LiveWell Clinic

08/04/2026

Since the new 2026 CKM Guideline came out this year, combining the insights of multiple medical specialties (including doctors who treat cardiovascular problems, kidney disease, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, liver disease and other metabolic health issues), and the American medical community is finally catching up to my practice philosophy of addressing health holistically and preventing problems before they become a severe chronic disease, it's a good time to remember this post written 2 years ago.
Today I would add to this that the INTEGRATIVE healthcare I practice includes FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE, wellness of mind, body and soul, prevention, weight management, beauty and more. It can range from full-on primary care addressing all health needs to specialized treatments, including hormonal balance, pain management, women's comfort at menopause and much more.
Everything that will impact your life and health should be considered in healthcare decisions and managed if needed to improve overall outcomes and lead to wellbeing.

Written by David Rakel MD, FAAFP

07/07/2026

New Evidence Links Progestogen Contraceptives to Brain Tumor Risk
— Danish study expands association to include injectable and oral medications, IUDs.

Key Takeaways
• Women using progestogen contraceptives had a significantly increased risk of meningioma, the most common type of benign brain tumor.
• Consistent with other recent studies, injectable medroxyprogesterone was associated with the highest risk.
• The study extended the association to oral contraceptives and IUDs.

Using only progesterone for contraception does carry some risks - but so does pregnancy and delivery. Women should always be informed by their clinicians about newer findings and be supported to make informed decisions about their health. I am reconsidering my own approach to addressing women’s contraception needs in these times which are making it more uncertain and challenging for some girls to manage their own life and make decisions for their own health and bodily autonomy in many areas of the USA.

8 of the 12 progestogen formulations included in the analysis had statistically significant associations with meningioma. Among the eight contraceptive formulations, odds ratios for meningioma versus non-users of progestogens ranged from 40% higher for levonorgestrel to more than four times higher for injectable medroxyprogesterone (400% risk increase). Progestogen use within the past year was associated with the highest meningioma risk.

The numbers needed to harm differed greatly depending on the specific progestogen used and the age group, with the highest risk observed for the oldest women. This means younger women who also have a higher risk of getting pregnant may still use the IUD with more benefits vs risk. However it is now a different decision for older women approaching menopause for whom the lengthy action of the IUD was providing an easy way to stay in control.

The excess meningioma risk disappeared 5 years after discontinuation of a progestogen contraceptive, reported Charlotte Wessel Skovlund, PhD, of the Danish Medicines Agency in Copenhagen.

I do want to point out that the progesterone action may be desired and beneficial in conditions driven by estrogens - like uterine fibroids, breast cancer and estrogen intolerance, which can also occur in women.

Danish study expands association to include injectable and oral medications, IUDs

07/07/2026

Study: Artificial sweeteners may affect metabolic health
An analysis of 21 clinical trials found artificial sweeteners were associated with higher fasting insulin levels, increased HbA1c and reduced insulin sensitivity. The analysis, published in Current Atherosclerosis Reports, included studies that compared artificial and low-calorie sweeteners with non-caloric options or a placebo. Researchers suggested that changes in the gut microbiome might be a factor.

Adding the deleterious effects of some artificial sweeteners to the liver, it’s becoming clear that artificial sweeteners are definitely not good for you.
Even in diseases with blood sugar disregulation, the best approach would be moderation: of calories, carbohydrates and fats, as well as a more balanced diet with plenty of fiber and natural probiotics, to improve entire health, weight and ultimately blood glucose levels.

MONDAY, July 6, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For decades, artificial sweeteners have been promoted as a healthier alternative to sugar. But new research suggests the

06/26/2026

LiveWell Clinic offers Primary Care in office and at home, Minor Procedures, Chronic Disease Management, Obesity Medicine, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Women’s Health and Menopause Care, Men’s Health, Geriatric Care and Housecalls.
Limited Urgent Care. Limited Pediatric Care Services. Injections and Infusions.
Treatments include minor procedures, medication administration through a variety of administration techniques requiring a licensed professional, wound care, mobile care in the patient's home when necessary.
Holistic practice based on principles of integrative, functional and personalized medicine.
Direct Care and individualized medicine in a concierge practice model.

06/13/2026

New research suggests glucosamine supplements may be harmful to patients with Alzheimers and memory loss.

The exact mechanism is not quite elucidated, however researchers believe since glucosamine can cross the brain blood barrier, it is the used in the defective protein formation which relies ( like other proteins folding) on sugar tags attached to the protein building blocks.

The team examined human brain tissue from the UF Neuromedicine Brain and Tissue Bank in collaboration with Stefan Prokop, M.D. Compared with healthy control samples, Alzheimer's brain specimens showed substantially higher levels of sugar attachment to proteins.

Taken together, the researchers say these findings suggest that this metabolic abnormality may actively contribute to Alzheimer's disease rather than simply occur as a consequence of it.

"Proteins are the cell's molecular machines, and many of them need sugar tags added in just the right way to fold correctly, travel to the right place and do their jobs," Gentry said. "What we found in Alzheimer's is that this sugar-tagging system appears to be overactive. The Alzheimer's brain is adding too many of these sugar structures, and this seems to contribute to the disease rather than protect against it."

A major study suggests glucosamine, a popular supplement for joint pain, could be linked to faster progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers found a 25% higher likelihood of developing dementia among glucosamine users and uncovered biological clues that may exp...

04/30/2026

And now I just read this other great news .
Pancreatic cancers are rare - but deadly.
The fact that we now may be able to predict them or at least detect them early enough before any hope of curative treatment is lost, is another heartening advance in modern medicine.

04/30/2026

Some great news for people needing intestinal cancer treatments:

Patients with a particular form of bowel cancer have remained cancer-free for nearly three years after receiving a short course of immunotherapy before surgery, rather than chemotherapy afterward. These findings come from the NEOPRISM-CRC clinical trial led by researchers at UCL and UCLH.
The results, presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026 in April, expand on earlier data showing that nine weeks of preoperative treatment with pembrolizumab significantly reduced tumor size in patients with stage two or three bowel cancer.
Dr. Kai-Keen Shiu, Chief Investigator of the trial from the UCL Cancer Institute and a Consultant Medical Oncologist at UCLH, said: “Seeing that no patients have experienced a cancer recurrence after almost three years of follow-up is extremely encouraging and strengthens our confidence that pembrolizumab is a safe and highly effective treatment to improve outcomes in patients with high-risk bowel cancers.
What is particularly exciting is that we now may be able to predict who will respond to the treatment using personalized blood tests and immune profiling. These tools could help us tailor our approach, identifying patients who are doing well and may need less therapy before and after surgery versus patients at higher risk of disease progression or relapse who need additional treatment.”

A new approach to treating certain bowel cancers is showing long-lasting effects.

04/15/2026

- partial epigenetic reprogramming -
A new method of reversing cellular aging in organs and tissues will be tested in humans in a clinical trial this year

Life Biosciences has received FDA clearance to begin the first human clinical trial of a cellular rejuvenation therapy in 2026, targeting age-related diseases by reversing cellular aging. The trial will test partial epigenetic reprogramming to restore aged or damaged cells to a more youthful state.
Key Aspects of the Trial:
• Methodology: The therapy, dubbed ER-100, uses three of the Yamanaka factors (OCT-4, SOX-2, KLF-4) to safely reset the cell's age.
• Target Condition: The Phase 1 trial will focus on treating age-related eye diseases, specifically open-angle glaucoma.
• Mechanism: Instead of turning adult cells into stem cells, this approach, or "partial epigenetic reprogramming," rejuvenates cells while maintaining their original identity, reducing cancer risks.
• Developer: The research stems from the lab of Harvard's Dr. David Sinclair.
This is a major milestone in reversing cellular aging. Similar rejuvenation techniques have successfully reversed symptoms of aging in animals. Lifespan Research Institute highlights this trial's focus on reversing cellular dysfunction, rather than just slowing it. MIT Technology Review explains the use of a genetic switch to trigger the rejuvenation.

The FDA has greenlighted Life Biosciences’ first human trial testing whether their gene therapy can confer a near-total rejuvenating reset of cells.