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When HDL is a foe, not a friend
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
HDL is the “good cholesterol”, in contrast to LDL, the “bad cholesterol”. Generally, healthy lifestyle measures like exercise and maintenance of healthy weight via a low-refined carb diet are associated with better HDL numbers. By now I’m familiar with the…read more
Categories:Heart Disease
Does the advent of new weight loss drugs render natural weight loss measures obsolete?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Finding safe and truly effective weight loss drugs has long been the Holy Grail of Big Pharma. Along with cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other scourges, a panacea for obesity ranks high among its priorities. With over half of Americans…read more
Categories:Diabetes Medications Obesity
May Missives: What you need to know about meals, music, memory, and more!
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Poor food choices drive diabetes pandemic: A new study links poor diet to 14 million cases of type 2 diabetes worldwide—in 2018 alone. (In my opinion a gross underestimate if you add in the high percentage of new cases of diabetes that…read more
Categories:Diabetes Mental and Emotional Health Metabolic Syndrome Nutrition and Weight Pediatric Health
ApoB in the crosshairs: Will treating it eradicate heart disease?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It’s the Next Big Thing in cardiovascular prevention. Apolipoprotein B-100, or ApoB for short, may supplant cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides as a more reliable way of predicting risk of heart disease and stroke; it also might also be a…read more
Categories:Heart Health
Fructose exonerated?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Is fructose the demon-spawn? Let’s cut through the confusion . . . There’s long been a symbiosis between humans and fruit. Ancient fruit provided sustenance to humans—not that the fruit cared. Its evolutionary impetus to be sweet and attractive was…read more
Nutrients in the News: Fish oil, magnesium, vitamin D and curcumin
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Fish Oil: Remember the bad old days when this was said of fish oil? “This Incredibly Popular Supplement Is Pretty Much Useless, Says Huge New Study.” While the benefits of Omega-3 supplements were being downplayed, Amarin pharmaceuticals made a big splash with…read more
Categories:Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Problems Atherosclerosis Diabetes Heart Disease Heart Health Medications Supplements
Nutritional outrages of the week
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
A trio of food stories caught my eye this week . . . Turning breakfast cereal into a bedtime snack: A problem for the food industry is that there are only a finite number of mouths available to eat breakfast. Demographically,…read more
Categories:General Nutrition
10 tips for surviving allergy season
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
If you’re like many of us, this time of year can be both beautiful and vexing. Blossoms begin to adorn our trees, and our cars and patios are coated with a dusting of yellowish-green pollen. For spring allergy sufferers, that means…read more
Categories:Allergy
Book Review—Desperate Remedies: Psychiatry’s Turbulent Quest to Cure Mental Illness
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
For centuries, medicine has grappled with psychiatric illness, wielding a variety of techniques. Nevertheless, success has been at best marginal; a recent study of antidepressants and psychotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder has shown a response rate of just 24%….read more
Categories:Mental and Emotional Health
11 things you need to know about sleep and your health
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Earlier this month, I covered some of the strong links between sleep and health—particularly the effects of getting too little sleep. This week, I’m providing some more sleep facts and solutions in support of Sleep Awareness Month. 1) Prescription meds don’t cut…read more
Categories:Sleep
Should you chuck your erythritol-sweetened products?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Recently, during a break at a nutrition conference, I sidled up to the beverage station and made myself a cup of tea. Looking at the sweetener options, I saw a variety of packets containing, variously, sugar, Splenda, and Nutrasweet. Nope!…read more
Categories:Heart Disease Nutrition Controversies
The staggering impact of sleep deprivation on our health
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
March is Sleep Awareness Month, with National Sleep Week coming up on the 12th. In commemoration, I’ll be spending the next two issues focusing on the impacts of sleep on our health. This week, I’m paying particular attention to the impacts of…read more
Categories:Sleep
February Features: The latest in health news
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Depressing facts about air pollution: We already know about the deleterious effects of airborne pollutants on heart health; people who live near high-density traffic or near factory emissions are at higher risk of cardiovascular events. It’s also been revealed that air pollution…read more
Celebrating African American Medical and Nutrition Pioneers
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
In commemoration of Black History Month, I’ve compiled an impressive list of prominent African American health professionals who made major contributions to medicine and nutritional science . . . James Derham (1762-1802?): Before Black people were permitted to undergo formal medical…read more
Categories:General Medicine
February is “Heart Month”—Why aren’t we doing better?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Each year we make a big to-do about American Heart Month. We’re reminded to eat well, exercise, get our cholesterol and blood pressure checked, and see if we suffer from blood sugar problems. And yet, trends are concerning. We’re making progress…read more
Categories:Heart Disease Heart Health Supplements
What they got wrong about Covid
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
For as long as I can remember, over a 40 year career in medicine, there have existed two warring paradigms about disease: One envisions a future in which science will ultimately vanquish all disorders with ever more precisely-targeted drug and…read more
Categories:COVID-19
Winter potpourri: Choline, live fast/die young, processed meats, and toxic fish
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Choline: Little-known nutritional fact—according to a recent article in Science Daily, it’s estimated that more than 90% of Americans are not meeting the recommended daily intake of choline. We know that choline is a dietary precursor to acetylcholine, an essential neurotransmitter. In fact, certain dementia…read more
It’s 2023 and dietary recommendations continue to disappoint
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
First the good news: According to a Harvard study released this month, a variety of healthy diet patterns dramatically reduced the risk of dying from a multitude of diseases. The study was huge—comprising over 75,000 women and 44,000 men followed for 35…read more
Categories:General Nutrition
Endurance vs. strength training—which is better?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
As millions of Americans resolve to get into better shape for the new year, questions inevitably arise: What are the relative benefits of endurance vs. strength training? What’s the ideal ratio? And does it depend on the individual, their health…read more
Categories:Exercise
Tame your sugar cravings in ‘23
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Undoubtedly, one of this year’s most popular New Year’s resolutions will be to “cut down on sugar”—especially after the non-stop potlatch most of us have experienced in December. But it’s not easy, because one of the most fundamental hard-wired human…read more
Categories:General Nutrition
The 14 worst health news stories of 2022 (part two)
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Last week, I gave you the first half of my list of the worst health news stories of the year. This week, I’m back with part two! So without further ado, here are seven more health news headscratchers from the past…read more
Categories:COVID-19 Supplements
The 14 worst health news stories of 2022 (part one)
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
In keeping with an Intelligent Medicine tradition, as the year draws to a close, I offer you a compendium of the worst health news stories of 2022. It’s kind of like the late Mr. Blackwell’s list of the year’s Worst-Dressed Women. These stories…read more
The Top Ten Intelligent Medicine Podcast Episodes of 2022
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Each year, at holiday time, I compile a list of the year’s top podcast episodes. It’s become an annual Intelligent Medicine tradition. This year, it takes on special significance because our faithful listeners have propelled the Intelligent Medicine podcast across…read more
Categories:
Are cholesterol drugs bad for the brain?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
I write this article with a bit of trepidation—some may think I’m betraying my “holistic” bona fides. It’s the mainstream medical narrative that cholesterol-lowering drugs are the cornerstone of cardiovascular prevention. I recently listened to a popular podcast that advocated for much more aggressive…read more
Categories:Heart Health Medications
Vanquishing Long COVID
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Long Covid is a complex disorder that resembles ME/CFS—a real clinical challenge. But because of the pervasiveness of Covid, there are a lot of research dollars committed to unraveling the mysteries of its aftermath. Early in the pandemic, the NIH…read more
Categories:COVID-19
Hydrogen water—is that a thing?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Lately, there’s been a buzz over hydrogen in the media. Hydrogen-powered vehicles appear to be the next big thing after electric vehicles (EVs) inevitably run their course. Unlike EVs, they won’t require charging, nor will they depend on the energy-intensive…read more
Categories:General Nutrition Inflammation
Brain Energy by Christopher Palmer, MD: A review
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
I recently recorded an exciting podcast episode with Dr. Chris Palmer about his new book, Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health–And Improving Treatment for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, PTSD and More. In it, he seeks to advance a unified theory that…read more
Categories:Mental and Emotional Health Neurological Health
Is Covid over—or is there a looming apocalypse?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Covid recently hit a milestone for me personally. My hair cutter has had a long-standing policy of mandatory masking in her salon. It’s a reasonable accommodation to her preferences, despite the fact that I’ve long stopped wearing a mask in…read more
Categories:COVID-19
Mental health: Nutrition matters!
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
I just got back from the American Nutrition Association Annual Summit in San Diego. The theme was the impact of nutrition on mental health. It was an awesome assembly of great researchers and speakers, and it’ll provide me with fodder…read more
Can exercise combat anxiety?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so…read more
Categories:Depression/Anxiety Exercise
Is cancer really just a fungal infection?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Recently, a popular website, Gizmodo, regaled readers with the headline: “Our Cancers Are Filled With Fungi”, with the tagline “New research shows that many cancers play host to their own unique microbiomes of fungi, which may affect our chances of surviving them.”…read more
Categories:Cancer
Harness the power of cold
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It’s now inevitable that we may be facing an unprecedented cold winter. With energy prices soaring and power grids straining to meet electricity demands, it’s going to be challenging. I don’t mean to seem oblivious to the suffering of millions…read more
Categories:General Medicine
NYC Mayor Adams’ misguided hospital diet “reforms”
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Last week, New York City’s government website NYC.gov triumphantly announced: “Mayor Adams, NYC Health and Hospitals CEO Katz, Announce Successful Rollout and Expansion of Plant-Based Meals as Default Option for Patients in NYC Public Hospitals” A default option means that, unless you…read more
Categories:Nutrition Controversies
Nutrition for strength and endurance
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Is there evidence that certain diet regimens or supplements enhance athletic performance? There’s an entire field—Sports Nutrition—that banks on that supposition. Are the claims for various muscle-building products legit? A recent review by the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) attempts to…read more
Categories:Exercise General Nutrition Supplements
September is Sexual Health Month—Is there a diet connection?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
To commemorate Sexual Health Month, let’s tackle the question: Can you eat your way to optimal sexual performance? That was the subject of a chapter that I co-wrote with Intelligent Medicine co-contributor Leyla Muedin in the Dr. Andrew Weil textbook Integrative Sexual Health. Judging…read more
Categories:General Nutrition Sexual Health
Device anxiety
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
There are plenty of reasons to be anxious these days. There’s Covid, politics, the economy, looming environmental catastrophe, crime, the threat of World War III, not to mention the usual personal things—your health, your job or school, relationship dynamics, financial…read more
Categories:Mental and Emotional Health
“EAT-Lancet” is hard to digest
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Recall that back in 2019, the prestigious international medical journal Lancet issued a call for curbing meat consumption. The EAT-Lancet Commission invoked the alleged health benefits of reducing intake of animal protein and claimed plant-based eating could help save the planet. The food…read more
Categories:Nutrition Controversies
“Is there a doctor on board?”: The challenges of in-flight medical emergencies
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Medical emergencies occur with disturbing frequency on planes. One colleague of mine had the extraordinary experience of having to help subdue an out-of-control passenger on her flight to a medical convention; on her return flight, she was called upon to…read more
Categories:General Medicine
Can too much exercise be bad?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
In the field of sports medicine, no question has generated more controversy. While exercise is unquestionably beneficial overall, is there a point where too much becomes detrimental? The U.S. Health and Human Services guidelines for physical activity state that adults should get…read more
Categories:Exercise
7 ways to instill healthier eating habits in your kids—and why it matters
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Poor childhood nutrition is one of the most critical problems that threatens the health, productivity, and even national security of America. Time was, during the mobilization of young men that accompanied World Wars I and II, a high percentage of…read more
Categories:General Nutrition Pediatric Health
What’s up with that vitamin D study?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
You’ve probably seen headlines like these: “Study Finds Another Condition That Vitamin D Pills Do Not Help”—New York Times “Study Finds Vitamin D Supplements Do Not Reduce Risk of Broken Bones” —SciTech Daily “Stop Taking Vitamin D Already!” —Forbes It’s…read more
Categories:Muscle and Bone Health Supplements
When narratives overtake science
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Narrative: “A story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious . . . a story that connects and explains a carefully selected set of supposedly true events, experiences, or the like, intended to support a particular…read more
Categories:Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Problems Alzheimer’s General Medicine Mental and Emotional Health
Fruit and veggie pills—are they really worth it?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It’s been a bad few years for veracity. Unfounded claims abound. Product pitches assault us with no tether to reality. Science is misappropriated for commercial and political gain. Don’t get me wrong: I think there’s value in certain plant-derived nutrient…read more
Categories:General Nutrition
“Should I take another booster?”
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
“Top Biden administration officials are weighing a plan to let all adults get a second round of coronavirus booster shots”—Politico, July 11 “Currently, many Americans are under-vaccinated, meaning they are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines,” said Dr….read more
Categories:COVID-19
How come Americans are getting fatter—when they’re NOT eating more and exercising less?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
A frequent theme on social media these days is vintage photos from the 60s and 70s—the era when I was growing up—depicting beachgoers with mostly normal bodies. Obesity was uncommon. Then things changed: Since 1980, obesity prevalence among US adults…read more
Categories:Metabolic Syndrome Microbiome Nutrition and Weight Obesity
They say “Multivitamins are a waste of money”—REALLY??
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Multivitamins containing most of the essential vitamins and minerals at doses that provide greater than 100% of the RDA are the most commonly used dietary supplements; approximately 1/3 of US adults takes one or another formulation. But the bloom is…read more
Categories:Supplements
Keep your balance!
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Comedian Dave Barry once quipped: “Gravity is a contributing factor in nearly 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects.” The Book of Proverbs says: “Pride cometh before the fall.” And one of the Ten Commandments in The House of God, a…read more
10 natural sun-care supplements you need to know
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Summer is here, and that means warm, lazy days at the beach, in the park, or on the patio. Many of us are facing the onslaught of UV rays without a basecoat of skin pigment, rendering us more susceptible to…read more
Categories:Skin and Hair Supplements
Is melatonin really poisoning Americans?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
We were recently regaled with headlines like these: “Melatonin Poisonings in Kids Jumped 530% in 10 Years” (Medpage Today) “Pediatric Hospitalizations Due to Accidental Melatonin Overdoses Spiked in Last Decade, CDC Says” (People) “Melatonin Supplements Are Poisoning Children” (Gizmodo) This…read more
Categories:Sleep Supplements
June tidings: The latest in health news
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Antibiotics turning us into couch potatoes: Antibiotic prescriptions have soared in recent years, despite concerns over antibiotic resistance, which emerges when ordinary bugs mutate to become impervious to drugs. While North America and Europe lead the world in antibiotic consumption, the…read more
Categories:Antibiotics General Nutrition Mental and Emotional Health Neurological Health Obesity Pediatric Health
A case of muscle cramps
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
I would like to share an interesting case with you because it exemplifies the approach we in integrative medicine take to address challenging conditions. Much of what we see falls between the cracks of conventional medicine; “paint-by-numbers” medicine utilizing drugs…read more
Categories:Women’s Health
Repeat after me: “Hunger is my friend!”
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
We are all familiar with the sensation: You get that empty feeling in your stomach, your appetite revs up, the smell of Cinnabons or pizza or donuts becomes irresistible. It’s hunger, a primal urge to eat, which is relentless. We…read more
Categories:General Nutrition
GERD diet myths debunked
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Shibboleth: noun. A belief or custom that is not now considered as important and correct as it was in the past. I addressed a common nutritional shibboleth recently, which holds that dietary fat intake is responsible for raising triglycerides (actually, it’s carbs). Another shibboleth…read more
Categories:Digestive Health GERD Nutrition Controversies
May Missives: From mental health to misinformation
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC) for depression: Carnitine is a well-known energy compound. It’s responsible for transporting long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria to be oxidized for energy production. As a result, it’s a plausible nutrient for supporting the function of the heart and brain,…read more
Tricky triglycerides
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Cholesterol always gets a bad rap, but few medical consumers—and even health professionals—finger triglycerides as a more likely suspect in heart disease causation. Triglycerides are circulating fats in the bloodstream. That fact was memorably brought home to me in medical…read more
Categories:Heart Disease Heart Health
Invasion of Ukraine compounds Russia’s health woes
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Eyes are on Ukraine this week as Russia continues its onslaught. Amidst the conflict, there’s a health story. A country’s military preparedness and its ability to sustain a long-term war campaign are inextricably linked to the health of its populace….read more
Categories:General Medicine
The great fish oil debate (Spoiler alert: It works!)
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
When it comes to the debate over fish oil’s heart benefits, medical opinion keeps shifting more than lead changes in a Duke/North Carolina March Madness basketball showdown. But the tide has turned with a couple of recent studies. “Omega-3 fish…read more
Categories:Heart Health Nutrition Controversies Supplements
The myriad benefits of cycling
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
This month, tired of the lingering gloomy weather in New York which makes bike riding an ordeal, I signed up for a 5-day Arizona bike tour with Trek Travel. I flew to sunny Phoenix and traveled to the Civana Spa where our group…read more
Categories:Exercise
18 supplements for allergy relief and prevention
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Last week, I offered my top ten tips for beating spring allergies. This week, I’m arming you with the supplements you need to keep the sniffling, sneezing, and watery eyes at bay. Most often when seasonal allergies strike, we reach…read more
Categories:Allergy Probiotics Supplements
A plea for nutrition in medicine
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
March is National Nutrition Month. I’ll use this occasion to issue a clarion call for making nutrition a linchpin of medical therapy across ALL specialties. Here’s a rundown of how it could advance the health of diverse patients: Gastroenterology: Rates of IBS, GERD,…read more
Diet and colon cancer: It’s complicated!
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. There’s a special emphasis on prevention because the incidence of GI cancers, traditionally thought of as an affliction of the aged, is soaring among younger people, as was dramatically highlighted by the untimely death in…read more
Categories:Cancer General Nutrition
The dawning science of age reversal
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Anti-aging science is coming of age. Intuitively, we’ve long surmised that a healthy diet, exercise, stress reduction techniques like meditation, avoidance of environmental toxins, and certain supplements can slow aging, and even rejuvenate us. But until recently we had to…read more
Categories:Aging
COVID’s long shadow
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
As the rate of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths plummet across the U.S., we’re breathing a sigh of relief—COVID is finally on the wane. My hometown of New York is starting to come alive, as restaurants and entertainment venues fill up…read more
Categories:COVID-19
97 Times?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
President Biden recently tweeted “Here’s the deal: Unvaccinated individuals are 97 times more likely to die compared to those who are boosted. Protect yourself and those around you by getting vaccinated and boosted today.” The assertion was widely parroted in the…read more
Categories:COVID-19
What do you write about when it’s simultaneously Valentine’s Day and Heart Health Month? Chocolate!
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Who knew that chocolate could be a powerful tool for restoring metabolic wellness and immunity? Cocoa is rich in antioxidant flavanols, a subcategory of polyphenols (see last week’s newsletter article). Researchers tell us that regular intake of cocoa powder and/or dark chocolate…read more
Categories:General Nutrition
What the heck are polyphenols?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
You’ve probably heard a lot about polyphenols. They’re touted as the magical ingredients in “Superfoods” that confer all kinds of health benefits. There are over 8000 polyphenols, and they’re only present in plant foods and spices. Berries, coffee, tea, and…read more
Categories:General Nutrition
Misunderstood magnesium
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It was 40 years ago that I first learned of the power of magnesium. That was during my medical training when a pulmonary specialist told us fledgling doctors that it was vital to check magnesium levels in critically ill intubated…read more
Categories:General Nutrition Heart Health Immunity Supplements
Maybe it’s time to talk LESS about COVID
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
This New Year, I’ve made a resolution to talk less about Covid. It’s taken center stage for nearly two years. In the early months of the pandemic, I broke precedent and issued breathless pandemic dispatches via my podcasts seven days…read more
Categories:COVID-19
Feed Your Head
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Repairing Myelin: Recently, on our Q&A with Leyla podcast, we had a question from a listener who was suffering from CIDP (Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy). It’s an autoimmune disease that attacks the nerves, targeting the myelin protein that acts as an “insulator” around…read more
Categories:Alzheimer’s Neurological Health
Osteoporosis: New tests and new concerns about drugs
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
As you can see by this article that I wrote in 2013, I’ve long been concerned over side effects of commonly prescribed osteoporosis drugs. Among other worries, I raised a red flag over then newly-published reports of unusual fractures among women taking…read more
Categories:Osteoporosis
14 things YOU know better than your doctor
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Your doctors know a lot. They are among the most highly-trained professionals, often undergoing 8-15 years of intense post-graduate education. They endure rigorous testing and certification, and have to continually keep up with reams of new information as advances proceed…read more
Categories:General Medicine General Nutrition Medications Supplements
2021: A COVID retrospective
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
As I write this, President Biden has just declared that it will be “a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated . . . but there’s good news: if you’re vaccinated and you have your booster shot, you’re…read more
Categories:COVID-19
Book review: Three perspectives on the COVID response
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
This month, I’m poring over three books with the common theme that we’ve seriously missed the boat on handling the pandemic. Each author offers a distinct perspective on what went wrong. Here’s a brief rundown on each: The Real Anthony…read more
Categories:COVID-19
December dispatches: Over-eating and cancer; the AMA goes woke; Einstein vs. Fauci
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
“Disordered eating” and gastrointestinal cancers: If it’s not obvious to you by now that what you eat impacts your risk for cancer, you haven’t been paying attention to the latest research. There’s a link to obesity for most cancers, and consequent…read more
Categories:Cancer COVID-19 General Nutrition
Biden’s physical: What it reveals—and what it doesn’t
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
A presidential physical is always a big deal. Particularly when the current occupant of the White House is, at 79, the oldest president in US history. The purpose of this analysis is neither to cast doubt on the POTUS’s competency,…read more
Categories:General Medicine
The latest in COVID health news
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
As the holiday season approaches and colder temperatures drive people indoors, concerns are arising over a potential COVID “5th wave” (I’m losing count already!). The news from Europe is not good, where numbers are surging in countries with vaccine coverage…read more
Categories:COVID-19
November health news updates
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Vitamin D for autoimmunity: Recently, I did a podcast on natural therapies for autoimmunity. There we discussed supplements that help turn down the volume on runaway immune reactions. Vitamin D was among the key nutrients we enumerated. Now comes confirmation from a 5-year…read more
Categories:COVID-19 Sleep Supplements
The metaverse: Boon or bane for mankind?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Last month, Facebook, already under fire for its harmful content, announced a rebranding: The parent company will henceforth be known as “Meta”. Facebook will continue in its present incarnation for diehard adherents, but may soon seem as superannuated as the horse and buggy….read more
Categories:General Medicine
Iron—the Goldilocks mineral (part two of two)
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
How to detect iron deficiency? The simplest test is the CBC (complete blood count), which can determine whether you have adequate red blood cells, which are dependent on iron. The test also includes information on the size of the red…read more
Categories:General Nutrition Supplements
Iron—the Goldilocks mineral (part one of two)
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Iron is one of the most crucial nutrients for human health. Deficiencies of iron are extremely common, especially in women and children, and those with medical conditions associated with blood loss or malabsorption. Iron deficiency is the most prevalent micronutrient…read more
Categories:General Nutrition Supplements
Alternative perspectives on breast cancer
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Lifestyle matters! Around one in nine women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. A recent study found that roughly 30 percent of breast cancers could be prevented with simple lifestyle modifications: Avoiding obesity, alcohol intake, smoking and hormonal therapies….read more
Will COVID kill integrative medicine?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
In the early twentieth century, the Flexner Report sought to assert the preeminence of the “biomedical model” over traditional folk medicines that were still widely embraced by Americans. Medical research was advancing in the wake of Louis Pasteur (the…read more
Categories:COVID-19
Pregnenolone for brain and pain
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
I’ve long been a fan of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), available as an over-the-counter supplement. It’s a weak androgen, like testosterone, but more unisex; unlike testosterone, of which men have around twenty times as much as women, DHEA is normally only two…read more
Categories:Endocrinology Supplements
We’ve been missing the boat on weight loss
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Last week, top obesity researchers challenged the calories-in/calories-out hypothesis that has dominated our approach to weight loss for decades. Study Finds heralded: “Overeating doesn’t cause obesity” And Science Daily proclaimed: “Scientists claim that overeating is not the primary cause of obesity” It all sounds…read more
September Snippets
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Suffering from office or classroom brain-fog? You’ve heard of “sick building syndrome”. It’s a recognized threat to health, affecting as many as 30% of indoor environments. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Building occupants complain of symptoms such as cough; chest tightness;…read more
Categories:COVID-19 Environmental Health General Nutrition
Should doctors be role models for their patients?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Many years ago, when I was just a medical student, a relative of mine came down with an intractable skin problem. She had been to numerous dermatologists, had tried many creams and potions, and had undertaken detox diets. Her skin…read more
Categories:General Medicine
Defending Beef: A review
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
I recently had the opportunity to interview Nicolette Hahn Niman about the newly-revised and expanded edition of her 2014 book Defending Beef: The Ecological and Nutritional Case for Meat. The LA Times review says “Nicolette Hahn Niman sets out to debunk just about everything you…read more
Categories:General Nutrition Nutrition Controversies
Research Roundup: The impact of diet and supplements on four key areas of health
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Does dairy increase the risk of breast cancer? The role of dairy products in the promotion of breast cancer has been controversial. When I was a macrobiotic vegan 40 years ago, it was taken a given: How could the unnatural…read more
Categories:Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Problems Alzheimer’s Cancer General Nutrition Inflammation Microbiome Muscle and Bone Health
August Auguries 2021: COVID news roundup
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Protecting our children: “More kids are getting COVID!” (USA Today); “Children’s hospitals fill up as virus cases soar” (The Hill) shout the headlines. The NY Times recently ran a story on a 15-year-old honor student with “long COVID” who now can barely think straight…read more
Categories:COVID-19
You’re only as good as your recovery
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
I just completed the Smith Point Triathlon, which consisted of a 1/3 mile open water swim (around 20 laps in a standard 25-yard pool), a ten-mile bike sprint, followed by a 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) run. I was happy with my…read more
Categories:Exercise
How to improve your child’s longterm health—while they’re in utero!
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It makes common sense that diet can affect pregnancy outcomes and impact the health of offspring. Paradoxically, starvation and under-nutrition during pregnancy can lead to childhood and adult obesity; it’s as if the baby, anxious to play “catch-up”, becomes more…read more
Categories:Pediatric Health Women’s Health
My performance-enhancing “drugs”
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
With the Olympics underway, PEDs (performing-enhancing drugs) are once again in the spotlight. In an unprecedented move, Russian athletes have been banned from the Tokyo Olympics due to widespread, systemic and state-condoned doping. (They may compete individually, but not as…read more
Categories:Exercise Supplements
Government urges crackdown on “health misinformation”—who decides?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
The pandemic is subsiding, due to a combination of vaccination, the high percentage of Americans who have acquired natural immunity after exposure to COVID, as well as better therapies. But there’s a worrisome uptick in cases, and the dreaded Delta…read more
Categories:COVID-19
Functional Medicine—the new orthodoxy?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Time was, when I was an aspiring medical student in the 70s, that “holistic” practitioners were few and far between. I had a few role models in Dr. Robert Atkins, Dr. Michael Schachter, and Dr. Rudolph Ballentine, but there weren’t…read more
Categories:General Medicine
Medical Nihilism—an idea whose time has come?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
“Nihilism” is defined as “a viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded”. When applied to modern medicine, it means imposing extreme skepticism on the medical practices that have come to comprise our disease-fighting armamentarium. After having read Medical Nihilism over the…read more
Categories:General Medicine
Pomegranate power
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Pomegranates have long figured in mythology, sacred texts, and in ancient materia medica. (See this entertaining historical cavalcade from PomWonderful) Modern research has documented the substantial health benefits of pomegranates: “ . . . human-based studies have shown promising results and have indicated…read more
Categories:General Nutrition
An ode (or two) to swimming
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
With the pandemic came pool closures. I’m an inveterate year-round swimmer, blessed with easy access to the beach at my Long Island home, but my Y pools in New York City, and those in New Jersey where I sometimes weekend,…read more
Categories:Exercise
Has natural medicine lost the race against BigPharma?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
The vaccines have worked (mostly). They’ve helped to stem the tide of COVID in the US even though not every adult has taken them. And, while the word is not yet out on long-term side effects, most people have tolerated…read more
COVID’s bitter legacy: Finicky tasters may be at higher risk
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
The pandemic has dealt us many curveballs, among which are the peculiar “comorbidities” that render people susceptible to bad outcomes. Count advanced age, overweight, insulin resistance or diabetes, and hypertension among the more obvious ones. Then there’s vitamin D status, and…read more
Categories:COVID-19 General Nutrition
The Gene-Splicing Revolution
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
I recently read The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race, Walter Isaacson’s new book on the discovery of CRISPR, the new gene-editing technique that promises to revolutionize medicine. Isaacson is the erudite chronicler of…read more
Categories:General Medicine
12 ways we were wrong about COVID
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
As death rates and hospitalizations plummet in the U.S. and as we commemorate a year from the early days of peak COVID, it’s useful to reflect on what we got wrong about the pandemic. Here’s my offering: No, it didn’t…read more
Categories:COVID-19
The many faces of fatigue
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Nearly 30 years ago (1993) I wrote a book about fatigue—Tired All the Time: How to Regain Your Lost Energy. In it, I advanced the theory that every tired individual has their own distinct “fatigue wheel”—a pie-chart of sorts with…read more
Categories:Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Depression/Anxiety General Medicine Metabolic Syndrome Salmon & Salad Diet
20 ways exercise benefits your health (part two)
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Last week, I offered you ten ways that regular exercise can benefit your overall health. We covered everything from mood, to blood sugar, to sexual performance—but we still left a lot unexplored! This week, I’m rounding out the list with ten more ways…read more
Categories:Exercise
20 ways exercise benefits your health (part one)
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
As the weather warms up and gyms reopen, more Americans are shaking off lockdown and re-engaging with exercise. As you huff and puff your way back to optimal condition, here’s a little inspiration to keep you motivated: 1) Cardiovascular: It’s axiomatic…read more
Categories:Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Problems Alzheimer’s Cancer Depression/Anxiety Exercise Heart Disease Heart Health Inflammation Lung Health Mental and Emotional Health Muscle and Bone Health
Trillions for COVID recovery—what role for nutrition?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
The US has allocated trillions of dollars for COVID recovery; an additional bill of uncertain multi-trillion-dollar dimensions is shaping up to address “infrastructure needs”—broadly construed as addressing material as well as human exigencies. Amidst this, in addition to the illness…read more
Categories:COVID-19 Nutrition and Weight
COVID conundrums
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
We’re at a crossroads. More people are receiving vaccines as availability improves and hesitancy abates. There’s a slight uptick in cases, but that’s to be expected as restrictions loosen and spring fever overtakes restless young people who haven’t yet been…read more
Categories:COVID-19
What supplements should I take (or avoid) prior to my COVID vaccine?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It’s acknowledged that “results may vary” when it comes to vaccine responses. Notwithstanding that preliminary trials showed that COVID shots were 90%, 95%, or 76% “effective” (take your pick), there’s lots of inter-individual variation. Research protocols for new drugs or…read more
Categories:COVID-19 Supplements
The surprising link between anxiety and inflammation
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
There’s plenty to be anxious about these days: When will the lockdowns end? Will my kids/grandkids be irreparably set back by school interruptions? Will dire predictions about lapsed immunity and viral variants portend a fourth wave later this year? Will…read more
Categories:Inflammation Mental and Emotional Health
Which vaccine should I take?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It’s been a year since the pandemic started. No one could’ve predicted it, but suddenly we have an embarrassment of riches: an array of vaccine choices. There’s the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and Johnson & Johnson’s one-shot version just…read more
Categories:COVID-19
Honoring Women’s Contributions to the Field of Nutrition
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
This month marks the confluence of Women’s History Month and National Nutrition Month. Women have historically been ideally suited to advance the practice of nutrition via their traditional roles implementing healthy diet in the home, but they have also made…read more
Categories:General Nutrition Women’s Health
March Musings: Skepticism in the news
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Why don’t health authorities believe in natural selection? One of the arguments that’s being mustered in a push to overcome vaccine hesitancy is that new variants of the Coronavirus are rapidly emerging; that trend necessitates widespread acceptance of the jab…read more
Categories:COVID-19 Heart Health Medications
Study claims to shut the coffin lid on supplements for COVID-19
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
“From A to Z, Supplements Fail for COVID-19” (MedPage Today, February 12, 2021) Kind of reminiscent of this headline from a year ago from the New York Times: “Supplements for COVID Probably Won’t Help, and May Harm” (March 31, 2020). The narrative won’t die….read more
Categories:COVID-19 Supplements
The weak case against saturated fats—updated!
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It’s Heart Month, so be forewarned: You’re going to be subjected to the usual wrong information. Saturated fats continue to be demonized by health “authorities.” The American Heart Association persists in recommending: “Eat an overall healthy dietary pattern that emphasizes:…read more
Categories:Heart Disease Heart Health Nutrition Controversies
February is Heart Month: Heart disease prevention starts earlier than you might think!
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
This month marks the 57th annual American Heart Month. President Lyndon Johnson (who died of heart disease) issued the first proclamation in 1964. Despite over a half-century of exhortation to diet and exercise, and drug and surgical advances, heart disease remains…read more
11 natural solutions for winter skin dryness—UPDATED
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Winter is the time of year when people most often complain of dry skin. It’s a matter of simple physics. Skin naturally holds moisture, and cold winter air doesn’t hold as much moisture as warm, humid summer air. The problem…read more
Ultra-processed foods—what are they and why are they so bad?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It’s a verity that we should avoid “junk foods” and “fast foods”. Your mom could have told you as much. But until recently, there was a lack of scientific consensus on what exactly they were, why they’re so bad for…read more
Categories:General Nutrition
The Mediterranean Diet—what’s not to like?
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
The Mediterranean Diet scores high in rankings by nutrition scientists. It’s the perennial #1 choice in the US News and World Reports annual rating of popular diets. But as with the Paleo Diet, which has many variations and interpreters, the question is:…read more
What you need to know about glaucoma
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. In light of that, I wanted to draw your attention again to this article: Did you know that glaucoma is the second most common form of progressive blindness in the U.S., after macular degeneration?…read more
Categories:Eye Health
They warned us about the dangers of sugar 70 years ago (Why didn’t we listen?)
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
Faced with some downtime for the holidays, I undertook the task of excavating my basement. Having moved my office to more compact quarters a couple of years ago, I had shipped my legacy book collection to New Jersey. Boxes sat…read more
Top Ten Intelligent Medicine podcast episodes of 2020 (part two)
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
For many, this is a week off from the usual bustle of work (or work-from-home, or overseeing our children’s Zoom classrooms, or…), and a moment to finally take a breather after the stress of the holidays. I hope you’re able…read more
Categories:General Medicine
Top Ten Intelligent Medicine podcasts of 2020 (part one)
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It’s a holiday tradition: My year-end compendium of Top Ten Intelligent Medicine podcasts. Last year we wrote: “‘Tis the season. As the pace of work and school slows, and the freneticism of shopping and parties abates, people are hopping into cars, buses,…read more
Categories:General Medicine
The remarkable new COVID-19 vaccines: What we still need to know
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
It’s a remarkable achievement. It’s on a par with the Manhattan Project, when the exigency of defeating the Axis powers compelled us to beat them in the race to harness the devastating power of the atom. Later, when polio was…read more