Posted onDecember 7, 2024|Comments Off on Is Ozempic Banned in Europe??!!
In the video below, JP implies that it is. He’s technically correct in that it is banned in some European countries according to a January 2024 article at HealthNews. Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for the same drug: semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist. Wegovy is FDA-approved for treatment of certain folks with obesity whereas Ozempic is FDA-approved for treatment of type 2 diabetes.
I understand the superficial appeal of drug-induced weight management: no need to fool with exercise and dietary restriction.
And we thought the revolution would arrive as a result of the red/blue divide. When in truth, it’s all about income inequality.
Please don’t criticize me for having sympathy for those screwed by the insurance companies. If I were in charge, there’d be no guns at all, or a law akin to that in Australia. But one would posit that the shooter is pissed because the insurance company didn’t pay.
But that’s what insurance companies do, not pay. That’s their business model. Even assuming you can see the doctor of your choice, which is rare. As a matter of fact, essentially all my doctors in L.A. don’t take insurance at all. You pay the freight, which ain’t inexpensive. And why did these MDs stop taking insurance? Because the insurance companies were running them ragged.
And then there are the hospitals… If you can even find an independent doctor… Everybody is now part of a giant organization, which squeezes the physicians. My dermatologist couldn’t sleep. She was on the edge of giving up practice, because at Cedars they required her to see an inordinate number of patients per hour. And this is the only doctor who could diagnosis my pemphigus, even the supposed biggest guy in L.A. couldn’t. She didn’t insist that I follow her into private practice, but for me it’s a no-brainer.
And my internist… He left the UCLA system and it was like he had a personality transplant. Instead of being harried and short, he’s folksy, talks music, and is unbelievably thorough. He diagnosed my leukemia. Do you really think I’m going to go back to the factory?
Although we don’t yet know much about the shooter’s motive, Bob ties the murder to the U.S. healthcare system.
Posted onOctober 14, 2024|Comments Off on What’s Really Happening in Gaza?
Is this documentary the truth or propaganda? You decide. Just don’t ignore this issue, which could lead to WW3. Most of the mainstream media coverage in the U.S. slants it in Israel’s favor. This is the other side.
…a higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with slightly higher all cause mortality, driven by causes other than cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The associations varied across subgroups of ultra-processed foods, with meat/poultry/seafood based ready-to-eat products showing particularly strong associations with mortality.
You can read the study for yourself free online. Did Big Food (e.g., Archer Daniels Midland, Con-Agra, Monsanto) exert any pressure on the researchers. I dunno.
From the Intro:
Ultra-processed foods are ready-to-eat/heat industrial formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods, including flavors, colors, texturizers, and other additives, with little if any intact whole food.1Ultra-processed foods, which are typically of low nutritional quality and high energy density, have been dominating the food supply of high income countries, and their consumption is markedly increasing in middle income countries.2 Ultra-processed food consumption accounts for 57% of daily energy intake among adults and 67% among youths in the US according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).34
Ultra-processed foods usually disproportionately contribute added sugars, sodium, saturated fats and trans fats, and refined carbohydrates to the diet together with low fiber.56 As well as having low nutritional quality, ultra-processed foods may contain harmful substances, such as additives and contaminants formed during the processing.
Neurologist Steven Novella wrote a brief post about this study over at Science-Based Medicine. You may also find the comment section there enlightening.
Posted onOctober 2, 2024|Comments Off on International Sanctions: What’s their Effect on Average Russians?
Not much. “Eli From Russia” will fill you in. Truth or “Russian propaganda”? You decide.
U.S. citizens can still visit Russia (at least until WW3 starts) but Eli warns that your Visa or Mastercard is worthless there, I guess due to sanctions. There are ways around that obstacle, including opening a Russian or Georgian bank account when you arrive. No Uber there, but a similar service is called Yandex Go.
Fruits and veggies are good for us, right. We should eat more more of them, right?
UK’s Daily Mail published a worrisome article about pesticide residues (PFAS) on many fruits and veggies: strawberries, grapes, cherries, spinach, tomatoes, peaches/nectarines, etc. The tested foods were from UK supermarkets but I bet the numbers are just as bad or worse in the U.S. PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These man-made and long-lasting chemicals are implicated in causation of cancer, immunity impairment, infertility, impaired kidney function, thyroid disease, and low birth weight.
Thrice in the last six months I’ve heard that compared to the European Union, U.S. regulators allow many more chemical contaminants in food. That sounds like a deep and circuitous rabbit hole that I’m not ready to explore. Please mention in the comments an authoritative book or website on the subject.
I’ve been trying to grow food here in the Sonoran Desert for the last three years. I’m about ready to give up. My primary pests have been mealy bugs, caterpillars, mice, pack rats, and squirrels.
Advanced Mediterranean Diet 