Dr. Hassell recently spoke at Durant at Red Ridge Farms, presenting the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil at their staff event.

He provided powerful evidence that extra-virgin olive oil is strongly associated with:

• Lower cancer incidence

• Less cardiometabolic risk: obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke

• Less heart disease

• Less dementia

• Less depression & anxiety

• Better cognitive function

• Better gut health

• Better immunity

• Anti-inflammatory properties

The importance of the Mediterranean diet, which famously features EVOO, cannot be over emphasized. It includes almost all minimally processed whole foods and incorporates:

• High intake from plant sources, like whole grains, beans, raw nuts and seeds, fruits, and vegetables

• High levels of “healthy” fats (think EVOO!)

• Moderate-to-high levels of fish

• Moderate intake of dairy (like yogurt, kefir and cheese)

• Moderate amounts of meat, poultry and eggs

Preparing our own meals at home is a gift to ourselves, with typically fewer calories, more nutrients, and less expense.

Our resource for Mediterranean and other traditional whole food recipes is Good Food, Great Medicine, 4^th edition (available for purchase at Durant’s gift shop). The delicious Caesar Dressing recipe (found on page 154) is included below. It is easy to prepare, and your Caesar salad will be a favorite this summer.

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Ultra-processed foods (the ones engineered in the last century) are linked to harm across the board: mental health, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity. The science isn't subtle about this. As Michael Pollan suggested, if it's a plant, eat it. If it was manufactured in a plant, don't. We didn't need a new diet. We needed to stop abandoning the old one.

Join the cause in spreading a common-sense better way to get better.

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The article reveals that nearly 90% of all American adults meet the criteria for Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome, a health disorder with ties to obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart failure, atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease.1

The new guidelines suggest checking BMI, waist circumference, eGFR (a measure of kidney function and protein in the urine), and recommend a battery of drugs to treat the interconnected risk factors. In Stage 0, with no risk factors, the graphic below refers to Life’s Essential 8, which include:

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You’ll learn the difference between safe sunlight exposure and dangerous sunburn, why sunscreen may not work the way many people think, and how regular outdoor time could improve cardiovascular health, mental health, bone strength, immunity, and more.

If you’ve been told to fear the sun, this evidence-based discussion may completely change how you think about sunlight and wellness.

Watch now:

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In this episode of Walk, Don’t Run to the Doctor, Miles Hassell, MD, dives into the peer-reviewed science behind extra virgin olive oil. We are cutting through the wellness trends to look at what clinical research actually says a…

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Dr. Hassell examines the metabolic and physiological differences between true fermentation and modern commercial baking practices. Discover the science behind the body’s response to bread, structural differences in grain flour, and why standard grocery store “sourdough” often lacks any therapeutic value.

What you’ll learn:

• 🔬 The Sour Science: How wild bacteria transform flour into a gut-friendly superfood.

• 🛑 The Grocery Trap: Simple ways to spot fake, yeast-spiked sourdough instantly.

• 🌾 Flour Power: Why 100% whole grain changes the nutritional game.

• 🩺 The Health Verdict: Who benefits from sourdough, and who should skip the bread aisle entirely.

Episode Timeline:

• 00:00 Intro

• 00:39 Listener Question: Homemade Sourdough

• 01:10 What Real Sourdough Actually Is

• 02:06 The Science Behind Sourdough Fermentation

• 03:40 How to Make a Sourdough Starter

• 06:02 Real vs. Fake Sourdough Bread

• 07:39 Does 100% Whole Grain Matter?

• 10:07 Is Sourdough Actually Healthier?

• 14:06 Who Should Eat Less Bread

• 14:55 Final Thoughts

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Join us in-person this Thursday, May 21

Miles Hassell MD, Amelia Evans MD, and Pharmacist Kasia Boslaugh share real-life examples of people who are avoiding the miserable and deadly complications of type 2 diabetes by choosing lifestyle to reverse their disease, not just treat it.

Why would you not choose to reverse a disease that,…

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Let’s talk about type 2 diabetes prevention and reversal!

Join Miles Hassell MD, GreatMed…

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If you’re over 65 and taking a handful of pills every morning, you’re not alone. About half of all people on Medicare are currently taking five or more prescription medications. That’s a staggering number — and here’s the part that might surprise you: no one actually knows whether your specific combination of drugs is safe.

Not your doctor. Not your pharmacist. Not the pharmaceutical companies that made them. No one.

That’s not an opinion. That’s the reality of modern medicine, and it’s one that this Walk, Don’t Run to the Doctor podcast episode wants you to understand. Not to scare you. But to empower you.

“Your doctor is guessing…It’s important for you to realize it’s a guess.”

This isn’t an indictment of doctors. It’s a structural problem. The studies simply don’t exist. No clinical trial has ever tested the exact combination of medications sitting in your medicine cabinet right now on your body’s makeup, and no clinical trial ever will. When your doctor prescribes drug number four or five or six, they’re making their best educated guess based on what they know about each drug individually. But how those drugs interact inside your body, with your particular biology? That’s uncharted territory.

And that matters enormously.

The Prescription Cascade

Polypharmacy (the medical term for taking multiple medications simultaneously) is associated with more falls, more memory loss, and more loss of independence. Often, the culprit is something called a prescription cascade, and it works like this: a doctor prescribes a medication for a legitimate problem. That medication causes a side effect. Instead of recognizing the side effect for what it is (a drug side effect), another medication gets prescribed to treat the new symptom.

In our practice just this past week, we prescribed a blood pressure drug for a man with hypertension. The drug caused erectile dysfunction. Now the patient is on medication for his erectile dysfunction, too. One pill became two, each carrying its own set of potential side effects, each interacting with the other in ways that haven’t been studied.

Multiply that scenario across five, seven, or eleven medications, and you begin to see the problem. You’re not taking a carefully designed treatment plan. You’re living inside a chemical soup — and nobody designed the recipe.

It gets worse when you factor in over-the-counter medications. Tylenol, ibuprofen, allergy pills, sleep aids — most people don’t even think of these as “real” medications, but they absolutely are. They interact with prescription drugs. They carry their own side effects. And they add more unknowns to an already unknown equation. Each comes with a package insert (also found on labels.fda.gov) that you should read before swallowing that pill.

The Drugs You Should Be Most Worried About

Not all medications carry equal risk as we age. Two categories deserve special attention: anything with sedative properties, and a large group known as anticholinergic medications. These drugs (which include certain allergy medications, bladder medications, and antidepressants), are particularly problematic in older adults because they can cause confusion, drowsiness, falls, and cognitive decline.

There’s a resource that can help you identify whether you’re taking any of them. It’s called the Beers List, and it’s a regularly updated, publicly available document that catalogs medications best avoided in people over 65. You can download it from the internet, bring it to your next doctor’s appointment, and have a real conversation about whether anything you’re taking appears on that list.

That conversation is not one your doctor will resent.

What if the Better Answer Isn’t a Pill?

Here’s the part that most people never hear from their doctor — not because doctors don’t believe it, but because a fifteen-minute appointment doesn’t leave time to say it: many of the conditions driving those prescriptions can be improved or even reversed through lifestyle changes.

Take blood pressure, for example. If you lost ten or fifteen pounds, ate more vegetables, and got some exercise every day, you might not need that medication at all. The same is often true for type 2 diabetes, for high cholesterol, for a host of conditions that get managed with pills when they could be managed (or eliminated!) with food and movement.

This isn’t wishful thinking. It’s what we’ve seen in practice for decades. And Judy’s health story makes the case more powerfully than any statistic.

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You’re not alone. If you’re wondering whether there’s a way to take fewer pills and still protect your health, this episode is for you.

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You can read the full study (click below):

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Dr. Beck shares her journey from athlete to leading bone researcher, explaining how targeted, high-intensity resistance training can strengthen bones, reduce fracture risk, and improve posture, confidence, and overall health. The conversation challenges the overreliance on medication, highlighting how consistent, properly supervised exercise can outperform drugs without the side effects. They also break down practical strategies for lifelong bone health, including the importance of starting early, maintaining muscle strength, getting adequate calcium and protein, and staying active at any age.

Whether you’re looking to prevent bone loss or fractures, this episode offers actionable insights grounded in science and real-world results.

See Episode 58 now:

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The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans claim:

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In this episode of Walk, Don’t Run to the Doctor, Miles Hassell MD dives into the powerful connection between exercise, leisure activities, and long-term brain health.

Backed by decades of research, including a 40-year study showing up to a 90% reduction in dementia risk, this conversation explores how simple lifestyle choices can dramatically impact your future. Whether you’re in your 20’s or your 70’s, the habits you build today can shape your cognitive health for years to come.

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See Fox News’ full HEALTH story here.

Ashley from Fox News described the problem well:

Most hospital menus rely heavily on convenience foods, according to Dr. Hamid Khan, chief medical officer of Jorie AI, a healthcare revenue service.

“Patients are often served items such as pasta, processed deli meats, packaged snacks with artificial components, sugary d…

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Bonnie, a 68-year-old quilter and ski instructor, was warned by her primary care doctor about the risks from her high cholesterol and osteoporosis. Because she was reluctant to start taking more medications, she grabbed her copy of Good Food Great Medicine, 4^th ed. to see what she could do herself to improve bone strength, lower her cholesterol, and reduce her heart disease risk. A year later, the results of her follow-up tests were exciting:

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