Obesity medications linked to reduced chance of MS in real world

TL:DR Mounjaro, Zepbound, Wegovy and Ozempic linked to reduced chance of getting MS!

From the Article:

The use of obesity medications — approved drugs for treating diabetes and promoting weight loss — is associated with a reduced chance of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to real-world data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a study found.

In particular, medicines that activate a receptor called GLP-1, which lowers blood glucose or blood sugar levels, all showed potential protective effects against MS.

“These findings suggest a potential for repurposing these medications for MS,” the researchers wrote.

Their study, “Exploring the association between weight loss-inducing medications and multiple sclerosis: insights from the FDA adverse event reporting system database,” was published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders.

Obesity is a well-known driver of chronic inflammation in the body, which can help set the stage for the development of MS, an inflammatory disorder affecting the brain and spinal cord.

Research has shown that obesity in early childhood or adolescence increases the risk of MS. It also worsens outcomes for newly diagnosed patients, and is linked to less favorable responses to disease-modifying therapies.

Beebe sets free workshop on advance healthcare directives April 30

Beebe Healthcare will offer a second free workshop event at 9 a.m., Tuesday, April 30, at South Coastal Library in Bethany Beach, to help community members learn about the importance of establishing advance healthcare directives.

To register for the April 30 event, go to tinyurl.com/5n7kmz5m.

Spaces filled quickly for the initial workshop set for National Healthcare Decisions Day, Tuesday, April 16, due to high demand.

An advance healthcare directive is a legally recognized set of instructions to one’s medical providers. The directive can tell a medical team whom patients have chosen to make decisions about their healthcare choices if they are unable to do so themselves. The directive can also give specific directions about the care choices a person wants at the end of life. The document includes a series of forms and is generally easy to complete.

“Healthcare decisions are personal decisions. Advance healthcare directives help us understand what they are, so that we can honor the wishes of our patients during their most challenging and critical moments,” said Katie Johnson, DO, director of palliative care services at Beebe. “Our workshops are designed to educate people and guide them through the process of completing these important forms.”

Johnson will be on-site offering support and guidance, along with Beebe chaplains Keith Goheen, MDiv, BCC, and Paula Waite, MTh, ACC. Any community members who wish to take advantage of this service but are unable to attend the April 16 and April 30 workshops may contact the Beebe Chaplain’s Office at 302-645-3759 for information and assistance.

https://www.capegazette.com/article/beebe-sets-free-workshop-advance-healthcare-directives-april-30/273389?amgee-source=dh

ParkinSex

A card game from the American Parkinson Disease Association designed to help you and your partner overcome barriers to intimacy and reconnect. Get ready to play with each other.

Parkinson’s disease can make it difficult for partners to sustain a healthy relationship. They may grow apart physically and emotionally – and symptoms can reinforce the growing distance. But there is one thing that we know can help couples reconnect: intimacy. Watch the video, download the book or request further information.

LIVING with DEMENTIA

Cases of dementia are rising around the world. The disease has no cure, but caregivers and families are finding innovative ways for patients to live with dignity

“Today an estimated 57 million people globally have dementia—about 12 percent live in the United States—and cases are projected to rise to 153 million by 2050. By then, medical and caregiving costs are expected to reach $16.9 trillion worldwide. Numerous factors are contributing to the increase, most notably a growing older population; a rise in risk factors like obesity and diabetes; and worsening air pollution, which, studies show, damages brain health.”

https://apple.news/ACRTM12IUTOCTLOmNu9-6Ng

Artificial Intelligence to help with anxiety and depression

Empathetic, safe, and clinically validated chatbot for mental healthcare, using AI-based cognitive behavior therapy. Youper’s safe and clinically validated AI has supported the mental health of over two million people.

https://www.youper.ai

Delaware QuitLine

Take your last first step toward quitting for good

Discover a new approach to nicotine cessation that starts with you. Find research-based solutions and coaching to help you stay on track.

https://quitnow.net/delaware?qnclient=delaware

Alzheimer’s Disease — Managing Stages of Dementia

In this Double Take video from the New England Journal of Medicine, Drs. Nathaniel Chin and Stephen Salloway define the stages of dementia and the effect of each stage on the activities of daily living. They also discuss ways to support persons with Alzheimer’s disease at every stage of the disease, including available medications and potential side effects. The video also emphasizes the importance of advance care planning for persons with mild cognitive impairment and providing support to care partners.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2310177

F.D.A. Delays Action on new Alzheimer’s Drug

Crazy that FDA fast-tracked the first novel drug for Alzheimer’s but now the agency has decided to convene a panel of independent experts to evaluate the drug’s safety and efficacy of Eli Lilly’s donanemab.

The decision is likely to surprise many Alzheimer’s experts, doctors and patients who had expected the medication would soon be on the market. The F.D.A.’s move was startling to the company, which had been planning for the agency to greenlight the drug during the first quarter of this year.

“We were not expecting this,” Anne White, an executive vice president of Lilly and president of its neuroscience division, said in an interview. She said that while the F.D.A. often calls on such independent advisory committees when it has questions about drugs, it was unusual to do so “at the end of the review cycle and beyond the action date that the F.D.A. had given us.”

FDA approves Wegovy for lowering heart risks

Will neurologists start ordering weight loss drugs?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Novo Nordisk’s (NOVOb.CO), opens new tabweight-loss drug Wegovy on Friday for lowering the risk of stroke and heart attack in overweight or obese adults who do not have diabetes.

Novo’s widely used diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss drug Wegovy, both chemically known as semaglutide, belong to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists. Originally developed for type 2 diabetes, they also reduce food cravings and cause the stomach to empty more slowly.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/fda-approves-novo-nordisks-wegovy-use-reducing-heart-attack-risks-2024-03-08

Oscars Update

“Forget Chanel, Dior or Prada: This year, the most prominent designers on the red carpet are Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, whose injectable weight-loss drugs are the new couture.”

Hollywood trainers have clients stuck in the bathroom with nausea and vomiting, restaurants are down as no one is hungry and even plastic surgeons are losing their liposuction business, although they now are doing post-#Ozempic body sculpting.

Some men are throwing in testosterone, with added risks (maybe Jeff Bezos, Musk?)

Editors Note: Most of the stuff people are doing in Hollywood is NOT smart. Best to stay with a good diet and exercise to stay healthy!

https://theankler.com/p/how-ozempic-ate-awards-season