Are “New” Meds Changing the Weight Loss Game? with Dr. Jonathan Kaplan

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If you're considering medical intervention, you got to consider these medications.

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I know that you can't deny they work, and remember that you're probably more likely to die from obesity and the 13 different obesity-related cancers if you don't take these medications, if you're generally obese.

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Welcome to Pivoting Pharmacy with Neutrogenomics.

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Part of the Pharmacy Podcast Network, a must-have resource for pharmacist entrepreneurs seeking to enhance patient care while enjoying career and life.

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Join us as we pivot into nutrigenomics, using pharmacy and nutrition for true patient-focused care.

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Explore how to improve chronic conditions rather than just manage them.

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Celebrate entrepreneurial triumphs and receive priceless advice.

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Align your values with a career that profoundly impacts patients.

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Together, we'll raise the script on health and pivot into a brighter future.

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Welcome to Pivoting Pharmacy with Nutrigenomics.

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I'm Dr Tamar, lawful Doctor of Pharmacy and Certified Nutritional Genomic Specialist.

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I have a question for you Are you tired of the endless cycle of dieting and exercise, only to find the scale barely budging?

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You're not alone.

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I know it's frustrating, but you're not alone.

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Today, I'm bringing you some incredibly exciting news from the world of medicine that might just be the game changer you've been looking for in your weight loss journey.

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In this episode, we're going to deep dive into the world of the GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Manjaro, which are actually revolutionizing the way we approach weight loss nowadays.

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They're not our average weight loss solutions.

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They're newer medications for weight loss and they're part of a new class of medications designed to help suppress appetite and enhance fat burning, giving countless individuals a much needed boost towards achieving their weight loss goals.

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And you're probably wondering why in the world am I here talking about medications when I try to help people get off medications?

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Well, the fact is that people aren't going to be on these medications, and it's important that, whether you're in the medical field or not, you understand how they work and what the expectations are.

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And who better to guide us through this topic than Dr Jonathan Kaplan, a name synonymous with innovation in the healthcare space?

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Not only is Dr Kaplan a renowned plastic surgeon based out of San Francisco here in California, but he's also the tech savvy founder and CEO of Build my Health, a platform that's all about connecting patients with providers for optimal care, while making healthcare more accessible and enjoyable for everyone involved.

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Dr Kaplan's insight into the GLP-1 market and his dedication to helping patients find the best possible solutions for their healthcare needs make him the perfect expert to shed some light on these groundbreaking medications.

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So, whether you've been struggling with weight issues your whole life or just looking for a way to kickstart your weight loss journey, or perhaps you're a practitioner interested in knowing how to better help your patients understand these medications, you are in the right place today.

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So get ready to hear all about how these medications work, the kind of results real patients are experiencing, and some invaluable advice on making the most out of your weight loss efforts by incorporating these medical advancements with lifestyle changes.

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Listen in, dr Kaplan.

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Thank you for joining us today on Pivoting Pharmacy with Neutrogenomics.

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It's a pleasure to have you with us.

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Thanks for having me here.

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You're welcome.

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Now to start off, could you tell us a bit about your background and your current work in the field of weight management?

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Certainly, I'm originally from Alexandria, louisiana, so if you hear a southern accent, that's where you hear that.

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But I'm now in San Francisco.

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My wife and I moved here about 11 years ago.

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I took over an existing practice as a plastic surgeon, had its own accredited operating room.

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So we were doing a lot of body contouring procedures like mommy makeovers, tummy tucks, and what we noticed about three years ago now is that we had patients coming in for tummy tucks, other body contouring procedures, but they weren't good candidates for surgery because their BMI, their weight, was too high.

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So rather than turning them away from our practice entirely, our nurse and nurse practitioners suggested we start a weight management program.

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So that's what we did, starting about three years ago.

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So in case you're wondering like why is a plastic surgeon involved in weight management?

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Well, pretty easy to explain that we are trying to help patients that weren't good candidates for surgery.

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We're trying to help patients that weren't good candidates for surgery.

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They were thinking of tummy tucks as weight loss procedures, when they're not.

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That they're certainly not weight loss procedures like a bariatric procedure, but certainly they can be body contour procedures.

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But you won't have a really good result if they haven't lost the excess weight if they haven't gotten to their goal weight before the operation.

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So our nurse and nurse practitioners suggest we start a weight management program that included coaching and phentermine things like that.

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So again, this is three years ago before we had access to the compounded versions of semaglutide and tierzepatide the active ingredients in ozempic and mojar respectively.

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So once we got access to that about two years ago, we started offering patients that and we have a subscription-based program for the patients.

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That's really taken off.

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We have hundreds of patients that are using our medications in our program.

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We've treated over thousands of patients over those last two years, and so that's how we've gotten into this.

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We do have a nurse practitioner that was interested in offering coaching, so that's included in our maintenance subscription.

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Aside from the medication, coaching is included and other things like free treatment, medication for their for any side effects that they're having.

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We can certainly talk more about that, but that's how we got into it and that's what we're offering now is semiglutide or T-rex epitide and the patients are on this automated subscription where they're charged each month and then we automatically send out their next higher dose, just like the name brand drug regimen.

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Okay, I think that's great that you are focusing on weight management, because that is something that is lacking in a lot of plastic surgery practices so helping them get to that goal weight so that they'll have the best results when they go through the surgery.

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And you bring out an excellent point that the tummy tuck some of those procedures are not weight loss or not for weight loss.

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Even liposuction gain the weight back and get fat back, you know, if you're not changing how you eat and having a better lifestyle.

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So thanks for bringing that point out as well.

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Right and patients really do come in.

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They think that, well, you know, I've been trying to lose weight and it's not going really well, so I want to get liposuction.

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I was like no, no, no, no, no, that's not what liposuction is for.

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It's definitely.

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I just have to keep reiterating and these are not weight loss procedures, they're body contouring procedures.

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And once I explain it it sinks in, the patient gets it.

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But yeah, it's just.

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It's kind of unbelievable how patients think that they can come in and get five liters of liposuction taken off as a weight loss procedure.

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And I was like that is not the way you want to go for that.

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Right Now.

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Dr Kaplan, can you walk us through a typical journey that your patients experience when they come to you for help with weight loss?

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Absolutely so.

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When they come to us, either if it's because they're interested in getting surgery and that they're not good candidates, or because they just heard that we have a weight management program and they're not even looking for surgery, they just want to lose weight what we do is we see them either virtually or in person.

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We have licenses in 40 something states in the country, so we can see people virtually almost anywhere.

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And that's kind of the thing.

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If you have healthcare providers listening, the patient's feet and my feet have to be in a state where I have a license.

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So if I'm in California, they're in Florida.

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Then I have to have a license in Florida.

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In addition, I have a license in California where I'm at, so I'll see them either virtually or in person.

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This is after they've already sent us their intake paperwork.

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We've asked them about medical history, things like that.

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Then we do a virtual or in-person consultation.

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We go through all that and then we get lab work for them.

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Now they may already have lab work and I've found that most Americans are very labbed up.

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They already have labs within the last year and the labs that we get are CBC, complete metabolic profile to look at their liver and their kidneys, hemoglobin A1C and also a TSH, and if they already have that lab work, great.

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If they don't, we can repeat it.

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But one thing is that there's nothing actually in the lab work that precludes them from taking these GLP-1s.

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We just want to know if there's some underlying thing that they don't know about that their primary care doctor needs to work them up for.

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So even if we don't have the lab work, we do allow them to get started on the medication.

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But by the time we send them their next dose of medication for the second month, we definitely need to have those labs on file.

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So we get their intake paperwork, the lab work, and then we give them the pros and cons of semaglutide versus tiered epitide the price difference between the two, the fact that the tiered epitide in our practice, based on data with our patients tiered epitide patients have a little bit more weight loss, certainly fewer side effects.

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Let them decide which one they want to sign up for.

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And then I also happen to have a separate company called Dr Well by Build my Health that we help my own practice, but also other providers set up their own weight management program, and so what we do at that point is we send the patient either via text or email.

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We send them a link where they sign up online for the medications.

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They get charged, we're notified, we ship out the meds to them and then every 28 days they're charged again, and every 28 days we automatically send them out the next higher dose, just like the name brand drug regimen, and then we keep them on that until they get to their goal weight.

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And once they get to their goal weight, if they want to switch to a maintenance subscription, they can certainly do that.

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That's less expensive, where we're sending them less medication for fewer shots.

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Instead of one shot per week, four times a month, they may feel that they can maintain their weight with three shots a month, two shots a month, one shot a month.

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They really do know best, which is different than most medications.

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Most medications, the doctor is telling them what they need to take or how often they need to take it.

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But once they get to their goal weight and you know they've gotten used to or they've gotten past any side effects they were having, which again, we treat those side effects as part of our program.

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We include coaching as part of our program, but once they get to their goal weight.

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They really have a very personal relationship with these vets.

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They know how many shots they need a month to help them maintain each month.

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Right, great.

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Thank you for that detailed process.

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Now let's get into the weight loss medications.

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We both know that weight loss medications have been around for quite some time and with the latest DLP1s we know they've come a long way.

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So how do the newer medications, how are they more improved compared to previous treatments?

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Certainly so.

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I guess the one thing to make clear to everybody is that, even though people are just now hearing about Ozempic and these GLP-1s, it's really important for people to realize that they're not a new class of medication.

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This class of medications has been around for over 20 years, so we really do have a lot of data on them.

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And then people are quick to say, oh well, they aren't always being used for weight loss.

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It's not like the amino acids in the 39 amino acid chain of T-rex hepatitis, like looking around at the other amino acids, like, oh, hey guys, we're only indicated for type two diabetes, we can't do anything for weight loss.

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That's not how the medications work.

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The medications do what they're doing.

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Certainly, the endpoints initially for this class of medications was looking at treatment of type 2 diabetes.

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But in that treatment, in those clinical trials, they noticed the patients were losing weight.

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That was a secondary endpoint enough to notice that they were losing weight so that they went back to the FDA and got all these drugs re-approved or indicated for weight loss.

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So even though, yes, they weren't indicated for weight loss initially, they were capturing that data.

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This class of medications have been around for over 20 years.

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Bayeta was the first one to come to market in 2005.

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So certainly there were clinical trials before that.

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That's why I say over 20 years, and Ozivic has been around since 2017.

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But even from a weight loss perspective, the one that really started to get a little bit of traction was Victoza in 2010.

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That was indicated for type 2 diabetes.

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That one was a once per day injection.

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They noticed that patients were losing weight on that and so then they got it reapproved under the name of Zaxenda in 2014.

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So even specifically for weight loss if you want to use that argument, even for weight loss they've been around for 10 years and Zaxenda was a daily injection.

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That's why they didn't really take off.

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But then when Ozema came around in 2017, it was a weekly injection.

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That was a big benefit.

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Of course.

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That's when it started to get more traction.

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People started noticing losing weight.

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Novo Nordisk got it approved.

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The same active ingredient, semaglutide, approved under the name Wagovi for weight loss in 2021.

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Then Eli Lilly came along, did Monjaro and Zetbound same active ingredient, terzapatide in 22 and 23.

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So that's kind of the history of this class of medications, but again over 20 years.

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But how are they better than other class of weight loss medications like Phentermine, whereas the whole FinFin thing or Phenfluramine and Phentermine back in the nineties where people have a valvular heart disease or dysfunction.

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And so these medications, yes, they have side effects, but again, they've been around for over 20 years.

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So we really do know about the side effects and the most common side effects, on average, are mild, treatable and time-limited.

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They eventually go away.

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I'm talking about nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, burping, bloating, abdominal pain, reflux.

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So there's like those are eight side effects, but those are side effects that I can take care of.

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Even as a plastic surgeon.

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I can prescribe Zofran with the best of them.

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We're not seeing valvular heart disease.

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Yes, there's serious side effects like pancreatitis, but those are rare.

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The black box warning associated with medullary thyroid cancer that was genuinely seen mostly only in lab rats.

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The truth is, the data shows and this is data I got from Cleveland Clinic that the medullary thyroid cancer in humans, despite this class of medications being around for over 20 years, medullary thyroid cancer in humans has remained rare and unchanged for over 30 years.

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So we're simply not seeing a spike in medullary thyroid cancer at this point.

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People talk about stomach paralysis or gastroparesis.

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That's also kind of part of how the medications work through delayed gastric emptying.

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Gastroparesis is just an extreme version of that.

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That's also rare, not saying those serious side effects don't happen, but we have to keep it all in perspective that they're so rare that the benefits still significantly outweigh the risk, especially compared with other weight loss medications that have come before this class, which is getting back to your original question.

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That's an excellent point, dr Kaplan.

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Compared to these previous classes, relatively safer.

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Now can you briefly describe how they actually work?

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So I'll break it down into.

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They work in three different ways to help you lose weight.

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The first way is they lower the body set weight in the hypothalamus so you feel full sooner, your satiety is reached sooner.

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So they think that's in the hypothalamus.

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I'm not exactly sure, but that's most of what the working theories are, that it lowers your body set weight in the hypothalamus.

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That's one way they help you lose weight because you just feel satisfied sooner.

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The second way they work is through delayed gastrocnemius, which I mentioned before.

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That just means the food is moving more slowly from the stomach to the intestines.

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You feel more full, you eat less.

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You lose weight Again.

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Taken to an extreme, delayed gastrocnemius can progress to gastroparesis, which is serious.

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But once you stop the medications that goes away.

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But you may not be able to take the medication again if you really do have to get admitted for gastroparesis severe, significant, ongoing vomiting Again.

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We've actually treated over thousands of patients in our practice.

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We still have not seen gastroparesis.

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We just have not seen it.

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The third way they help you lose weight goes back to why they're originally designed and indicated for type 2 diabetes is they stimulate the pancreas to release insulin.

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It makes you feel full so you eat less and you lose weight, and that also is kind of stimulation of the pancreas or enhancing secretion from the pancreas.

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That also is what's helping people lower their hemoglobin A1c, which is a snapshot of their sugars over the last three months, which is why it was originally indicated for type 2 diabetes.

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But that's overall the three ways these help you lose weight.

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Yeah, great explanation.

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Now, when it comes to the efficacy of these medications, what kind of results are you seeing in your practice and over what time frame?

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We actually have been able to publish all of our data on our website.

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So if anybody goes to our website, pacifichidesplasticsurgerycom, or for short, it's realdrbaycom.

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That's my Instagram and social media and TikTok handle R-E-A-L-D-R-B-A-E, not B-A-Y, but it's realdoctorbay, like the San Francisco Bay Area, but we publish all of our data on there.

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And so what we do is we send out a survey every month to all of our patients asking them what you know, how much weight they've lost.

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So we've are seeing on average in the first month with semaglutide, the active ingredient of Zympic and Wagobe, that they lose about seven and a half pounds in the first month and over six months they lose about 32 pounds on average.

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And then with tier, zapotide, the active ingredient, and Mojar and Zepbound, they lose on average eight and a half pounds in the first month, so one pound more, and over six months anywhere from 34 to 40 pounds.

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So a little bit more weight loss with the TIRS epitide.

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But again, as I mentioned earlier, the more significant difference seems to be that with TIRS epitide that there are significantly fewer side effects.

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And what we've seen is not everybody on semaglutide has side effects.

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Some people do great on it, but if they are having side effects on it, like nausea or constipation.

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We treat those side effects and usually they get better.

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But if they continue having those side effects and then they switch over from semaglutide to tiered zapotide, they have significantly fewer side effects.

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So those are kind of the main differences we've seen.

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And, just for any consumers listening, the question always comes up is what's the cost?

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Well, semaglutide is $500 a month, the tiered zapvitide, the other difference there is, it's $600 a month, it's $100 more, so that people can decide they can do one or the other based on price point or whether they're trying to lose weight faster or whether they're worried about side effects, and they can choose the medication they want based on that.

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Regardless, after six months, once we're kind of done most of the coaching that we're going to do, which is included in that price, once we've gotten past most of the side effects if they even had side effects there's a lot less hand-holding that we need to do after six months.

00:17:20.156 --> 00:17:24.951
You know the things that we've tried to instill in them with coaching, that they've learned it by six months.

00:17:24.951 --> 00:17:31.933
So after six months we have a loyalty rewards type of thing where instead of paying $500 a month for seven glute tight, it goes down to $400.

00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:34.567
Of thing where, instead of paying $500 a month for semaglutide, it goes down to $400.

00:17:34.567 --> 00:17:36.675
Instead of paying $600 a month for T-rex, it goes down to $500.

00:17:36.675 --> 00:17:41.167
So that's kind of after six months and nobody's locked into these meds for any length of time.

00:17:41.167 --> 00:17:42.230
They're month to month.

00:17:42.230 --> 00:17:45.493
We let them cancel any time or switch between the medications any time.

00:17:45.493 --> 00:17:56.266
You can't lock people into these medications for any period of time, because if they're taking their first shot and they are having side effects like vomiting and stuff and they can't tolerate them, then you're not going to say oh no, sorry, you're locked in.

00:17:56.266 --> 00:17:58.208
You got to pay for this for another six months.

00:17:58.861 --> 00:18:00.046
Yeah, we don't make anybody do that.

00:18:01.500 --> 00:18:05.894
Now for those patients who are probably losing slower than average.

00:18:05.894 --> 00:18:13.067
Do you notice any particular trends, things that they need to do or they're not doing that impact the amount of weight that they're losing?

00:18:13.568 --> 00:18:16.133
Well, certainly from a non-medicinal standpoint.

00:18:16.133 --> 00:18:27.231
Certainly, if they're dieting and exercise, if they find something like either a keto diet or intermittent fasting that works for them, those patients are going to do better earlier on, no question about it.

00:18:27.231 --> 00:18:28.020
They're going to lose more weight.

00:18:28.020 --> 00:18:44.169
But from a medicinal standpoint there is a study out there that Bupropion the active ingredient, wellbutrin that they found that if you add that on to semaglutide or triseptide for patients that aren't losing quickly early on, that if you add those medications on they start to lose weight faster early on.

00:18:44.169 --> 00:18:49.968
But after a year the patients who started Bupropion versus weren't on Bupropion.

00:18:49.968 --> 00:18:52.834
They end up at the same place after about a year.

00:18:53.540 --> 00:18:57.172
So I'm not suggesting people lose more weight overall with Bupropion.

00:18:57.172 --> 00:19:04.611
It's just that if you're having a slow go at it at first, adding that on to either semiglutamate or zepatite will help jumpstart you getting to lose weight a little bit faster early on.

00:19:04.611 --> 00:19:08.250
You'll eventually end up at the same place you would have ended up at regardless.

00:19:08.250 --> 00:19:20.365
So those are two different ways to look at it that, whether it's with additional medication or without medication, losing weight earlier on certainly is going to be affected by diet and exercise.

00:19:20.365 --> 00:19:20.585
I know there's people out there and it's human nature.

00:19:20.585 --> 00:19:24.294
I'm not really being judgmental, but people are like oh, this is a quick fix and it is pretty amazing.

00:19:24.294 --> 00:19:25.280
I'm not going to deny that.

00:19:25.280 --> 00:19:33.013
But you can certainly help out the medication by diet and exercise from the beginning, which is where, of course, coaching comes in.

00:19:33.555 --> 00:19:34.936
Yeah, thank you for bringing that point out.

00:19:34.936 --> 00:19:42.986
So I hear patience is needed pretty much so you can still get the same results or you're going to risk adding on another medication other side effects.

00:19:43.528 --> 00:19:51.648
Yeah, there was another interesting study that came out of the Zedbound data that they submitted the FDA, zedbound being the Mujaro version that's indicated for weight loss.

00:19:51.648 --> 00:20:13.888
That's from Eli Lilly active ingredient to your appetite that they found that people who are not losing weight early on that if they stuck with it for a year and five months which was the whole period of time of that initial study, the Sermelt study from Eli Lilly that they found that if they stuck with it for a year and five months that 97% of patients lost at least 5% of their body weight.

00:20:13.888 --> 00:20:16.005
Now you may say that, oh, 5% isn't that much.

00:20:16.005 --> 00:20:25.025
Well, you probably wouldn't have lost 5% on your own over a year and five months unless you're on some strict diet and exercise program that it's very hard to stick with that for a year and five months.

00:20:25.025 --> 00:20:38.344
But this data showed that if they stuck with the two-year-old appetite for a year and five months, that almost everybody 97% of patients lost, stuck with the two years of appetite for a year and five months, that almost everybody 97% of patients lost at least 5% of their body weight.

00:20:38.344 --> 00:20:40.512
Which is pretty incredible that if you stick with it long enough, that you will see an effect, because I see all the people on TikTok that are.

00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:46.041
There's the people that are saying that they've lost 50, 60 pounds and they're making all the people that aren't losing a lot of weight depressed.

00:20:46.041 --> 00:20:47.282
And so I try to reassure everybody.

00:20:47.282 --> 00:20:54.833
It's like if you stick with it again with diet and exercise, but if you stick with the medication, you will, 97% of the time, lose at least 5% of your body weight.

00:20:54.833 --> 00:20:57.935
Well, I mean, there's just nothing else that's ever shown that kind of data.

00:20:57.935 --> 00:21:13.641
So even though people may not be impressed with 5% or they feel like, oh, I spent a lot of money to only get 5%, I'm not denying that, I'm not arguing that point, but I'm just saying that you would not have gotten that with any other type of previous type of medication, right?

00:21:13.681 --> 00:21:17.088
At least not that high percentage of the population getting those results.

00:21:17.088 --> 00:21:18.553
Indeed, Exactly.

00:21:18.553 --> 00:21:36.069
And it makes me wonder to a certain extent how I'm always thinking genetics, genomics, how much genetics plays a role in the response time, and I've only come across one study so far where they're actually enrolling people right now to look at that genetics when it comes to the weight loss medications, if that has any correlation with how they respond to it.

00:21:36.069 --> 00:21:40.511
So I'll be interested in following that in the near future.

00:21:41.034 --> 00:21:41.817
You're absolutely right.

00:21:41.817 --> 00:21:42.219
I mean that's.

00:21:42.219 --> 00:21:46.471
The next thing is to figure out why this works so well for so many people and doesn't work as well for others.

00:21:46.471 --> 00:22:06.760
And while I can't get it back to the genetics yet and I want to know what the underlying genetics are but I do think that one reason out there is that these medications are mimicking your natural GLP-1 hormone, so your body naturally releases GLP-1, glucagon-like peptide from your GI system and naturally releases it after you eat, and that's one of the things that's supposed to make you feel full.

00:22:06.760 --> 00:22:11.272
But with our American diet, that's, like you know, kind of making us insulin resistant.

00:22:11.272 --> 00:22:19.087
We're not responding to insulin the way we should, in fact, and sugars are being deposited as fat rather than used as energy.

00:22:19.107 --> 00:22:26.137
That these medications mimic your GLP-1 response, they augment it, they stimulate the same receptors, and so, for people who aren't losing weight, it makes you wonder.

00:22:26.137 --> 00:22:41.108
Well, maybe the reason you are gaining weight didn't have to do with because you aren't producing enough GLP-1, or maybe because your body wasn't responding to GLP-1s appropriately, and so that might be a reason that your reason for weight gain has nothing to do with GLP-1.

00:22:41.108 --> 00:22:42.372
Right then that begs.

00:22:42.372 --> 00:22:46.269
The question is like what's your underlying genetics that is making you gain weight.

00:22:46.269 --> 00:22:53.759
That has nothing to do with the GLP-1 hormone, Because if you have enough of it to begin with and that's not why you're gaining weight then adding more of it isn't going to help you.

00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:57.199
But it seems to also be clear that that seems to be a minority of patients.

00:22:57.199 --> 00:23:02.356
So, yeah, what is their genetic differentiation that's going to make them resistant to responding to these medications?

00:23:02.356 --> 00:23:04.920
That's going to be fascinating, and somebody's going to find out the answer.

00:23:04.920 --> 00:23:05.781
We just don't have it yet.

00:23:06.142 --> 00:23:07.084
Not yet, not yet.

00:23:07.084 --> 00:23:12.641
And to wrap up, dr Kaplan, what advice would you give individuals considering medical interventions for weight loss?

00:23:13.364 --> 00:23:17.076
Well, if you're considering medical intervention, you got to consider these medications.

00:23:17.076 --> 00:23:18.381
I know that people are nervous about it.

00:23:18.381 --> 00:23:20.972
They're worried it's a shortcut, but they work.

00:23:20.972 --> 00:23:25.538
You can't deny they work and in the big picture you know they're so relatively safe.

00:23:25.538 --> 00:23:31.486
I know people are worried about these awful, horrible side effects, that there are awful, horrible side effects, but they're very rare.

00:23:31.486 --> 00:23:36.974
And people are worried about getting cancer.

00:23:36.974 --> 00:23:38.701
People misunderstand that oh, I might get pancreatic cancer.

00:23:38.701 --> 00:23:39.546
That's not really one of them at all.

00:23:39.546 --> 00:23:41.652
It's pancreatitis, it's medullary thyroid cancer, but that's very genetic.

00:23:41.652 --> 00:23:42.353
That's very rare.

00:23:42.874 --> 00:24:03.122
And what I would say to people who are worried about all these awful things, that they might die from cancer or die from this or that, remember that you're probably more likely to die from all the other side effects of obesity if you don't take these medications versus if you do take these medications to treat your obesity and any of the side effects associated with the medication.

00:24:03.122 --> 00:24:04.659
You're less likely to die from that.

00:24:04.659 --> 00:24:12.354
You're definitely more likely to die from obesity and the 13 different obesity-related cancers if you don't take these medications, if you're generally obese.

00:24:12.354 --> 00:24:14.039
So I definitely highly recommend it.

00:24:14.039 --> 00:24:24.278
Obviously, I'm providing the medication, so I'm happy to call out the elephant in the room that, yes, it's beneficial for my practice if people sign up, but I'm also very proud of the fact that we're not selling snake oil.

00:24:24.317 --> 00:24:25.259
These medications work.

00:24:25.259 --> 00:24:27.061
There's so much data out there about them.

00:24:27.061 --> 00:24:34.964
They've been around for a really long time, relatively speaking, and so it's been very satisfying to see all these patients do so well.

00:24:34.964 --> 00:24:38.097
Finally, not just saying diet and exercise, but not giving them any support.

00:24:38.097 --> 00:24:48.542
Now you can do diet and exercise and medicinal support and you see these great results, and it's very satisfying as a healthcare provider that now I'm really getting this instant gratification seeing all these patients improve.

00:24:48.542 --> 00:24:52.415
So my recommendation to people is that if you're thinking about it, try it.

00:24:52.415 --> 00:24:54.079
All your friends are already doing it.

00:24:54.079 --> 00:25:02.278
They're just maybe not admitting to it, but obviously, yes, medications have side effects, but in the big picture, I feel like the benefits significantly outweigh the risks.

00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:07.660
Okay, thank you for that, Dr Kaplan, and I love that we're still encouraging.

00:25:07.660 --> 00:25:14.603
In addition to the combination of the medications, and also lifestyle and nutrition is important as well.

00:25:15.069 --> 00:25:20.973
Absolutely, and, yeah, find a practice that includes, you know, diet and exercise coaching as part of their program.

00:25:20.973 --> 00:25:28.299
I know there's certainly going to be some practices or clinics that charge you extra for that, and that's up to you to decide what you're looking for.

00:25:28.299 --> 00:25:37.662
We just happen to include it with the cost of our medications, as the diet and exercise coaching is included and you can meet with our nurse practitioner on coaching up to once per week, virtually.

00:25:37.662 --> 00:25:44.797
So we definitely incorporated that because we felt like that was important enough to make that sort of a given, rather than charging them extra for it.

00:25:45.218 --> 00:25:45.898
Awesome, thank you.

00:25:45.898 --> 00:25:47.382
Thank you again for joining us.

00:25:47.382 --> 00:25:53.526
Dr Kaplan, thanks so much for having me.

00:25:53.526 --> 00:25:54.250
It was great talking to you.

00:25:55.910 --> 00:25:58.378
Today's conversation about the latest in weight loss medications really opened our eyes to their potential, didn't it?

00:25:58.378 --> 00:26:01.912
But here's the thing as fantastic as these medications are, they're not a solo act.

00:26:01.912 --> 00:26:07.903
They're more like the lead singer in a band where diet and exercise are the guitar and drums.

00:26:07.903 --> 00:26:12.638
Yes, diet and exercise, they add the depth and rhythm to the melody.

00:26:12.638 --> 00:26:25.344
It's like, yes, these meds can give us an incredible head start in the race against weight loss, but without incorporating those good old fashioned healthy habits into our daily routine, we're kind of missing the point.

00:26:25.344 --> 00:26:28.074
Habits into our daily routine, we're kind of missing the point.

00:26:28.095 --> 00:26:34.876
It's that perfect harmony between medication, nutrition and physical activity, as well as some other lifestyle changes, that creates a chart-topping hit.

00:26:34.876 --> 00:26:36.963
Let's be real for a second.

00:26:36.963 --> 00:26:43.342
How many times have we heard someone nail their weight goal only to find themselves back where they started a few months ago?

00:26:43.342 --> 00:26:45.053
It's beyond frustrating.

00:26:45.053 --> 00:26:48.682
That's because losing weight isn't just a physical journey.

00:26:48.682 --> 00:26:50.436
It's a lifestyle change.

00:26:50.436 --> 00:26:56.058
It involves rewiring our brains to think differently about food, movement and wellbeing.

00:26:56.058 --> 00:26:59.719
Those meds they're a tool, not a silver bullet.

00:26:59.719 --> 00:27:03.380
Friend, they can do a lot, yes, but they can't do everything.

00:27:03.380 --> 00:27:09.080
That's why it's crystal clear that embracing those lifestyle shifts is non-negotiable.

00:27:09.869 --> 00:27:20.317
Imagine investing all that time, effort and yes, emotion into shedding those pounds, only to see them sneak back not on our watch, because this is where it gets exciting.

00:27:20.317 --> 00:27:25.817
Imagine if there was this awesome health coaching program designed just for this kind of journey.

00:27:25.817 --> 00:27:28.172
Well, guess what there is.

00:27:28.172 --> 00:27:33.103
It's called the In Her Glow Health and Wellness Program by Life Balance Incorporated.

00:27:33.103 --> 00:27:34.913
This isn't just any program.

00:27:34.913 --> 00:27:39.911
It's a 90 day journey that really gets into the nitty gritty of what your body needs.

00:27:39.911 --> 00:27:49.711
We're talking customized nutrition, lifestyle tweaks and even a peek into your genetic makeup to see what works best for you.

00:27:49.893 --> 00:28:01.934
Why are you, and only you, think of the inner glow team as your personal cheerleaders, but with a roadmap to help you nail those lifestyle changes that'll make your medication do its magic even better?

00:28:01.934 --> 00:28:07.156
Plus, it's all about making those changes stick, so you won't find yourself back at square one, right?

00:28:07.156 --> 00:28:21.161
I cannot stress enough the importance of coupling your weight loss medications with sustainable lifestyle and dietary changes and your genetic blueprint, knowing exactly what your body needs.

00:28:21.161 --> 00:28:25.364
Wwwthelifebalancecom.

00:28:25.364 --> 00:28:30.748
That's wwwthelifebalancecom.

00:28:30.748 --> 00:28:37.141
Or go into our show notes and schedule in a 15 minute revive and thrive session with us to get started.

00:28:37.141 --> 00:28:43.857
Let's start making healthier choices that last a lifetime and make sure those pounds stay gone.

00:28:43.857 --> 00:28:46.241
That's all I have for you today, friend.

00:28:46.241 --> 00:28:48.285
I will talk to you next Friday.

00:28:48.285 --> 00:28:55.269
Until then, always remember to raise a script on health, because together we can bring healthcare to higher levels.

00:28:55.269 --> 00:28:56.530
You.