Microdosing Ozempic for the holidays?
And other latest head-scratching health news, clarified and put in context.
Happy Thursday, health heroes. I’m writing from an airplane today—I've been traveling, speaking, writing, and preparing for my book launch of Health Shift: Your Personalized Guide to Making Strategic Health Decisions in May! I can’t wait to share more, but it’s getting closer. I feel like I’m about eight months pregnant again, waiting to give birth to this new book baby. But anyway…
Today’s newsletter is less of a deep dive into one specific subject, which has been my trend lately. I hope this might come as a nice break. But for those who want to fast-track knowledge in a particular area, here are the last few topics in case you missed them.
Although you probably know the drill by now, to de-mystify the headlines either designed or inadvertently written to scare or mislead us about our well-being, I’ve created an easy system for sorting health news. (Or any news, for that matter.)
Read this information with questions in mind. Is the content encouraging you to buy and try? Is it trying to empower, scare, or make you feel an emotion? Or is it educational? Or is it simply someone’s opinion? This matters because you may be unnecessarily persuaded to do something you wouldn’t have otherwise. Get your wits about you before reading any health article. Start by putting them into perspective first before being persuaded.
With that in mind, take a deep breath, and let’s dive into this week’s news!
A CLOSER LOOK
I’ve covered several of these topics recently here at Health Shift. Here’s a closer look at them.
🍳 The seed oil discourse is still highly contentious. “The correlation between the surge in seed oil consumption and the rise in chronic pain conditions isn't mere happenstance,” says David Gornoski in this latest editorial.
Researchers like Tucker Goodrich and Chris Knobbe, M.D., have been vocal about these findings. Goodrich highlights, "The modern diet, rich in seed oils high in linoleic acid, creates an inflammatory environment in the body," aligning with observations that these oils contribute to systemic inflammation (Goodrich, 2020). Dr. Knobbe's research echoes this, pointing out that "The shift from traditional fats to industrial seed oils has been detrimental, potentially contributing to the epidemic of chronic diseases" (Knobbe, 2019).
🥩 RFK Jr. fried his Thanksgiving turkey ‘the MAHA way’ — in beef tallow, which makes me wonder: should I cover this here on Health Shift? How many of you are curious about beef tallow as skincare, cooking aid, and frying oil? It keeps coming up in headlines…
❤️🩹 Ozempic exists in a grey area. It clearly isn’t going anywhere. As someone who spent the last few days deeply immersed in the GLP-1 conversation at the Obesity and Metabolic Innovation forum in Boston, I am absolutely swimming with thoughts on this topic.
Of course Ozempic isn’t a panacea; it’s a tool. It isn’t appropriate for every person who struggles with obesity or metabolic health. It works best when it is paired with education, lifestyle changes, and careful medical monitoring. It has potential side effects. It can also do harm. But so does not treating obesity. So does moral outrage over manufacturing, prescribing, or ingesting effective medications. So does sitting around waiting for reforms of Big Pharma, Big Sugar, and American healthcare before treating a public health epidemic.
How should you think about Ozempic for your own personal health? We’ve covered that highly nuanced decision-making topic here. Send me your questions on GLP-1’s, seriously. I’m here to help. But if you’re considering taking semaglutide, tirzepatide, or any other of the upcoming combinations of new weight loss medications, please read my article, “So, you’re curious about Ozempic” first. Get your thoughts settled before you commit.
THE LATEST NEWS IN HEALTH…
The latest health information articles contain opinions. They also provide awareness, perspective, education, and useful information. Be informed first so you don’t get persuaded.
💉 People are microdosing Ozempic. “I’m not concerned that they’re going to grow three arms or have something horrible happen to them,” [Dr. Drucker] said.
Microdosing — taking a small amount of something, rather than the full dose — is being used as a way to fight side-effects of the medication, and is often unsupervised. Again, if you’re considering the use of these medications for yourself, I urge you to really think about it. GLP-1s aren’t magic bullets, and they don’t come without tradeoffs.
🫐 Food recalls might feel like they’re on the rise, but not to worry — they’re about the same as they’ve always been. The limelight of holiday food shopping and social media may make it appear that everything is on recall. However, “I do way more interviews around Thanksgiving every year — like drastically more,” Chapman said. “It’s like the food safety holiday.”
🥛 Raw milk is also highly contentious right now, and veering into the political. Another poll for this topic: is anyone interested in a health hero’s approach to fads like raw milk?
THINK LIKE A HEALTH HERO
Empowering and educating topics.
🛟Airplanes are ideally equipped to handle in-flight emergencies. In fact, it’s kind of a great place to have a medical emergency (if there is such a thing). This fascinating quick read on the medical preparation of modern aircrafts is refreshing and resourceful — especially if you fear flying!
🧀A micro-read on the powdery stuff in your bags of shredded cheese. (My chef daughter mentions that the coating limits its maximum melting power...)
🥤A look at the pervasive nature of high fructose corn syrup in our beverages. It isn’t a big secret that high fructose corn syrup is a part of ultra-processed foods, but it does sneak into beverages much more than you think.
That’s all for today!
In a world of talk about Ozempic everywhere, raw milk TikTok trends, and sneaky additives creeping into your grocery cart, take a second to remind yourself of the unsexy (but inspiring) truth that most of the time, you don’t need trending products or promising miracle ingredients — usually it’s as simple (and unglamorous) as hydration, sleep, movement, and nourishment. If you don’t have these four things, no matter what medication you take, you will not maximize its effectiveness until you get these dialed in for maximum health and recovery. Start with the Core 4 first.
Your health is in your hands.
Stay smart out there, health heroes. See you next week,
Dr. Alice
A little more about Dr. Alice Burron and The Health Navigator Group:
You can find more about The Health Navigator Group at our website: www.thehealthnavigator.org
On Instagram: @the.health.navigator
And learn more about Dr. Alice Burron at her website: draliceburron.com
Or via her personal Instagram: @dr_burron
You can even connect with her on LinkedIn, if you want to be professional about it. 👓
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