1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: Welcome to Wellness un Mass. I'm doctor Nicole Safire and 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: this is your weekly rundown. Now, let's catch up on 3 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: what's happening this week, because there are two stories that, 4 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:13,239 Speaker 1: while they seem totally unrelated, they actually say a lot 5 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: about how we're approaching medicine right now. Let's start with 6 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: the UK. I mentioned it last week. I talked about 7 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,799 Speaker 1: that there was a slight uptick in meningitis B cases, 8 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: specifically in an area of Kent, mostly affecting university students, 9 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: and it definitely raised some concern. Here's a good news. 10 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,760 Speaker 1: Cases are now starting to come down. We've gone from 11 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: mid thirty cases to about twenty confirmed after further testing, 12 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,319 Speaker 1: So they actually thought they had more cases than they 13 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: really did. That's good news. Now. That might not sound 14 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: too dramatic that they said that there were thirty cases 15 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 1: and there were twenty cases, but in infectious disease, that 16 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: shift it absolutely matters, and it means that response is 17 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: also working too. Because of the confirmed cases. They aren't 18 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,279 Speaker 1: seeing new cases or more cases because public health officials 19 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 1: they move quickly, getting the antibiotics, making sure they were 20 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: diagnosing it, getting close contacts. Yeah, I remember contact tracing 21 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: with COVID even more important, well that wasn't even that 22 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: important at all with COVID, but definitely important when it 23 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 1: comes to meningitis. They also increase their vaccination campaigns. We 24 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: were talking about the meningitis vaccine here in the United 25 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: States at the CDC ASIP meeting last year. It caused 26 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: a bit of an uproar because instead of mandating it 27 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 1: or putting it on the formal recommendations in kids going 28 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: off to college, they said they really wanted to be 29 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 1: a conversation with the doctor and risk based. Well, meningitis 30 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 1: is the most lethal in infants, but the vaccine is 31 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:46,960 Speaker 1: not improved for infants, so obviously you're not going to 32 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: recommend it for infants. But it's the second highest risk 33 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: is kids, specifically like older adolescents, college aides, kids who 34 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: are all congregating together in dorm rooms. That's why there's 35 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 1: a recommendation for that vaccine to be given before kids 36 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: are going to college, especially especially especially if they are 37 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:08,959 Speaker 1: living in the dorms or they are living in apartments 38 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,639 Speaker 1: with other kids. Meningitis is no joke. It is not 39 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: a common cold. It is not like the flu. It 40 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: is very serious and should be taken seriously happy to 41 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,840 Speaker 1: hear what's going on in the UK, and really hope 42 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: that we don't see any upticks come late summer here 43 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: in the United States because fewer people are getting vaccines. 44 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:33,800 Speaker 1: That is definitely the trend that is happening here and 45 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: not just here, is happening across the world as well. Okay, 46 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 1: let's shift gears because the second story is a different 47 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: kind of health of shoe, but not surprising one we're 48 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: dealing with every day here in the United States. GLP 49 00:02:46,639 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: one medications, you know, the weight loss medications, Wagovi, Njaro, 50 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: all whatever the other name brands are that people are taking. 51 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:57,079 Speaker 1: You know, these drugs, you know the other the actual 52 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: names are like semi glue, Tide, Truzeppetide. They've really changed 53 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: the conversation around weight loss and metabolic health in general. 54 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: And to be clear, they work. They absolutely work. I 55 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: think we all know that. All you have to do 56 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: is turn on the TV and all of a sudden, 57 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,560 Speaker 1: Hollywood they've always been skinny, they're just even skinnier now. 58 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,519 Speaker 1: But it's not just people in Hollywood. Everyone's on them 59 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:19,359 Speaker 1: and you see it. You kind of see the wasting 60 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 1: away of the phases and yeah, I mean a lot 61 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:24,640 Speaker 1: of people are losing weight. It is helping to tackle 62 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:28,840 Speaker 1: the obesity crisis. Do they have side effects, Absolutely, they 63 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:30,679 Speaker 1: have side effects. I think we don't talk about the 64 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: side effects enough. But the reality is there are benefits 65 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: to these medications, not only just losing weight, but all 66 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: the benefits that come with losing weight. One specifically has 67 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: been heart health, and this is well documented. People who 68 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: are on these medications and are losing weight, they have 69 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: decreased heart attacks and strokes and just overall better heart health. Well, 70 00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: I hate to burst your bubble, people, but just like 71 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: I have told you, most of these medications, for most people, 72 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: you have to stay on them forever. Because the majority 73 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: of people over half I think it's even two thirds, 74 00:04:04,120 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 1: I don't know what the actual number is now. But 75 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: when people stop the medication, oftentimes they gain the weight back. 76 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: Some people gain the exact same amount of weight back. 77 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: Some people gain even more weight than when they started 78 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: out to begin Well, this new study raises an important 79 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: question or kind of answers it for us, what happens 80 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: to all of those help benefits when you stop the medication. Well, 81 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: the answer is it's not great. What researchers are seeing 82 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: is that many of those cardiovascular benefits they fade, and 83 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: they fade fairly quickly. Within about six months in this 84 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,600 Speaker 1: one study, the risk factors for heart disease started creeping 85 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: back up. By a year, more significant changes are happening, 86 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: and by eighteen months of stopping the medication, all the 87 00:04:50,400 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: benefit of being on those medications they're gone. Some experts 88 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: are even calling it kind of like a medical whiplash, 89 00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: and that is not healthy for your body, because now 90 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:01,720 Speaker 1: you're putting your body in a state of struck. You're 91 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:05,159 Speaker 1: shocking it by depleting its nutrients, and then you're shocking 92 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: it again by taking the medication away and adding all 93 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,880 Speaker 1: the weight law or adding all the weight back. And 94 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:12,559 Speaker 1: so I think this is where we need to pause 95 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 1: and be honest about what these medications are and what 96 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: they aren't. They're not a quick fix. They're not something 97 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: you can take for a few months and move on, 98 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: and for many patients they're looking more like long term, 99 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:27,840 Speaker 1: possibly probably lifelong therapies, and that comes with real considerations cost. 100 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: They're expensive. You can get some I believe, on trump 101 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,040 Speaker 1: Orex for a lower cost, but there's still expensive access, 102 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: who can get them, and then staying on the medication 103 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:40,720 Speaker 1: and what happens if you can't, especially as we start 104 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: talking about using these drugs in younger people. That's right. 105 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: There are clinical trials for kids under the age of 106 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: ten taking these medications. It's already approved for teens and preteens. 107 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: I mean, that's crazy. We need to be teaching these 108 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:59,840 Speaker 1: kids good, healthy lifestyle behaviors and not necessarily giving them medications. 109 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: Need to make sure that they have long term success. Yes, 110 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: they can be incredibly helpful, but they don't replace the 111 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 1: foundation of health, nutrition, physical activity and addressing underlying metabolic issues. 112 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,119 Speaker 1: That's the answer. Those things still matter and they matter 113 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: long term. Thank you so much for listening to this 114 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 1: week's rundown. I'm doctor Nicole Saffire. Listen to Wellness on 115 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: mass on, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.