

By Leyla Muedin MS, RD, CDN
Q: I’ve been working on optimizing my cholesterol levels: Total cholesterol: 202 LDL: 150 HDL: 39 Triglycerides: 67 How can I increase my HDL without also increasing my LDL? I exercise regularly and adhere to a low carb, moderate fat diet….read more
Categories: Heart Disease
By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
These days, I’m seeing a lot of patients who are concerned about their hearts. I’m kind of like a Court of Appeals for individuals who have just received a life sentence in statin jail from their doctors. They want a…read more
Categories: Heart Disease
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
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: Heart Disease
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
By Leyla Muedin MS, RD, CDN
Last week, I highlighted the American Heart Association’s misguided stance on saturated fats and vegetable oils. The focus of this week’s article is on the more critical risk factors for heart disease. Let’s talk inflammation. We know for a fact that those with…read more
Categories: Heart Disease
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
By Leyla Muedin MS, RD, CDN
Cholesterol is not a foe in and of itself. Here’s why: Cholesterol is a necessary substance in our bodies. It’s part of all of our cell membranes—the phospholipid membrane. As much as 80 percent of cholesterol is produced by the…read more
Categories: Heart Disease
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
Though we think of declining estrogen as the hallmark of menopause, it's actually common for…
Up to 12 percent of Americans have ulcers at some point in life. Peptic ulcers…
Gallbladder disease is a modern illness. An estimated 20 million Americans have gallbladder disease. The…
Once again, consumers have been regaled with misleading headlines about the alleged harms of red…
Q: How do I determine what’s a healthy weight for me? I’m a 49-year-old female…
“Make sure you stay well hydrated!” As a health imperative, it seems a little lightweight—unless…
Preventing Medication Related Errors with Dr. Hedva Barenholtz Levy, Part 1
Our virtual voicemail is open 24/7, so there's no need to wait to submit your questions for Dr. Hoffman. Leave a message, and you may hear your question featured on the Intelligent Medicine radio program!