If this is an emergency, stop reading and call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Do not email us and do not wait for a reply.
This site is education, not advice about you
All content on this website and in our freely distributed handouts is general medical information for education. It is not a diagnosis, not a treatment recommendation, and not medical advice directed at any individual.
General information cannot account for your history, your examination, your medications, your test results, or your circumstances — which is precisely what determines the right answer in medicine.
No physician–patient relationship is created here
Reading this site, downloading a handout, emailing us, or requesting an appointment does not establish a physician–patient relationship. That relationship begins only when we have accepted you as a patient and completed an evaluation.
Do not change your treatment based on this site
Do not start, stop, or adjust any medication, and do not delay or forgo care, because of something you read here. Discuss any change with the physician who is treating you.
This applies with particular force to the weight-management medications discussed on this site. Every drug in that class carries a boxed warning and has absolute contraindications that rule it out for some people. Suitability is a clinical decision made in a visit.
Research figures are averages, not predictions
Where we cite weight-loss percentages, prevalence rates, or other trial results, those are averages from defined study populations, usually with structured diet and activity support alongside the treatment. They are not forecasts of your result. Individual outcomes vary widely, and some people do not respond or cannot tolerate treatment.
Information ages
Drug approvals, prescribing information, and prices change frequently. We date our sources and state when facts were verified. Information on this site may be out of date by the time you read it. Verify anything you intend to rely on, particularly pricing, with the manufacturer or with us directly.
Our evidence labels
We label every test we propose as Actionable (the result changes what we do next), Trackable (useful for following change over time), or Exploratory (reasonable to look at, evidence not settled). These are our own internal designations, applied in clinical judgment. They are a description of how we weigh evidence, not an official or externally certified classification.
No guarantees
We do not guarantee any clinical outcome. We do not promise a specific amount of weight loss, a specific test result, or a specific improvement. Any practice that promises you a number is telling you something it cannot know.
Not insurance, and not reimbursable
LUMENA is cash and credit only. We do not accept or bill insurance. Do not assume any payment to us will be reimbursed by an insurer.
Medication samples
Where a manufacturer has provided us with samples of an FDA-approved medication, we may give them to a patient free of charge when clinically appropriate. We never sell samples. Availability is controlled by the manufacturer, is outside our control, and is never guaranteed. Nothing on this site offers any medication to any person.
Questions
If something here is unclear, ask us. We would rather explain it than have you guess. See our Contact page.