quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
I am indeed sorry for being harsher than called for.

Good. That's called "progress"

Marc1911 I am glad you insisted on seeing a cardiologist and it may add years to your life, and maybe prevent a heart attack. In the video you do not want to watch, DR. Diamond also states that the calcium scan is a much better predictor of heart disease than just cholesterol levels alone. He also states if you have high ldl along with high triglycerides and low hdl that statins can be beneficial. In your case statins are beneficial because you have calcium in the arteries.

However just throwing millions of people on statins which do have side effects, because ldl levels are elevated while other factors are ok is also not a good approach in my opinion. Most people are put on statins not by a cardiologist, but a family doctor or nurse practitioner.

And why cant the calcium scan become a routine exam for patients once every five years? The insurance companies will not pay for it for preventative diagnosis.
Where I live the hospital will do one for $49.00. They emphasize that insurance will not cover it. I paid for one to be done a few years ago and I am going to get another one next month.


And yes he is a psychologist and has a PHD in biology. He explains that he has a genetic trait that makes his cholesterol high and his doctor wanted to place him on a statin. That is when he started analyzing the research papers on statins, and he is simply relaying the information he gathered.

Are there many general doctors that actually take a deep dive into the research behind prescription medications?

If you had not advocated for yourself, things might be much different for you today.

One final thought I would like to make:

Albert Einstein upon graduation from college went to work in a patent office as a clerk for 7 years. When he started speaking about his theories on physics it would have been easy to refuse to even listen to his theories. He is just a patent clerk, I refuse to even entertain his thoughts. Thankfully people did entertain his theories and he was proven right.

Why not at least listen to someone's theories or arguments and then present facts to dispute their claims instead of dismissing them outright and never know what they even said?

I want to learn all I can so I can advocate for myself. As with the the scientific consensus that was around a few decades ago that fat not sugars was to be eliminated, I learned that not all settled science is settled. Americans are increasingly unhealthy, so clearly something is not working.

Smschulz Thank you for that video I learned a lot from it. I have learned from watching it that SGPT measures liver fat. I knew it was a liver function test but never knew what it represented. I also learned the upper limits that were considered unhealthy years ago had been changed because people's levels have risen over the years. That may not be a good thing. And I did watch the entire video. I also learned that the pancreas sends insulin to the liver and the liver distributes it as needed. I always assumed the pancreas delivered insulin directly to the blood. So today I learned why it is more important than I thought to keep the liver healthy.


I will gladly entertain thoughts that Dr. Gold is wrong in his analysis on cholesterol. I want to learn. So please present factual evidence that his theories are wrong, but in order to do that you have to know what he actually said.

Interviewed by a cardiologist.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: wcb6092,

Interview of Dr. Arthur Agatston Cardiologist and the inventor of Calcium Artery Score.

One thing he has discovered is that long distance runners have a higher CAC score than the general population, which I never would have dreamed was true. The higher the score the more risk for coronary events.

You need to take vitamin K2 with 180 mcg of MK-7 to keep the calcium out of your arteries and in your bones. You can also eat sauerkraut and beef liver.

All the answers to long term health can be found in the Life Extension magazine:

https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine

wcb6092--your father had a heart attack at 40--repeat MI x2.
I would suspect a genetic component -- specifically Lipoprotein a.
I would direct you to the Cleveland HeartLab--a lot of information there - too much to be discussed here. (Look at Multimarker approach)
https://www.clevelandheartlab.com/

Innovation
Inflammation
Education

https://m.theepochtimes.com/mk...YGraqzdUTncCzhR6w%3D

Cardiologist Speaks Truth About Cholesterol and Statins

Is elevated cholesterol really a problem? In a word, absolutely! However, beyond that assertion, there is a lot about cholesterol that is little known or completely misunderstood. Elevated cholesterol levels feed the growth of obstructive plaques in the coronary arteries, and the higher the cholesterol levels, generally, the more rapid the growth of the plaques.
Very elevated cholesterol levels clearly increase the chances of having a heart attack as long as they are up, with the highest levels having the highest risks. So, significantly elevated cholesterol levels (280 mg/dL or greater) must be avoided at all costs.

cont...

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:
https://m.theepochtimes.com/mk...YGraqzdUTncCzhR6w%3D

Cardiologist Speaks Truth About Cholesterol and Statins

Is elevated cholesterol really a problem? In a word, absolutely! However, beyond that assertion, there is a lot about cholesterol that is little known or completely misunderstood. Elevated cholesterol levels feed the growth of obstructive plaques in the coronary arteries, and the higher the cholesterol levels, generally, the more rapid the growth of the plaques.
Very elevated cholesterol levels clearly increase the chances of having a heart attack as long as they are up, with the highest levels having the highest risks. So, significantly elevated cholesterol levels (280 mg/dL or greater) must be avoided at all costs.

cont...

That article is misleading.
It only partially addresses the subject.
Sure, just taking a statin and not doing any lifestyle changes is incomplete.
However, just saying high cholesterol is really a problem is also incomplete and misleading, IMO.
Read incomplete as inaccurate.