Doctor ignorant on low carb diet

(Katie) #1

I have finally managed to get a primary care physician.
Because I am on Medicare, almost no doctors in my area are taking new Medicare patients. After months, I finally found one.

Now…she is freaking out over my elevated LDL levels. She believe I need to see a dietician and get on a “healthy” whole grain diet!!!

The clinic rules are they can drop my if I persistently refuse to follow medical advice. If I quit…I might not find another.

This doc doesn’t seem like one willing to be educated or step outside the boundaries she training and the pharmaceuticals have place her in.

What would you do? Remember…I cannot go to just anywhere … Medicare rules. Nor can I afford to just go get any doc and pay out of pocket for my medical needs.

#2

You could try The Feldman Protocol if you just want to ‘pass’ your cholesterol test https://cholesterolcode.com/extreme-cholesterol-drop-experiment/ It’s no guarantee but might be worth a shot if all you’re after is pleasing your doctor.

(Retta Stephenson) #3

@Katiekate
I’m so sorry you are having to go thru this. It’s just so unfair!! And I understand the frustration.

My husband and I are retired. I’m Medicare + supplemental. He has Medicare, but also VA medical care. But… we always must ask if they accept Medicare assignment for anyone we are referred to, or for tests, etc. And with the VA, they push their statins, etc, and if you refuse, they can boot you out of the program.

So, he has learned to “play the game”. Such a shame that a Veteran who put his life on the line for his country is treated that way. But he just nods, and says “uh huh” or similar. Then does what he wants. No way is he taking statins for a number that is barely anything to sneeze at over some artificial limit.

I suppose what I’m telling you is that YOU make the final decision. But I understand how it must “seem” like you are compliant or they will “fire” you as a patient. That is so infuriating to me.

Anyway, is there a way you can just appear to go along, and then at home do what you believe is healthy for you?? Even if they hand you a jar of pills, you can always chuck them in the trash when you get home?! Ha, thinking of what my husband said he will do with those statins they keep pushing.

People always say to be sure to check with your doctor. But what if your doctor is NOT open to anything but what they were taught in medical school from outdated information on nutrition? Even my primary doctor, who sort of thinks low carb or even keto is kinda/sorta okay, wants me to take statins!

I hope you find a way to make it work for you. And to find some peace about it, and eliminate the stress that these hassles generate.

My best to you,
Retta

#4

Use the advice provided in the Feldman Protocol. It’s a 3 day way of eating that is low carb before a blood test. Also avoiding caffienated drinks. That should adjust the LDL concern to get the doctor calmed down. You can truthfully say that you adjusted your diet,

Use the doctor for what they are good at; treating infections and writing prescriptions.

(Carl Keller) #5

A doctor that isn’t open to current science can be a dangerous doctor. If I could get your doctor to read one article about how diet can drastically affect your lipids, it would be this one:

(hottie turned hag) #6

I’d agree and tell her you are now following her instructions re: diet. No harm in this.
Then after your labs improve, you can either tell her the truth or not.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #7

@Katiekate How long since you started eating a ketogenic diet? If it’s less than six months, don’t worry about the numbers, just ask for a retest sometime after the six-month mark. When you make the request, you can tell the doctor that you read on-line that losing weight can mess with your lipid numbers, and that may be why your LDL is so high at the moment.

Dave Feldman at www.cholesterolcode.com is a software engineer turned citizen-scientist who has been doing interesting original work on the lipids. As mentioned in other posts, he has identified a type of person he calls “lean-mass hyperresponders.” If you are one of them, his protocol will help you fudge the results of your next lipid test to placate your doctor. But if you are not, your numbers will probably normalize by the time you’ve been keto for six months, anyway. So either way, wait a while before getting retested.

You might also suggest to your physician that she order a CAC (coronary artery calcium) scan to assess your actual level of cardiovascular disease. The scan assesses the amount of calcium in your cornary arterial plaque and comes up with a score indicating your risk over the next 5-10 years. The test does not require a prescription in most states, so if the doctor refuses to order it, you can usually get it done anyway. The cost is generally under $100, from what I’ve read on these forums. The movie, The Widowmaker, is a documentary that passionately advocates on behalf of this test. I believe it is still available on Netflix.

Like Dave Feldman, I don’t usually consider it wise to lie to one’s physician, but you are between a rock and a hard place, so look into his protocol and see what you think. Another Web site to check out is www.thefatemperor.com, which is run by another software engineer, Ivor Cummins. Ivor has gathered and distilled quite a bit of the research into lipids and the causes of heart disease. His premise is that the lipid hypothesis of heart disease has about as much substance as the emperor’s new clothes.

(Bob M) #8

How “elevated” is “elevated”? Also, you could get a prescription, ask for cheap statins, then just pay for them (Walmart online charges $10/3 months for some prescription), then not use them except for a few days/week prior to your next test. You could also pay for them and tell the doctor they caused muscle pain. (Which is a lie, but you’re between a rock and a hard place.)

(Katie) #9

Knowing the strong evidence linking statins to dementia … nope, it going to touch them

I was the sole caregiver for my parents who had dementia in their final years along with a host of medical issues…

For me, I would rather drop dead from a heart attack than take those pills

(Katie) #10

S o, Today I found this info about HDL LDL etc.

Very informative. Wonder if my Doc has ever taken time to read any of the latest medical info…

https://www.cooperinstitute.org/2017/11/28/cardiorespiratory-fitness-the-triglyceridehdl-ratio-and-coronary-heart-disease-mortality-risk-in-men

(Full Metal KETO AF) #11

This is it. Just play along and do what you want. Doctors tell people to quit smoking and drinking alcohol or using drugs but they don’t drop you as a patient if you don’t. At least in California. I was under the impression that doctors can’t flat out refuse to have Medicare patients, but they can set a % cap on how many they can take on.

:cowboy_hat_face: