Part 1: The Craving for Alcohol

“Food is Medicine” initiative urged—but progress is slow; Thymic peptide for cancer; What is “orthomolecular psychiatry”? Magnesium threonate for tinnitus; How screen time and social media are dumbing down our kids; The craving for alcohol may be programmed from our primate origins. 

Part 2: Conquering Inflammation

New options for knee pain—radiation and embolization; Popeye was right to power-up with spinach; Conquering inflammation; Methane-predominant SIBO; Unnecessary back surgery on seniors is rampant; Medicare Advantage patients often relegated to inferior cancer surgery. 

References & Resources

Wild chimps consume the equivalent of two glasses of wine a day
By Margherita Bassi, Science Advances  September 29, 2025

Thymic peptides for prostate cancer
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD003993. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003993.pub3. Accessed 20 October 2025.

Experts push to expand role of nutrition in medicine
By Joyce Frieden, Medpage Today  October 2, 2025

Why medical schools need to focus more on nutrition
By Lloyd Minor, WSJ October 10, 2019

Social media use trajectories and cognitive performance in adolescents
JAMA. Published online October 13, 2025. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.16613

Screen Time and Standardized Academic Achievement Tests in Elementary School
JAMA Netw Open Published Online:2025;8;(10):e2537092. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.37092

Magnesium for tinnitus: Everything to know
By Carolyn Farnswort, Medical News Today  August 22, 2025

Improved effect of spinach extract on physical performance: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials
Cureus. 2025 Jan 22;17(1):e77840. doi: 10.7759/cureus.77840

Study dings Medicare advantage for cancer surgery quality
By Mike Bassett, Medpage Today  October 15, 2025

Genicular artery embolization procedure (GAE)
uchicagomedicine.org

This European treatment for joint pain just passed a major scientific test
American Society for Radiation Oncology 

Part 1: Are migraines predictive of heart attacks?

A cautionary tale about a life-threatening reaction to the double flu/Covid booster; Are migraines predictive of heart attacks? Where does all our recycling go? (The answer will shock you!); Ultra-processed foods damage male reproductive health.

Part 2: Stress Hormone Testing

Why vaccines have become so polarizing; Florida to remove all vaccine mandates; A modest proposal for revised Covid vaccine guidelines has the CDC in an uproar; Gastroparesis—what causes it and how to alleviate it; options for treatment of tricuspid regurgitation; New tech enables continuous home testing of levels of stress hormone; The mystery of a dog’s sudden death.

References & Resouorces

Effect of ultra-processed food consumption on male reproductive and metabolic health
Cell Metab. 2025 Aug 22:S1550-4131(25)00360-2. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2025.08.004. Online ahead of print.

Migraine headache: An under-appreciated risk factor for Cardiovascular disease in women.
Journal of the American Heart Association  Volume 8, Number 22, https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.014546

Hemangiosarcoma accounts for 5% of canine malignancies
Canine Health Foundation, August 16, 2007

Florida seeks to end the state’s vaccine mandates
By Joseph De Avila and Alyssa Lukpat, WSJ  September 3, 2025

An evidence-based approach to COVID-19 vaccination
N Engl J Med 2025;392:2484-2486

Gastroparesis is a chronic stomach disorder where the stomach muscles don’t move food into the small intestine properly, causing a delay in gastric emptying
Cleveland Clinic

Open-label pilot study: non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation improves symptoms and gastric emptying in patients with idiopathic gastroparesis
Neurogastroenterol Motility Volume 32, Issue 4

Meet Hormometer, the first continuous monitoring system
Eli Health

In this episode of the Intelligent Medicine podcast, Dr. Ronald Hoffman discusses men’s health, a field that often receives less attention compared to women’s health. He is joined by Neil Levin, Senior Nutrition Education Manager at Protocol for Life Balance (PFLB) and Now Foods. They explore the reluctance of men to visit doctors and how genetic and behavioral factors might contribute to men’s health issues. The conversation delves into the specific challenges men face as they age, including declining testosterone levels, cardiovascular diseases, and prostate problems. Neil Levin introduces several PFLB products designed to support men’s health, such as ‘Virility for Men,’ ‘Prostate B,’ and ‘Raw Maca,’ explaining their ingredients and benefits. They also highlight the importance of rigorous product quality control and the fight against counterfeit supplements in the industry.

Part 1: Her new doctor said, “Vitamins are hogwash”—so she fired him.

Those injection-free sublingual GLP-1 drops for individualized microdosing—do they actually work? Options for treating stubborn neuropathy; Her new doctor said, “Vitamins are hogwash”—so she fired him; There is hope for tinnitus—via diet and lifestyle; I’m taking German classes, and a new study suggests it’ll help me ward off cognitive decline. 

Part 2: Alleviate Knee Pain

The “China Study” is cited as evidence vegetarian diet is best—but big new study shows vegetarians age less well than omnivores; Can a popular men’s health supplement ward off prostate cancer? MAHA officials hit pause on looming natural thyroid ban; Can diet alleviate symptoms of lipedema? Precision-engineering your gait can alleviate knee pain better than NSAIDs; After a lifetime of profound depression, novel brain implant enables man to experience joy for the first time.

References & Resources

Why a weight-loss pill is still a big deal
By David Wainer, The Wall Street Journal  August 8, 2025

Oral semaglutide for weight loss: does it work?
By Jihan Myers, joinmidi.com  April 14  2025

Does microdosing weight-loss drugs boost your health?
By Susan McBratney, PhD, Medical News Today, February 20, 2025

Flanking age: Multilingualism and its role in shaping cognitive decline and neural dynamics
Neuroimage. 2025 Aug 15;317:121312. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121312. Epub 2025 Jun 14.

The role of diet and lifestyle in tinnitus management: a comprehensive review
Cureus. 2024 Apr 30;16(4):e59344. doi: 10.7759/cureus 59344.

Can a daily supplement help you live a healthier, longer life?
By Carissa Wong, New Scientist, February 3, 2025

FDA approved novel non-opioid treatment for moderate to severe acute pain
http://www.fda.gov  Jan 30, 2025

Brain implant lets man ‘experience joy’ for the first time in decades
By Carissa Wong, New Scientist  August 19, 2025

One small walking adjustment could delay knee surgery for years
The Lancet Rheumatology, 2025; DOI: 10.1016/S2665-9913(25)00151-1

Can a diet ease lipoedema?
ScienceDaily  August 10, 2025

Vegetarian diet and healthy aging among Chinese older adults: a prospective study
npj Aging 11, 25 (2025)

Part 1: Comparing Protein Sources

Sweet poison? New doubts cast over safety of erythritol; Is Greek yogurt a good way to enhance protein intake? Comparing whey, soy, and pea protein isolates; When taking supplements, is it advisable to take periodic breaks to enhance their effectiveness? Tommy John surgery pioneer and longtime Mets medical director dies at 68; Ivermectin, once branded useless “horse paste,” may prove a new weapon against malaria; New findings challenge notion that humans and apes share 99% of their DNA.

Part 2: Keto Diet Scores vs. Parkinson’s

In first-ever study, keto diet scores vs. Parkinson’s; Walk away from dementia; Loneliness can kill, but negative social ties can hasten biological aging; Researchers isolate potent memory compound from sage, rosemary; Sketchy knockoff weight loss drugs are flooding the marketplace; The popular vitamin you shouldn’t take for sarcoidosis; When osteoporosis is so severe that even minor trauma causes rib fractures.

References & Resources

Smithsonian exhibit overstates genetic similarity between humans and apes and should be fixed
By Discovery Institute, Intelligent Design  May 29, 2025 

Ivermectin: The mosquito-killing pill that dropped malaria by 26%
New England Journal of Medicine, 2025; 393 (4): 362 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2411262

Knockoff weight loss drugs from illegal foreign sources
George Karavetsos and the Partnership for Safe Medicines

Compound found in common herbs inspires potential anti-inflammatory for Alzheimer’s disease
Antioxidants, 2025; 14 (3): 293 DOI: 10.3390/antiox14030293

Negative social ties, like frenemies, could be aging you
By David Robson, NewScientist  July 25, 2025

Walk this number of steps each day to cut your risk of dementia
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN  September 6, 2022

NUNM research study explores impact of ketogenic diet on Parkinson’s
Front. Nutr., 22 July 2025, Sec. Clinical Nutrition  Volume 12 – 2025

Enhancing Joint, Muscle, and Bone Health Through Nutrition: Expert Insights with Neil Levin, Senior Nutrition Education Manager for Protocol for Life Balance (PFLB) and Now Foods. They delve into why people over 40 experience aches and pains and offer strategies to mitigate these issues through nutrition. The conversation covers the importance of teaching nutrition to medical students, the role of various nutrients in pain relief and inflammation, and the benefits of specific supplements such as Omega-3s, curcumin, and collagen. Neil shares his personal experiences with supplements and provides insights on choosing the right curcumin formulations for different health concerns. The episode emphasizes the necessity of a balanced approach to nutrition for maintaining joint, muscle, and bone health, especially as we age.

Intelligent Medicine Radio for March 15, Part 1: The Stress-Cancer Link

Exploring the stress-cancer link—real, or unduly stigmatizing for people with cancer? Is coffee the most chemically-treated food? Is there a link between fluoride and pineal gland dysfunction? TV ads for oral supplement for dry eyes tout a dubious formula (and what could work better); Could meat make America healthy again?

Intelligent Medicine Radio for March 15, Part 2: Food Dyes

States rush to ban food dyes ahead of federal action; NIH cuts funds for studies of vaccine hesitancy; RFK Jr. ridiculed for urging vitamin A for measles; Brain tumors in firefighters show signature of chemical exposure; Unpacking the causes of numbness, tingling and pain in lower extremities; Class-action lawsuit targets Depo-Provera as contributor to meningioma brain tumors; Uncovering the mystery of Trump’s 20+ pound weight loss; Microplastics implicated in spiraling antibiotic resistance.

References & Resources

US News and the Guardian report: Depo-pro era associated with an increased risk of tumors
By Anapol Weiss,  ANAPOLWEISS  Oct 28, 2024

Meat will make America healthy again
By Nina Teicholz, WSJ  March 11, 2025

Illness as metaphor and AIDS and its metaphors
susansontag.com

Chronic stress and obesity work together to accelerate pancreatic cancer development and growth, study finds
Molecular Cancer Research, 2025; 23 (3): 236 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-24-0785

Trump reveals the simple fast food trick he used to lose 30 pounds
By Emily Goodin, Senior White Correspondent, dailymail.co.uk  March 12, 2025

The antidote to political panic
By James Freeman, WSJ  March 11, 2025

NIH cuts funding for studies on vaccine hesitancy and acceptance
Clinicaladvisor.com  March 12, 2025

RFK Jr. says Trump ‘lost 30 pounds’ even with all the ‘crap that he eats’
By Alex Gangitano, thehill.com  March 12, 2025

At least a dozen US states rush to ban common food dyes, citing health risks
By Carey Gilliam, theguardian.com  March 11, 2025

Microplastics could be fueling antibiotic resistance
Appl Environ Microbiol 0:e02282-24.

Genetic mutations linked to toxin exposure found in firefighters’ brain tumor
Cancer, 2025 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.35732

In this special New Year’s edition Q&A Dr. Ronald Hoffman and Nutritionist Leyla Muedin share their personal supplement regimens for 2025. They discuss the variety of supplements they take, including multivitamins, specific minerals, omega-3s, anti-inflammatories, probiotics, and immune-supportive nutrients. They also emphasize the importance of personalized nutrition and caution listeners against directly mirroring their supplement routines. The episode includes advice on seasonal adjustments to supplementation, the benefits of different nutrient combinations, and general tips for maintaining a balanced approach to supplement intake. Dr. Hoffman and Leyla also touch on their personal health goals and the rationale behind their choices, offering listeners insights into optimizing their own supplement strategies.