Blogs

Hi everyone — saw this research in JAMA Oncology and felt it was an important share. Link to the original at the bottom, as always. GLP-1 medications like Semaglutide and Tirzepatide have already transformed medical weight loss. Now this new research adds something significant: evidence that these medications are associated with reduced risk of several obesity-related cancers — with particularly notable findings for women. The context matters here. Obesity is a known risk fac

We are thrilled to share a remarkable transformation. Our patient "MJ" has lost 97 pounds in 49 weeks — and by next week, she'll almost certainly be inducted into our Century Club: patients who've lost 100 pounds or more. We couldn't wait for the official number to share this. Ninety-seven pounds. Let me tell you what that looks like from the clinic side, because the number alone doesn't capture it. MJ has maintained a steady, disciplined pace the entire way — no crash weeks,

We strongly believe in monthly scans — and we're putting our money where our belief is. Two pieces of Styku news to share. First, some context on WHY we invest here: after having around 800 patients through the program (we're well past 1,300 now), we've noticed a clear difference between patients who scan regularly and those who don't. Regular scanners stay engaged longer, push through plateaus better, and hit maintenance more often. It's not the laser doing magic — it's what

Back in July, I hit a milestone I'd been chasing for a long time: I broke the 200-pound barrier and dropped into the 190s — officially entering "Onederland." But the journey didn't stop there. I've since passed my original goal of 190 (set at the beginning of 2024, which honestly felt ambitious at the time)... and now I'm in the 180s. The 180s. I haven't been here since early high school. That was 40 years ago. OMG indeed. As thrilled as I am, I want to be straight about some

Hey everyone — we're committed to keeping you current on the science around nutrition and aging, and this one from UC San Francisco deserves your attention. The research raises real questions about what counts as a "normal" Vitamin B12 level — especially for brain health as we age. The takeaway: older adults whose B12 sat in the "lower but normal" range showed more cognitive decline and more markers of brain aging than those with higher levels. In other words, normal-by-the-b

Hello everyone — quick announcement that a lot of you have asked for: we're expanding to Saturdays! Our regular hours (Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm) work great for many patients, but we heard the same thing over and over from those of you working parallel schedules: "I can't get there during the week." Medication pickups, monthly scans, weekly injections — important stuff that shouldn't require taking time off work. So, starting October 2nd, we're open Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. Ev

Hey everyone — for those who couldn't make our July support group meeting, here's what you missed. And if you've never been to one: this is the stuff that happens between the appointments, and it's some of the best medicine we offer. The room was full of the usual good energy — patients at every stage of the journey, from week two to maintenance, plus our staff. Here's what we covered: Support program updates. We walked through the latest additions to how we support patients

If you haven't heard the term: "OnederLand" is what the weight loss community calls the moment your scale drops below 200 — when that big "1" shows up at the front of your weight for the first time in years. For a lot of people it's not just a number. It's a victory over old habits, self-doubt, and every health scare that came with the old number. As of today, July 17th, 2025 — I am back in OnederLand. First time in at least 15 years. Quick history, like always: I started GLP

It's been a few months since I last posted my body scan results. This morning I jumped on the Styku and pulled my latest numbers — and I want to share them, along with WHY we make such a big deal about these scans. Monthly body scans are a core part of our program. We see a high correlation between patients who scan regularly and patients who do better in their journey overall. It's not magic — it's visibility. When you can see what's actually changing, you make better decisi

The unexpected call: starting your own healthcare business brings plenty of surprises, but this week topped them. A few days ago I got a call from another medical clinic — a manager at a clinic 35 miles away. I won't share their name, but here's what happened. They were in a bind. A patient situation they couldn't solve with their own resources, and they called... us. A competitor. Because they knew we'd built the systems, the staffing, and the expertise to handle it. Now, th

There's never been a more exciting time to be part of this field. Not only are medications like Semaglutide and Tirzepatide helping our patients achieve meaningful, sustainable weight loss — the impact is big enough that Wall Street analysts are repricing fast food giants because of it. This week, McDonald's stock dropped after a major financial firm downgraded the company, citing the growing influence of GLP-1 medications. Read that again. The investment thesis for McDonald'

Quick safety post, because this one genuinely shocks me. Every patient who self-administers medication at home gets a sharps container from us. Free. When it's full, bring it back and we swap it for a new one — also free — and we handle the proper disposal ourselves as a complimentary service. Here's why I'm writing about something that sounds so basic: after my earlier post on patient safety, patient after patient who switched from other local clinics and MedSpas told us we

Hey everyone — if you're on Semaglutide or Tirzepatide, you already know what these meds do for blood sugar, cravings, and weight. But new research points somewhere unexpected: your brain. A major analysis of over 160,000 patients found GLP-1 medications linked to a 45% lower risk of developing dementia compared to other diabetes and weight-loss treatments. And the numbers get more striking for semaglutide specifically: real-world studies suggest it may cut Alzheimer's risk b

Hi everyone — new research in JAMA Psychiatry (summary below, full study linked at the end) addresses a question that's been floating around these medications for a while: do GLP-1s affect mental health? The good news: this large study found that medications like Semaglutide do NOT increase the risk of mental health problems or make depression worse. That's an important finding, because there were early anecdotal concerns, and large rigorous data is exactly how you answer the

Hello everyone — as a clinic director I get to hear incredible stories all the time. Transformations, hope, happy dances when patients hit milestones on the scale or the 3D scanner. And I recently came across a piece in The Hill that captures why the stigma around these medications needs to die. (Summary below, full article at the bottom.) The article focuses on pregnancy weight — and it's real. More than 75% of women don't return to their pre-pregnancy weight within a year o

Our 3D laser body scans are an integral part of the program — they track progress beyond what the scale shows and give patients genuinely valuable data about their bodies. But success created a problem: as the clinic grew, our single Styku scanner became a bottleneck. Too many patients, one machine, monthly scans for everyone. So we fixed it the way we fix things around here: we invested in a second brand-new Styku scanner. Two scanners means no waiting for your monthly scan,

Hey everyone — quick research share, because this one is directly relevant to a lot of our patients. A landmark trial just published in the New England Journal of Medicine gave us the clearest head-to-head yet: Tirzepatide vs Semaglutide, 751 adults, 72 weeks, everyone with overweight or obesity plus at least one weight-related condition. The numbers: Tirzepatide patients lost an average of about 50 pounds (~20% of body weight) versus about 33 pounds (~14%) on Semaglutide. Wa

We're always glad when patients from other clinics join us. But I'll be straight with you — what they tell us about their previous places worries me. The most common thing we hear: they rarely if ever received an actual prescribed vial of medication. Instead they got prefilled syringes to take home, or injections from prefilled syringes in clinic. Some were even told they didn't need to refrigerate them. Yikes. Here's how we do it, and why the difference matters. Every patien

Down below is a verbatim (except for the name) email exchange with a patient. 'Patient K' was hitting a plateau after a few months on...

Everyone seems to be creating a blister pack action figure via ChaptGPT Here is our special toy! Pacific Northwest Medical Group Action...