By now everybody’s heard of the hype surrounding a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists. Some of the brand names are Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Trulicity. These medication’s were initially developed for patients with type 2 diabetics, as they lower blood sugar levels by stimulating the pancreas to produce more insulin. Unlike most other meds that increase insulin levels, GLP-1 inhibitors were soon found to have the unusual side effect of causing weight loss, sometimes extremely rapid weight loss, with adults, losing an average of 15% of their body weight within 15 months.
Sounds perfect, right? What could possibly go wrong?
For one thing, these meds can be associated with a lot of gut issues including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The weight loss from GLP-1 agonists. seems to be caused by these medication increasing fullness by slowing down emptying of the stomach, sometimes even paralyzing the stomach for long periods-which can cause the stomach to be filled with rotten, partially digested food. (Which can be very dangerous if someone undergoes elective or emergency surgery.) These meds are also associated with an increase risk of pancreatitis and certain cancers, such as thyroid cancer.
Another big problem is that between 20 and 40% of the weight loss with GLP-1 agonists is through the loss of muscle mass. The loss of muscle mass is a big reason why people who have rapid weight frequently regain all the weight plus more. Muscle burns more calories than fat cells, so losing muscle causes a decrease in overall metabolic rate. This means that patients who use these meds may need to stay on reduced calorie diet indefinitely. Losing muscle mass is not ideal for women, especially after menopause, as low muscle is associated with frailty.
Another issue with these meds is the extreme expense. Many of these meds cost over $1000 monthly and require long term use.
Some experts worry that if all of the millions of people who qualify for these meds were actually using them, it could bankrupt the entire US healthcare system.
But you wanna hear some good news?
There might be a much safer therapy at a fraction of the cost.
For a long time, it has been known that a person’s gut Microbiome is a huge factor in their overall health. And now research is beginning to show that certain gut bacteria can actually increase GLP-1 production! And healthy gut bacteria can improve overall gut health, strengthening the lining of the gut, even reducing leaky gut syndrome.
And even better, you can order Pendulum products from my Fullscript account at lower price than you can find online.
Click here to order from Fullscript
So a little while ago, I was watching a documentary series about how to become a cult leader. It was talking about people like Charles Manson, Jim Jones, and David Karesh. The weird thing, is that in every episode, there seemed to be at least one or more similarities with medical training or being a doctor.
A few of the similarities between Medicine, and being in a cult were:
1. Jargon – speaking a language, that takes years to learn and nobody else understands
2. Uniforms- dressing in a way that distinguishes you from the rest of society
3. Free labor- both cult members and med students/residents/doctors in practice work long hours that would be illegal for any other industry. In med school, residency, and practice 80 hours or more are not uncommon, because the rules that limit hours are frequently ignored. (And in practice there are no limits on hours worked.)
4. Desensitization- getting used to things that previously grossed you out. This is just such a part of medicine that when they said that cults also do this, I was shocked.
5. Sleep deprivation – cults use sleep deprivation to control and punish their members. Sleep deprivation is just expected in medical training and practice. In my opinion, sleep deprivation might be one of the reasons that doctors have such high suicide rates. (Once during a meeting between a hospital CEO and doctors and other providers, we were told that we would be forced to start taking overnight call. When I remarked that sleep deprivation was harmful our health the CEO had the audacity to say “your health is not my concern”.)
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the video if you choose to watch it and let me know your thoughts.
Val (recovering medical doctor)
