Getting hard to trust some doctors

When my doctor went over my cholesterol results he actually pointed out the new guidelines for cholesterol levels. He didn't recommend statins. He recommended Red Yeast Rice pills, which I take every day. He's a keeper.

He's in his late 60's, like me, and I asked him how long he planned on continuing his practice. He said as long as it was still enjoyable. I will be sorry when he retires and I have to go to a younger doctor that just wants to push pills.
 

Warrigal said:
My dad died suddenly from a heart attack aged just 57. It was a common thing for men back then. He had angina but the cause of it was most likely his weight, smoking and beer. He was also a returned serviceman, having served in New Guinea during WW II.

Mum lasted until she was 93 and only died then because she decided one day to stop eating and drinking. She was being cared for in an aged care facility and had dementia. She neither smoked nor drank alcohol and was still playing tennis in her 80s.

Based on my family history my GP became concerned when at menopause my usually low blood pressure began to rise, and he sent me to a cardiac specialist for a work up. I was found to have some plaque in an artery near the heart that, if it detached could result in a coronary, so I was put on an aggressive regime to lower my cholesterol using a statin, but the side effect was severe coughing when I lay down to sleep at night. My GP changed the medication to a low dose statin plus another chemical that boosts the statin's effect. No side effects since then.

The cardiologist stopped seeing me some years ago because he judged my heart health to be average for my age. That's good enough for me.

Ever since, I have taken a daily composite for cholesterol and another tablet to control blood pressure. The GP monitors my BP and cholesterol regularly. I am now 82. My diet leaves a lot to be desired in that I am a red meat eater, prefer butter to other spreads, enjoy full cream milk, chocolate and other sweets to substitutes, and I salt my food. However, I am still on my feet enjoying life.

If I am to die of a heart attack or stroke, which is always on the cards, I will go peacefully into that dark night because life has been very good to me and I have no regrets, nor have I any unresolved issues.

Meanwhile I will continue to listen to and co-operate with my GP until he retires, and after that with his more junior partner.
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I do believe in preventative care but also believe mortality is a roll of the dice. My father worked for a dairy company and he loved to eat butter from the tray and drink sweet cream. His cholesterol level was always very low. He lived to 78 but died of something completely unrelated. Meanwhile, my mother ate more healthy and always had high cholesterol levels. She had Transient Ischemic Attacks and Epilepsy for years, along with congestive heart failure, and she made it to 89. My maternal grandfather smoked for most of his life and lived to 98 years old. I have high cholesterol so I'm hoping my genes came from my mother's side of the pool.
 
Big Pharma and their minions of doctors can go £uck themselves when it comes to high blood pressure.

Beet juice has been known about for years.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/288229#do-doctors-recommend-it

The medical community always wants to prescribe statins, when they don't even ask about your diet.
They still have conflicting studies and views about cholesterol and how it works. They don't know jack about a lot of things, but Big Pharma sure seems to ;)
 

Went on low dose of blood pressure for the first time ever in January starting with a hospital stay for ischemic colitis. Then the general practitioner wanted me on drugs for cholesterol near 240.

With a manual labor job for several months and the magic of soluble fiber (steel-cut oatmeal etc) I dropped the cholesterol into an absolutely normal 145, blood pressure to absolute normal, and lost 30+ pounds.

Back to being off all meds.
 
WhatInThe said:
They start saying they can reverse build up but when they start to talk about it in more detail they say 'stabilize' plaque build up.

Sounds like it can reverse the progression. But can they actually reduce the amount already there.
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Yeah, I have more questions about reducing plaque that I am going to ask my cardiologist. If they can't reduce it, I want to know why not. I'm sure there is a reason ... maybe too dangerous in case arteries are punctured or something. Those things spew blood like a geyser or fire hose.

Also, maybe someday nanotechnology can solve the problem permanently.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
True, in the 1960s, the average life expectancy was 70, compared to 78 today, from most sources I've looked at. It's partly due to advances in medicine. [And maybe more people regularly see doctors now thanthen.]
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Junk foods like burgers and other fast foods are responsible for high cholesterol levels because they contain high amounts of saturated and trans fats, which raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol. These foods also often contain high levels of added sugars and sodium, which contribute to weight gain and other risk factors for heart disease.
Awareness of the relationship between health and diet has a long way to go. Limiting these types of foods will lower cholesterol and improve heart health. Only when junk food gets the same bad press as smoking will there be any real significance.
 
Do statins reverse plaque buildup ?

Artificial Intelligence Replies: "That’s a really good and important question. Here’s the breakdown:

What Statins Do

Lower LDL cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol): Statins are very effective at reducing LDL, which is a major driver of plaque buildup (atherosclerosis).

Stabilize plaques: They can make existing plaques less likely to rupture by reducing inflammation in the arterial wall. This helps prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Do They Reverse Plaque?

Regression is limited: Most studies show that statins slow or halt the progression of plaque buildup rather than reversing it.

Some modest reversal: High-intensity statins (like atorvastatin or rosuvastatin in stronger doses) combined with very low LDL levels can sometimes lead to a slight reduction in plaque volume, as shown in intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) studies. But the effect is usually modest.

Main benefit is stability, not clearance: The bigger win is that plaques become less fatty and more fibrous, which makes them much more stable and less dangerous — even if they don’t shrink much.

Other Ways to Target Plaque

Lifestyle: Diet, exercise, avoiding smoking, and weight management can complement statins.

Newer drugs: PCSK9 inhibitors (like evolocumab and alirocumab) can drive LDL even lower than statins, and studies suggest they may produce more noticeable regression.

Combination therapy: Sometimes statins plus ezetimibe or PCSK9 inhibitors are used for added effect.

👉 In short: statins don’t usually “scrub out” arteries, but they stop new buildup, can shrink plaques a little, and — most importantly — make existing plaques safer."
 
Fritz said:
I have noticed that over the years they want everyone on cpap machines and diabetes medicine even when you don't have diabetes and statins. And if you don't want to be on these things they want to know why and try to talk you into it. Since I can't take statins and refuse them my doc has me listed as non compliant.

I had trouble with the metformin too. Also listed as non compliant. I'm sorry but I'm not just gonna take whatever the hell he tells me to just because. Whoever typed in all the information on my drug allergies left things off so when he looks at penicillin it says vomiting and he wants me to take it. I have severe vomitting with hives and other things.

Then he calls me a liar because he thinks I'm making up stories and he doesn't know what to believe. I've had these allergies my entire life. Why would I make crap up? He's a total ahole but there's nobody else I can go to that our insurance will take.

I don't trust them either.
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I'm surprised any doctor would dare to give you a drug that you have stated you're allergic to ! I'm allergic to penicillin too...used to get so much of it as a sickly child. By my early 20s, the last time I got it, I broke out in hives. I'm also allergic to tetracycline. So my doctor(s) found alternative medications whenever it was necessary, which was rarely. I would not continue to see a doctor who treated me the way yours treats you! A liar...really? I've had disagreements (not contentious) about what treatments were attempted to be prescribed with my PCP and new endocrinologist. They worked with me to find medications that ultimately I can live with.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
True, in the 1960s, the average life expectancy was 70, compared to 78 today, from most sources I've looked at. It's partly due to advances in medicine. [And maybe more people regularly see doctors now thanthen.]

But, I've read recent studies suggesting that statin use may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. I don't know - I have no medical training - but my mother started taking statins at age 43 and continued until her late 70s, and sometime around then she developed Alzheimer's. I'm not saying statins caused her Alzheimer's, but obviously in her case, they didn't prevent it. They may have prevented a heart attack or stroke, but those are different matters.
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horseless carriage said:
Junk foods like burgers and other fast foods are responsible for high cholesterol levels because they contain high amounts of saturated and trans fats, which raise LDL ("bad") cholesterol. These foods also often contain high levels of added sugars and sodium, which contribute to weight gain and other risk factors for heart disease.
Awareness of the relationship between health and diet has a long way to go. Limiting these types of foods will lower cholesterol and improve heart health. Only when junk food gets the same bad press as smoking will there be any real significance.
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@horseless carriage
Thanks. I don't disagree with anything in your post regarding the impact of junk food, sodium and sugars on our health. I hope people are more aware of this today than they were in the 1960s - 1970s.

But I have reinstated my original post in it's entirety at the top of this page for clarity to readers that my original post was only addressing longevity today compared to the past, and the potential impact of statins on the risk of contracting Alzheimer's disease.
 
I have reservations about looking at longevity statistics and getting much true meaning. Demographics change outcome…as do lifestyle choices. Biggest influences on health outcomes remains risk factors. Do you smoke, drink or are you obese? Did you work factory jobs or were you a crop duster? And how about those ancestors? Statins have a place…but a less common approach where lifestyle change is suggested and then implemented has a more dramatic outcome.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
I'm surprised any doctor would dare to give you a drug that you have stated you're allergic to ! I'm allergic to penicillin too...used to get so much of it as a sickly child. By my early 20s, the last time I got it, I broke out in hives. I'm also allergic to tetracycline. So my doctor(s) found alternative medications whenever it was necessary, which was rarely. I would not continue to see a doctor who treated me the way yours treats you! A liar...really? I've had disagreements (not contentious) about what treatments were attempted to be prescribed with my PCP and new endocrinologist. They worked with me to find medications that ultimately I can live with.
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unfortunately there are no others available. i will likely go to the er or urgent care more often rather than fiddle with him.
 
debodun said:
I've known very few people who have consulted with a medical specialist or surgeon who have come out any better and usually worse. An aunt of mine had back problems and has had several surgeries. In one the surgeon put what she called "a cage" on her spine. Ever since she's been in excruciating pain. Every operation she's had makes it worse and worse. She is just about crippled now.

Also, several other people I am acquainted with have had knee replacements and are in worse shape than before.

Makes me think twice about even going to a PCP for treatment.
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I have 2 cages on my spine. One upper, one lower. Now it is painful in the center.

My PCP has me weigh in at appointments every three months. He never noticed that I had lost a lot of weight last year.
 
VaughanJB said:
This is what happens when you live in a society that mixes capitalist ideals with healthcare. Doctors, like everyone else in business, is trying to make a profit.
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Yes, and not just capitalist ideals, but pure capitalism. "Doctoring" has become a business, and the physician's main job is to procure lifelong clients for drug companies.

It's disgusting.
 

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