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…
Nine steps to optimal blood pressure
19 February 2024 In last week’s post, 5 reasons to think twice before taking blood pressure drugs, I highlighted the major adverse effects of some of the most popular classes of blood pressure-lowering medications that are taken by an estimated three million Australians, and hundreds of millions more throughout the world. I also stressed that…
5 reasons to think twice before taking blood pressure drugs
Updated 12 February 2024 High blood pressure, or hypertension, is often dubbed ‘the silent killer’. There’s no disputing its credentials as a killer: Almost 20 per cent of early deaths across the world are linked to elevated blood pressure… and most shockingly, in the study that reached this conclusion, ‘elevated’ was defined as a systolic…
5 reasons to think twice before taking an antidepressant
One in 10 Australian adults is taking an antidepressant, but a growing number of scientists are asserting that these blockbuster drugs do more harm than good.
The perils of proton pump inhibitors – Part 3
Updated 29 January 2024 In Part 1 of this series on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), I covered the basics – how these drugs work, what they’re supposed to be prescribed for, and the deeply concerning rate of inappropriate use of these medications. In Part 2, I examined the known and suspected adverse effects of PPIs,…
The perils of proton pump inhibitors – Part 2
Updated 22 January 2024 In Part 1 of this series on proton pump inhibitors, I covered the basics – how these drugs work, what they’re supposed to be prescribed for, and the deeply concerning rate of inappropriate use of these medications. And now, in Part 2, I’ll examine the known and suspected adverse effects of…
The perils of proton pump inhibitors – Part 1
Updated 15 January 2024 Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a class of medicines that include Nexium, Somac, Pariet, Prilosec, Maxor and Prevacid, and many generics. These drugs, which drastically reduce the secretion of hydrochloric acid by the stomach, are among the best-selling pharmaceuticals of all time. Australians are enthusiastic participants in the global acid-suppressing pill-popping…
Is ‘mental illness’ in the mind, or the body… or both?
8 January 2024 In last week’s post, Worried sick, I briefly mentioned a study which examined markers of both brain and body health in people diagnosed with any of four neuropsychiatric conditions, and found that they had greater deviations from healthy controls in markers of body health – most notably in their metabolic, hepatic, and…