October 21, 2017 — Budgets are tight. England’s National Health Service (NHS) faces a funding gap that threatens patient safety and the quality of care. What to do? Two clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Hertfordshire have a plan. They’ll restrict care for smokers and people with obesity. Smokers will have to quit before they can have non-urgent surgery. People with […]
October 20, 2017 — Blame and diversions are no substitute for dealing with the complex reality of a rising tide of childhood obesity. In a thoughtful essay, Sara Kirk points to blame and shame as a tool for diverting public attention away from finding real solutions. A Ten-Fold Increase Since 1975 For the last 40 years, we’ve been throwing […]
October 19, 2017 — This is a big week for semaglutide – a promising cousin of liraglutide. Research is ongoing to figure out just how good it will be in both type 2 diabetes and obesity. And the milestones this week were all about diabetes. But you can find some encouragement for the obesity indication, too. Unanimous Support from FDA’s […]
October 18, 2017 — Leave our pumpkin spice alone, daggone it! Everyone is taking a shot at robbing us of the joy that pumpkin spice brings to fall. John Oliver is mocking us. Frank Bruni is telling us pumpkin spice will destroy us all. But the cruelest insult comes from MagnifyMoney, where Brittney Laryea tells us we’re paying a huge […]
October 17, 2017 — Hope and facts live together in an uneasy relationship. We have an excellent example before us as we digest the latest trends in childhood obesity. Specifically, we’re looking at the prevalence in children between the ages of two and five. In new statistics for 2016, the number reached a new high: 13.9%. Perhaps you recall […]
October 16, 2017 — Varidesk is the fastest growing business in Dallas. Somehow, many workers now believe standing desks have important health benefits. Maybe standing desks will save them from an early death in a desk chair. Or maybe not. Truly, the data is mixed and all of it is observational. No matter. It’s moving tons of products for […]
October 15, 2017 — Health plan enrollment season has rolled around again. Maybe the brochures from your HR department are coming your way. Or perhaps you’ve noticed that our president is fiddling with the framework for health plans. Whatever grabbed your attention, it’s a good time to take a look at your options. What will you be getting for your […]
October 14, 2017 — Health reporters are having fun this week with another observational study. A large analysis of prospective cohorts from all over the world found a strong association between linoleic acid and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. So naturally, the researchers sent out a press release: Omega-6 Fats May Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Is […]
October 13, 2017 — Happy talk makes us impatient. Today, new data on obesity are out from the CDC and they are not good. Yet again, the U.S. is setting new records for obesity rates. Among adults the prevalence is now up to 39.6%. For children and youth, it’s up to 18.5%. Most notably, a big jump came in […]
October 12, 2017 — We are in the tenth year of a voyage at ConscienHealth. We’re following the lead of people seeking and finding better ways to care for people bearing the burden of obesity. So we advocate for an end to weight bias and discrimination. And we lift up evidence-based approaches to this chronic, progressive disease. National Obesity […]
