I have just more or less read your Stack as my “morning devotional” as I sit at the gym waiting for my 17 yo daughter to finish her once a week trainer-led workout.
During Covid she got a little heavy-ish and out of shape. She decided to turn things around with a better diet, exercise and weight lifting. Far from “fake skinny” she is so buff and strong she can do chin pull ups!
There was a knock on positive for her middle-aged mom, as we both dramatically reduced our refined sugar intake, cut out seed oils and increased our veggies and protein. I lost that 10 lbs that settles right in the mid-section.
By the way, I’m a big Prasad fan too. I find him still too pro-mRNA and idealistic re RCTs, but his take downs of the FDA and his early protests against shots for college kids and younger were invaluable. One sane voice in a sea of insanity.
That’s awesome, congrats! Yes, we’ve been eating healthier lately and it makes a difference. There are so many great options out there now, easier to find junk-free food than it used to be - at least so it seems, I wasn’t looking too hard in the 90s as I downed my bowls of Cap’n Crunch…
I agree about Dr P and RCTs, I will write about that someday when I want to be extra controversial lol..
Adrian, just read this by clicking on a link from someone else...I like how you think. The classic literature does the job eloquently, but so does just simple common sense. I remember my mom telling me "you are what you eat". Simple advice that applies to the universe. Direct. Pithy. In science and engineering, 1st year, we are told "Mother Nature does not do free lunches. She exacts a price for everything. No negotiations. No exceptions. She's really bitchy about it, but you can count on her to be this way and build entire civilizations around that foundation.
We start running into trouble when we think we can cheat.
Newton said "For every action there will be an equal and opposite reaction".
I wonder if the reaction is really equal though. I think it is not.
What a beautiful essay. You make such a good point, that what we do creates who we are.
That people can't see what's wrong with taking a drug indefinitely to fix something that self discipline would do a lot to fix just blows my mind. Long term side effects? We don't know... But I can just see the tort lawyers' commercials ten years from now: "if you've been injured by Ozempic..."
Jabbing your kids weekly with semaglutide and not seeing a problem with that? I guess not every child is blessed with good parents.
I looked up the side effects of Ozempic on one drug review website. They sound awful. And one woman listed them but said she doesn't have time to exercise so it's worth it. After 3 years of death and injury from the mRNA and DNA jabs we seem to have learned nothing.
And here I thought the only multi pharma tragedy was with pain management all these years! 😉. I can remember “the holy trinity” of soma, opioid, and benzo only to be countered with an amphetamine, micro-dose naltrexone, etc., etc., only to come full circle with Maimonides’ best advice - there is no medicine that can make up for lack of exercise. Still the best truth in medicine.
For those of a certain age, comedians Wayne and Shuster were frequent guests on Ed Sullivan on Sunday night, while we were teased waiting for the Rolling Stones or the Beatles who usually performed for seven of the last eight minutes (and then to bed.)
Their take on Dorian Gray was prescient- he ate whatever he wished, and his painting got fatter, until it eventually broke the frame! Thanks for the memory.
My former colleagues need to read "The Real Anthony Fauci." I am awaiting "The War on Ivermectin" and "Turtles All the Way Down" as birthday presents, and have "Dispatches From the Vaccine Wars" in hand.
The anecdote about the child collapsing in a mild athletic activity is particularly disturbing. We as physicians need to start humbling ourselves and practicing what we preach to patients if we have any hope of combatting the reckless "glorified vending machine" that medicine has often become.
What a fantastic post! Classic literature is forgotten in most of our public schools and institutions. The movement to keep these literary works of art alive in Great Books classes are taught at Classical Academies and schools, which happen to teach our children how to think, not what to think. Dorian Grey is a great metaphor for our time. Unfortunately.
I am a retired pharmacist with a multi faceted career, owned clinical pharmacies and worked various roles in the industry. I’m on Semaglutide compounded with BPC-157.
Let me share my thoughts. I am very anti Big Pharma and anti DTC advertising! That was our biggest downfall. Doctors lost a lot of control. Patients “ demand” scripts for the latest “ new” thing. It’s a slippery slope and very hard to navigate for some.
Prescribing Wegovy or Ozempic ( off label) for childhood obesity is abhorrent! Children need to be taught good nutrition and activity. That’s an entire different conversation.
The side effect profile can be daunting. My experience was and still is gas, painful bloating and constipation. The nausea abated after the first month at a lower than prescribed dose! I microdosed through the entire process because that is always the goal in pharmaceutics. It’s no so pleasant.
The up side is I lost 30 pounds at a healthy 2 pounds a week. I have always had a clean pescatarian diet, so I made no changes. However, my penchant for sugar including brownies and wine is gone! Because is slows down gut motility, you eat much less,so common sense tells you that what you do eat, needs to be nutrient dense.
I had a very extensive blood panel just 2 months into this, my A1C was at 4.7, lipid panel perfect! My BP lowered, it was very slightly elevated I think because of extra weight. So my Internal Medicine doctor is thrilled. My morale is boosted because my clothes fit again. It’s probably vain, because I was borderline with a BMI of 26. But I’m back to my old self, post menopause and feel great. I’m dosing only 20 units once a month to maintain weight, I eat well and golf weekly. I think the dosing regimen is extreme, I was able to use a very small amount throughout the process, but obviously everyone is different and insulin resistance runs the gamut.
Simply said, Semaglutide is NOT for everyone ~ particularly children.
thank you for the comment, I truly appreciate it! I agree entirely about DTC, I can't believe it exists. Aside from the very real problem you note with it, the unexpected (? to me at least!) side effect was that pharma ad revenues became such a huge part of network tv that now the networks have turned into outright pharma shills and won't report on anything negative. crazy that the news can be brought to you by pharma when the news should be about the problems with pharma!
Thank you! Will have an Angela Lansbury movie sometime in June, I think. My favorite moment with her is the battle scene in bedknobs and broomsticks : )
A very good article, thank you very much. I like the reference to NICE and ‘That hideous strength’. I believe I did read it but a long time ago. I tend to think that NICE, the NHS body is called that to lull people into thinking it is nice as in pleasant, rather than a deception, a mixture of truth and lies.
Overall the organisation promotes toxic pharmaceuticals and that is definitely not nice!
I have just more or less read your Stack as my “morning devotional” as I sit at the gym waiting for my 17 yo daughter to finish her once a week trainer-led workout.
During Covid she got a little heavy-ish and out of shape. She decided to turn things around with a better diet, exercise and weight lifting. Far from “fake skinny” she is so buff and strong she can do chin pull ups!
There was a knock on positive for her middle-aged mom, as we both dramatically reduced our refined sugar intake, cut out seed oils and increased our veggies and protein. I lost that 10 lbs that settles right in the mid-section.
By the way, I’m a big Prasad fan too. I find him still too pro-mRNA and idealistic re RCTs, but his take downs of the FDA and his early protests against shots for college kids and younger were invaluable. One sane voice in a sea of insanity.
That’s awesome, congrats! Yes, we’ve been eating healthier lately and it makes a difference. There are so many great options out there now, easier to find junk-free food than it used to be - at least so it seems, I wasn’t looking too hard in the 90s as I downed my bowls of Cap’n Crunch…
I agree about Dr P and RCTs, I will write about that someday when I want to be extra controversial lol..
Adrian, just read this by clicking on a link from someone else...I like how you think. The classic literature does the job eloquently, but so does just simple common sense. I remember my mom telling me "you are what you eat". Simple advice that applies to the universe. Direct. Pithy. In science and engineering, 1st year, we are told "Mother Nature does not do free lunches. She exacts a price for everything. No negotiations. No exceptions. She's really bitchy about it, but you can count on her to be this way and build entire civilizations around that foundation.
We start running into trouble when we think we can cheat.
Newton said "For every action there will be an equal and opposite reaction".
I wonder if the reaction is really equal though. I think it is not.
What a beautiful essay. You make such a good point, that what we do creates who we are.
That people can't see what's wrong with taking a drug indefinitely to fix something that self discipline would do a lot to fix just blows my mind. Long term side effects? We don't know... But I can just see the tort lawyers' commercials ten years from now: "if you've been injured by Ozempic..."
Jabbing your kids weekly with semaglutide and not seeing a problem with that? I guess not every child is blessed with good parents.
I looked up the side effects of Ozempic on one drug review website. They sound awful. And one woman listed them but said she doesn't have time to exercise so it's worth it. After 3 years of death and injury from the mRNA and DNA jabs we seem to have learned nothing.
Great article. Sometimes I want to pamphlet the city with That Hideous Strength...
And here I thought the only multi pharma tragedy was with pain management all these years! 😉. I can remember “the holy trinity” of soma, opioid, and benzo only to be countered with an amphetamine, micro-dose naltrexone, etc., etc., only to come full circle with Maimonides’ best advice - there is no medicine that can make up for lack of exercise. Still the best truth in medicine.
Deja vu
For those of a certain age, comedians Wayne and Shuster were frequent guests on Ed Sullivan on Sunday night, while we were teased waiting for the Rolling Stones or the Beatles who usually performed for seven of the last eight minutes (and then to bed.)
Their take on Dorian Gray was prescient- he ate whatever he wished, and his painting got fatter, until it eventually broke the frame! Thanks for the memory.
My former colleagues need to read "The Real Anthony Fauci." I am awaiting "The War on Ivermectin" and "Turtles All the Way Down" as birthday presents, and have "Dispatches From the Vaccine Wars" in hand.
My dad loves their skit about air travel, with parachutes for those not in first class…
I didn't remember the parachutes, just the open back door! I was about ten when I saw that one on our black and white TV.
The party in first class looked like fun.
The anecdote about the child collapsing in a mild athletic activity is particularly disturbing. We as physicians need to start humbling ourselves and practicing what we preach to patients if we have any hope of combatting the reckless "glorified vending machine" that medicine has often become.
Yes we do! To clarify it was not a child, just an adult in the neighborhood
Thank you. Salient thinking rarely encountered.
What a fantastic post! Classic literature is forgotten in most of our public schools and institutions. The movement to keep these literary works of art alive in Great Books classes are taught at Classical Academies and schools, which happen to teach our children how to think, not what to think. Dorian Grey is a great metaphor for our time. Unfortunately.
thank you!
I am a retired pharmacist with a multi faceted career, owned clinical pharmacies and worked various roles in the industry. I’m on Semaglutide compounded with BPC-157.
Let me share my thoughts. I am very anti Big Pharma and anti DTC advertising! That was our biggest downfall. Doctors lost a lot of control. Patients “ demand” scripts for the latest “ new” thing. It’s a slippery slope and very hard to navigate for some.
Prescribing Wegovy or Ozempic ( off label) for childhood obesity is abhorrent! Children need to be taught good nutrition and activity. That’s an entire different conversation.
The side effect profile can be daunting. My experience was and still is gas, painful bloating and constipation. The nausea abated after the first month at a lower than prescribed dose! I microdosed through the entire process because that is always the goal in pharmaceutics. It’s no so pleasant.
The up side is I lost 30 pounds at a healthy 2 pounds a week. I have always had a clean pescatarian diet, so I made no changes. However, my penchant for sugar including brownies and wine is gone! Because is slows down gut motility, you eat much less,so common sense tells you that what you do eat, needs to be nutrient dense.
I had a very extensive blood panel just 2 months into this, my A1C was at 4.7, lipid panel perfect! My BP lowered, it was very slightly elevated I think because of extra weight. So my Internal Medicine doctor is thrilled. My morale is boosted because my clothes fit again. It’s probably vain, because I was borderline with a BMI of 26. But I’m back to my old self, post menopause and feel great. I’m dosing only 20 units once a month to maintain weight, I eat well and golf weekly. I think the dosing regimen is extreme, I was able to use a very small amount throughout the process, but obviously everyone is different and insulin resistance runs the gamut.
Simply said, Semaglutide is NOT for everyone ~ particularly children.
thank you for the comment, I truly appreciate it! I agree entirely about DTC, I can't believe it exists. Aside from the very real problem you note with it, the unexpected (? to me at least!) side effect was that pharma ad revenues became such a huge part of network tv that now the networks have turned into outright pharma shills and won't report on anything negative. crazy that the news can be brought to you by pharma when the news should be about the problems with pharma!
Exactly!
https://youtu.be/Wd0_K0fqGVA from one of my favorite movies. George Sanders as Big Pharma. My favorite Angela Lansbury moment. Sad and poignant.
Thank you! Will have an Angela Lansbury movie sometime in June, I think. My favorite moment with her is the battle scene in bedknobs and broomsticks : )
A very good article, thank you very much. I like the reference to NICE and ‘That hideous strength’. I believe I did read it but a long time ago. I tend to think that NICE, the NHS body is called that to lull people into thinking it is nice as in pleasant, rather than a deception, a mixture of truth and lies.
Overall the organisation promotes toxic pharmaceuticals and that is definitely not nice!