There is a new test that all the doctors at the University of Tennessee Med Center seem to want all their patients to take: it is a CAT-Scan to search for calcium in arteries. I'm wondering if anyone, here, knows anything about it. My wife (whose family has a history of heart problems) took the test and came out with flying colors. I took it and the doctor who scored it wrote to me and said I am in the 88th percentile of men liable to die of a heart attack. Following that test, I met a cardiologist who called me a "ticking time bomb". Next, I took a stress test and that indicated zero problems. It is all very confusing.
I enjoy the Star Trek stories, especially the little "tricorder" devices that make noises for a few seconds while analyzing everything the user needs to know. We're not there yet, but getting close. It is complicated, but the pieces seem to be falling into place.
Last year, my acupuncturist held my hands and declared I have afib. I dragged out my kardia home ecg, and it confirmed. Tested again, and it wasn't. I increased my magnesium and the afib reading became less frequent but still complained occasionally. I sent an afib trace from my kardia to my electrocardiologist, who said don't worry, it's not afib. I have several clinic ecgs a year so he has my history. Now, maybe my little "tricorder" is just reading it wrong, or maybe I have occasional afib the clinic didn't happen to catch. That's yet another layer of complexity.
So my approach to cutting through the fog of war is to collect as much data as I can and look for clues, making changes as I go. I don't expect we'll find a single solution.
Dr Dean has a lot to say about calcium in Magnesium Miracle. Mg and Ca work together, so Mg deficiency affects Ca accumulations. I checked mine a few months ago, was in the lab's normal range but a little below Dean's recommendation. That's with supplements, so apparently I was deficient. I've added some more, and will test my level again soon. The war is won one battle at a time.
I deserve the firing squad for not citing or pointing to sources. From years of reading, I am convinced (and still open minded because I could be way off) that dis-ease comes down to sub clinical chronic inflammation - the body reacting to some stimulus/i, antigen or something else, probably a long list including diet and other environmental insults. (Shoot me now, I don’t know what else.) Includes autoimmune issues from neurological to blood to connective tissue to... The question, the great mystery is what is the cause? After that, where in the body (case by case) to focus appropriate corrective treatment/therapy? Someone somewhere pointed out that within the allopathic model looking for causes is not profitable. I’m of the same opinion. Congenital or hereditary dis-ease is excepted, though I suspect the stress on the body from the condition/s surely create a physiological landscape that includes inflammation.
Einstein told us 100 years ago everything is energy. Standard education never framed our existence that way (along with a plethora of other omissions, by design) and any chance of exploring or including such concepts in medical training was thrown out with the bathwater by Rockefeller & cronies. It’s a leap of faith, but your anecdote about your acupuncturist pegging a-fib by holding your hands is indicative of some level of veracity to the energetic approach to medically assessing and treating human beings. Note the concept has survived millennia so there has to be some validity. What ever happened to phrenology for instance? I don’t know what sort of conversations you’ve had with your acupuncturist. If you haven’t already, maybe introduce the topic of inflammation? Explore for sources/causes? You could try at your PCP but we sort of know the story there about rooting out causes.
Ah, what do I know? (Not much!) Except every single human body is unique and idiosyncratic; there is no such thing as one size fits all.
To your point about focusing on brain health, again no answers, only a view from my lab rat self looking at boosting the same. I have no clue about drug interactions or contraindications but have you looked at nootropics? As opposed to pharmaceuticals. I’m exploring bacopa monnieri and ashwaganda with marginally noticeable effects. Been taking maca for a decade. That, I will swear, has made a difference in sustaining energy levels, and possibly(?) some benefit to alertness (though if you have decent energy it follows you’d be alert).
It’s a journey. You’re extremely generous to share your comings and goings. Wild ride, especially at this point in history. Hang in.
A lot to unpack there. You seem to be unduly interested in being shot, so maybe increasing your meditation practice can help you collect your thoughts.
Regarding nootropics, I try to minimize chemical alterations. I've found that ensuring sufficient nutrients and avoiding destructive agents seems to work pretty well. Our physiology is organized to function pretty well with the right environment. I do like to take some supplements to help overcome my occasional failures to treat myself well. But my goal is always to eliminate any need for all chemical supplements. Bredesen's book is a good discussion of what the brain needs, and what it dislikes. Inflammation is a root cause of alzheimers, and many other ailments, and should always be monitored carefully. My most recent series of acupuncture treatments was for neck pain, which turned out to be driven by inflammation from food allergies. I also have some osteoarthritis in my neck which probably exacerbates the painful inflammation in the neck tendons. I'm zeroing in on several foods that seem to increase the pain, and some that reduce it.
And, yes, the relationship between matter and energy is much more complicated than Einstein's simplified equation. But mostly we're stuck with the matter we have, so it's best to focus on dealing with that. Someday we might develop Star Trek transporters that convert us to pure energy and move us at light speed. Maybe we'll learn to repair defects the same way. For now, we need to focus on living long enough that we'll be around to enjoy those new capabilities.
“Shot” could also apply to injection, subliminally? Learning it’s better for egos (all around, but, yep, self interest for sure) in this climate to limit sharing my opinion. When I let slip, incoming retorts can feel like shot, so, I ‘spose I expect it. I steel for it, but it still smarts. Pesky ego. Your delivery is very kind. I appreciate that.
Of course I can’t know what all you’ve explored on your journey. You’ve made some connection with inflammation as root cause, obviating any further words from my corner on that.
I like the small hand held diagnostic reader Bones used (original series, never saw any of the films - did that tool make it into those scripts?). Reading energy / energetic disturbances I suspect ! Treatments still required some recuperation as I recall, out there in the 26th(?) century. 😉 For now, our handle on manipulating the energy of matter is pretty crude. But it’s a step! Agreed, I’m hopeful in our lifetimes we’ll see and benefit from some astounding advances in numerous, long suppressed technologies. Focused now on getting through this painful birthing process, prayer and trying to keep vibration high to attract and usher in the better - a task in itself, personally speaking. Thanks again sharing and for this brief exchange.
You have reminded me of another resource I've not yet accessed. I'll grab my copy of the I CHING and three coins. Over the years, the oracle has only failed me once.
FYI It told me that Biden will not complete his 4-year term and that Kamala will be impeached. The future looks good.
My Doctor insisted that I go on Statins, I fired him and moved on. I am diabetic and need no medicine as my blood sugars are under control with diet and exercise. I wish that I had a better understanding of medicine to leave an intellegent thought to help you.
Statins don't affect outcomes, just relieve symptoms. The problem is the cholesterol imbalances are caused by poor diets, sleep, exercise, etc. Doctors are incentivized to treat the symptoms, profitably, and ignore the causes, which they're not trained for because it's not profitable.
My wife was diagnosed type 2 diabetes several years ago, we "cured" her with diet and exercise. Her docs prescribed "standard" care which didn't help. Sounds like you understand what you need.
Good to know. I agree with Doctors, symptoms, and drugs. Glad to hear about your Wife. I make it a practice to stay away from Doctors and Hospitals as much as possible.
I suspect all my doctors own stock in companies that make statin drugs. In my case, it seems that my choice is between high cholesterol or liver damage. Both Crestor and Lipitor have caused concern regarding my liver's health. Recently (following three months use of NatureMade CholestOff and one injection of Repatha) my LDL went from 175 to 100. The doctors of course give all the credit to Repatha. I read articles by Dr. Mercola that make me question everything.
I really like Saladino's analysis why LDL isn't a problem unless flooded with insulin. But the inflammation wasn't discussed. He does respond to email sometimes, I'll ask him what he knows about that. My cardiologists have been working on my insulin resistance 2 years, making some progress, but I pretty much eliminated it when I switched to keto diet last year. Which of course jacked up cholesterol and LDL as Saladino predicted, freaking out my doc. Docs are particularly worried about my inflammation because I got 3 stents from my previous cardiologist, who is much less enlightened than the current one.
Attia has a ton of material in his site. I'm beginning to browse that, maybe I'll find more good ideas.
It would be interesting to review your weight changes with the dietary adjustments. It is quite cheap to weigh yourself daily and record the numbers, which could then be compared to your lab value changes. Waist circumference corresponds well to the volume of visceral fat, the marker for insurance resistance.
I am too delicate to suggest similar studies on your wife!
I once interrupted a cardiologist in his statin lecture about the beauties of a particular statin (memory does fail) after the obligatory 10 second "Diet and Lifestyle" acknowledgement, "Now let's get to the real Beauty" spiel.
"Sir, I despise the word "Lifestyle." If you would use "Life Choices" the patient would possibly have to take some personal responsibility."
I am impressed with your description of the various results of your choices, and their adjustments.
It's a complicated puzzle, so a continuing quest. I do watch my weight daily, checking on the same digital scale, first thing in the morning, after urinating, in my shorts, before ingesting anything. Very stable diet and fluids, weight still varies a couple of pounds, but pretty stable.
New news on the "inflammatory" marker my doc is worried about [Lp(a)]. Dr Attia has a new podcast this week specifically on Lp(a), interviewing a Dutch-Canadian scientist specializing in Lp(a) research.
I asked Dr Saladino about it but his staff says he no longer responds to emails, but he does have a good podcast of his own, so maybe he'll bring it up. Dr Attia does respond to reader questions in an "ask me anything" podcast every few weeks. The Saladino detail on insulin was omitted in Attia's Lp(a) podcast, so I asked about that.
Attia says Lp(a) is genetic, and correlates closely with bad outcomes for atherosclerosis, as does LDL. Saladino says low insulin and high HDL (natural outcome of carnivore diet) insulates us from the atherosclerosis effects of high LDL but doesn't mention Lp(a). My beloved cardiologist got promoted and doesn't see patients and longer, so I need to break in a new one. For now, I'm sticking with Saladino and my apparent lack of symptoms, and maintaining my high fat, low carb diet with its higher LDL and Lp(a).
My main lesson from 6 years of following conventional cardiology advice was I kept going downhill. Following Esselstyn two years (low fat) and now almost two years of Saladino and I feel healed, despite the non standard blood tests. I don't discount competent medical advice lightly, but when they disagree, I go with the best evidence I can find.
Thank you for writing, I sympathize with your dilemma. I know Attia from when he was working with Gary Taubes on NUSI. They had some kind of falling out, I gather. Have you read Dr. Malcolm Kendrick's book, "The Clot Thickens?" It's a great and easy overview.
Episode 9 --heart health and the microbiome. According to these drs., high fiber plant- based diets and resistant starch (i.e.cooked & cooled potatoes) fared well with reducing cardio, inflammatory issues (beans & leafy greens always seem to be highlighted while promoting the healthy fats of avocado, nuts & seeds).
Thank you. I'll check it out. I don't seem to have a problem with general "system" inflammation, which is measured well with hs-CRP. Mine is very low, so the mentioned items are distinct from that, apparently specific to arterial plaques. Inflammation is a participant in many ailments, such as advanced stages of covid. I plan to learn more about it.
Sorry, I keep trying to like this but Substack is throwing an error. I have been wondering recently if the Keto diets might increase cholesterol too much. I didn't know this info about brain cholesterol. Very interesting.
Thanks for the note. Substack apparently broke something last week, and article likes don't work from mail readers, but they do from the web site. I write mainly to organize my thoughts, sort of a therapeutic outlet, so the only like I care about is my own. But I always appreciate nice thoughts.
It seems cholesterol accumulation is complicated. Partly endogenous production, partly consumption, partly clearance. Imbalances can be caused by increased consumption, but not necessarily. If everything is working right, HDL should bring any excess back to the liver for recycling, but we often reduce the HDL by poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, and degrade our liver with other bad decisions.
There is a new test that all the doctors at the University of Tennessee Med Center seem to want all their patients to take: it is a CAT-Scan to search for calcium in arteries. I'm wondering if anyone, here, knows anything about it. My wife (whose family has a history of heart problems) took the test and came out with flying colors. I took it and the doctor who scored it wrote to me and said I am in the 88th percentile of men liable to die of a heart attack. Following that test, I met a cardiologist who called me a "ticking time bomb". Next, I took a stress test and that indicated zero problems. It is all very confusing.
I enjoy the Star Trek stories, especially the little "tricorder" devices that make noises for a few seconds while analyzing everything the user needs to know. We're not there yet, but getting close. It is complicated, but the pieces seem to be falling into place.
Last year, my acupuncturist held my hands and declared I have afib. I dragged out my kardia home ecg, and it confirmed. Tested again, and it wasn't. I increased my magnesium and the afib reading became less frequent but still complained occasionally. I sent an afib trace from my kardia to my electrocardiologist, who said don't worry, it's not afib. I have several clinic ecgs a year so he has my history. Now, maybe my little "tricorder" is just reading it wrong, or maybe I have occasional afib the clinic didn't happen to catch. That's yet another layer of complexity.
So my approach to cutting through the fog of war is to collect as much data as I can and look for clues, making changes as I go. I don't expect we'll find a single solution.
Dr Dean has a lot to say about calcium in Magnesium Miracle. Mg and Ca work together, so Mg deficiency affects Ca accumulations. I checked mine a few months ago, was in the lab's normal range but a little below Dean's recommendation. That's with supplements, so apparently I was deficient. I've added some more, and will test my level again soon. The war is won one battle at a time.
I deserve the firing squad for not citing or pointing to sources. From years of reading, I am convinced (and still open minded because I could be way off) that dis-ease comes down to sub clinical chronic inflammation - the body reacting to some stimulus/i, antigen or something else, probably a long list including diet and other environmental insults. (Shoot me now, I don’t know what else.) Includes autoimmune issues from neurological to blood to connective tissue to... The question, the great mystery is what is the cause? After that, where in the body (case by case) to focus appropriate corrective treatment/therapy? Someone somewhere pointed out that within the allopathic model looking for causes is not profitable. I’m of the same opinion. Congenital or hereditary dis-ease is excepted, though I suspect the stress on the body from the condition/s surely create a physiological landscape that includes inflammation.
Einstein told us 100 years ago everything is energy. Standard education never framed our existence that way (along with a plethora of other omissions, by design) and any chance of exploring or including such concepts in medical training was thrown out with the bathwater by Rockefeller & cronies. It’s a leap of faith, but your anecdote about your acupuncturist pegging a-fib by holding your hands is indicative of some level of veracity to the energetic approach to medically assessing and treating human beings. Note the concept has survived millennia so there has to be some validity. What ever happened to phrenology for instance? I don’t know what sort of conversations you’ve had with your acupuncturist. If you haven’t already, maybe introduce the topic of inflammation? Explore for sources/causes? You could try at your PCP but we sort of know the story there about rooting out causes.
Ah, what do I know? (Not much!) Except every single human body is unique and idiosyncratic; there is no such thing as one size fits all.
To your point about focusing on brain health, again no answers, only a view from my lab rat self looking at boosting the same. I have no clue about drug interactions or contraindications but have you looked at nootropics? As opposed to pharmaceuticals. I’m exploring bacopa monnieri and ashwaganda with marginally noticeable effects. Been taking maca for a decade. That, I will swear, has made a difference in sustaining energy levels, and possibly(?) some benefit to alertness (though if you have decent energy it follows you’d be alert).
It’s a journey. You’re extremely generous to share your comings and goings. Wild ride, especially at this point in history. Hang in.
A lot to unpack there. You seem to be unduly interested in being shot, so maybe increasing your meditation practice can help you collect your thoughts.
Regarding nootropics, I try to minimize chemical alterations. I've found that ensuring sufficient nutrients and avoiding destructive agents seems to work pretty well. Our physiology is organized to function pretty well with the right environment. I do like to take some supplements to help overcome my occasional failures to treat myself well. But my goal is always to eliminate any need for all chemical supplements. Bredesen's book is a good discussion of what the brain needs, and what it dislikes. Inflammation is a root cause of alzheimers, and many other ailments, and should always be monitored carefully. My most recent series of acupuncture treatments was for neck pain, which turned out to be driven by inflammation from food allergies. I also have some osteoarthritis in my neck which probably exacerbates the painful inflammation in the neck tendons. I'm zeroing in on several foods that seem to increase the pain, and some that reduce it.
And, yes, the relationship between matter and energy is much more complicated than Einstein's simplified equation. But mostly we're stuck with the matter we have, so it's best to focus on dealing with that. Someday we might develop Star Trek transporters that convert us to pure energy and move us at light speed. Maybe we'll learn to repair defects the same way. For now, we need to focus on living long enough that we'll be around to enjoy those new capabilities.
“Shot” could also apply to injection, subliminally? Learning it’s better for egos (all around, but, yep, self interest for sure) in this climate to limit sharing my opinion. When I let slip, incoming retorts can feel like shot, so, I ‘spose I expect it. I steel for it, but it still smarts. Pesky ego. Your delivery is very kind. I appreciate that.
Of course I can’t know what all you’ve explored on your journey. You’ve made some connection with inflammation as root cause, obviating any further words from my corner on that.
I like the small hand held diagnostic reader Bones used (original series, never saw any of the films - did that tool make it into those scripts?). Reading energy / energetic disturbances I suspect ! Treatments still required some recuperation as I recall, out there in the 26th(?) century. 😉 For now, our handle on manipulating the energy of matter is pretty crude. But it’s a step! Agreed, I’m hopeful in our lifetimes we’ll see and benefit from some astounding advances in numerous, long suppressed technologies. Focused now on getting through this painful birthing process, prayer and trying to keep vibration high to attract and usher in the better - a task in itself, personally speaking. Thanks again sharing and for this brief exchange.
You have reminded me of another resource I've not yet accessed. I'll grab my copy of the I CHING and three coins. Over the years, the oracle has only failed me once.
FYI It told me that Biden will not complete his 4-year term and that Kamala will be impeached. The future looks good.
My Doctor insisted that I go on Statins, I fired him and moved on. I am diabetic and need no medicine as my blood sugars are under control with diet and exercise. I wish that I had a better understanding of medicine to leave an intellegent thought to help you.
Statins don't affect outcomes, just relieve symptoms. The problem is the cholesterol imbalances are caused by poor diets, sleep, exercise, etc. Doctors are incentivized to treat the symptoms, profitably, and ignore the causes, which they're not trained for because it's not profitable.
My wife was diagnosed type 2 diabetes several years ago, we "cured" her with diet and exercise. Her docs prescribed "standard" care which didn't help. Sounds like you understand what you need.
Good to know. I agree with Doctors, symptoms, and drugs. Glad to hear about your Wife. I make it a practice to stay away from Doctors and Hospitals as much as possible.
I suspect all my doctors own stock in companies that make statin drugs. In my case, it seems that my choice is between high cholesterol or liver damage. Both Crestor and Lipitor have caused concern regarding my liver's health. Recently (following three months use of NatureMade CholestOff and one injection of Repatha) my LDL went from 175 to 100. The doctors of course give all the credit to Repatha. I read articles by Dr. Mercola that make me question everything.
I really like Saladino's analysis why LDL isn't a problem unless flooded with insulin. But the inflammation wasn't discussed. He does respond to email sometimes, I'll ask him what he knows about that. My cardiologists have been working on my insulin resistance 2 years, making some progress, but I pretty much eliminated it when I switched to keto diet last year. Which of course jacked up cholesterol and LDL as Saladino predicted, freaking out my doc. Docs are particularly worried about my inflammation because I got 3 stents from my previous cardiologist, who is much less enlightened than the current one.
Attia has a ton of material in his site. I'm beginning to browse that, maybe I'll find more good ideas.
It would be interesting to review your weight changes with the dietary adjustments. It is quite cheap to weigh yourself daily and record the numbers, which could then be compared to your lab value changes. Waist circumference corresponds well to the volume of visceral fat, the marker for insurance resistance.
I am too delicate to suggest similar studies on your wife!
I once interrupted a cardiologist in his statin lecture about the beauties of a particular statin (memory does fail) after the obligatory 10 second "Diet and Lifestyle" acknowledgement, "Now let's get to the real Beauty" spiel.
"Sir, I despise the word "Lifestyle." If you would use "Life Choices" the patient would possibly have to take some personal responsibility."
I am impressed with your description of the various results of your choices, and their adjustments.
It's a complicated puzzle, so a continuing quest. I do watch my weight daily, checking on the same digital scale, first thing in the morning, after urinating, in my shorts, before ingesting anything. Very stable diet and fluids, weight still varies a couple of pounds, but pretty stable.
New news on the "inflammatory" marker my doc is worried about [Lp(a)]. Dr Attia has a new podcast this week specifically on Lp(a), interviewing a Dutch-Canadian scientist specializing in Lp(a) research.
I asked Dr Saladino about it but his staff says he no longer responds to emails, but he does have a good podcast of his own, so maybe he'll bring it up. Dr Attia does respond to reader questions in an "ask me anything" podcast every few weeks. The Saladino detail on insulin was omitted in Attia's Lp(a) podcast, so I asked about that.
Attia says Lp(a) is genetic, and correlates closely with bad outcomes for atherosclerosis, as does LDL. Saladino says low insulin and high HDL (natural outcome of carnivore diet) insulates us from the atherosclerosis effects of high LDL but doesn't mention Lp(a). My beloved cardiologist got promoted and doesn't see patients and longer, so I need to break in a new one. For now, I'm sticking with Saladino and my apparent lack of symptoms, and maintaining my high fat, low carb diet with its higher LDL and Lp(a).
My main lesson from 6 years of following conventional cardiology advice was I kept going downhill. Following Esselstyn two years (low fat) and now almost two years of Saladino and I feel healed, despite the non standard blood tests. I don't discount competent medical advice lightly, but when they disagree, I go with the best evidence I can find.
Thank you for writing, I sympathize with your dilemma. I know Attia from when he was working with Gary Taubes on NUSI. They had some kind of falling out, I gather. Have you read Dr. Malcolm Kendrick's book, "The Clot Thickens?" It's a great and easy overview.
Thanks for the ref. Ill check it. I really like Taubes "Good Calories" a thorough discussion of fat metabolism.
Have you seen the "Gut-Immune Solution" series?
https://gutimmunesolution.com/?a=5d97b47de1dea&b=7fab12b4
Episode 9 --heart health and the microbiome. According to these drs., high fiber plant- based diets and resistant starch (i.e.cooked & cooled potatoes) fared well with reducing cardio, inflammatory issues (beans & leafy greens always seem to be highlighted while promoting the healthy fats of avocado, nuts & seeds).
Here's the link to the last episode if you're interested: https://gutimmunesolution.com/episode10-live/
Thank you. I'll check it out. I don't seem to have a problem with general "system" inflammation, which is measured well with hs-CRP. Mine is very low, so the mentioned items are distinct from that, apparently specific to arterial plaques. Inflammation is a participant in many ailments, such as advanced stages of covid. I plan to learn more about it.
Sorry, I keep trying to like this but Substack is throwing an error. I have been wondering recently if the Keto diets might increase cholesterol too much. I didn't know this info about brain cholesterol. Very interesting.
Thanks for the note. Substack apparently broke something last week, and article likes don't work from mail readers, but they do from the web site. I write mainly to organize my thoughts, sort of a therapeutic outlet, so the only like I care about is my own. But I always appreciate nice thoughts.
It seems cholesterol accumulation is complicated. Partly endogenous production, partly consumption, partly clearance. Imbalances can be caused by increased consumption, but not necessarily. If everything is working right, HDL should bring any excess back to the liver for recycling, but we often reduce the HDL by poor diet and sedentary lifestyle, and degrade our liver with other bad decisions.