Getting hard to trust some doctors

@seadoug, I hadn't heard about red yeast rice pill & I'm going to look into that.

@Lawrence00, I'm a firm beleiver in the oatmeal.

When hubby & I both was working, we ate steel-cut oatmeal every morning during the week. We also went to wine tasting & drank red wine. Our blood panels were perfect & I thought the wine was the reason & never considered the oatmeal. The reason was all the talk about the benefits of red wine, but you didn't hear anything about oatmeal.

Fast forward to retirement & then finding out my cholesteral was going up. My nurse practioner wanted to put me on statins & I said no so she prescribed Fenofibrate. I took it for a year & it made no difference & I stopped but didn't tell her. I tried French grape seed extract (red wine ingredient) for a year & it made no difference. My levels went up & she asked me about the Fenobigrate & I told her I hadn't taken it for a long time & no, I'm not taking statins.

I did some checking & read about steel-cut oatmeal being used in a study where it was eaten 5 out 7 seven days & rates were lowered. I did that for 6 months until my next blood work was due. I shocked her with my blood panel because everything was within the limits & she said my blood work looked perfect. My last tests weren't as good because I fell of the oatmeal-wagon, but I'm getting back on.
 

Lilac said:
@seadoug, I hadn't heard about red yeast rice pill & I'm going to look into that.

@Lawrence00, I'm a firm beleiver in the oatmeal.

When hubby & I both was working, we ate steel-cut oatmeal every morning during the week. We also went to wine tasting & drank red wine. Our blood panels were perfect & I thought the wine was the reason & never considered the oatmeal. The reason was all the talk about the benefits of red wine, but you didn't hear anything about oatmeal.

Fast forward to retirement & then finding out my cholesteral was going up. My nurse practioner wanted to put me on statins & I said no so she prescribed Fenofibrate. I took it for a year & it made no difference & I stopped but didn't tell her. I tried French grape seed extract (red wine ingredient) for a year & it made no difference. My levels went up & she asked me about the Fenobigrate & I told her I hadn't taken it for a long time & no, I'm not taking statins.

I did some checking & read about steel-cut oatmeal being used in a study where it was eaten 5 out 7 seven days & rates were lowered. I did that for 6 months until my next blood work was due. I shocked her with my blood panel because everything was within the limits & she said my blood work looked perfect. My last tests weren't as good because I fell of the oatmeal-wagon, but I'm getting back on.
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I bake some food every week and steel-cut oatmeal cooked al dente is a major ingredient. This also helps with what they call satiety, my body senses that it really had a meal. I had also read that real steel-cut oats, not the new instant variety, digests in such a way to prevent insulin spike. I am content with my daily baked goods, but I also envision another easy method for a daily dose. Someone could cook a pot once a week and put big scoops in bags or small containers frozen. Then drop into soups, sides, yogurts etc. Magic food.
 
@Lawrence00, we use the real steel-cut & like them, but didn't know there was an instant one. Also use the long cooking old-fashioned rolled oats which also work & gives me a change of texture. I also use the rolled oats in meatloaf instead of bread.

Right now, we just started to cook them in a large batch & putting it in the fridge for 24-hours to turn them into starch resistant food in order loose some weight, but continue to eat this to lower our cholesterol. I wanted to try this out after reading an article put out by Ohio State which also talked other foods you can do this to. Does cooling starchy food after cooking really lower its calories?

This is another article I just found that is interesting: https://healthsystem.osumc.edu/pteduc/docs/resist_starch.pdf
 
Medicine via meme and utoob university!!! gotta love it!

From the op: "Truly, how can anyone think we need to prescribe statins to 50% of the population older than 40?!"

50% of the population is obese.

50% of the pop has heart disease, heading for 60% soon.

50% of pop taking statins is the bare minimum.
 
Lilac said:
@Lawrence00, we use the real steel-cut & like them, but didn't know there was an instant one. Also use the long cooking old-fashioned rolled oats which also work & gives me a change of texture. I also use the rolled oats in meatloaf instead of bread.

Right now, we just started to cook them in a large batch & putting it in the fridge for 24-hours to turn them into starch resistant food in order loose some weight, but continue to eat this to lower our cholesterol. I wanted to try this out after reading an article put out by Ohio State which also talked other foods you can do this to. Does cooling starchy food after cooking really lower its calories?

This is another article I just found that is interesting: https://healthsystem.osumc.edu/pteduc/docs/resist_starch.pdf
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Lilac.. jst a question if I may.....

When you chill the oats for 24 hours , don't they turn into a big solid blob of oats... because I find if I chill mine that's what happens...and also when you reheat the oats.. how do you do it ?... On the stove, in the microwave, how ?
 
hollydolly said:
Lilac.. jst a question if I may.....

When you chill the oats for 24 hours , don't they turn into a big solid blob of oats... because I find if I chill mine that's what happens...and also when you reheat the oats.. how do you do it ?... On the stove, in the microwave, how ?
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Yes, they are definitely a blob.

I just scoop out what I want in a bowl & put it in the microwave with a paper plate to keep in the steam. Depending on your microwave, I just do it for 30 to 45 seconds minutes at a time & stir before heating again. Once I get it to the temp I want, I may add a dash of sugar or fruit & a little milk stirring it all together.

We just started doing this & I like that it doesn't take long to get breakfast ready, especially when we have someplace to go. We like to eat oats, but I didn't like the idea of cutting them out since I want to lose some weight by cutting back on carbs.
 
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Lilac said:
Yes, they are definitely a blob.

I just scoop out what I want in a bowl & put it in the microwave with a paper plate to keep in the steam. Depending on your microwave, I just do it for 30 to 45 minutes at a time & stir before heating again. Once I get it to the temp I want, I may add a dash of sugar or fruit & a little milk stirring it all together.

We just started doing this & I like that it doesn't take long to get breakfast ready, especially when we have someplace to go. We like to eat oats, but I didn't like the idea of cutting them out since I want to lose some weight by cutting back on carbs.
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thanks Lilac.... ...I would like to be able to make enough for a couple of days at a time but I always find the cold blob of Oats the next day very unappealing...
 
I've been making the steel-cut oats for daily, for years as well as my wife. We make them using 2 methods. She follows the pkg directions, starting w bring water to boil, etc. Me on the other hand set the hob, @hollydolly, to a predetermined level/speed based on experience. Add the water, oats, and salt to the pot, set timer, and walk away. After cooking for 15 mins I add almonds, and frozen blueberries, and set timer for 10 mins - done. It takes about 5 mins longer to cook at 6200' vs sea level, water boils at lower temp at elevation.

The last month I've been doing the first step in the evening, covering the pot, and finish the cooking in the morning so I can leave the house in short order to go elk hunting.
 
Lilac said:
Yes, they are definitely a blob.

I just scoop out what I want in a bowl & put it in the microwave with a paper plate to keep in the steam. Depending on your microwave, I just do it for 30 to 45 minutes at a time & stir before heating again. Once I get it to the temp I want, I may add a dash of sugar or fruit & a little milk stirring it all together.

We just started doing this & I like that it doesn't take long to get breakfast ready, especially when we have someplace to go. We like to eat oats, but I didn't like the idea of cutting them out since I want to lose some weight by cutting back on carbs.
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Guessing you meant seconds not minutes in the microwave on reheating.
 
againstthegrain said:
Medicine via meme and utoob university!!! gotta love it!

From the op: "Truly, how can anyone think we need to prescribe statins to 50% of the population older than 40?!"

50% of the population is obese.

50% of the pop has heart disease, heading for 60% soon.

50% of pop taking statins is the bare minimum.
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Well, I suppose we can always just "trust the science".


sickness pays.jpg
 
oslooskar said:
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."
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I know people who had to have a vien ablasion done I think they call it which basically kills a clogged vein in hope the body/area will create new pathways for blood flow to the affected area. They checked and the doctor insisted there was no way to increase the opening size by chemical or surgery including a roto rooter of the area or no drugs get rid of the plaque.

Found out after that the doctor, a newbie was called a tech by nurses and staff always wanting to use tech and do procedures. Wether there were other ways to increase flow/widen the clogged arteries don't know. Did this doctor only do what he knew or wanted OR were there other doctors and alternatives?

After decades of meds and ocassional procedures the only real visible result was from the follow up physical therapy after hospital stays.
 
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againstthegrain said:
Haha, AI joins the fray!!! Memes and utoob university backed up by AI for medical care. I'm going w the recommendations of my board certified internists and cardiologists. You know real people w real MEDICAL educations that have to look you in the eye and tell you what they think is best.
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One of those "board-certified internists" with a real MEDICAL education looked my father in the eye back in 1972 and told him that there was nothing that could be done for his enlarged prostate, which was causing him to get up three and four times a night to urinate, and that he would just have to learn to live with it. Fortunately for my father, I came across a book titled "The Prostate" by J.I. Rodale.

Short story made shorter: I got my father to eat a small handful of raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds every day, and after only three days he slept through the night and never had any prostate problems for the rest of his life. Also, my father was told at his next prostate exam that the size of his prostate was like that of a young man’s. Needless to say, his doctor wanted to know what my father had done to remedy his enlarged prostate. Hence, doctors don't know ten percent of what you think they know.
 
I told my acupuncturist about a heel spur that I had that was painful. I had seen the x-ray & it looked like a perfect rose thorn on my heel.
She told me her mother had a heel spur & how she got rid of it for her.

I bought organic flannel & organic castor oil. The flannel was cut in a patch just large enough to cover my heel it after I rubbed castor oil into it. I then took a plastic bag (bread bag size) cutting it just to fit over my foot & put a sock over that to keep everything in place. I did that every night for over a month & now my heel feels fine.

Sometimes the old ways are better than anything else.
 
againstthegrain said:
I'm going w the recommendations of my board certified internists and cardiologists. You know real people w real MEDICAL educations that have to look you in the eye and tell you what they think is best.
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I generally follow medical advice, but am aware that the average GP has over 1800 patients while I concern myself with just a handful of bodies. I trust but verify. More so now because of the below:

I recently dealt with chest pain that was never associated with any exertion and often showed up in the middle of the night. GP ordered a stress test that I passed with flying colors so he presumed GERD and prescribed an Rx med to treat ulcers and erosive esophagitis. It was intended to cut down any acid reflux that might be causing the pain.

Pain didn't decrease appreciably within 30 days so he ordered an endoscopy. No ulcers spotted but a little tumor was noticed during the test, so I had to go back for another endoscopy in a setting where it could be removed and biopsied.

Unfortunately, during this period my PVCs (pre ventricular contractions) went off the charts. I've had them for years but suddenly they went crazy... 7900 of them during a 24 hour holter test. More tests including another stress test, this one with a nuclear tracer.

I was eventually approved for the 2nd endoscopy despite the PVCs, had the tumor removed and voila! Within a very few days my pain was gone. I stopped the meds shortly thereafter. Within a few days of that my PVCS settled down considerably. Odd, right?

Did some research and it turns out the meds he prescribed are known to blunt the digestive system's uptake of magnesium, which this very doctor put me on a few years ago to control my PVCs.

So... I have confidence in my doctor but the whole PVC snafu could have been avoided if he or the pharmacy had paid closer attention to fact that I take magnesium specifically for my heart rhythm.

I don't know a single person in our age group who hasn't had at least one medical oopsie.

Mostly the docs get it right, but not always.
 
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