Subclinical hypothyroidism
A sadly neglected cause of avoidable suffering, or an overtreated fad diagnosis? 29 April 2024 As I mentioned in last week’s post on iodine, I was prompted to delve into this topic by a comment made by Dr Jessica Funk, author of the Unpacking Truth Substack: It turns out that Jessica is far from being…
Goldilocks and the iodine bears
22 April 2024 In my February Open Thread for paid Substack subscribers, dentist extraordinaire Dr Jessica Funk, whose Unpacking Truth Substack is one you really should be subscribing to, asked me to investigate whether hypothyroidism is being overdiagnosed and overtreated. It’s a great question, and I will be answering it in my next post. To…
The case of the disappearing alcohol-mortality J-shaped curve
Bad news on booze 15 April 2024 Australians love to drink. Not quite as much as the Lithuanians, Czechs or Ugandans… … but we do have a higher proportion of adults who have drunk an alcoholic beverage in the last 12 months than any country in the world bar (oddly enough) Vietnam: … and we…
Which foods boost GLP-1?
8 April 2024 Back in Part 1 of this mini-series on GLP-1 agonists, I explained that these drugs are incretin mimetics. That is, they mimic the effects of biochemicals – including glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) – that potentiate the release of insulin after meals. You might also remember that GLP-1 has a half-life of less…
GLP-1 agonist weight loss drugs: Leaning the ladder against the wrong wall
1 April 2024 In his best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey cautioned against a common trap: “work[ing] harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover it’s leaning against the wrong wall.” In other words, one should spend some time clarifying what “success” means, before one invests…
The high price of weight loss: GLP-1 agonist side-effects
25 March 2024 In Part 1 of this miniseries on GLP-1 agonists, I summarised the actions exerted by glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and described the mechanism of action of the GLP-1 agonist drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Saxenda. It’s important to understand these mechanisms, because they help to predict the kinds of side-effects that…
GLP-1 agonists: Weight loss wonder-drugs, or disaster in the making?
18 March 2023 A couple of months ago, I caught up with a cousin whom I hadn’t seen for several decades. I knew from conversations with other family members that she had been struggling with her weight since her 30s, and that she, like many other first and second degree relatives on both sides of…
Ultra-processed foods: Cheap, tasty, convenient, and deadly
Nutritional reductionism is getting us nowhere. Let’s look at the big picture. 11 March 2024 I’m working on a lengthy post – which will probably end up being a mini-series – on a much-requested topic: GLP-1 agonists, the injectable weight loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, that are the latest cash cow for Big…
Diving down the low-carb rabbit hole – Part 2
4 March 2024 Let’s pick up where I left off in Part 1 of this mini-series dissecting claims made by Dr Paul Mason in his presentation, Decoding Atherosclerosis: The clotting theory and seed oil toxicity. 13:30: “The size and density of LDL however changes when it becomes damaged, of which oxidation is a major cause.…
Diving down the low-carb rabbit hole – Part 1
Is Dr Paul Mason a disruptive genius, a dissembling showman, or… something else? 26 February 2024 My last two articles on high blood pressure (5 reasons to think twice before taking blood pressure drugs and Nine steps to optimal blood pressure) have generated some lively discussion in the Substack comments section. I received some pushback…