From Memios
The Longevity Letter
Practical writing and video on living strong and active into your 90s. No hype, no supplements to sell. Just what the evidence supports and what it looks like on an ordinary Tuesday.
579 items
MedicationsEpinephrine
For anaphylaxis, the evidence base is almost entirely observational and the sources say so plainly.
2026-10-03 · 35 min read
MedicationsEsomeprazole
The strongest evidence is for healing acid-damaged oesophagus: in randomised endoscopy-controlled trials about 93 out of 100 people with erosive oesophagitis have their erosions healed after 8 weeks on esomeprazole 40 mg daily.
2026-10-03 · 26 min read
MedicationsEthinyl estradiol with etonogestrel
Well established. It prevents pregnancy.
2026-10-03 · 25 min read
MedicationsEthinyl estradiol with levonorgestrel
Its approved job is to prevent pregnancy, mainly by stopping ovulation. Perfect use is very effective and typical use much less so: Trussell's US estimates put first-year pregnancy at 0.3% with perfect use and 9% with typical use.
2026-10-03 · 32 min read
MedicationsEthinyl Estradiol; Norelgestromin
Well established. As contraception it works about as well as a pill when used as directed.
2026-10-03 · 25 min read
MedicationsEvolocumab
It lowers LDL cholesterol by around 59 to 63% on top of a statin. In FOURIER, the 27,564-patient outcome trial.
2026-10-03 · 23 min read
MedicationsFexofenadine
The evidence that fexofenadine relieves hay fever symptoms is solid: a meta-analysis of eight placebo-controlled trials in over 3,500 people found a significant reduction in total symptom scores with no excess of side effects.
2026-10-03 · 33 min read
MedicationsFlecainide acetate
Disputed. For rhythm control it works.
2026-10-03 · 29 min read
MedicationsFluconazole
Well established. Fluconazole treats infections caused by yeasts, mainly Candida and Cryptococcus.
2026-10-03 · 35 min read
SupplementsFluoride supplements
The state of the evidence: the Cochrane review of fluoride supplements found a benefit in the permanent teeth of school-age children compared with no supplement.
2026-10-03 · 18 min read
MedicationsFluticasone furoate with vilanterol
For COPD with a history of exacerbations the pragmatic Salford Lung Study found an 8.4% lower exacerbation rate than continuing usual care over a year.
2026-10-03 · 39 min read
MedicationsGlimepiride
Glimepiride makes the pancreas release insulin whether or not blood glucose is high, and that single fact explains both its strength and its main danger.
2026-10-03 · 29 min read
SupplementsGuggul
Disputed. The state of the evidence: it is genuinely split.
2026-10-03 · 16 min read
MedicationsHydralazine
Disputed. The outcome evidence is split by what it is used for.
2026-10-03 · 23 min read
MedicationsHydrochlorothiazide; Triamterene
Thiazide diuretics have high-quality randomised evidence that they lower blood pressure and reduce death.
2026-10-03 · 35 min read
MedicationsHydrocortisone
Well established. The uses split into two very different evidence bases.
2026-10-03 · 40 min read
MedicationsHydroxychloroquine
Well established. In lupus the evidence is good.
2026-10-03 · 32 min read
MedicationsInsulin degludec
Degludec lowers blood glucose the way the body's own insulin does, by pushing glucose into muscle and fat and switching off glucose production by the liver.
2026-10-03 · 21 min read
MedicationsInsulin Detemir
What is well established is that it lowers blood glucose, and that in randomised trials it reaches the same HbA1c as NPH insulin while causing less hypoglycaemia - particularly overnight - and less weight gain. What is not established is any effect on the things people care about most. The Cochrane review of long-acting analogues against NPH rated the...
2026-10-03 · 26 min read
MedicationsInsulin human with insulin isophane human
Insulin lowers blood glucose by driving glucose into muscle and fat and shutting off the liver's glucose output.
2026-10-03 · 39 min read
MedicationsInsulin Isophane
Insulin replaces or supplements the body's own insulin, lowering blood glucose by pushing glucose into muscle and fat and switching off glucose production by the liver.
2026-10-03 · 30 min read
MedicationsIpratropium bromide
Inhaled, it blocks the vagal nerve signal that keeps airway muscle partly contracted, so the airway widens.
2026-10-03 · 37 min read
MedicationsIrbesartan
Well established. The strongest evidence is for the kidney.
2026-10-03 · 30 min read
MedicationsIsosorbide
Both are vasodilators: they release nitric oxide, which relaxes the smooth muscle in blood vessels, mainly veins, so less blood returns to the heart and the heart has less work to do.
2026-10-03 · 49 min read