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GLP-1 receptor agonists are everywhere right now. They’re talked about on social media, in exam rooms, and at dinner tables. But they aren’t new. This class of medications was originally developed to treat diabetes. GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1 . I like to think of it as a key. And the GLP-1 receptors? Those are the locks. These locks live all over the body—in the brain, the pancreas, the heart, and the gastrointestinal tract. When the key fits into the lock, a fe

In the second half of 2024, the GLP-1 buzz was everywhere, and I started to quietly wonder if it was something I should consider. Almost immediately, doubt set in. Read more about GLP-1s here. https://www.rx4trauma.com/post/a-key-a-lock-and-a-shift-in-how-i-feel-about-obesity I had taken Ozempic back in 2022 and ended up in the emergency room. I’m fairly certain my husband declared—very firmly—that I should never take it again. On top of that, despite everything I’ve written

In the 1980s, the explanation for obesity was simple: overconsumption and inactivity. And to be fair, that wasn’t wrong. But it also wasn’t the whole story. Obesity is far more complex than “eat less, move more.” Most of the time, it’s the result of multiple factors working together—many of them outside a person’s control. Let’s talk about a few. A conceptual illustration highlighting the diverse factors contributing to obesity, featuring a silhouette of a pregnant woman surr

When I was in residency, I took care of a woman who had obesity.Notice I didn’t say she was obese. Semantics matter. A wide open mouth surrounded by speech bubbles featuring random gibberish words, illustrating playful and nonsensical communication. Obesity is a disease—just like hypertension, diabetes, or cancer. But it is not what defines a person. A person cannot be obese; they can have obesity. For far too long in this country, we’ve labeled people as “obese,” reducing th

Have you ever had an encounter with a doctor that left you in tears? What am I saying— of course , you have. A woman rests her head in her hand, visibly overwhelmed by stress, as thoughts swirl around her. I’ve heard so many stories from patients who didn’t feel heard. Whose symptoms were brushed off. Who walked back to their cars, shut the door, and cried. And as I reflect on my own career, I know—painfully—that sometimes I’ve been the cause of that pain (though, thankfully,

I became pregnant with twins in late 2006 after one round of IVF. My husband and I knew we were lucky to get pregnant so quickly and while the thought of twins was a little overwhelming, it was still very exciting. Pregnancy was great. I was 30 years old (which carried a certain sense of maturity, no?). I had graduated medical school in 2002 and had a resounding four years of clinical experience. That made me an expert right? I was well versed in each trimester of pregnancy.