Health Thread

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Oh, man, this is an extraordinary deep and complex subject. Maddening, really. A long learning curve.

18 years ago, in addition to a bunch of other stuff, I took a modified course in clinical hematology. Just so I could interpret my blood labs. Near impossible without a background in chemistry. Then, I find myself explaining things to my oncologist . She thought I was nuts, brain tumor, and sent me off for brain MRI, and psycho evaluation. (Too many more horror stories here.)

I view the whole medical system quite skeptically. Including supplements and homeopathics. You've got to tread carefully here.

I can imagine a fellow dragging me to 1849 California, pointing to the ground, and pronouncing "there's no gold here". And he'd be right.

Unless you dig and pan.

Same thing with this forum. Somebody could pluck out an endless stream of inaccuracies (including mine), and pronounce this place as charlatan.

Or a goldmine of good info.

Researching all this stuff, separating the wheat from the chaff, is enormous, and tiring...

 

[fredintoon]

I've been following Joel Wallach for quite some time...
https://ksco.com/dead-doctors-dont-lie

Hi 2many,
Almost believable, eh? But where's the comparison data?
OK, this that and the other athlete died young but how long did those fellows presumably
couch potato siblings live?
The only "early death" athlete I'm familiar with is Jim Fixx.
Yes he ran all the time and died early.
But nowhere near as early as every other male member of his bloodline.
They all died in their 30s & 40s.
Exercising like a mad thing bought Jim an extra two decades.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Hi 2many,
Almost believable, eh? But where's the comparison data?

Hey, Fred!
I've seen numerous excerpts of the obits, but ya gotta look for them.

This is really a hot-button topic. And you make an important point, making it incumbent on one party to provide reams of supporting data. I'm a "teach a man to fish" type. Not a salesman, not a good messenger either. In this venue, I think I'd rather play the part of "observer". Just too tired for this.

The comparison testimonials tit-for-tat would go on forever.

My cousin would have some problem with his car, complain, argue, then rant about conspiracy theories. The only way to convince him and win the argument was to fix his car for him, then buy him dinner. Nowadays, I just let him win the argument, and nothing gets fixed. Much easier on me. None of his cars run, and he doesn't drive anymore.

Imagine you're in 1849 California. You look down, see a gold nugget, and pick it up. Some fellow scampers over and asks "Where'd you get that?". You point down, "Right there." He looks and says "There's no gold nuggets there!", and trods off, announcing to all the passerbys that you lied to him, there's no gold there.

You look again, and 6 feet over is another nugget.

Now, which is more important.
- Showing him this new nugget, to prove your point,
- Or quietly plucking it for yourself?

More cud for the chew:

https://www.majesticearth-minerals.com/docs-biography.html

http://nutra-smart.net/al.htm

https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/colloidalminerals.html

http://skepdic.com/wallach.html

 

[Goldenboy]

On Nutritional Supplements: While in the Adirondacks, I stopped in Saratoga Springs. In the interpretive center, literature described the history of the place and its popularity. Native Americans believed the springs had medicinal powers. The railroads brought thousands in the late 1830's to drink the water and bathe in hot mineral springs as this was in vogue. The largest hotel in the world was here, to acomondate all the people. Local entrepeneurs began to tout the water for its supposed healinging properties and bottled and shipped all over the world, the largest distribution of any product to that date in the early 20th century. And it was done in such large amounts that the aquifers were being depleted as they could not keep up with demand. This was big business. Finally the federal government intervened on behalf of the people and brought the entrepeneurs to task to prove their claims as to what this water could do for you.This was the formation of the Food and Drug Administration, a watch dog for the interests of the general public . The entrepeneurs could not prove their claims and were stopped from making them, and world wide distribution of Saratoga Spring water was ended in short order.
Consumer Reports also had a whole magazine devoted to the subject. Vitamin and supplement makers are promoting the use of their products to the tune of billions of dollars. There are pressure sales to supermarkets to sell their products, in a highly competitive business. If the manufacturer cannot substantiate what is said, then the bottle will say," to be used as a dietary supplement". Some are expensive and work on "the hair of the dog" principle. As the article went, the claim a particular product was to aid with pancreatic deficiencies, The ingredients were crushed, dried pig pancreas. The result of investigation rebuffed this claim because, even if it was of benefit to the pancreas, there was no way the supplement would migrate to the pancreas. And since it wasn't, you would get better health benefits from eating a hamburger!
Osteo Chondroiton, $15 per bottle is made of dried, pulverized cartilage and is to heal the cartilage in your joints. How? And a list of other vitamins and supplements in excess could cause a build up in your system. As we age, the kidneys and metabolism do not work as well to process what we ingest.
The body will use what it needs and rid itself of excess vitamins and nutrients found in foods. But, it tends to store vitamins and nutrients found in supplements, especially in high levels. The National Institute of Health in conjunction with the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services established acceptable levels of vitamins and supplements which are age and gender specific, with mitigating factors. Their recommendation was to take one quality multivitamin per day. And most people who eat right are the ones to also take vitamins. Still, if you look at the label on a bottle of multivitamins, it also says, "To be used as a dietary supplement"...

" With the excuse of saving lives, and for the benefit medical research, we have put people through tortures worthy of the Spanish Inquisition."( Quoted from a New York Times article, "Miracles of Modern Medicine") During World War Two, Japanese doctors did experiments on the threshold of pain using the POW's as subjects to learn as much as they could on the human nervous system. When Japan surrendered to the Americans, they traded this information for their freedom and were given asyulum in the United States and a place to live in California. This valuable information is most of what we know about pain and was instrumental in producing anesthesia for various applications. In an ironic twist, most of what we know about the harmful effects of radiation has been learned by studying the Japanese victims of the atom bombs.

 

[Goldenboy]

Hi 2many,
Almost believable, eh? But where's the comparison data?
OK, this that and the other athlete died young but how long did those fellows presumably
couch potato siblings live?
The only "early death" athlete I'm familiar with is Jim Fixx.
Yes he ran all the time and died early.
But nowhere near as early as every other male member of his bloodline.
They all died in their 30s & 40s.
Exercising like a mad thing bought Jim an extra two decades.

Excercising in moderation and listening to your heart is what I was told in cardiac rehab. How many miles can you expect to get from the same engine in a family car, or a dragster? When I walked 32 miles the third week out of the hospital, and 5 weeks since my heart attack, I walked at an even pace four miles at a time, the last day twice, all the time, listening to my heart. As soon as they can, they introduce an increasing level of activity,a tolerable level of activity, wearing a monitor this is important for circulation and digestion.

 

[Goldenboy]

Hey, Fred!
I've seen numerous excerpts of the obits, but ya gotta look for them.

This is really a hot-button topic. And you make an important point, making it incumbent on one party to provide reams of supporting data. I'm a "teach a man to fish" type. Not a salesman, not a good messenger either. In this venue, I think I'd rather play the part of "observer". Just too tired for this.

The comparison testimonials tit-for-tat would go on forever.

My cousin would have some problem with his car, complain, argue, then rant about conspiracy theories. The only way to convince him and win the argument was to fix his car for him, then buy him dinner. Nowadays, I just let him win the argument, and nothing gets fixed. Much easier on me. None of his cars run, and he doesn't drive anymore.

Imagine you're in 1849 California. You look down, see a gold nugget, and pick it up. Some fellow scampers over and asks "Where'd you get that?". You point down, "Right there." He looks and says "There's no gold nuggets there!", and trods off, announcing to all the passerbys that you lied to him, there's no gold there.

You look again, and 6 feet over is another nugget.

Now, which is more important.
- Showing him this new nugget, to prove your point,
- Or quietly plucking it for yourself?

More cud for the chew:

https://www.majesticearth-minerals.com/docs-biography.html

http://nutra-smart.net/al.htm

https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/colloidalminerals.html

http://skepdic.com/wallach.html

Those are pretty scathing rebuttals. I have to go off topic to get some air, though. " Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in a rowboat and drink beer all day."

 

[GLJ]

I've go high blood pressure. Walked into a clinic one day and left in a ambo. They freaked out I was 230 over 160. On meds now. Doctor told me a couple of beers are OK. Thins down the blood. I think I'm a 1000 years ahead now.

 

[Goldenboy]

I've go high blood pressure. Walked into a clinic one day and left in a ambo. They freaked out I was 230 over 160. On meds now. Doctor told me a couple of beers are OK. Thins down the blood. I think I'm a 1000 years ahead now.

Yeah, everything in mod. Beer may help you to relax, but a lot of alcohol raises the BP, and if you take other meds, look at drugs.com to see interactions with alcohol. But BP that high is stroke city. Two kinds of strokes, one from a blockage, the other from a burst blood vessel in the brain. Keep some aspirin in a little pocket pill container with you and go to Walgreens and get a good BP monitor and check it in the AM and PM or if you feel dizzy.

 

[GLJ]

I've got a BP monitor. With meds, beer and such it's it's 150/160 over 80/90. Not ideal but better. Even when my bp was out of control I never felt bad/different.

 

[Goldenboy]

I've got a BP monitor. With meds, beer and such it's it's 150/160 over 80/90. Not ideal but better. Even when my bp was out of control I never felt bad/different.

My wife has High BP that runs in the family and is on Lopressor, and has a couple of beers twice a week. I know it makes her relax. They are saying that that 120/80 is not everyone's normal but you should try to stay in that range. Getting back to excercise, regular excercise also lowers BP.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

I have a bulky, 15 year old wrist blood pressure monitor.
Anybody using the newer, slimmer wrist monitors?



https://www.walmart.com/ip/F07-Wate...7ME2HJiCA3X-UJgIYn7W7LqdZzQSmU0EaAgI7EALw_wcB

 

[Goldenboy]

I have a bulky, 15 year old wrist blood pressure monitor.
Anybody using the newer, slimmer wrist monitors?

View attachment 129402

https://www.walmart.com/ip/F07-Wate...7ME2HJiCA3X-UJgIYn7W7LqdZzQSmU0EaAgI7EALw_wcB

I was told by my Dr. to get the arm band type and spend around $60.00. The ones that have a molded clamp are easiest to use.

 

[xjwmx]

Years ago my brother went in for a regular physical and a spot showed up on his lungs. At the time at least there was no way to determine what it was, no way to do biopsy on the lungs. So the safest thing to do was have the lung removed, even though the odds of it being cancer was very low! I went with him early in the morning and as the anesthesiologist was there getting his information, she basically said never go to the doctor unless you're sick. After the removal and examination it turned out to be just something he'd inhaled.

 

[Goldenboy]

Years ago my brother went in for a regular physical and a spot showed up on his lungs. At the time at least there was no way to determine what it was, no way to do biopsy on the lungs. So the safest thing to do was have the lung removed, even though the odds of it being cancer was very low! I went with him early in the morning and as the anesthesiologist was there getting his information, she basically said never go to the doctor unless you're sick. After the removal and examination it turned out to be just something he'd inhaled.

My father's friend from the old neighborhood had a twin brother. The doctor examined him for a bad cough and told him it was lung ca. He jumped out of a window to his death. Autopsy revealed no cancer. My aunt had TB in the late 1920's. Back then, treatment involved removal of the affected lung and a few surrounding ribs. She lived to 92, and died due to injuries sustained in a fall, helping my uncle to the bathroom. I wouldn't wait 'til the wheels fall off to get my car checked out. A reputable doctor and routine physicals are important. In your brothers case, I believe a 2nd opinion would have saved his lung. And when a suspicious nodule like that is found, the protocol is to wait 6 months and repeat the x-ray. If it doesn't change, and the patient is not declining, then no action is warranted.

 

[Goldenboy]

My father's friend from the old neighborhood had a twin brother. The doctor examined him for a bad cough and told him it was lung ca. He jumped out of a window to his death. Autopsy revealed no cancer. My aunt had TB in the late 1920's. Back then, treatment involved removal of the affected lung and a few surrounding ribs. She lived to 92, and died due to injuries sustained in a fall, helping my uncle to the bathroom. I wouldn't wait 'til the wheels fall off to get my car checked out. A reputable doctor and routine physicals are important. In your brothers case, I believe a 2nd opinion would have saved his lung. And when a suspicious nodule like that is found, the protocol is to wait 6 months and repeat the x-ray. If it doesn't change, and the patient is not declining, then no action is warranted.

False Bravado. How many people have you heard say: "I just don't like doctors, don't trust them."" I don't take medicine, or vitamins because I don't believe in all that nonsense." "Hey, when my number's up, it's up, and that's all there is to it."" You can do everything right and I could do everything wrong, and you could get hit by a bus." Well, actually, what happens in almost all cases is, when these people reach a moment of crisis; severe chest pain, or headache, shortness of breath or numbness in the face, arm or leg, they do everything possible in a futile attempt to save themselves. Because this is THE MOMENT, and they suddenly realize they either want to live, or are afraid to die. Certain issues can't be ignored, like changing your oil. I have seen many people with conditions that have gone past the point of no return, simply because they were ignored. My buddy in the Adirondacks got ready to retire by buying a big Yamaha road bike with bags and a fairing and he wanted to tour the U.S. Four months before he was going to take off, he felt ill and went to see a doctor. The doctor found melanoma, and in six months, he passed. He had a fleshy lump on his back, between the shoulder blades, for years. This surface tumor could have been excised if he didn't ignore it, growing to the size of a hand and penetrated layers of tissue and cancer cells spread through his blood vessels to other parts of his body.

 

[xjwmx]

I believe a 2nd opinion would have saved his lung.

I believe he went about it as well as possible, and I know him

 

[peanut]

This is dedicated to robinc, we shared a common thread...



I was fortunate to share a moment in robinc's life, Friday, before he passed. His son relayed to Pete it was from a heart attack.


On July 15,2007 I, also suffered a heart attack' while pedaling hard, downhill on my bicycle. There are some scary terms for this; "a sudden onset major catastrophic event". In my case, it involved the "left anterior descending coronary artery", "LAD", nicknamed "The Widow Maker", as this is the most common vessel associated with a sudden spike in blood pressure. This is a "silent killer". This is the one they speak of when someone dies from shoveling snow. A collection of plaque (blood platelets) form a bulge in an artery, which can burst, sending a clot to the narrowest part of the LAD. This vessel sits on the front of the heart. If not treated quickly, it is fatal, as the LAD supplies oxygenated blood to the heart muscle, itself, and due to it's close proximity to the heart, it maintains a normally high pressure.


In my case, I was in denial and took a wait and see approach; I had experienced a sudden sensation in my breast bone as if someone flicked a finger against it, and a sudden, mild indigestion and dull pain radiating down my left arm. I was hoping it would subside, and was only a gas pain. After all, 3 months ago I had a stress test, and passed with flying colors and was in good shape.


We didn't have a cell phone, and we were alone, so I biked another 5 miles to a park. By that time, I had shortness of breath,, a cold sweat in 85 degree heat, and felt as though someone was pressing the points of two fingers, hard against my breastbone to brace themselves as they pressed a hot clothes iron, hard against my back.


My wife had someone call 911 and within 12 minutes an ambulance arrived as I lye on a picnic table, unable to bear the pain, unable to reposition myself to ease the pain, Within one hour, an noncoated beryllium stent was placed in the LAD through the femoral artery. The blockage was 98 percent. This was my first morning back, home from vacation in Cape Cod. We biked 200 miles while there. We were staying 60 miles from Hyannis, the nearest hospital, and the ambulance would have to get me first. Luck has a lot to do with me telling you this...


There are two diagnostic tests which I would like to tell you about which can save your life:

1) CT Calcium Scoring Test- this cat scan test will designate a numerical value to the calcium deposits in coronary arteries surrounding your heart. This number tells the cardiologist what percentage of your arteries are blocked. The American Medical Assn. sets guidelines as per what remedy is needed according to the numbers. Not everyone needs a by-pass, or a bunch of stents. Your doctor may prescribe a cholesterol medicine, or nothing at all.

2)

2) Duplex Ultrasound To Rule Out An Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm- Lucille Ball died from an AAA. In the U.S., every Medicare recipient is entitled to a once in a lifetime screening for this. An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of a pressurized artery, which may burst in an, otherwise, healthy person's abdominal aorta, the largest vessel in the body. It is uncommon, but if found, can be fixed with an umbrella catheter inserted by small incision through the femoral, or brachial artery.

At your next check-up, please speak with your doctor and ask him to write you a couple of scripts for these tests. It may give you peace of mind and a few more miles to ride. I will continue to relay items in this thread, so please take a look. Thank you! !

Wow this is a very opportune post and extremely important to heed too. Thank you for posting

I have been following Ivor Cummins (The fat Emperor) for some time now in an effort to try and understand all my various conditions. I have so many conditions now that it is becoming almost too difficult for me to comprehend it all and find a sensible way forward with my health and lifestyle .

I haven't yet had a chance to read through all the posts in this thread but in case the link hasn't been posted I would thoroughly recommend watching 'the Widow Maker' and then listening to some of the videos on Ivor Cummins youtube channel about Insulin resistance and Metabolic Syndrome. Its not just about Diabetes . There is now a proven link between Coronary Heart Disease and Insulin Resistance or Metabolic Syndrome.

I am going to ask my Doctor for a CAC scan next week . it will be interesting to see what he says ........given that he missed my Diabetes, Hypothyroidism, macro prolactinoma, , stage 3 Hypertension , NA fatty Liver disease, Gall bladder and Pancreas issues and various other health issues.

 

[Goldenboy]

I believe he went about it as well as possible, and I know him

Still doctors make mistakes. This is scary; the success rate for a radiology diagnosis is only 50%. That's why they do correlating tests.

 

[Goldenboy]

Oh, man, this is an extraordinary deep and complex subject. Maddening, really. A long learning curve.

18 years ago, in addition to a bunch of other stuff, I took a modified course in clinical hematology. Just so I could interpret my blood labs. Near impossible without a background in chemistry. Then, I find myself explaining things to my oncologist . She thought I was nuts, brain tumor, and sent me off for brain MRI, and psycho evaluation. (Too many more horror stories here.)

I view the whole medical system quite skeptically. Including supplements and homeopathics. You've got to tread carefully here.

I can imagine a fellow dragging me to 1849 California, pointing to the ground, and pronouncing "there's no gold here". And he'd be right.

Unless you dig and pan.

Same thing with this forum. Somebody could pluck out an endless stream of inaccuracies (including mine), and pronounce this place as charlatan.

Or a goldmine of good info.

Researching all this stuff, separating the wheat from the chaff, is enormous, and tiring...

It is difficult to discern the absolute benefits of most things we've discussed, here. I took it upon myself to give some guidance in my limited range of knowledge and experience in the spirit of this forum, as everyone tries to relay information on a range of subjects we each are familiar with in order to benefit the group. If I make people think, and ask questions and, hopefully become a little more self aware, then I believe I've accomplished something.The Hippocratic Oath says, "To do no harm." I am attempting to give sound advice, most of which has been given to me and I'm under the assumption a lot of people are not aware of. But I see there is a lot of you who are and it's good to know that. If I do say something that you do not agree with, please let me know if you think what I say is wrong and I will learn something from you as I do on most days. This is a discussion, not a lecture, and I'm trying to help people stay healthier with what is discussed, here. Like I said, I appreciate any help and criticism you may wish to add. This is not an easy task I've taken on and bears a heavy burden, filled with pitfalls. I speak as a heart attack survivor for one of us who did not survive. And I'm just trying to go about this in the best way I know. All your help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Goldenboy]

Wow this is a very opportune post and extremely important to heed too. Thank you for posting

I have been following Ivor Cummins (The fat Emperor) for some time now in an effort to try and understand all my various conditions. I have so many conditions now that it is becoming almost too difficult for me to comprehend it all and find a sensible way forward with my health and lifestyle .

I haven't yet had a chance to read through all the posts in this thread but in case the link hasn't been posted I would thoroughly recommend watching 'the Widow Maker' and then listening to some of the videos on Ivor Cummins youtube channel about Insulin resistance and Metabolic Syndrome. Its not just about Diabetes . There is now a proven link between Coronary Heart Disease and Insulin Resistance or Metabolic Syndrome.

I am going to ask my Doctor for a CAC scan next week . it will be interesting to see what he says ........given that he missed my Diabetes, Hypothyroidism, macro prolactinoma, , stage 3 Hypertension , NA fatty Liver disease, Gall bladder and Pancreas issues and various other health issues.

Thank you, P. I was not familiar with Ivor and was impressed with his thought processes and information processing manner applied from his engineering experience. I learned something about the mechanism of triglycerides and how it is linked to plaque formation. I will look at all his videos. Cholesterol was never an issue with me, it was triglycerides, from carbohydrates I've ingested. I've always exercised and carbs give you immediate energy required for that. But, I was always under the impression people would get high blood sugar from this problem, and mine was always low.(This is a problem with false readings they are just now addressing with fasting blood tests.) I'm sorry to hear of all your health issued, and I believe you need more help in managing them. An Integrative medicine doctor will be able to coordinate your care, by managing the separate issues together by suggesting all the doctors and tests you need and bring it all to one table. Most doctors treat your symptoms in a narrow range of expertise. An integrative medicine doctor looks at the patient as a whole and tries to find the route cause of all their problems, and may practice holistic medicine and have nutritionists on staff. I have one who was an ER doctor, and, is affiliated with the hospital which all my doctors belong to. There are also health guru types who practice holistic medicine, which I would absolutely avoid. Find one in the physician's directory at your hospital. Another thing I did was get a dedicated hanging file and make a folder for each of my doctors, plus others folders for copies of test results. When I go to a doctor, I bring the folder with the date on top questions and issues I'd like to discuss and a current list of meds. I put the doctor's name on top, list the items and questions I have and write his responses next to them, and any instructions, or tests he wants me to have with the dates, and the date of his next appointment. Before the next appointment, I review what was discussed at my last appointment and follow up on a new page. Now, I have a medical history I can refer to and build upon with future visits. That was my way of not getting overwhelmed.