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If you remember the last Memo, I said that the active ingredient in red yeast rice (RYR) was monacolin K, which is chemically identical to a current statin medication: lovastatin. The problem with RYR in supplements is that the amounts of monacolin K varied depending on the exact type of Monascus mold used—it could be […]
I still get questions about using red yeast rice (RYR) instead of a statin to lower cholesterol. About 15 years ago, I looked up the data, wrote about it, and tucked it away. The answer was yes—but. What does that mean? Time to review it again in case you’ve been thinking about it. Red yeast […]
The concept of training to attain specific performance is called specificity of training. The simplest example is that if you want to run a marathon, you run long distances for training, not 10-yard sprints. I think it’s more than that: the objective is to train the body to use physical activity, food, and rest in […]
This week, I’m going to talk about a couple of amazing examples of physical feats; it all comes down to training to perform. I’m telling you in advance that the Optimal Performance training program provides the why and the how. When I’m done with the Memos, decide if you want to revisit it if you […]
In the last Memo, When Will We Get Something Better?, we looked at research on a new drug to counter obesity. But don’t hold your breath. The researchers developed a sophisticated algorithm and used AI to find the process and the potential obesity-protein hormone to help combat obesity. What’s next? Several years or longer of […]
The quest for a pharmacological solution to obesity continues—the magic pill to make us thin. While Ozempic and Wegovy, discovered and developed to treat type 2 diabetes, have been successful in helping reduce HbA1c, it has also helped people lose weight; the problem is the side effects. As you might guess, there are receptors for […]
This is the final installment of my Memo series illustrating why research funding for basic and clinical trials should never stop unless the approach is obviously misdirected. Delaying research due to the dogma of the day is bad; delaying it because someone believes in a refuted dogma is worse. This is not a debate on […]
In 1911, a physician named Peyton Rous discovered that a microbe, found in a tumor in chicken, was able to infect other chickens causing the same cancer. His findings were thought to be ridiculous because cancer wasn’t caused by a microbe—so his research stopped. Those microbes were called viruses in later years. Move forward to […]
Imagine what your life would be like if you washed your face and your skin started to blister and bleed. If you tried to answer an email, typing caused your fingers to bleed so much that blood dripped on the keyboard. Welcome to the world of a young man who has recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, […]
The current U.S. administration has tried to stop or delay basic and clinical research related to human conditions and diseases, and in the next few Memos, I’m going to illustrate why that’s a serious mistake. When I’ve laid it out, you can decide for yourself whether clinical research is a waste of money or critical […]
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