The Dr Called me...
 

Yeh, the doctor himself called me -- to tell me it was GOOD news!

When I saw his name on the phone and then heard his voice I was worried. I figured this CAN'T be good news.

But he was calling to tell me that all the blood work came back VERY good! In his words: "George, you are going to live a long time... For you to die, somebody's going to have to shoot you!"

All the electrolytes and stuff were normal and the cholesterol numbers were far and away the best I've ever had!
Total: 162
LDL: 82
HDL: 71
TriG: 78
C-Reactive Protein was 0.8
Sugar: 86

True, the Thyroid may be a little underactive, but we're going have that retested in 6 months... And, if it is, that's an easy fix...

And, the only thing I've done differently? 20 miles a day on a bike...

It's a good thing I enjoy it!

:thumb:

Congrats! Be sure to keep up the effort - you can really see it paid off - BIGTIME.

Congratz!

Biking is definitely good for you.

That said, do not be snookered by the cholesterol myth. The standard cholesterol lab measurements are at best inaccurate and worse only surrogate markers. And "CHOLESTEROL IS NOT A DISEASE"! Did your doctor say you had NO plaque in your arteries? PLAQUE IS THE DISEASE! Not cholesterol. I urge you to have him test you for the disease - Coronary artery plaque. Check for the disease not some weakly linked surrogate marker. Read this review then consider getting the book of which I have no connection http://pi-bill-articles.blogspot.com...-leads-to.html and I might also recommend this one http://pi-bill-articles.blogspot.com...rly-rocky.html

Did you know that of the people who have heart attacks, half have high cholesterol and half have low cholesterol. Your cholesterol numbers tell you almost nothing. And also did you know that every cell in your body need cholesterol? Especially the cells in your brain where the highest concentration is in your body. One of the main functions of your liver is to create the cholesterol your body needs. Your doctor saying "you are going to live a long time... For you to die, somebody's going to have to shoot you!" borders on malpractice. See if he will put that in writing as a guarantee. President Clinton had passed his doctor recommended stress tests with flying colors then shortly had to have a quadruple bypass. Get your coronary artery calcium checked then treat the disease if you in fact hacve it.

Not trying to put a damper on your apparent good news but.... his statement did you no favor. I know! Been there done that.

Hell, those are good numbers for a 30 year old......

Such a shame you did.

Why do you take as gospel the writings of one guy (who likely wears a tinfoil hat) yet refuse the advice and recommendations of many others?

edit: I apologize. I just read the background info on Tom Naughton and he is clearly qualified to dispense medical advice:

Tom Naughton is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, writer, and stand up comedian best known for the documentary film Fat Head. He is known for his advocating of a Paleolithic diet and speaking out against the Lipid hypothesis.[1] Naughton is a former Vegetarian and alcoholic.[2] Naughton was a vegetarian for many years during which time he claims to have gained weight, lost weight, and had problems with flatulence, constipation and depression, all of which, he argues, were produced by his diet.[3][4] Naughton now follows a low-carbohydrate diet, one that he followed while eating fast food in Fat Head.

Keep riding!

Thanks for your concern...

And, yes, to a large measure I agree with what you say about cholesterol: actually MORE than half of the people with heart attacks have "good" cholesterol numbers. So, yes, I agree, good cholesterol numbers don't guarantee anything. But, the better they are, the lower your chances of a heart attack or stroke. And, in the end, that is all we can do: improve our chances.

Lately, they have been coming to understand that cholesterol is only one of the factors that contribute to arterial clogging. Inflamation also has a significant effect. So, that's why he checked my C-Reactive Protein -- which also was pretty solid.

And, also, your advice to have a screening for arterial plaque is also well taken. And, actually I did have that done about a year ago with a non-invasive scan of the carotid arteries: the right showed no plaque while the left showed minimal...

So, no matter what you do or what the numbers are, there are no guarantees. But we can do things through medication and lifestyle that improve our chances -- and that is what I'm doing. The news I got today, confirmed that i am doing the right things.

And, darn it! I feel good about that!

So how does "Shooting the Messenger" halp make your argument? Character assination and ad hominum attack only show what a small mind you have. You said NOTHING about the content of what he had to say. You take a too often used stance of not speaking to what he says rather speaking to who he is in your mind. NOT VERY CREDIBLE. But keep that up if it is your choice to do so.

Congrats!

I would be more concerned with the "shoot you" remark. You don't know his wife do you? :) Keep on pedaling!