Some Dr's say..lower is better, others Dr's say statins are a scam, and higher is better...hmmm
Based on genetics and family history I figure I've got 30 years left. I'm going to enjoy it. Cancer might get me before that, though.
My Grandparents didn't take no stinkin' statin drugs or let Doctors shove a camera up their nether regions. One Grandfather was killed in an accident so we don't know how long he would've lasted. My Father made it to 81. His older brother, Uncle Ben is still alive at almost 89. My Grandmother (their mother) died young at 89 but alcohol killed her. That is some stout family. She might be alive at 106 today if it weren't for a fondness for Whiskey. My other Grandmother died in her mid-90s and my Grandfather died in his 40s of a massive heart attack. He's the only real bad news in my family background.
There are multiple components to the total cholesterol level. Medical science hasn't completely sorted out the effects of all of them. A high total is probably bad, but doesn't affect all people the same way, and a low total is not a guarantee of health. The ratio of HDL/LDL is perhaps as significant as the total.
Plus, there are side effects to the medicines that lower cholesterol. My mother almost died of pancreatitis attacks, but hasn't had one since they dropped her cholesterol medicine. A slightly elevated cholesterol isn't as likely to kill her as the medicine. Other people get along fine on it.
Medicine is only partly a science and partly an art.
> The ratio of HDL/LDL is perhaps as significant as the total.
Yesterday on Science Friday I heard something I'd never heard before: that there are two types of LDL: large-bouyant and small-dense. According to the speaker, the large-bouyant particles are too big to get under the endothelial cells lining the blood vessels, and thus do not contribute to arteriosclerosis. He said the large-bouyant ones are of no concern; it's the small-dense ones you have to worry about.
> Some Dr's say..lower is better, others Dr's say statins are a scam, and higher is better...hmmm
The only doctor of the three who isn't a quack is the first one. Any search of a legitimate medical site will tell you for the total combined level of HDL and LDL, lower is better. Of the two types, HDL is good cholesterol and LDL is bad cholesterol. The ratio of the two is important.
Within LDL, the small particles are the ones that get embedded in the artery walls and cause plaque build up and a later heart attack. HDL acts to limit LDL.
Statins are a miracle drug. Most cardiologists take it themselves even when they don't have heart disease.
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The best thing anyone can do is go vegan, but I do realize who I am talking to on this site so I will say no more on that subject.:-)
> She might be alive at 106 today if it weren't for a fondness for Whiskey.
think of it this way - you might not be here today were it not for her fondness of whiskey. just sayin.
my grandfather died at 75 and had a grand life. 75 is what i am shooting for. anything more than that is gravy, or a pain in the ass depending on the world.
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> > She might be alive at 106 today if it weren't for a fondness for Whiskey.
> a pain in the ass depending on the world.
I was working one day and I saw this old guy sitting on a porch, drinking whiskey and smoking cigars. We got to talking and I asked him what he attributed his longevity to. He told me he's been drinking a fifth of whiskey and smoking 10 cigars a day for as long as he can remember. I said WOW, how old are you.
He said 37.....;-)
I want to live to be as old as Henry Allingham.
Also, any standard blood test given at any medical lab will break down your results into total cholesterol, HDL and LDL, and small particle LDL versus large particle LDL. It will also tell you what the current acceptable standard is.
Then there are triglycerides? They all go together, along with liver enzymes, PSA, blood pressure, and thyroid on the annual tests. One thing for sure, as you get older and if you go for annual tests, the doctor will find something that needs fixing.
Not much different that taking your truck in for brakes, and wind up with an alignment and rotate the tires (after rebalancing).
So is it all about maintenance, or don't fix it until it breaks? Me, I'm kind of more towards the maintenance side, but approach with caution and try and learn more. In terms of doctors, I always figured that's why they call it a "medical practice". They practice on us.
> :good:
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> The best thing anyone can do is go vegan, but I do realize who I am talking to on this site so I will say no more on that subject.:-)
The reason why so many Americans are obese is not because they eat too much, it's because they have too much sugar in their diet.
Sugar from High Fructose Cornsyrup. Bad stuff.
Americans are eating too much sugar because they keep being told not to eat meat. No meat no protein, no protein crave sugar for energy.
> The reason why so many Americans are obese is not because they eat too much, it's because they have too much sugar in their diet.
> Sugar from High Fructose Cornsyrup. Bad stuff.
>
> Americans are eating too much sugar because they keep being told not to eat meat. No meat no protein, no protein crave sugar for energy.
I respectfully disagree with part of what you said. The sugar in the food is a major health problem. The meat-sugar connection I have never heard of before.
It is an established fact that Americans eat way too much meat and meat is a heart and circulatory system clogger. That is established science. There are (from memory) 13 essential ammo acids that make up complete protein that is used to build human muscle.
Your body produces 5 of the thirteen and the rest of them can come in various bean products and easily combine in your body to build muscle. If you want animal protein the healthiest is deep sea, cold water fish which far and away is much healthier than meat or even fowl.
As far as obesity goes it is all very simple. Calories minus energy produced equals stored fat. It doesn't matter what the source of the calories is. For over all health, certainly the source of the calories and the food they come from are very important.
I personally feel that meal portions, chemicals, lack of movement, stress, etc. are whats killing people today.
I look at todays kids and for some, not all, but some, they are already to 'big'. Which is sad, because now they have to try and catch up in their adult life.
I believe they call that the "cocktail effect". A little bit of a lot of things that can be deadly, but cholesterol management is a big part of it and is an easy one to control if put your mind to it. Take it seriously. Heart disease can be reversed, but the longer you wait the harder it is to reverse.
Stress, lack of exercise, bad diet (cholesterol), weight, and heredity are all important factors and their relationship to blood flow in the arteries is pretty obvious.
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> Your body produces 5 of the thirteen and the rest of them can come in various bean products and easily combine in your body to build muscle. If you want animal protein the healthiest is deep sea, cold water fish which far and away is much healthier than meat or even fowl.
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I have never had a bowl of beans taste even close to as good as a spiced up Delmonico steak cooked medium with mushrooms and onions on top. 😛 Now, I am going to have to go have one for lunch.
No argument there Neil. But if you want clean arteries-well you know the rest. : )
> No argument there Neil. But if you want clean arteries-well you know the rest. : )
I know wash it down with shot of Ginger Brandy. Good old Ginger Brandy will take the rust of any pipes. (Of course you know I am only messing with you and not arguing).
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