This article was originally published in the op-ed section of The Jerusalem Post on 18 September 2024: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-820573
Part of the nature of man is to find the easy way out. We innately seek pleasure and want to do things in the easiest way possible. As psychologist Dr. Doug Lisle points out, we all want to be able to accomplish our tasks with the least possible effort. That’s fine when we can reach our goals and conserve both physical and mental energy. However, the “easy way” is often dangled in front of us and we run to grab it, because we can only see the immediate result. We rarely stop to think about long-term ramifications.
When it comes to our health, we regularly face tempting quick-fix options. Are these quick-fix options worth pursuing? Am I truly fixing the problem in the long-term, or am I just getting some short-term benefit that over time will disappear?
Weight loss
Most people are still mired by the longtime false paradigm of “eat less and just exercise more.” The problem of overweight and obesity began to really accelerate in the 1970’s. Since then, everything one can imagine has been tried to control weight. Diets, as a whole, are a miserable failure. 2 years after losing weight, the dieter has a 95% chance of regaining all the weight lost or even more. Over the years, there has been a long list of all types of diets imaginable (and some unimaginable–the Cookie Diet).
The first bypass surgery specifically for weight reduction was in the 1950’s. There have been several types of these bypass bariatric surgeries over the years, as well as bands and sleeves. They haven’t solved the obesity epidemic. 20% of bariatric surgery patients never lose significant weight and of those that do, 25% have gained it back at about the 10 years mark.
Television, internet, and print publications are filled with advertisements for over-the-counter supplements “guaranteed” to help you lose weight (or your money back!).
Finally, we now have the semigludite type drugs, injections like Ozempic, which are being touted as the new weight loss miracle.
Injections for weight loss
In June of 2023, I published an article about injections for weight loss. As a reminder, I wrote about side-effects including gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, kidney problems, nausea, and diarrhea. In addition, weight loss injections can cause malnutrition, as one may not get enough calories with the loss of appetite that comes with GLP-1 agonist drugs. I also pointed out an undisputed point, that as soon as you stop the injections, the weight returns.
Well, it is more than a year later and we have a lot more information, although still not enough. This category of drug has only been studied on a large human population for 3 years–not a long time. So, what is the most updated information we have on Ozempic?
Updated information
If you’re reading the mainstream medical news, it seems that we have a miracle drug on our hands. You can look forward to better cardiovascular health, kidney health, less inflammation, resolving fatty liver disease, and lower blood pressure. That sounds great, but here is the full update.
We have learned more about stomach paralysis, Ozempic face (your facial skin ages and sags), and blurred vision. More and more emergency departments are reporting cases of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) from Ozempic users. Couple this with anesthesiologists having to lengthen the time they tell patients not to eat or drink before surgeries. Why? It appears that many Ozempic patients have undigested food in their stomach for prolonged periods. Fasting the usual eight hours does not empty the stomach, putting the patient at risk. Some are now thinking that patients on Ozempic should stop the drug 3 weeks before a surgery.
There are reports of mood disorders. Dr. Neal Barnard from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine recently cited preliminary studies on a greater tendency toward suicidal thoughts.
Now what?
So, we come back to the usual questions. At what risk is all this benefit? Is there a better way to accomplish the same results?
For most people, there is. But first, we need a change in our mind-set. Nothing worthwhile is going to happen quickly. Many of my obese clients ask me, “how long will it take to lose this weight?” They are disappointed when I tell them that to lose all or at least most of their weight might take a couple of years. Then I ask them, “how long did it take you to put on this weight?” I get answers like 10 years, 15 years, or 20 years. That usually puts things in perspective.
Your body is made to make GLP-1 naturally. In order for that to happen you have to give it the right fuel. The 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine will help you. The emphasis needs to be on proper nutrition using a whole-food, plant-based diet. Couple that with proper sleep, enough exercise and activity, abstinence from substances like cigarettes and alcohol, stress reduction and management and good social connections. Incorporating this lifestyle will result in prevention and even reversal of all chronic disease and weight loss. Over time, you will create a healthy gut microbiome, which is the control center of our bodies.
Food choices
A diet abundant in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and some nuts and seeds will increase GLP-1 levels. More importantly, science has shown beyond a doubt that this dietary pattern will extend your life and just as important, bring you an excellent quality of life allowing you to thrive. This will lead to the health and harmony our bodies are craving. Unlike Ozempic and its related drugs, the only side-effects you will have to face is a better quality and longer life. We all acknowledge that this drug is appropriate for a small percentage of the population. But with all the new information coming out, it should probably not be prescribed to the masses. Learning how to incorporate the 6 main aspects of lifestyle medicine avoiding shortcut that may not work will “add hours to your days, days to your years and years to your lives.”
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