Had my annual physical this morning, and Dr K was amazed by the results of my bloodwork; every measurable thing was improved over already good numbers from a year ago. He asked what I was doing, and when he seemed unfamiliar with the ketogenic diet I gave him my 15-second explanation. His response: “That’s incredible, and it’s obviously working, so keep doing what you’re doing!” Then I told him about my increased mental clarity, lack of food cravings and huge reduction in my familial tremor, he just said ‘wow!’ He admitted that there’s so much yet to learn about human physiology AND that physicians don’t know squat about nutrition!
I won’t call him a convert, but at least he was pleased enough with my results to encourage me to stay on track.
I've got a good doctor!
Karl, thank you for sharing. I do believe the tide is turning—it has to! I am a primary care doc in San Diego, CA and have seen the devastation of our current system. I have become more involved in the Keto/IF community here and am surprised to find that there are few docs who get this lifestyle…but they will…in time. I had to read the science and look at life experience…really, the only reason I looked into it was for my own battle with weight. I am overwhelmed by the science and quality of the docs/scientists in this area…they are passionate because they know lives will be saved. I am shocked by the improvement in my patients (and myself)…we are now stopping meds. Thank you for sharing your story. We need to keep building the community together. The 2 Keto Dudes are saving lives. I am thankful for the courage and determination of the pioneers such as Drs. Volek, Phinney, Fung, Lustig, Noakes, D’Agostino, Westman…the list goes on…and will continue to grow!
Thanks Dr. Brian, I’m glad you’re on board and helping to spread the word! I think part of the problem is the current business model for primary care physicians is to see 30-35 patients a day (not to mention after-hours chart work), which while not optimal is likely financially necessary. My previous physician switched to the ‘concierge’ model because of this. This would leave very little time for continuing education, even informally.
this is because insurance companies (read for profit) continue to call the shots. Costs and insurance companies need to be reigned in but that really is for a different thread.
What could be cheaper than not having to prescribe drugs or testing strips or dialysis or nursing care?
For the average patient how hard is it to spend 10 minutes explaining the diet?
I think if we lobby the insurance companies and get them out of bed with the drug companies everything could be better. Maybe Medicare since it is a single payor.
Most patients will try to do what their doctor tells them, what they are told if they are T2 is to have 30 - 60 carbs per meal and shoot up if their sugar gets too high so that is what they do. This is killing them at a slow rate
Yes, Karl it is a combination of those things. There is also a fear of thinking differently. We have a “Standard of Care” which is wrong unfortunately. The president of the American Heart Association just had an MI and is doing fine. The AHA said “It can happen to anyone” but if I put a patient on a high fat and low carb diet and they have a bad outcome, I will be a “quack.” Crazy stuff but as more data comes out (and it is) doctors will stand up and do the right thing. If it weren’t for my own struggles with weight, I would not have opened the door to this important intervention. Because of time constraints we can’t talk to every patient for an hour but I am setting up a free website with resources for patients and those interested in learning more about Keto/IF. It will also take patients sharing knowledge with their personal physicians
You could hire a nutritionist and have her do a series of workshops for the patients and then you or your nurses could answer any questions that are on going
It is the standard of care that is a problem because if you recommend keto and they get hit by a car while crossing the street due allegedly to distraction while adapting, its theoretically on you. If they have the same accident because of a statin side effect, its not your problem.
My question is since heart is such an issue for those with metobilic syndrome, what is healthy and normal? We know that A1C of 5 or under is good. There is no such consensus on coronary disease. Is LDL bad, good or does not matter? Same with total cholesterol, LDL P, even trigylcerides may be more about immediate actions than about your general health. Coronary heart scans miss soft plack and it is a calculated number. We know 0 is good, how high above that can you be and still be relatively healthy. If you just start a keto diet, how long should you allow dangerously high numbers to improve
Saphire, you are absolutely correct. I am going to start medical consults with a sports nutrition expert (who I convinced with data) doing a keto diet/IF for his clients. We are going to develop an network to connect providers (docs, nutritionists, etc) who understand the implications of diet with patients.
With regard to your question about lipids and LDL, it remains very controversial. In my experience, patients improve significantly when all variables are measured. LDL is probably not as much of a factor as we used to believe…especially for those who have never had a cardiac event (Primary Prevention). A recent analysis for high risk patients showed that after 5 years of medication the median survival benefit was 4.2 days! Personally I look at the Total cholesterol/HDL ratio and triglyceride/HDL ratio and studies show they are way more important and correlate to insulin levels. We have to assess other factors such as smoking, sedentary life, stress, etc. Many, including Dr. Joseph Kraft believe Insulin level is the most significant marker of heart disease. High fat and low carb diets shift from dangerous LDL to large fluffy particles. It is complicated but there are many factors more important than LDL alone. Hope this helps a little.