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Wellness for Everybody—in Every Body
In recent years, several qualitative studies have given us field notes of patients describing their experiences having larger bodies and interacting... -
Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists: A Pharmacy Perspective on Insurance Coverage and Medication Access
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, more commonly referred to as GLP-1s, have undoubtedly garnered much fanfare the past five years. This... -
My Journey with GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs: Managing PCOS, Celiac Disease, and Metabolic Health
In my thirties, my body began to “betray” me. After years of running marathons, working out, and eating well, I found myself struggling with...
Archive
Perspectives in Primary Care features writing from practitioners, activists, and community members representing organizations, practices, and institutions across the United States and around the world.
Reference
What Your Patients are Hearing About GLP-1 Medications
Glugacon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medications have taken social media and celebrity news by storm. Your patients have likely heard about these medications – sold under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic, and the GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist tirzepatide (sold as Mounjaro or Zepbound) – and their effectiveness for weight loss well before the topic is broached in your exam room. So, you might be asking yourself, what exactly have they heard online? ...
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The New Landscape of Obesity Medicine: What Does This Mean for Patients?
With the development and expanded use of medications for the treatment of obesity, we are able to broaden the tools we can offer patients to treat this condition. Medications like Wegovy and Ozempic have become household names. These medications are classified as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Glucagon-like peptides are hormones that are naturally produced in the gut (intestines) that help regulate blood sugars and hunger signaling. Since these natural hormones last in our bodies for only a few minutes, GLP-1 medications create longer lasting signaling to potentiate ...
The Power of a Personalized Approach: Physicians’ Fight against Misinformation and Vaccine Hesitancy
“There was so much information out there, I didn’t know what to do. I just wish someone had convinced me to get the vaccine,” said a COVID-19 patient we cared for a few days after he had been transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU). Each day, we slowly turned up his oxygen. Each day, he could only manage a few words at a time as the virus, that has come to dominate all of our lives, ravaged his lungs. Every patient we have had in the ICU with COVID-19 in the last few months has been unvaccinated. Our team developed a practice of asking our unvaccinated patients why ...
Muslim Community Engagement Efforts to Tackle COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged communities across the globe to organize and collaborate for effective public health communications, and the rapidly evolving science around the COVID-19 crisis requires a coherent and cross-functional response to allow for up-to-date messaging. Vaccines for COVID-19 also present challenges as they have been developed at a precarious time in the midst of many challenges, conspiracy theories, and ...
Fragmented Medical Advice & Misinformation Hurt Public Health
Driving through Southern California during the COVID-19 pandemic often feels like going from one California to another… you get in the car in one city, with everyone around you masked, including families walking together, keeping distance from others… then you get out of the car 30 minutes later in another city, with almost no one masked, and people packed inside restaurants or standing in lines close to each other. The difference is startling.
Want to Improve COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in Rural America? Start Local…
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging in the United States, rural Americans find themselves trapped in a whirlwind of misinformation and distrust as they seek answers for questions like the following: “Is the pandemic really as bad as the media portrays?”