controversial to…

    By: Terry Graedon April 4, 2024 39 Comments
    Does Red Yeast Rice for Lowering Cholesterol Hav…

    Has your doctor told you that your blood pressure is rising or your cholesterol is too high? Many people prefer to treat such conditions naturally if possible. But just because a treatment is natural …

    By: Terry Graedon March 31, 2024 6 Comments
    What Is the Risk of Red Yeast Rice?

    One of the pillars of heart disease prevention is keeping blood fats, especially cholesterol, under control. But doctors don't always agree on the best way to achieve this goal. Most recommend a healt…

    By: Joe Graedon March 25, 2024 8 Comments
    Are Some People More Aggressive on Statins?

    Most people are aware that statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs can cause muscle pain and weakness. Similar statin side effects include muscle cramping and soreness. In the worst case scenario, some…

    By: Joe Graedon February 26, 2024 20 Comments
    Is It Safe to Take Red Yeast Rice for High Chole…

    Statisticians have shown that people with elevated levels of LDL cholesterol are more likely to develop clogged arteries and coronary artery disease (Heart, Lung & Circulation, March 2018). If sen…

    By: Joe Graedon February 12, 2024 38 Comments
    Repatha to Lower LDL Cholesterol: Uses, Abuses, …

    There are powerful cholesterol-lowering medicines making waves. Many health professionals are convinced that there is no such thing as too low a golf score or a cholesterol level. They are right about…

    By: Terry Graedon January 21, 2024 22 Comments
    Will You Lower Your Cholesterol With Milk Thistl…

    Is your cholesterol high? If you have a family history of high cholesterol, particularly if you had parents or siblings who died of heart disease, your doctor will do as much as possible to help you c…

    By: Joe Graedon December 7, 2023 33 Comments
    Should Everyone Over 65 Take a Statin to Prevent…

    Do statins help older people live longer? That is a question that has been controversial for decades. Tens of millions of people are currently taking a statin-type cholesterol-lowering drug every day.…

    By: Joe Graedon November 20, 2023 73 Comments
    The Statin Bandwagon Rolls On!

    Last year, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published its latest statin guidelines in JAMA (Aug. 23/30, 2022). The statin bandwagon has gathered speed, but the data leave a lo…

    By: Terry Graedon September 21, 2023 5 Comments
    Does It Make Sense to Order Your Own Laboratory …

    At one time, only physicians could order laboratory tests such as thyroid-stimulating hormone or cholesterol. Now, however, many companies offer lab tests direct to consumers using the internet. Does …

    By: Joe Graedon August 24, 2023 13 Comments
    Shocking Conflicts of Interest in Nonprofit Pati…

    Americans are big boosters of patient advocacy organizations (PAOs). They contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to nonprofits like the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and …

    By: Terry Graedon May 21, 2023 35 Comments
    Natural Ways to Get Your Cholesterol Down

    Cholesterol is only one of numerous risk factors for heart disease. However, physicians can't do much about some of your other risk factors, such as your family history. They can prescribe medications…

    By: Joe Graedon May 4, 2023 9 Comments
    Does CRP Inflammation Trump LDL-C for Heart Dise…

    Ask most physicians to name the most important risk factor for heart disease, and the chances are good they will name LDL cholesterol as the baddest of bad actors. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol …

    By: Terry Graedon May 1, 2023 16 Comments
    How to Improve Cholesterol and Triglycerides wit…

    After several decades of striving to avoid fat in general, Americans have finally gotten the memo: some fat is good for us! Scientists have been studying omega-3 fatty acids for decades. Now many folk…

    By: Joe Graedon April 17, 2023 75 Comments
    Statins and Muscle Pain: What Else Can He Do To …

    One cornerstone of preventive cardiology is controlling LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels. Doctors use statin drugs as their primary tools in this effort. Many people respond well to th…

    By: Joe Graedon April 3, 2023 15 Comments
    How Well Do CAC Scores Predict Heart Attack Risk…

    Do you have plaque in your coronary arteries? Unless you have had symptoms that sent you to a coronary cath lab, you might not know. Over the last decade or two, though, doctors have used CT scans to …

    By: Terry Graedon March 27, 2023 12 Comments
    What Do You Know About the New Cholesterol Drug …

    Some people with high cholesterol need to lower it with medications. By far the most common drugs doctors prescribe for this purpose are statins such as atorvastatin, rosuvastatin or lovastatin. Howev…

    By: Terry Graedon March 27, 2023 23 Comments
    Is It Unhealthy to Drink Unfiltered Coffee?

    The health consequences of drinking coffee have stirred quite a bit of controversy over the years. According to legend, a goatherd noticed that his goats were extra frisky after eating coffee berries,…

    By: Terry Graedon March 27, 2023 1 Comments
    Is It Safe to Take Alli for a Long Time?

    We love the idea of losing weight with less effort. Perhaps that is why people seem to embrace new diet drugs when they become trendy. Although all the attention these last several months has been on …

    By: Joe Graedon March 16, 2023 7 Comments
    Will Nexletol (Bempedoic Acid) Replace Statins?

    There’s a new drug in the cholesterol-control sandbox. It’s called Nexletol. The generic name for this medication is bempedoic acid. In truth, the drug is not new. The FDA approved Nexletol in Feb…

    By: Joe Graedon February 27, 2023 8 Comments
    Is it Risky to Take Atorvastatin with Grapefruit…

    Physicians and pharmacists are super busy these days. Some pharmacists have confided to us that they feel like they are in an I love Lucy skit like this one where Lucy and Ethel wrap chocolates. Patie…

    By: Terry Graedon February 2, 2023 91 Comments
    Is Coffee Really Bad for You?

    Health professionals just can’t seem to make up their minds about coffee. Is it good or really bad for you? They have been arguing about the pros and cons of coffee drinking for at least half a cent…

    By: Terry Graedon January 30, 2023 23 Comments
    Can You Lower Your Cholesterol with Bergamot?

    How do you control your cholesterol? Many people take a statin medication such as atorvastatin  or simvastatin to keep their blood fats within normal range. On the other hand, you might prefer a more…

    By: Joe Graedon November 9, 2022 21 Comments
    Are You Wasting Money On Supplements Against Hea…

    Doctors appear to hate dietary supplements. That is the conclusion I draw from their reaction to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (Nov. 6, 2022).  We have he…

    By: Joe Graedon September 5, 2022 82 Comments
    Why Do Doctors Hate Stories of Statin Side Effec…

    We understand why some doctors dislike hearing complaints from patients about drug side effects. After all, they have promised to “first, do no harm.” That was purportedly the message from the anc…

    By: Joe Graedon May 23, 2022 42 Comments
    New Analysis Disputes Dogma that All Seniors Nee…

    The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) created a risk calculator that tells physicians and patients when someone should take a statin-type cholesterol-loweri…

    By: Terry Graedon May 12, 2022 2 Comments
    Show 1301: What Are Forever Chemicals Doing in F…

    In our nationally syndicated radio show this week, our guests discuss “forever chemicals” (PFAS) used in a wide range of products. How do they affect our health? What Are PFAS, or Forever Chemical…

    By: Terry Graedon March 24, 2022 7 Comments
    What Is the Best Diet to Lower Cholesterol?

    Have you ever wondered what you should be eating to optimize your health? Nutrition scientists have been arguing that the entire dietary pattern matters more than a handful of individual foods reputed…