Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
Should You Try Prescription Fish Oil?
The final marketing point that the prescription fish oil supplement makes is that the DHA omega-3 fatty acid found in many heart healthy fish oil blends may raise LDL-cholesterol. That’s the cholesterol, known as the lousy cholesterol, associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Based on the studies I read, there may be a […]
Fish Oil: Medication versus Supplements
Before I address the concerns about fish oil supplements put forth by the Vascepa® prescription omega-3 website, it’s important to understand that all prescription and over-the-counter medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That means they have spent a significant amount of money—sometimes over $1 billion—to prove that the treatment […]
Treatment for High Triglycerides
Hypertriglyceridemia, the medical term for high triglycerides, is a risk for cardiovascular disease. Recently I spotted a health headline from a medical newsletter that read “Omega-3 Fatty Acid Medications Can Boost Cardiovascular Health.” The word that caught my attention was “medications” so I checked it out. The article described the benefits of recently approved medications […]
The Bottom Line on Vaping Today
Recent reports indicate that in addition to fruit juices and flavors such as menthol and bubble gum, two natural products may be contributing to the issues with vaping: vitamin E and CBD oil. Vitamin E has been found in some vaping cartridges that contain CBD oil. CBD, short for cannabidiol, is the second most abundant […]
Is Vaping Healthy?
Two years ago, I wrote this about vaping’s potential negative effects: “We won’t know how harmful it is for years, possibly decades, when those who began vaping years ago are tested and found to have higher rates of lung disorders.” I was wrong; we’re seeing serious lung issues now and even a few deaths. Reports […]
Flavored E-cigs Banned in Michigan
If you’ve been paying attention to the health news at all, you know that there have been some serious respiratory issues and deaths related to vaping. Because the majority of patients were young and were using flavored juices in the vaping products, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer placed a temporary ban on the sale of all […]
Can Fasting Reduce Inflammation?
In this Memo, I’ll review the third paper from the recent journal Cell on fasting and summarize what this all may mean for the use of intermittent fasting. Researchers used both mice and humans as subjects in a series of studies. The objective was to examine how the immune system responded to a fasting protocol. […]
Fasting and Memory T Cells
The second paper from the journal Cell on fasting examined the longer term effects of fasting on memory T cells. Several species of mice were used in a variety of studies; these were complex experiments to say the least. Before I go further, a little about memory T cells. Memory T cells are a class […]
Fasting and Immune Function
Intermittent fasting is the latest health fad. When I say fad, I mean there are as many definitions of what it means as there are experts. In a recent edition of the journal Cell, three papers were published that provided some insight into the effects of three different types of intermittent fasting on three different […]
All Research Matters
As we enter the final holiday of summer, I want to challenge you to listen to a podcast over this long weekend. Before I get to the details about the podcast, I want to tell you why research matters. I spend a considerable amount of time examining nutrition research. If you read what I write, […]
