MedHeads

Real-world studies have found an association between GLP-1 treatment and fewer asthma attacks in some people with metabolic disease. Possible explanations include weight loss, lower systemic inflammation and direct effects within the airways.

This episode examines the signal and its biological plausibility while keeping the limits clear: observational data cannot prove that Ozempic treats asthma, and controlled trials are needed before it changes routine care.

GLP-1 medicines are established in type 2 diabetes, but their role in type 1 diabetes is still emerging and often off-label. Early evidence suggests possible benefits for weight, glucose variability and insulin requirements in carefully selected patients.

This episode examines those findings alongside the risks of hypoglycaemia and ketoacidosis, and explains why specialist oversight, insulin adjustment and better long-term trials remain essential.

Cremation raises a surprisingly physical question: what happens to the mass of a human body? Most of it leaves as water vapour and gases, while the mineral structure of bone remains and is processed into the ashes returned to a family.

This episode follows the atoms through heat, combustion and the atmosphere, explains what cremated remains actually contain, and shows how body composition determines where the mass ultimately goes.

Dating apps use uncertain rewards: each swipe might produce nothing, attention or a promising match. That variable reinforcement can keep people checking long after the experience stops feeling useful.

This episode explores the effects on self-esteem and body image, the incentives that reward time in the app, and practical ways to set limits, use the tools intentionally and recognise when the search is doing more harm than good.

Digoxin is an old, inexpensive heart drug with a narrow margin between benefit and toxicity. Newer low-dose evidence has renewed interest in whether it can reduce hospitalisation for selected patients with heart failure.

This episode explains how digoxin affects the heart and sympathetic nervous system, why dose and kidney function matter, and why blood-level and interaction monitoring remain essential despite its low price.

The Portfolio Diet combines plant sterols, soluble fibre, soy protein and nuts to lower LDL cholesterol through several complementary mechanisms. The evidence suggests that the full pattern matters more than any single “superfood”.

This episode explains the research, what a practical week of eating can look like, and where food-based treatment fits alongside individual cardiovascular risk and prescribed medication.

Ibogaine interacts with several receptor systems, while its metabolite noribogaine may alter reward signalling for much longer. That complexity helps explain both the interest in addiction treatment and the uncertainty around a simple dopamine reset.

This episode reviews the early evidence in addiction and veterans, the mechanisms researchers are investigating, and the serious cardiac rhythm risks that make supervised trials and careful monitoring essential.

Oral GLP-1 medicines could remove the needle and fasting routine that make current treatments harder to use. Early phase 2b results for a small-molecule pill are promising, but convenience is only part of the story.

This episode examines the reported weight loss, common side effects and practical appeal, while explaining why phase 3 evidence, long-term safety, durability and access still determine whether the pill becomes a genuine alternative.

Insulin resistance and liver fat can begin improving within weeks when meals are moved earlier in the day. But short-term metabolic changes only matter if the routine can be sustained.

This episode separates the rapid laboratory effects from durable diabetes prevention, including the Diabetes Prevention Program finding of a 58 per cent reduction in new cases through achievable changes to food, movement and weight.

Forest bathing may affect more than mood. Studies of tree-derived compounds called phytoncides have reported changes in natural killer cell activity, while brief contact with bark has been linked with calmer autonomic responses.

This episode looks at what those small studies can and cannot prove, why the effects may persist beyond a single walk, and how simple time among trees can support stress recovery without turning an emerging evidence base into a miracle claim.