Author: Suzanne B. Robotti

Suzanne B. Robotti

Suzanne is the President and Founder of MedShadow, and the Executive Director of DES Action USA.  MedShadow’s mission is to preserve quality of life by ensuring everyone has access to the risks, benefits and alternates to using drugs to manage healthcare. Read More

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now approved the diabetes drug Wegovy (semaglutide), previously okayed for diabetes, for weight loss. I wonder why? I was the consumer representative on the FDA advisory panel that voted to approve Wegovy (semaglutide) for diabetes. I voted for it reluctantly and only because the drug helped slightly improve life for those with diabetes. A small weight loss is one benefit of Wegovy. Patients given Wegovy in clinical trials lost between five and ten pounds. That’s helpful for a person with type-2 diabetes, but for the average person, it is a minor change in…

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Explore the latest developments or updates, commonly referred to as “quick hits,” in the fields of pregnancy, prostate cancer, and proton pump inhibitors (PPI). Quick Hits: Fluoride and Pregnancy  The medical community was shocked at the conclusions of two new studies on fluoride’s effect on fetuses exposed to flouride in utero.  A very large and well-conducted study comparing the IQ of 3 to 4-year old children whose mothers had or had not been exposed to fluoride before giving birth. Of those exposed to fluoride in utero, boys’ IQs were about 5% lower than the comparison group who had no or…

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Supplements are sold without review or approval of the FDA. They are not allowed to make specific health claims, but general ones, such as “improves well-being” and “boosts energy” are legal.  That leaves the door open for unscrupulous, or careless, manufacturers. The FDA also does not regulate the manufacturers recommended dosage or even if the supplement contains the products on the label.  Be well  Nootropics, Piracetam A new study looking at one of the popular “nootropic” drugs, piracetam, found dangerous variances between recommended dosages on competing product labels. From the report, “Following the manufacturers’ recommendations on the labels, consumers…

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Breast cancer tops the list this week with two research studies and article concluding worse news than expected. For those who continue to claim that no one overdoses on cannabis or THC, see the story below. Never underestimate how much people will underestimate the power of “herbs” to harm. Carpal tunnel brought on by drugs? I thought it was caused by repetitive stress. And to wrap it up, junk health news about junk food.  Be well.   Breast Cancer and Hormone Therapy It’s been known that the use of MHT (menopause hormone therapy) increases risk for breast cancer. It was…

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News: Breast Cancer and Hormone Treatment We are presenting you news about  large study of published studies (meta analysis) that included more than 100,000 women, those who reported ever using MHT had a 26% higher relative risk for developing breast cancer compared with never-users. This confirms what has been known for about 20 years.  What is newly discovered is that the increased risk continues for 10+ years after MHT is discontinued. In real terms for every 50 50-year olds who are taking an estrogen/progestin combination, 1 woman in that group will have cancer caused by the MHT by the time…

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Welcome back. Today we have news about a drug that doesn’t do the bad thing it was expected to do, another drug that does a bad thing that wasn’t expected to do and a third  cancer drug that is used too often. Read on and, please, when offered a medicine, always ask your doctor: what happens if I do nothing? What happens if I wait? What are the risks? Are there non-drug alternatives? What’s my best possible outcome and my worst possible outcome?  Be well.  Overactive Bladder  Myrbetriq (generic name mirabegron), a new overactive bladder drug, was suspected of…

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This week in the news we were reminded again of body wisdom — the body is resilient and is designed to move you toward health. Read on: Biologics for Psoriasis and Arthritis The new drugs for psoriasis and arthritis are highly effective but come with significant risks. Biologics to treat arthritis have flooded the market. They’re also linked to 34,000 deaths   Journal Sentinel May 30. 2019 What you should know about the safety and side effects of biologic drugs for psoriasis and arthritis  Journal Sentinel May 30. 2019 Thyroid Doctors are finding that the body often adjusts to fix…

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Billboards, TV ads and Internet pop-ups are increasingly promoting lung cancer screenings. Despite the touted benefits, should you go and have one done? Should you get screened for lung cancer? It certainly seems like it. Billboards, TV ads and pop-ups have increasingly appeared on my computer screen telling me that it could save my life. At the risk of bringing down the wrath of the arbitrary cancer gods, it won’t save my life. I’m a never-smoker. While I was raised in an envelope of secondhand smoke (every relative near and far smoked), I’ve lived as an adult in a smoke-free…

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The ‘Sugar Daddy’ episode is in ‘collaboration’ with Novo-Nordisk – maker of diabetes drugs – and minimizes the ways diet and exercise can help diabetics. Do you like the TV show black-ish? I do. It’s funny, and the acting is outstanding. But even better, every week the show uses its immense platform to educate the public on race issues. I admire the show and look forward to watching it. Imagine my outrage when I watched the episode about type 2 diabetes entitled “Sugar Daddy” and realized the show had sold out to a pharmaceutical company. Oops, sorry, the TV network…

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