Only a few years ago, back when I was in medical school, I was taught that the goal of oxygen therapy should be to push saturation above 95%, and that anyone who comes in to hospital with a saturation below that should receive oxygen therapy (with the exception of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whose bodies have adjusted to lower oxygen levels). For those … Read more
Category: Medications
Semaglutide: magic new weight loss pill?
People have been looking for a quick and easy way to lose weight for a good long while, probably for as long as an anorectic physique has been considered attractive. And what easier way could there be than taking a pill? No need to change your diet. No need to exercise (ineffective anyway, I know). Just pop that pill and be done with … Read more
Zinc effective against respiratory infections?
I’ve previously written about the ability of vitamin C and vitamin D to protect against respiratory infections. Vitamin C has been found to shorten the duration of respiratory infections slightly, although it needs to be taken continuously throughout the year in order for there to be any benefit. Vitamin D has been found to shorten the frequency of respiratory infections, by a small … Read more
Blood pressure lowering drugs: pros and cons
High blood pressure is probably the most prevalent disease in the western world. The WHO estimates that at least 20% of the world’s adult population has high blood pressure (a.k.a. hypertension), which is usually defined as a systolic blood pressure over 140 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure over 90 mmHg (the systolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is contracting, … Read more
Hydroxychloroquine for covid: Lifesaving or useless?
Six months ago I wrote an article discussing the evidence on hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for covid. My conclusion then, based on the small number of trials that had been completed at that point, was that hydroxychloroquine did not appear to be an effective treatment for covid. Many of you were unhappy with that conclusion, and I’ve since then received multiple requests to look … Read more
Is ivermectin effective against covid?
Over the last two months I’ve literally been bombarded by people asking me about my opinions on ivermectin as a treatment for covid, so I figured I’d better look in to it. Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug, used primarily to treat infections caused by parasitic worms. It was discovered in the 1970’s, and the researchers who discovered it were awarded the Nobel prize for their … Read more