When choosing a treatment option, it helps to know how it was developed. Today co-hosts Dr. Gillian Goddard and Erin Stein walk through the backbone of our healthcare: clinical trials. We walk through how a drug gets from an idea to the pharmacy shelf through preclinical lab and animal studies, pilot studies, and phases one through three, covering safety, dosing, and proof that the drug works. We explain why new drugs are usually tested on top of standard care instead of against nothing, how much it all costs, and how the patent clock adds pressure. We cover what happens after FDA approval, including phase four studies and registries like the ones that tracked women who became pregnant while taking GLP-1s. Before your doctor can prescribe a medication or procedure, it goes through this extensive process. Join us as we go behind the curtain.

If you are interested in participating in a clinical trial, visit clinicaltrials.gov or clinical.nih.gov for more information and to search trials.

We take a moment to remind you that while this is a medical discussion, it is not providing a diagnosis or treatment or any medical advice. The only way to get a diagnosis, treatment or medical advice for your particular condition is through a discussion with your doctor.

Please subscribe savvypatient.substack.com

Visit www.thesavvypatient.com/podcast for episode transcripts.

Watch full podcast episodes @TheSavvyPatient on Youtube.com.

Get your copy of The Hormone Loop by Dr. Gillian Goddard wherever books are sold.

This episode was produced and edited by Erin Stein. Music: “All We Live For (instrumental)” by Wolfclub licensed through Audiio.com. Intro and outro edited, and video created, by Ian Mayer. The Savvy Patient logo by Amanda Spielman.

Side effects. Adverse reactions. That folded-up piece of paper in your medication box with the tiny type nobody can read. That laundry list of horrible things in every drug commercial. This week, co-hosts Erin Stein and Dr. Gillian Goddard break down what all of it really means.

We start with the definitions: all side effects are adverse reactions, but not all adverse reactions are side effects. We explain how clinical trials sort side effects from coincidences with terms like “common,” “rare,” and “incidence not known.” We break down the actual numbers behind these categories and walk through a real medication’s side effect lists.

There is no medication without side effects, but side effects shouldn’t be your only consideration. We cover how to weigh benefits against the risks of doing nothing, when to stop a medication and call your doctor, and practical pharmacy tips: similar-sounding drug names, brand vs. generic, expiration dates, and why your medicine doesn’t belong in a steamy bathroom or your checked luggage.

We take a moment to remind you that while this is a medical discussion, it is not providing a diagnosis or treatment or any medical advice. The only way to get a diagnosis, treatment or medical advice for your particular condition is through a discussion with your doctor.

Please subscribe savvypatient.substack.com

Visit www.thesavvypatient.com/podcast for episode transcripts.

Watch full podcast episodes @TheSavvyPatient on Youtube.com.

Get your copy of The Hormone Loop by Dr. Gillian Goddard wherever books are sold.

This episode was produced and edited by Erin Stein. Music: “All We Live For (instrumental)” by Wolfclub licensed through Audiio.com. Intro and outro edited, and video created, by Ian Mayer. The Savvy Patient logo by Amanda Spielman.

It's pumpkin spice season, which means it's sugar season, so co-hosts Erin Stein and Dr. Gillian Goddard are talking about why we love sweet things so much and what's really going on in the body when we eat them. We start with why humans evolved to crave sugar, then break down what "sugar" means: glucose, fructose, lactose, and the "ose" family. Does it really matter which form you eat for your health? Why do some foods spike blood sugar and send you on a craving roller coaster, while others don't? The answers may surprise you. We also cover high fructose corn syrup and why food companies love it, whether raw sugar, honey, or agave are any better, what artificial sweeteners do in the body, and how alcohol fits in. Uncover the truths behind the endless hype about the sweet stuff.

References:

A couple of great books about the history of “sugar” as a commodity.

Sugar by Elizabeth Abbott.

The World of Sugar: How the Sweet Stuff Transformed Our Politics, Health and Environment over 2,000 Years by Ulbe Bosma.

The World Corrupted: From Slavery to Obesity by James Walvin.

We take a moment to remind you that while this is a medical discussion, it is not providing a diagnosis or treatment or any medical advice. The only way to get a diagnosis, treatment or medical advice for your particular condition is through a discussion with your doctor.

Please subscribe savvypatient.substack.com

Visit www.thesavvypatient.com/podcast for episode transcripts.

Watch full podcast episodes @TheSavvyPatient on Youtube.com.

Get your copy of The Hormone Loop by Dr. Gillian Goddard wherever books are sold.

This episode was produced and edited by Erin Stein. Music: “All We Live For (instrumental)” by Wolfclub licensed through Audiio.com. Intro and outro edited, and video created, by Ian Mayer. The Savvy Patient logo by Amanda Spielman.