Dispatches · updated 2026-06-12

Dispatches

Short, dated notes – a new study, a price move, a recall – for the categories we score. Sourced, answer-first, no filler.

2026-06-12

OTC CGMs, two years in: the glucose habit still has to earn its keep

Context, not news: the FDA cleared Dexcom Stelo in March 2024 as the first over-the-counter CGM for adults who do not use insulin, including non-diabetics who want diet-and-exercise feedback. Two years on, access is wide but the label is unchanged. It still tells users not to make medical decisions from the output without a clinician, and a useful two-week audit is not the same thing as a forever subscription.

Source · FDA – first OTC CGM clearance →

2026-06-12

No smartwatch or ring measures glucose on its own, says FDA

The FDA safety communication is the line to remember: it has not authorized, cleared or approved any smartwatch or smart ring that measures or estimates blood glucose by itself. A watch can display data from a real CGM; it is not the sensor.

Source · FDA – glucose smartwatch warning →

2026-06-11

The red-light irradiance number you’re sold runs 2–3× high

Independent spectrometer testing keeps landing the same way: the irradiance brands advertise – measured on cheap solar meters – runs two to three times the real figure, and almost no panel clears ~90 mW/cm² at six inches when measured properly. Buy on the measured number, at a stated distance, not the box.

Source · Light Therapy Insiders →

2026-06-11

FDA flags hyperbaric chamber fires and off-label anti-aging promotion

The FDA’s 2025 guidance to clinicians ties hyperbaric oxygen devices to fires causing serious injuries and deaths, and flags centers promoting unapproved anti-aging and longevity uses. HBOT is not cleared for anti-aging – and the home soft-shell at 1.3 ATA is not the 2.0 ATA dose the longevity studies used.

Source · FDA – Letters to Health Care Providers →

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