Increase in LDL

(KM) #21

That was poignant at the end, his little sketch of how people get so fear motivated they start doing things almost superstitiously (like take a statin, just in case the research is wrong.) Right before I turned it off, I heard him say … “our best selling book, Eat Rich Live Long” … No, for once I’m not going to complain about commercialism, I’ve got that book and it’s really very good. Trusted source!

(Geoffrey) #22

Excellent video, thank you.
My doctor even tried to intimidate me by telling me that he was going to send a copy of my blood work to my cardiologist showing my high cholesterol. I just laughed because I envisioned him acting like a child saying “I’m gonna tell on you!” I just told him that my cardiologist already knows I’m carnivore and loves what I’m doing because he can see the results. Why else would he take me off of all my medications and reduce my visits to once a year?

(Peter - Don't Fear the Fat ) #23

Those drug companies must love the fact most doctors scare their patients with LDL tests. And when it comes to weight loss how many will mention a simple change of diet. No it’ll be another drug.

#24

The issue with that is mixing context. Millions of lives are saved by drugs, doctors, surgeries etc. None of those people work for free, the same gov’t regulations that people want to prove drugs are safe cost BILLIONS to get approved, Pharma needs to make that money back, or there’s no more new drugs and no more lives saved in the future from them.

The problem isn’t pharma making money, the problem is the amount they need to break even to recover from the gov’t extortion that is the approval process.

If the pharma companies could do their studies for the actual cost, without being extorted by the govt(s) the entire time, then (reasonable) regulations could set limits while still allowing them to make plenty of money, still make themselves rich, and not totally bankrupt people. But as it is, bankrupting everybody is the only way to make it financially worth it. If they could prove drugs are safe (meaning actually prove it as well as could be done) and sell direct to consumer, they’d make way more money, but then the gov’t, doctors, hospitals in many cases would be cut out of the loop, and they’re not going to let that happen.

Currently dealing with that right now, one of the meds for my skin (Zoryve) retail price is almost $1200, my insurance (high deductible) only pays $300 of it, but with a discount program from the Manufacturer my our of pocket cost is $0. But my Insurance is dropping coverage as of Jan 1 next year, and the discount program has limits, which will run out that much faster now. If they could just sell that stuff, a bazillion people would but it, but as long as it’s locked up behind the docs, and insurance, this happens.

Note: The active drug isn’t patented, so it’s not even that. It’s just normal BS.

(KM) #25

I do agree with this. Extremely frustrating! I won’t go on HRT in part because I refuse to put myself in a position where I have to see a doctor every 3-6 months for the rest of my life. My husband will probably be in that situation for different meds as well.

(Bob M) #26

That’s a good cardiologist. Mine wanted me on a statin with and LDL around 130 and a CAC score of zero. He’s a believer in medication.

#27

Can’t speak for your doc, but that’s not how it works. When I did my TRT in person with a Urologist and then an Endo (they both suck at TRT/HRT by the way) I saw them maybe twice the first year, and once a year after.

I do it all with telehealth now, when it’s time to get my labs I get the lab req in email, I go to the lab, get my bloods done and that’s the end of it. A week or so later my doc calls me, goes over everything and usually thats it. All the meds come in the mail with everything else that goes along with them. Effortless.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #28

They may or may not, but as mentioned in other posts, don’t worry about the lipid numbers until you reach the six-month mark, at least. At that point, your lipids will have settled down, and the numbers will be more indicative.

As mentioned, the ratio of triglycerides to HDL is what counts the most. In U.S. units you want it 2.0 or under; in the rest of the world, 0.9 or under. Higher ratios indicate that the diet is too high in carbohydrate. In any case, LDL level is an extremely poor marker for cardiovascular health.

There are all kinds of data to suggest that cholesterol levels aren’t the life-and-death indicators they are made out to be, and you can find plenty of posts about this on these forums, both about the state of the actual sicence and also about how this hypothesis got foisted on us and solidified into medical dogma in the first place (hint: it had more to do with ego than with scientific accuracy). Cholesterol is essential to health, and does not directly cause cardiovascular disease. At best, certain lipid numbers might be indicative of the problem, but trying to reduce cardiovascular risk by lowering cholesterol makes about as much sense as trying to lower your fever by dipping the thermometer into a glass of ice water.