The Medical Advisor

The phrases "vegetarian diet" and "carnivore diet" are being tossed around a lot these days.  For some, a "vegetarian diet" is what vegans eat. Veganism combines a diet free of animal products with a moral philosophy that rejects the "commodity status of animals." Vegans are the strictest of vegetarians, avoiding milk, fish, and eggs. One plant-based diet advocate in the introduction to a  special issue of the Journal of Geriatric Cardiology  (2017) wrote that "a plant-based diet consists of all minimally processed fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, herbs, and spices and excludes all animal products, including red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products." You will notice that this cardiologist "excludes all animal products" and that the qualifying phrase "minimally processed" crept into the definition. Whole-Foods Version The so-called documentary "Forks Over Knives" brought t

Obesity and overweight affect increasing numbers of people, and for some, diet and exercise aren’t enough. A broad range of drug interventions can help. The  2023 report  from the World Obesity Federation estimates that the economic impact of overweight and obesity will surpass $4.3 trillion annually by 2035. In the U.S., the  CDC  reports the prevalence of obesity in adults was 41.9% measured from 2017 to March 2020. This represented an increase from 30.5% from 1999 to 2000. The estimated annual medical costs were roughly $173 billion in 2019 dollars. Prescriptions for semaglutide have doubled since mid-2021, rising to more than 1.2 million. In April 2023, a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, maker of semaglutide, said the drugs are now available in pharmacies nationwide. Semaglutide is sold under the name Ozempic as a diabetes drug and under the name Wegovy as a weight loss prescription drug. Wegovy has recently boomed in popularity for its use to help people lose weight... fast. Celebri

Semaglutide, known by the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus and others, is the latest weight-loss craze to hit Hollywood and beyond. The prescription drug, which is administered via a weekly injection, is intended to treat Type 2 diabetes, but it’s widely used off-label for weight loss. They all belong to the same medication class — glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists ( GLP-1 receptor agonists ).  GLP-1 agonists work by triggering insulin release, blocking sugar production in your liver, and making you feel full. But with all of these brands out there, how do you decide which is right for you? Let’s get to know some of the differences between these major GLP-1 agonist drugs. A 2021 study funded by Novo Nordisk, the drug’s maker, found using semaglutide once a week led to a 14.9% reduction in body weight among adults with obesity. 1  There’s been such a rush on the drugs that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lists b

In April 2021, The Lancet reported  evidence of UK’s first effective drug to treat COVID-19 in patients at home, inhaled budesonide, showing the treatment can reduce recovery time by a median of three days. The treatment has since been included in clinical guidelines for treating early-stage COVID-19 across the UK, Canada and India. Dr. Richard Bartlett shared with   ACWT   (America Can We Talk) about how asthma medicine Budesonide emptied a hospital ICU after being used to treat coronavirus.  Inhaled budesonide is a safe, generic, inexpensive prescription medication that is being successfully used by millions of people who suffer from asthma every day. It can be prescribed by any doctor or nurse practitioner for respiratory symptoms or lung inflammation (FDA-approved). Budesonide is also available in some over-the-counter nasal sprays such as Rhinocort.   Richard Bartlett made waves in a July 2, 2020 interview (the video has been removed for violating YouTube's Community Guideline