Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

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Cortopassi
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Cortopassi » Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:06 am

General health questions to anyone interested in answering (this has come up with my wife a number of times)

I have not been to an "official" doctor's visit since 2014 I am 54, 6'3" and 185.

My wife goes yearly. Blood panel, etc. Her numbers are good. She harps on me to go. I had gone so many times in the past for various things when I was younger that I dread the thought.

I am lo/lowish carb. I have a glucose meter and blood pressure cuff and both are normal. I know my cholesterol is high, but like WiseOne, there's no way I am ever going to put a statin in my body, and as far as I am concerned I believe it is actually protective.

I feel good.

If I found and went to a "normal" doctor, I am sure they would raise their eyes at whatever my cholesterol number was, give me a prostate exam (oh yeah) look at my blood numbers and send me on my way. Probably say I need another colonoscopy (last one was clear in 2011).

--What, really, would I gain or find out by visiting a doctor?
--Can I get a blood panel done on my own dime and is it worth it?
--If I feel fine, what are reasons I should still go to a doctor?

Thanks!
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by I Shrugged » Fri Jul 02, 2021 12:54 pm

I’m pretty sure that in Illinois you can purchase lab tests on your own. I think it would be worthwhile.

Get your PSA tested. I don’t like the annual prostate exam but the cancer is in my family so I see a urologist each year.
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by I Shrugged » Fri Jul 02, 2021 12:56 pm

I’m generally aware that there is an anti statins movement. Can anyone sum up their objections to statins?
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by vnatale » Fri Jul 02, 2021 1:40 pm

I Shrugged wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 12:54 pm

I’m pretty sure that in Illinois you can purchase lab tests on your own. I think it would be worthwhile.

Get your PSA tested. I don’t like the annual prostate exam but the cancer is in my family so I see a urologist each year.


When I had the prostate exam discussion with my doctor a few years ago...his position was that the tests produce so many false positives that it was a net overall negative to take the tests. I agreed with his recommendation and am not getting them.

I think I've recently read that almost all men (if they live long enough) eventually get prostate cancer? But it is rarely the cause of death?
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by vnatale » Fri Jul 02, 2021 1:44 pm

Cortopassi wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:06 am

General health questions to anyone interested in answering (this has come up with my wife a number of times)

I have not been to an "official" doctor's visit since 2014 I am 54, 6'3" and 185.

My wife goes yearly. Blood panel, etc. Her numbers are good. She harps on me to go. I had gone so many times in the past for various things when I was younger that I dread the thought.

I am lo/lowish carb. I have a glucose meter and blood pressure cuff and both are normal. I know my cholesterol is high, but like WiseOne, there's no way I am ever going to put a statin in my body, and as far as I am concerned I believe it is actually protective.

I feel good.

If I found and went to a "normal" doctor, I am sure they would raise their eyes at whatever my cholesterol number was, give me a prostate exam (oh yeah) look at my blood numbers and send me on my way. Probably say I need another colonoscopy (last one was clear in 2011).

--What, really, would I gain or find out by visiting a doctor?
--Can I get a blood panel done on my own dime and is it worth it?
--If I feel fine, what are reasons I should still go to a doctor?

Thanks!


This would be an excellent book for you to read:

https://www.amazon.com/Overdiagnosed-Ma ... l_huc_item

Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health

Basically....many of the "preventative" tests can end up leading you down a path that actually CAUSES medical problems.

I'm now with a doctor who shares my beliefs regarding dealing with medical issues. Deal with them when they arise and avoid all the testing unless necessary.

He did, though, recommend me getting my first colonoscopy, which I had about three years ago.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Tortoise » Fri Jul 02, 2021 1:59 pm

Cortopassi wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:06 am
--If I feel fine, what are reasons I should still go to a doctor?
One of the big reasons would be early detection of issues that may not be causing noticeable symptoms yet (e.g., high blood pressure, prediabetes, early-stage colon cancer). The earlier those issues are detected, the more treatable they tend to be.

I agree with you about cholesterol screening, though: I think it's based on bad science from many decades ago. So if I'm ever found to have "abnormally high" blood cholesterol, I don't know if I'd agree to take statins.

At my age (early 40s), I generally only get routine medical exams if my employer incentivizes it by contributing more money to my HSA if I do it. (My current employer doesn't.)

I'll probably start getting yearly exams (and my first colonoscopy) when I'm 50, mainly to check for the three issues I mentioned above.
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Cortopassi » Fri Jul 02, 2021 2:50 pm

I Shrugged wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 12:56 pm
I’m generally aware that there is an anti statins movement. Can anyone sum up their objections to statins?
Not trying to sell you a book, but there are also plenty of videos about this you can watch.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078XGXQM/re ... TF8&btkr=1

Here are his blog entries related to cholesterol. They aren't that long and tend to be written for laymen.

https://drmalcolmkendrick.org/category/ ... l-statins/
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Cortopassi » Fri Jul 02, 2021 2:54 pm

I Shrugged wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 12:54 pm
I’m pretty sure that in Illinois you can purchase lab tests on your own. I think it would be worthwhile.

Get your PSA tested. I don’t like the annual prostate exam but the cancer is in my family so I see a urologist each year.
I did, in 2014. 0.4 ng/ml. But then I read this:

What is a normal PSA test result?

There is no specific normal or abnormal level of PSA in the blood, and levels may vary over time in the same man. In the past, most doctors considered PSA levels of 4.0 ng/mL and lower as normal. Therefore, if a man had a PSA level above 4.0 ng/mL, doctors would often recommend a prostate biopsy to determine whether prostate cancer was present.

However, more recent studies have shown that some men with PSA levels below 4.0 ng/mL have prostate cancer and that many men with higher levels do not have prostate cancer (1)

HAH! Maybe you do, maybe you don't! https://www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/psa-fact-sheet
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by pp4me » Fri Jul 02, 2021 2:57 pm

Cortopassi wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:06 am
General health questions to anyone interested in answering (this has come up with my wife a number of times)

I have not been to an "official" doctor's visit since 2014 I am 54, 6'3" and 185.

My wife goes yearly. Blood panel, etc. Her numbers are good. She harps on me to go. I had gone so many times in the past for various things when I was younger that I dread the thought.

I am lo/lowish carb. I have a glucose meter and blood pressure cuff and both are normal. I know my cholesterol is high, but like WiseOne, there's no way I am ever going to put a statin in my body, and as far as I am concerned I believe it is actually protective.

I feel good.

If I found and went to a "normal" doctor, I am sure they would raise their eyes at whatever my cholesterol number was, give me a prostate exam (oh yeah) look at my blood numbers and send me on my way. Probably say I need another colonoscopy (last one was clear in 2011).

--What, really, would I gain or find out by visiting a doctor?
--Can I get a blood panel done on my own dime and is it worth it?
--If I feel fine, what are reasons I should still go to a doctor?

Thanks!
A friend of mine got a PSA test and found out he had prostate cancer. He went through all the treatments and died about a year later.

When a doctor told me my PSA was high and was going to have to have it monitored closely I told him no thanks. He asked why and if it was because I didn't want to know. Didn't feel like I had to give him an explanation and didn't so he wrote me a letter and fired me as a patient. That was about 20 years ago.

I have had a colonoscopy, also about 20 years ago. I was again told they didn't see anything specific but there was something they needed to keep an eye on. I didn't say anything again but I left the office wishing I had told him to look somewhere else because I wasn't going to do this again. Was even more convinced when the wrong billing codes made me pay for it myself.

The last time I had a primary care doctor was when I started having vertigo that lasted several days and kept me in bed. So I knew I'd better see a doctor to have it checked out but the only one available was an Indian female doctor who had the lowest rated scores of any doctor on the list of doctors in the plan. She sent me first for an MRI and nothing was found except for some fat in my liver that they needed to keep an eye on. Then it was on to a gastroenterologist who didn't find anything either but did see some things they needed to keep an eye on.

Meanwhile back at the primary care physicians office she never said one word about any of those tests ever again but did prescribe cholesterol medicine. I did take it for a while until one day I sat in her office for an 8:00 appointment and she didn't even come to the office until 11:00. Then she told me my cholesterol looked good now but she'd need to see me back in her office every 3 months.

Any way, long story short, I don't have any doctor now and only go to the walk-in clinic. I'm now 72 and all those things that needed to looked must all still be going on but my attitude is we all have to die sometime. And I've saved a lot of money by not having all those things looked at.
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Cortopassi » Fri Jul 02, 2021 2:59 pm

vnatale wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 1:40 pm

I think I've recently read that almost all men (if they live long enough) eventually get prostate cancer? But it is rarely the cause of death?
I will look into that book, Vinny, thanks.

I believe your prostate cancer comment is correct, but I can't back it up.
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Cortopassi » Fri Jul 02, 2021 3:06 pm

pp4me wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 2:57 pm

...and all those things that needed to looked must all still be going on but my attitude is we all have to die sometime. And I've saved a lot of money by not having all those things looked at.
That is generally my feeling. Of course, it may completely reverse if I were to get something serious.

They added an ultrasound to my wife's regular mammogram a couple months ago. Found a shadow. $4500 and a biopsy later, just a small cyst.

Was it worth it? Your decision. If they didn't start this new test, would never have come up. Could it have been a cancer that the regular test wouldn't have found? Sure.

I've had two colonoscopies. One in my early 40s, sorry (TMI) because I had some bleeding roids and they wanted to be sure. Doc found a dime size polyp, which when he called me on the phone to tell me said "we removed a PRE-CANCEROUS polyp"

If it was me now, I would have asked, what do you fucking mean pre-cancerous? Like benign? Like you don't know if it ever would develop into cancer? AARGH.

2nd one about 7 years later was clean. Pretty much thinking that will be my last one, since I have zero family history of that.

Little voice in the back of my head sometimes goes "go to the doctor. Just make sure...." Of what? I hate that voice.
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by pp4me » Fri Jul 02, 2021 4:32 pm

Cortopassi wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 3:06 pm
we removed a PRE-CANCEROUS polyp
Forgot that a dermatologist I was going to for psoriasis found one of those on my face and told me it had to be removed and biopsied. I don't remember how much it was but when I looked at the bill paid for by insurance, it was a lot of money.

I am really trying not to be so cynical about things in my old age but I can't help but think PRE-CANCEROUS == $$$
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by vnatale » Sun Jul 04, 2021 11:17 pm

Could this be the answer??!!!

Vinny

Sports
Gorging like a GOAT: Joey Chestnut sets record with 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes


https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2 ... og-record/


According to one estimate, Chestnut’s 76 hot dogs and buns Sunday amounted to 20,520 calories, 1,102 grams of fat, 684 grams of protein, 1,900 milligrams of cholesterol and 50,160 milligrams of sodium.



Chestnut holds more than 50 Major League Eating records. Others include:

Buffalo Chicken Wings: 7.61 pounds in 12 minutes (2012)
Glazed doughnuts: 55 in eight minutes (2017)
Hard-boiled eggs: 141 in eight minutes (2013)
Jalapeño poppers: 118 in 10 minutes (2006)
Philly cheesesteaks: 23 six-inch sandwiches in 10 minutes (2013)
Pork ribs: 13.76 pounds of meat in 12 minutes (2013)
Poutine: 28 pounds in 10 minutes (2019)
Shrimp wontons: 390 in eight minutes (2012)
Twinkies: 121 in six minutes (2013)
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Maddy » Mon Jul 05, 2021 5:56 am

pp4me wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 2:57 pm
Any way, long story short, I don't have any doctor now and only go to the walk-in clinic. I'm now 72 and all those things that needed to looked must all still be going on but my attitude is we all have to die sometime. And I've saved a lot of money by not having all those things looked at.
I find that as each year goes on, I feel more and more comfortable doing the same.
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Kriegsspiel » Mon Jul 05, 2021 8:09 am

vnatale wrote:
Sun Jul 04, 2021 11:17 pm
Could this be the answer??!!!

Gorging like a GOAT: Joey Chestnut sets record with 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes
With inflation/shrinkflation in the news recently, this was an interesting take:
In a 2019 interview with TMZ, Kobayashi was asked about Chestnut's ever-increasing numbers, having once consumed a record-setting 74 hot dogs. "It is questionable that the size of the hot dogs are even the same from ten years ago," Kobayashi said through his interpreter. link
Image


Koboyashi doesn't have diabetes, but he might be having a heart attack in this picture ;D
You there, Ephialtes. May you live forever.
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Cortopassi » Mon Jul 05, 2021 9:23 am

FYI, seems reasonably easy and cost effective to go get your own blood panel, from simple to complex. Here's a sampling:

https://www.walkinlab.com/categories/view/all-products

I may have to set one up and go to Quest.
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by vnatale » Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:02 am

Cortopassi wrote:
Mon Jul 05, 2021 9:23 am

FYI, seems reasonably easy and cost effective to go get your own blood panel, from simple to complex. Here's a sampling:

https://www.walkinlab.com/categories/view/all-products

I may have to set one up and go to Quest.


In Massachusetts one cannot order one's own testing. Has to be ordered by a doctor. I needed one simple blood test that I had thought I could order on my order. Learned I had to have my doctor order it. Led to an unfortunate set of events which resulted in my doctor "firing" me as a patient as she then wanted me to undergo all these preventative testing, which I would have had to 100% pay for.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Mark Leavy » Mon Jul 05, 2021 1:54 pm

I have some time between homes today, so I'll take a few minutes and write up the definitive guide - while nursing my Americano at Starbucks.

Diabetes and Weight Loss
The best and fastest cure for metabolic syndrome is to lose weight. Bar none. However you do it. (Within reason). And once you lose the weight, you will find a ton of other issues that people have just taken for granted as part of old age that will also go away. For men, if your waist measurement is more than 50% of your height, you need to get on it, ASAP.

Now... just between us girls ... the fast, unhealthy way to to do this is the beef jerky and bourbon diet™ . That's it. Have all of the beef jerky and bourbon that you want. Every day. Until your waist is down into a healthy range. You need the lean protein from the jerky and the bourbon will help you forget about your hunger in the evening. And if you have enough bourbon, you will be nauseous in the morning - and so also not hungry. For women, you can replace the beef jerky and bourbon with prosciutto and wine. White or Rose during the day, Red at night. Or so my ex preferred...

Not responsible for job loss, family loss or bad gambling decisions...

Doctors
As others have pointed out, having constant diagnoses done while you are not feeling anything off is a recipe for disaster and will get you sucked into the Medical Industrial Complex.

Step one, before cutting off regular doctor visits, is to be fairly in tune with your body, out of metabolic syndrome, and clear of any chronic ailments. See the instructions above.

Now, that said, you still might need to see a doc for some things. I divide these up into the following categories.
1) Acute Issues : Trauma, stitches, etc. Just go to a clinic and get patched up.
2) Infections : If you know what it is, just buy what you need online or in Algodones MX and get 'er done. If you need a diagnosis and a prescription, stop by a clinic.
3) Chronic Issues : Just stop that. Stop the metabolic syndrome. And stop taking medications and treatment for things that will never go away. And stop being unhealthy.
4) Senescence : Sorry, that one is going to get you. You don't need a doctor to help you die of old age.
5) Diagnoses : If you really can't tell what is wrong with you, or you have some pain or something out of the ordinary, stop by a clinic and pay for a diagnosis. And if you are just experimenting, yes buy some blood tests for whatever you are curious about. I've done them all over the country for years. Quick and cheap and the way medicine should be.

Even though I've had great corporate health insurance most of my life, I never had any need for a primary care doctor and only get something checked when there is something up.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Maddy » Mon Jul 05, 2021 2:12 pm

My name is Maddy, and I'm an addict.

I'm talking about an addiction to food--particularly grains and milk products.

Stress-wise, this year has been extraordinary, and it's nowhere near over. I cope with it by grazing throughout the day on stuff that appears to be healthy but that contains a lot of natural sugars, grains, and organic seed oils. It's been easy to pretend that I'm eating well when I'm eating an Amy's organic frozen enchilada or when I snack on Luna bars, cashew butter on rice cakes, or granola washed down with three iced lattes. All from the "healthy" aisle, dontcha know.

I need to stop this, as I'm feeling horribly lacking in energy and the inflammation in my joints is getting to the point where it is interfering with my ability to get even routine things done. My hands, especially. Sometimes they hurt so much I can't sleep. Which is not surprising, since just about everything about my high-carb diet is pro-inflammatory.

As others have observed, making the switch away from those fast calories and their instant endorphin rush is difficult for anyone--but all the more so when you've come to rely upon comfort food to mitigate stress. I'm quite sure it's a biochemical thing. The urge is incredibly powerful, and it's easy to rationalize giving into it as a needed reprieve from stresses that are otherwise pretty unremitting.

Are there others here who have fallen into this same trap? What have you done to overcome it? Are there particular foods on the "safe" list that actually make you feel good? So far, my attempts at going low-carb have been downright punishing. So of course I'm going back to the stuff that gets me through the day.

Your thoughts, please?

EDIT: Aw, shoot! I thought I was posting to the diabetes thread. Xan, can you help?

EDIT BY XAN: moved to the diabetes thread!
Last edited by Maddy on Mon Jul 05, 2021 3:17 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Cortopassi » Mon Jul 05, 2021 2:28 pm

Maddy wrote:
Mon Jul 05, 2021 2:12 pm
My name is Maddy, and I'm an addict.

I'm talking about an addiction to food--particularly grains and milk products.

Stress-wise, this year has been extraordinary, and it's nowhere near over. I cope with it by grazing throughout the day on stuff that appears to be healthy but that contains a lot of natural sugars, grains, and organic seed oils. It's been easy to pretend that I'm eating well when I'm eating an Amy's organic frozen enchilada or when I snack on Luna bars, cashew butter on rice cakes, or granola washed down with three iced lattes. All from the "healthy" aisle, dontcha know.

I need to stop this, as I'm feeling horribly lacking in energy and the inflammation in my joints is getting to the point where it is interfering with my ability to get even routine things done. My hands, especially. Sometimes they hurt so much I can't sleep.

As others have observed, making the switch away from those fast calories and their instant endorphin rush is difficult for anyone--but all the more so when you've come to rely upon comfort food to mitigate stress. I'm quite sure it's a biochemical thing. The urge is incredibly powerful and easy to justify in the moment as a needed reprieve from stresses that are otherwise pretty unremitting.

Are there others here who have fallen into this same trap? What have you done to overcome it? Are there particular foods on the "safe" list that actually make you feel good? So far, my attempts at going low-carb have been downright punishing. So of course I'm going back to the stuff that gets me through the day.

Your thoughts, please?
If you haven't watched any of Jason Fung's stuff, I'd recommend him.

He basically puts more of the issue on the time we spend eating vs. the type of stuff we are eating. You can probably/possibly feel better and lose weight if you only try to limit the hours you eat, but still eat the same stuff. If you can skip breakfast, and only eat between say 12 and 8, you are a good way there.

Ideally, you can't eat as much in a limited timespan, but even if you do, you'll likely still get the benefits of the longer time between food allowing your insulin level to get down.

I snack, I gain. Even if healthy. Even if it would have been the same amount I eat in a smaller window. The more it spreads out, the worse it is.
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by Kriegsspiel » Mon Jul 05, 2021 3:06 pm

GOOD STUFF, Mark.

Especially the idea of only consuming meat and booze.

EDIT to add, IIRC Matthew McConaughey mentioned, when he was on Rogan's podcast, that to lose weight for the Dallas Buyers Club movie he was on the (paraphrasing) "as much fish and wine as I wanted" diet.
You there, Ephialtes. May you live forever.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by WiseOne » Tue Jul 06, 2021 1:49 pm

In response to Maddy's posts, and Mark Leavy's wonderful post...

First off, this is my PERSONAL opinion and is most definitely not shared by the vast majority of my peers. But, I also have been going down the path of "DIY" primary care, i.e. without a PMD overseeing things, avoiding the majority of medical care on offer, and I'm doing very well thank you!!!

Fixing metabolic syndrome is definitely step 1, but there's a few more things to pay attention to. In general I am not a fan of supplements....they're basically unregulated drugs. But, here are the exceptions:

Magnesium - we are all deficient in this, especially if you drink filtered water. Which you should, given what's in groundwater these days. Take a good supplement, either magnesium water made from Mg oxide, or an absorbable form of magnesium such as malate or glycinate. NOT Mg citrate or oxide.

Iodine - we're all deficient in this too. In response to an epidemic of hypothyroidism the US started mandating addition of iodine to salt decades ago. Then it told everyone to stop using salt. Great. What the heck did you think was going to happen?? Not only that, but everyone started avoiding seafood due to fears about mercury, and eating prepared foods which contain non-iodized salt. I get liquid iodine drops and take 500 mcg daily. My eyebrows are slowly filling in and I no longer have cold hands/feet, dry skin etc.

Cod liver oil - I get fermented cod liver oil mixed with high vitamin butter oil from Green Pastures. This provides vitamin D and omega 3 fatty acids, and some important fat soluble vitamins. Basically, our great grandmothers and Norwegians had the right idea. The vitamin D that comes from a lab might be ok but that's open to question. I also eat ocean fish around once per week.

So what labs or health monitoring do we actually need? Again, this is my PERSONAL opinion. I would vote for the following list. Get them through Quest labs, they have a limited set for self-ordering that includes all these.

Fingerstick blood glucose, as often as needed for home monitoring and to check for post-prandial blood sugar rises. If that happens, you ate something you need to not eat anymore.
If you find that your fasting blood sugars are uncomfortably high, check a Hgba1c.
Thyroid panel, if you have clinical signs of hypothyroidism (early AM temp < 96.3, cold hands feet, dry hair, loss of hair/eyebrows, dry skin, constipation).
Dexa scan. Mg and vit D are the fix for osteoporosis, not calcium. I dived into the literature and found the papers on this...results are quite clear. I'm shocked that MDs are telling patients to take calcium. On the other hand, you really only need this to prod you to be faithful about taking your Mg/vit D.
Vitamin D level. The normal range is hotly debated but 40-60 is probably right. Use to guide your dosing, which may need to change with the seasons.
Colonoscopy. This is the one health screen that does have strong evidence in its favor, plus it just makes sense: colon cancer is one of the very few cancers with the right characteristics for screening: slow growing with a long lead time, and bad/fatal if it's allowed to get out of hand. You have to balance, however, with the risks of colonoscopy, which is mainly colon perforation. Get it done by someone who knows what they're doing, and not too often or past age 75. Probably you can quit if you have two of them showing the all clear and you have no family history of colon cancer.

What I don't bother with:
Cholesterol testing. What the heck am I going to do about that? Not taking a statin that's for sure. Here's the problems: their effectiveness for heart disease prevention is tiny, and likely short term. And it's now thought to be due to a mild anti-inflammatory effect. Long term, these drugs cause muscle pain and inflammation leading to weakness and diabetes, in a large proportion of patients taking them. (and by the way, the heart is a muscle.) And possibly dementia...data are conflicting on that though. And these side effects don't necessarily reverse if you stop the drug.
Mammograms. These are great for finding non-malignant growths that would never be clinically evident, but not so great for finding the bad breast cancers which start & grow way too fast to be amenable to screening.
Annual routine blood tests: If you're asymptomatic you don't really need to know what your white & red cell counts, liver and kidney enzymes are doing. If something goes wrong there believe me...you'll know.

Like Mark said, if something comes up acutely, you have a smorgasbord of convenient options: urgent care clinic, ER/911 call if it's something serious, online video visit services for primary care if I pretty much already know what I want and just need a prescription. (In NY I can no longer write for myself....sucks.)

The result: I'm one of the very few people in my age group on no medications, other than the above supplements. And I'm very happy about that!!! My mom was the same way, and she didn't end up needing to be put on any meds at all until she was past 80. She's now on 2 meds, which is probably equally rare for her age group. It's absolutely horrible that the majority of elderly people are on 10+ meds....think of what that's doing to their health and quality of life, without actually addressing the causes of any of their problems.

Would love for people to add to this list (if any additions are needed) so we can come up with our very own DIY Primary Care Guide!
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jalanlong
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by jalanlong » Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:45 pm

A few years ago I lost a ton of weight and didn't change a single thing I ate. I still ate fast food and sodas. I just followed what some people call "mindful eating." In short, instead of scarfing down my food, I would take a bite, have a drink, then wait a min or two before the next bite. They say it takes about 15 mins for your stomach to tell your brain that it is full. You could eat a lot in that 15 mins. So slowing down helped me to realize when I was really still hungry vs when I was full and eating just to eat or finish off my food. And the upshot was that I ended up only eating half of a normal meal instead of a full one.

Also, I did not follow normal societal rules as to when I should eat (breakfast, lunch and dinner). I only ate when I really felt hungry. And when I did feel some hunger I would drink water and see if 15 mins later I still felt hungry or not. I ended up losing about 50 lbs with very little exercise. When people at work would ask me how I did it and I told them, they were immediately disappointed. They wanted me to tell them it was some sort of special diet where I didn't eat yellow things on odd numbered days or some such. They didn't want something that said it all came down to how much you ate.

One thing that cannot be underestimated is the psychological component of eating; specifically when it comes to quantity. I saw an experiment on tv once where they took random people, put them in a movie theater and told them they were there to preview a new movie. They gave each theater different size popcorns. No matter what size they received, each audience ate the popcorn down close to the bottom. That indicated that when your eyes see a half full popcorn box, you feel like you havent eaten very much when maybe its just that the box is very, very large. So when I did my mindful eating exercise, I had to get to be ok with taking home (or putting up) a large amount of food, especially from restaurants. It was a tough job for my mind to see all of that food still on the plate and convince myself that I had actually eaten a lot of food already and it is just the portions that are gigantic and making it appear that I hadn't.
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Re: Coronavirus General Discussion

Post by Tortoise » Tue Jul 06, 2021 3:48 pm

WiseOne wrote:
Tue Jul 06, 2021 1:49 pm
Would love for people to add to this list (if any additions are needed) so we can come up with our very own DIY Primary Care Guide!
How about regularly monitoring one's blood pressure at home?

Nearly half of American adults have hypertension, and my understanding is that it can do significant long-term damage to the body even though it typically doesn't have any symptoms.

Getting one's weight and diet under control definitely help, but even people with normal body weights and reasonable diets can still have hypertension. For example, at one point my dad was on blood pressure meds (might still be, not sure), even though he's thin and goes for long bike rides a few times a week. His diet has always been low-fat, high-carb, however, so maybe his diet is partly to blame -- not sure. Could also just be genetics.

Anyways, monitoring one's blood pressure at home is fast and easy, so it seems like a no-brainer.
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Re: Want to lose weight & treatment for diabetes

Post by pp4me » Tue Jul 06, 2021 5:22 pm

Mark Leavy wrote:
Mon Jul 05, 2021 1:54 pm
I have some time between homes today, so I'll take a few minutes and write up the definitive guide - while nursing my Americano at Starbucks.

Diabetes and Weight Loss
The best and fastest cure for metabolic syndrome is to lose weight. Bar none. However you do it. (Within reason). And once you lose the weight, you will find a ton of other issues that people have just taken for granted as part of old age that will also go away. For men, if your waist measurement is more than 50% of your height, you need to get on it, ASAP.

Now... just between us girls ... the fast, unhealthy way to to do this is the beef jerky and bourbon diet™ . That's it. Have all of the beef jerky and bourbon that you want. Every day. Until your waist is down into a healthy range. You need the lean protein from the jerky and the bourbon will help you forget about your hunger in the evening. And if you have enough bourbon, you will be nauseous in the morning - and so also not hungry. For women, you can replace the beef jerky and bourbon with prosciutto and wine. White or Rose during the day, Red at night. Or so my ex preferred...

Not responsible for job loss, family loss or bad gambling decisions...

Doctors
As others have pointed out, having constant diagnoses done while you are not feeling anything off is a recipe for disaster and will get you sucked into the Medical Industrial Complex.

Step one, before cutting off regular doctor visits, is to be fairly in tune with your body, out of metabolic syndrome, and clear of any chronic ailments. See the instructions above.

Now, that said, you still might need to see a doc for some things. I divide these up into the following categories.
1) Acute Issues : Trauma, stitches, etc. Just go to a clinic and get patched up.
2) Infections : If you know what it is, just buy what you need online or in Algodones MX and get 'er done. If you need a diagnosis and a prescription, stop by a clinic.
3) Chronic Issues : Just stop that. Stop the metabolic syndrome. And stop taking medications and treatment for things that will never go away. And stop being unhealthy.
4) Senescence : Sorry, that one is going to get you. You don't need a doctor to help you die of old age.
5) Diagnoses : If you really can't tell what is wrong with you, or you have some pain or something out of the ordinary, stop by a clinic and pay for a diagnosis. And if you are just experimenting, yes buy some blood tests for whatever you are curious about. I've done them all over the country for years. Quick and cheap and the way medicine should be.

Even though I've had great corporate health insurance most of my life, I never had any need for a primary care doctor and only get something checked when there is something up.
Great advice Mark but not so sure about the bourbon part. It may be that I have trained my body to process alcohol efficiently enough that it won't matter in the long run but I have been noticing more and more lately that I'm showing signs of dementia after bouts of heavy drinking.

The other day I woke up to find myself sitting on the steps outside the back porch of my house with absolutely no idea how I got there. On one hand I figured this is very, very bad but on the other I thought how F***ing cool it was to find myself sitting there like that when I woke up in the morning. Made me happy to still be alive. So go figure.

Waiting for Elsa on the porch tonight.
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