I have been an advocate for intermittent fasting for over 4 years. I practice it myself to avoid the seemingly inevitable weight gain associated with age and sedentary lifestyle. Forcing one’s body to burn fat produces ketones. This breaks the cycle of perpetually depending on the carbs we store in our liver. Fasting is a learned behavior. Once it becomes part of one’s routine, it is not that difficult. Obstacles are abundant, including social eating and emotional eating. I recommend it to many of my patients, unless they have some medical contraindication. Weight loss is the key to dealing with most of the maladies of modern life, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and worn out hips and knees. People often want a drug , rather than cultivating a discipline. If Americans practiced intermittent fasting and a bit of regular exercise, they would not be complaining about how hard it is to find and afford Ozempic and other new weight loss wonder drugs.
I think you might be right, doc. As I get older I’m less interested in food and occasionally don’t eat at all - not fast, just don’t think or care about it. Kinda think it’s because I don’t get as much exercise as I should. Usually wake up feeling great the next day. I’ve always thought it was because my body would expend so much energy just digesting when I was a pig! :)
Sadly, junk science is the new normal. When pharmaceutical companies pay supposedly independent researchers with fat research grants, no surprise, we get research that validates the drug company allegation that they have come up with a miracle cure to some problem. Then they get it published in a once reputable journal like JAMA or the NEJM, who are funded by pharma advertising.
The PubMed search engine sponsored by the NIH National Library of Medicine unfortunately shows the dearth of real "studies" that support much of today's health industry popular media claims. It does pay to be a critical reader of the weasel wording and spam sandwiches that now comprise all too many foot-noted health care claims.
Drugs in search of diseases is not new, but a lot more prevalent today in the world of uncritical third party payors, including those of us footing health insurance premiums that ultimately pay for all of this. Big Pharm's control of the "health care" media, using their heavy marketing budgets to reward or punish, needs a lot more exposure.
With such a large part of our national economy and our own personal expenses going to support the health care industry, it behooves us to learn how to become better consumers of this product.
Trust, but verify does require knowing how to do one's own research when one enters into this brave new world of third party funded "health care" today. I wish we knew more, but my own conclusion is that we do not. However, we also know a fool and his money are soon parted, which is not new.
Appreciate your insights from inside the profession.
The Medical Profession took a huge credibility hit when the vast majority went along with the CCP-virus mandates. And even now, when the truth about the vax is being revealed, and the new Disease X Bird Flu is being ramped up, those same players are getting ready to do it again.
Another great job, Tim. I always thought the older we got most of things that caused us stress would go away. Boy I got that wrong. Sometimes I wonder since we lived this long dealing with stress our entire lives that a part of us needs it. Wants it. As you somewhat pointed out, we know how to deal with better. Though I could still deal with less of it. :)
I have been an advocate for intermittent fasting for over 4 years. I practice it myself to avoid the seemingly inevitable weight gain associated with age and sedentary lifestyle. Forcing one’s body to burn fat produces ketones. This breaks the cycle of perpetually depending on the carbs we store in our liver. Fasting is a learned behavior. Once it becomes part of one’s routine, it is not that difficult. Obstacles are abundant, including social eating and emotional eating. I recommend it to many of my patients, unless they have some medical contraindication. Weight loss is the key to dealing with most of the maladies of modern life, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and worn out hips and knees. People often want a drug , rather than cultivating a discipline. If Americans practiced intermittent fasting and a bit of regular exercise, they would not be complaining about how hard it is to find and afford Ozempic and other new weight loss wonder drugs.
I think you might be right, doc. As I get older I’m less interested in food and occasionally don’t eat at all - not fast, just don’t think or care about it. Kinda think it’s because I don’t get as much exercise as I should. Usually wake up feeling great the next day. I’ve always thought it was because my body would expend so much energy just digesting when I was a pig! :)
I get stressed reading junk science passing for medical information.
Sadly, junk science is the new normal. When pharmaceutical companies pay supposedly independent researchers with fat research grants, no surprise, we get research that validates the drug company allegation that they have come up with a miracle cure to some problem. Then they get it published in a once reputable journal like JAMA or the NEJM, who are funded by pharma advertising.
He who pays the piper picks the tune.
The PubMed search engine sponsored by the NIH National Library of Medicine unfortunately shows the dearth of real "studies" that support much of today's health industry popular media claims. It does pay to be a critical reader of the weasel wording and spam sandwiches that now comprise all too many foot-noted health care claims.
Drugs in search of diseases is not new, but a lot more prevalent today in the world of uncritical third party payors, including those of us footing health insurance premiums that ultimately pay for all of this. Big Pharm's control of the "health care" media, using their heavy marketing budgets to reward or punish, needs a lot more exposure.
With such a large part of our national economy and our own personal expenses going to support the health care industry, it behooves us to learn how to become better consumers of this product.
Trust, but verify does require knowing how to do one's own research when one enters into this brave new world of third party funded "health care" today. I wish we knew more, but my own conclusion is that we do not. However, we also know a fool and his money are soon parted, which is not new.
Appreciate your insights from inside the profession.
The Covid virus creation and the vax, mask, lockdown fiasco has shaken a lot of previously held beliefs
The Medical Profession took a huge credibility hit when the vast majority went along with the CCP-virus mandates. And even now, when the truth about the vax is being revealed, and the new Disease X Bird Flu is being ramped up, those same players are getting ready to do it again.
But are we the "same players" this time?
AB 2098, with CMA backing, was a chilling piece of legislation signed by Governor Newsom which also made many question the health of healthcare itself, in this state: https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/AB2098-signing-message.pdf?emrc=8a349e
Another great job, Tim. I always thought the older we got most of things that caused us stress would go away. Boy I got that wrong. Sometimes I wonder since we lived this long dealing with stress our entire lives that a part of us needs it. Wants it. As you somewhat pointed out, we know how to deal with better. Though I could still deal with less of it. :)