Research-informed health explainers
Plain-language guides to conditions, treatments, and medications — each one grounded in peer-reviewed research from the specialists in our directory.
65 articles · Page 5 of 6
SELECT Trial: Semaglutide and Heart Attack Risk
What the SELECT trial showed about semaglutide reducing heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular death in people with obesity but no diabetes.
Ildiko Lingvay, MD · Anne Peters, M.D. · Janet McGill, MD
Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide: Diabetes and Weight Loss
How semaglutide and tirzepatide compare for type 2 diabetes and weight loss: A1c reduction, weight outcomes, cardiovascular data, and when each is the better choice.
Ildiko Lingvay · Bruce Bode · Kathleen Dungan · John Buse
Semaglutide vs tirzepatide for weight loss
Comparing semaglutide and tirzepatide for weight loss: what the clinical trials show, who each drug is typically for, and what to ask your doctor.
Ildiko Lingvay · John Buse · Caroline Apovian
Should You Get a Second Opinion on Cancer?
Yes — and most oncologists expect it. Here is when a second opinion is especially important, what to bring, and how specialist centers differ from community hospitals.
Bruce Johnson, MD · Mark Kris, MD · Jennifer Temel, MD
Small Fiber Neuropathy: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Plain-language guide to small fiber neuropathy — a form of nerve damage that causes burning pain and autonomic symptoms despite normal EMG results — and how it is diagnosed and treated.
Thomas Brannagan, MD · Eva Feldman, MD · Michael Rowbotham, M.D.
Small vs Large Vessel Vasculitis: Treatment Differences
Small and large vessel vasculitis require different drugs and monitoring. Learn how rituximab, tocilizumab, and corticosteroids compare across these two categories.
Leonard Calabrese, DO · Carol Langford, MD · Kenneth Warrington, MD · Eli Miloslavsky, MD · Sebastian Unizony, MD
Total vs Partial Thyroidectomy for Graves Disease
Evidence-based comparison of total and partial thyroidectomy for Graves disease: cure rates, recurrence risk, complications, and when each approach is recommended.
Marius Stan, M.D. · Giuseppe Barbesino, MD · Ellen Marqusee, MD · Megan Haymart, M.D.
tPA vs Thrombectomy for Stroke: Which Treatment Is Better?
A plain-language comparison of the two main acute ischemic stroke treatments, grounded in the landmark trials that shaped how hospitals treat stroke today.
Gregory Albers, MD · Jeffrey Saver, MD · Joseph Broderick, MD · Lee Schwamm, MD
Transsphenoidal vs Craniotomy for Pituitary Tumor
For most pituitary tumors, transsphenoidal surgery through the nose is the standard approach. Craniotomy is reserved for specific cases. Here is what the evidence shows.
Beverly Biller, MD · Laurence Katznelson, MD · Maria Fleseriu, MD · Baha Arafah, MD
Vasculitis and Kidney Involvement: Nephrology vs Rheumatology
When vasculitis attacks the kidneys, rheumatologists and nephrologists both play a role. Learn how the two specialties divide the work and what that means for your care.
Carol Langford, MD · Eli Miloslavsky, MD · Ashima Makol, M.D. · Kinanah Yaseen, M.D. · Anisha Dua, MD
Vestibular Migraine: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Plain-language guide to vestibular migraine — the most common cause of spontaneous episodic vertigo — including how it is diagnosed and what treatment options exist.
Peter Goadsby, MD · David Borsook, MD PHD · Richard Lipton, MD
Walled-off pancreatic necrosis: endoscopy vs surgery
Endoscopic drainage now outperforms surgery for most walled-off pancreatic necrosis cases. See what the trials show, when surgery is still needed, and what to ask your doctor.
Mark Topazian, M.D. · Muhammad Hasan, MD · Irving Waxman, MD · Santhi Vege, M.D.