They’re expensive and often uncovered by health insurance. They’re unfamiliar for now to many doctors, especially those in primary care. But — as expected — patients are hearing a lot about the effectiveness of new prescription medications aimed at treating diabetes and how these drugs have another positive outcome: They help users lose weight, potentially….
Continue ReadingWeight Loss Treatments
Newer diabetes drugs can lead to weight loss. Wish it was that simple.
As medical scientists increase the understanding of diabetes and the role that hormones can play in treating the disease and clinical obesity, doctors, drug makers, insurers, and others in U.S. health care are running smack into familiar, significant problems. These include issues with public perceptions about weight, diet, and appropriate prescribing of powerful medications, as….
Continue ReadingWith viral risks, a new chance to weigh in on obesity, diet and exercise
Health and nutrition experts may get a rare and unexpected chance in the Covid-19 pandemic time to see whether Americans have experienced even a minor reset in their maintaining a more healthful diet, increased exercise, and maybe even reduction in weight gain and its associated problems. To be sure, these have been times of high….
Continue Reading‘Fat shaming’ plays ugly role in medicine’s failing campaign to treat obesity
The medical establishment needs to take a hard, long look at its failing efforts to combat obesity and overweight, conditions that now affect just under 40 percent of American adults (93.3 million people) and 20 percent of youngsters (13.7 million) in the U.S. That’s because doctors and medical scientists have “ignored mountains of evidence to….
Continue ReadingHappier new year? Don’t overdo holiday eating, drinking, travel, socializing
Here’s hoping the holidays are going well for one and all. But, even as they fly away, moderation and some common sense about the seasonal celebrations is worth keeping in mind. It can pay, for example, to be careful about what you eat in this festive time. Researchers at the RAND Corporation have just issued….
Continue ReadingGlum about ‘Biggest Loser’ study? Stay calm, carry on weight watching
If you’re staring at that chocolate éclair or slice of apple pie ala mode with special guilt after reading about the weight woes of extreme contestants on a popular television show, fret a wee bit less, please. It’s true that many pound-conscious people have hit the doldrums after reading in the New York Times that….
Continue ReadingAsk Before You Mix Meds and Supplements
A lot of people believe that dietary supplements they buy over the counter are merely nutritional insurance, but many of these can have unexpected side effects when taken with other medicine. Guidelines recently issued by the FDA warn consumers about the risks of mixing popular dietary supplements with medications. As explained on AboutLawsuits.com, people risk….
Continue ReadingSenator Smacks Down Dr. Oz for Diet Supplement Nonsense
Dr. Mehmet Oz , a popular TV personality, is better known for his charisma than his medical expertise, and no wonder why – he’s constantly hawking dubious treatments, and recently the chair of the U.S. Senate’s Consumer Protection panel called him out for it. Oz’s shilling for diet supplements now has the attention of comic….
Continue ReadingQnexa Weight-Loss Drug Makes a Comeback
It’s as if they’re playing hokey-pokey over at the FDA. The Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee recently gave a thumbs-up to Qnexa fewer than two years after recommending against it. It’s the first time since 1999 that an advisory panel for the federal agency has approved a weight-loss drug. The FDA doesn’t have to….
Continue ReadingLap-Band Clinics Are Warned by the FDA for Overly Rosy Promotions of Weight Loss
For a couple of years now, Southern California drivers have become used to seeing billboards for a medical procedure that promises to turn overweight people into the thin creatures they want to be. By calling 1-800-GET-THIN, you could sign up for a gastric Lap-Band surgery at an outpatient facility and change your life. So they….
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