General fitness, health and nutrition · Public discussion

Medicating our problems away

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General fitness, health and nutrition
Published
17 May 2004
Last activity
25 May 2004
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Owen Lowe
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  1. I know this subject has been posted before, but I just
    have to vent a little. The two clippings posted below are
    from HeartCenterOnLine - a weekly email of heart-related
    news bits.

    I read articles frequently that promote medications for all
    sorts of conditions. The articles are not just from
    HeartCenterOnline, but mainstream newspapers and magazines.
    If you high blood pressure or high cholesterol then you
    merely have to visit your local doctor and walk away with a
    prescription to solve all your problems. No one wants to
    give up *anything* in order to work towards a healthier body
    and quite possibly eliminate the conditions above. Most of
    the society (USA) seems to have an excuse for everything.

    I fear that this mindset will (or has) become ingrained in
    our medical professionals as well. Will doctors study non-
    pharma methods that may achieve the desired results in
    conjunction with the pharma path?

    Quoted message said:

    Prevent heart disease, avoid erection problems Apr 21
    (Reuters Health) - Men with certain risk factors for heart
    disease in mid-life -- such as obesity and high
    cholesterol levels -- are also more likely to develop
    erectile dysfunction many years later, new findings
    indicate.


    SNiP

    Quoted message said:

    "Patients may be more inclined to use (cholesterol-
    lowering drugs) if they can prevent ED, as well as heart
    disease," senior author Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, from
    the University of California in San Diego, said in a
    statement. "Now researchers should include erectile
    dysfunction as an outcome in trials of" such drugs.


    SNip

    There are other methods to lower cholesterol that should
    be tried before medicating, in my experience and opinion.
    So the above man is now obese and has a lowered
    cholesterol - who would care if he can get it up or not?
    Maybe the good Dr. Barrett-Connor ought to prescribe the
    patient a strict diet and exercise program prior to
    medicating - at least then he

    &

    Quoted message said:

    Cholesterol reduction takes more than education    Apr 22
    (Reuters Health) - In a study of patients with heart
    disease, a special educational program was not helpful in
    lowering high cholesterol levels.

    Dr. Judith H. Lichtman and colleagues, from Yale
    University in New Haven, Connecticut, investigated
    whether a nurse-based program, designed to educate
    patients about cholesterol levels and encourage
    partnerships with their physicians, could increase the
    percentage of patients who achieved recommended
    cholesterol levels.


    SNiP

    Quoted message said:

    Although patients in the education program were more
    likely to know the recommended cholesterol levels, they
    were just as likely as others to actually achieve these
    target levels, or not.

    Moreover, the percentage of patients taking drugs like
    Lipitor and Zocor-- well-established treatments for high
    cholesterol--was similar in both groups

    "Our findings suggest that patient empowerment strategies
    through education, which have been shown to be
    effective...for diseases such as diabetes mellitus and
    heart failure, may be less effective" for conditions
    without symptoms, like high cholesterol levels, the
    authors conclude.


    SNiP

    Will the doctors who read the study or were involved in it
    surmise that educating the patient isn't worth the bother?
    Better to just medicate and get the numbers down to the
    recommended numbers by expending the least time and effort?

    After my coronary blockage and hospital stay, I searched and
    read til all hours of the night, educated myself and then
    set out to do all I could to ensure my own future. As a
    result my cardiologist removed me from the statin and blood
    pressure meds due to the fantastic results. I ended up
    losing 30 pounds in the process (6' and 175 lbs.) and am
    working toward 10 lubs more (winter was a [censored]). He even
    had to write a letter to my new internist explaining why I
    wasn't taking anything other than a daily aspirin and
    carrying my little vial of NitroQuick (unused since my
    episode 15 months ago).

    Perhaps I'm preaching to the choir here since most are
    looking for education and clarification. I'm just fed up
    with the attitude that we ought to just pop a pill and all
    will be well with no effort or sacrifice on our part.

  2. Owen Lowe said:


    I know this subject has been posted before, but I just
    have to vent a little. The two clippings posted below are
    from HeartCenterOnLine - a weekly email of heart-related
    news bits.

    I read articles frequently that promote medications for
    all sorts of conditions. The articles are not just from
    HeartCenterOnline, but mainstream newspapers and
    magazines. If you high blood pressure or high cholesterol
    then you merely have to visit your local doctor and walk
    away with a prescription to solve all your problems. No
    one wants to give up *anything* in order to work towards a
    healthier body and quite possibly eliminate the conditions
    above. Most of the society (USA) seems to have an excuse
    for everything.

    I fear that this mindset will (or has) become ingrained in
    our medical professionals as well. Will doctors study non-
    pharma methods that may achieve the desired results in
    conjunction with the pharma path?

    Quoted message said:

    Prevent heart disease, avoid erection problems Apr 21
    (Reuters Health) - Men with certain risk factors for
    heart disease in mid-life -- such as obesity and high
    cholesterol levels -- are also more likely to develop
    erectile dysfunction many years later, new findings
    indicate.


    SNiP

    Quoted message said:

    "Patients may be more inclined to use (cholesterol-
    lowering drugs) if they can prevent ED, as well as heart
    disease," senior author Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor,
    from the University of California in San Diego, said in
    a statement. "Now researchers should include erectile
    dysfunction as an outcome in trials of" such drugs.


    SNip

    There are other methods to lower cholesterol that should
    be tried before medicating, in my experience and opinion.
    So the above man is now obese and has a lowered
    cholesterol - who would care if he can get it up or not?
    Maybe the good Dr. Barrett-Connor ought to prescribe the
    patient a strict diet and exercise program prior to
    medicating - at least then he

    Ime, the 2PD approach works every time either with or
    without exercise and it really isn't "strict" either.

    Quoted message said:

    &

    Quoted message said:

    Cholesterol reduction takes more than education Apr 22
    (Reuters Health) - In a study of patients with heart
    disease, a special educational program was not helpful
    in lowering high cholesterol levels.

    Dr. Judith H. Lichtman and colleagues, from Yale
    University in New Haven, Connecticut, investigated
    whether a nurse-based program, designed to educate
    patients about cholesterol levels and encourage
    partnerships with their physicians, could increase
    the percentage of patients who achieved recommended
    cholesterol levels.


    SNiP

    Quoted message said:

    Although patients in the education program were more
    likely to know the recommended cholesterol levels, they
    were just as likely as others to actually achieve these
    target levels, or not.

    Moreover, the percentage of patients taking drugs like
    Lipitor and Zocor-- well-established treatments for high
    cholesterol--was similar in both groups

    "Our findings suggest that patient empowerment
    strategies through education, which have been shown to
    be effective...for diseases such as diabetes mellitus
    and heart failure, may be less effective" for conditions
    without symptoms, like high cholesterol levels, the
    authors conclude.


    SNiP

    Will the doctors who read the study or were involved in it
    surmise that educating the patient isn't worth the bother?

    Doctors surmise this not from such studies but from not
    being reimbursed for the time they take for providing such
    education.

    Quoted message said:

    Better to just medicate and get the numbers down to
    the recommended numbers by expending the least time
    and effort?

    From a business view, it would be better. Physicians are not
    as a general rule compensated at an hourly rate.

    Quoted message said:

    After my coronary blockage and hospital stay, I searched
    and read til all hours of the night, educated myself and
    then set out to do all I could to ensure my own future. As
    a result my cardiologist removed me from the statin and
    blood pressure meds due to the fantastic results. I ended
    up losing 30 pounds in the process (6' and 175 lbs.) and
    am working toward 10 lubs more (winter was a [censored]). He
    even had to write a letter to my new internist explaining
    why I wasn't taking anything other than a daily aspirin
    and carrying my little vial of NitroQuick (unused since my
    episode 15 months ago).

    Good for you. It sounds like you were self-motivated.
    Actually, your example illustrates the value of an
    information source such as SMC for folks who are self-
    motivated. So how did you lose the 30 lbs?

    Quoted message said:

    Perhaps I'm preaching to the choir here since most are
    looking for education and clarification.

    The choir plus some detractors who would like to shut down
    one of the sources of information here at SMC ;-)

    Quoted message said:

    I'm just fed up with the attitude that we ought to just
    pop a pill and all will be well with no effort or
    sacrifice on our part.

    Imho, eating less (and being a bit hungry most of the time)
    is not a big sacrifice :-)

    May God bless you for your contribution, in Christ's name.

    Servant to the humblest person in the universe,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
    Board-Certified Cardiologist
    heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com

    **
    Who is the humblest person in the universe?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    What is all this about?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    Is this spam?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

  3. Owen Lowe <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    I know this subject has been posted before, but I just
    have to vent a little. The two clippings posted below are
    from HeartCenterOnLine - a weekly email of heart-related
    news bits.

    I read articles frequently that promote medications for
    all sorts of conditions. The articles are not just from
    HeartCenterOnline, but mainstream newspapers and
    magazines. If you high blood pressure or high cholesterol
    then you merely have to visit your local doctor and walk
    away with a prescription to solve all your problems. No
    one wants to give up *anything* in order to work towards a
    healthier body and quite possibly eliminate the conditions
    above. Most of the society (USA) seems to have an excuse
    for everything.

    I fear that this mindset will (or has) become ingrained in
    our medical professionals as well. Will doctors study non-
    pharma methods that may achieve the desired results in
    conjunction with the pharma path?

    Quoted message said:

    Prevent heart disease, avoid erection problems Apr 21
    (Reuters Health) - Men with certain risk factors for
    heart disease in mid-life -- such as obesity and high
    cholesterol levels -- are also more likely to develop
    erectile dysfunction many years later, new findings
    indicate.


    SNiP

    Quoted message said:

    "Patients may be more inclined to use (cholesterol-
    lowering drugs) if they can prevent ED, as well as heart
    disease," senior author Dr. Elizabeth Barrett-Connor,
    from the University of California in San Diego, said in
    a statement. "Now researchers should include erectile
    dysfunction as an outcome in trials of" such drugs.


    SNip

    There are other methods to lower cholesterol that should
    be tried before medicating, in my experience and opinion.
    So the above man is now obese and has a lowered
    cholesterol - who would care if he can get it up or not?
    Maybe the good Dr. Barrett-Connor ought to prescribe the
    patient a strict diet and exercise program prior to
    medicating - at least then he

    Quoted message said:


    &

    Quoted message said:

    Cholesterol reduction takes more than education    Apr
    22 (Reuters Health) - In a study of patients with heart
    disease, a special educational program was not helpful
    in lowering high cholesterol levels.

    Dr. Judith H. Lichtman and colleagues, from Yale
    University in New Haven, Connecticut, investigated
    whether a nurse-based program, designed to educate
    patients about cholesterol levels and encourage
    partnerships with their physicians, could increase
    the percentage of patients who achieved recommended
    cholesterol levels.


    SNiP

    Quoted message said:

    Although patients in the education program were more
    likely to know the recommended cholesterol levels, they
    were just as likely as others to actually achieve these
    target levels, or not.

    Moreover, the percentage of patients taking drugs like
    Lipitor and Zocor-- well-established treatments for high
    cholesterol--was similar in both groups

    "Our findings suggest that patient empowerment
    strategies through education, which have been shown to
    be effective...for diseases such as diabetes mellitus
    and heart failure, may be less effective" for conditions
    without symptoms, like high cholesterol levels, the
    authors conclude.


    SNiP

    Will the doctors who read the study or were involved in
    it surmise that educating the patient isn't worth the
    bother? Better to just medicate and get the numbers down
    to the recommended numbers by expending the least time
    and effort?

    After my coronary blockage and hospital stay, I searched
    and read til all hours of the night, educated myself and
    then set out to do all I could to ensure my own future. As
    a result my cardiologist removed me from the statin and
    blood pressure meds due to the fantastic results. I ended
    up losing 30 pounds in the process (6' and 175 lbs.) and
    am working toward 10 lubs more (winter was a [censored]). He
    even had to write a letter to my new internist explaining
    why I wasn't taking anything other than a daily aspirin
    and carrying my little vial of NitroQuick (unused since my
    episode 15 months ago).

    Perhaps I'm preaching to the choir here since most are
    looking for education and clarification. I'm just fed up
    with the attitude that we ought to just pop a pill and all
    will be well with no effort or sacrifice on our part.

    Salut Owen news.bbc.co.uk678811.stm

    Zee

  4. In article <[email hidden]>,

    Dr. Andrew B. Chung said:
    Quoted message said:

    Will the doctors who read the study or were involved in
    it surmise that educating the patient isn't worth the
    bother?

    Doctors surmise this not from such studies but from not
    being reimbursed for the time they take for providing such
    education.

    Quoted message said:

    Better to just medicate and get the numbers down to the
    recommended numbers by expending the least time and
    effort?

    From a business view, it would be better. Physicians are
    not as a general rule compensated at an hourly rate.

    Well from my perspective, paying $185 for a 10 minutes of
    face-to-face with the doc (not counting the 40 minutes of
    sitting in the exam room with the only visitor being the
    nurse to take my BP and ask about current health conditions)
    should certainly get me some quality, fully rounded medical
    advice and treatment. But that's another touchy point.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    After my coronary blockage and hospital stay, I searched
    and read til all hours of the night, educated myself and
    then set out to do all I could to ensure my own future.
    As a result my cardiologist removed me from the statin
    and blood pressure meds due to the fantastic results. I
    ended up losing 30 pounds in the process (6' and 175
    lbs.) and am working toward 10 lubs more (winter was a
    [censored]). He even had to write a letter to my new
    internist explaining why I wasn't taking anything other
    than a daily aspirin and carrying my little vial of
    NitroQuick (unused since my episode 15 months ago).

    Good for you. It sounds like you were self-motivated.
    Actually, your example illustrates the value of an
    information source such as SMC for folks who are self-
    motivated. So how did you lose the 30 lbs?

    I follow a low-carb way of eating. Lots of green veggies (5-
    6 servings/dy), meat, little by way of grains and stay away
    from hydrogenated, processed, manufactured "food". I visit a
    fast food joint about once every 6 months. With that, I do
    moderate quantity of mid to high exertion exercise (3-4
    days; 30 mins ea.; 160-170 HR) along with a moderately
    active lifestyle.

    SNiP

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I'm just fed up with the attitude that we ought to just
    pop a pill and all will be well with no effort or
    sacrifice on our part.

    Imho, eating less (and being a bit hungry most of the
    time) is not a big sacrifice :-)

    Yes, it's really not and the gains seem to be so beneficial
    - though I must say I don't often feel hungry "most of the
    time". I will feel tempted and deprived at times but if I'm
    truly hungry there's plenty of things to eat or drink that
    don't harm my health.

  5. In article <[email hidden]>,

    Dr. Andrew B. Chung said:
    Quoted message said:

    Will the doctors who read the study or were involved in
    it surmise that educating the patient isn't worth the
    bother?

    Doctors surmise this not from such studies but from not
    being reimbursed for the time they take for providing such
    education.

    Quoted message said:

    Better to just medicate and get the numbers down to the
    recommended numbers by expending the least time and
    effort?

    From a business view, it would be better. Physicians are
    not as a general rule compensated at an hourly rate.

    Well from my perspective, paying $185 for a 10 minutes of
    face-to-face with the doc (not counting the 40 minutes of
    sitting in the exam room with the only visitor being the
    nurse to take my BP and ask about current health conditions)
    should certainly get me some quality, fully rounded medical
    advice and treatment. But that's another touchy point.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    After my coronary blockage and hospital stay, I searched
    and read til all hours of the night, educated myself and
    then set out to do all I could to ensure my own future.
    As a result my cardiologist removed me from the statin
    and blood pressure meds due to the fantastic results. I
    ended up losing 30 pounds in the process (6' and 175
    lbs.) and am working toward 10 lubs more (winter was a
    [censored]). He even had to write a letter to my new
    internist explaining why I wasn't taking anything other
    than a daily aspirin and carrying my little vial of
    NitroQuick (unused since my episode 15 months ago).

    Good for you. It sounds like you were self-motivated.
    Actually, your example illustrates the value of an
    information source such as SMC for folks who are self-
    motivated. So how did you lose the 30 lbs?

    I follow a low-carb way of eating. Lots of green veggies (5-
    6 servings/dy), meat, little by way of grains and stay away
    from hydrogenated, processed, manufactured "food". I visit a
    fast food joint about once every 6 months. With that, I do
    moderate quantity of mid to high exertion exercise (3-4
    days; 30 mins ea.; 160-170 HR) along with a moderately
    active lifestyle.

    SNiP

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I'm just fed up with the attitude that we ought to just
    pop a pill and all will be well with no effort or
    sacrifice on our part.

    Imho, eating less (and being a bit hungry most of the
    time) is not a big sacrifice :-)

    Yes, it's really not and the gains seem to be so beneficial
    - though I must say I don't often feel hungry "most of the
    time". I will feel tempted and deprived at times but if I'm
    truly hungry there's plenty of things to eat or drink that
    don't harm my health.

  6. In article <[email hidden]>,

    (fresh~horses) said:

    Salut Owen


    Thanks.

    Quoted message said:

    news.bbc.co.uk678811.stm


    As a layman, I find it frustrating reading such articles. I
    guess it boils down to individuals react differently to the
    same treatments - what works for one may not work or may be
    harmful for another.

    On the subject of using meds for treating non-
    bacterial/viral/pain conditions - such as high-cholesterol -
    my feeling is that something in our diet, environment or
    lifestyle is causing our bodies to go awry. If, indeed,
    cholesterol levels are related to heart disease, something
    is going on in human history that's a relatively new
    development. Let's look to solving the problem's source
    instead of taking medications to force the body to comply.

  7. In article <[email hidden]>,

    (fresh~horses) said:

    Salut Owen


    Thanks.

    Quoted message said:

    news.bbc.co.uk678811.stm


    As a layman, I find it frustrating reading such articles. I
    guess it boils down to individuals react differently to the
    same treatments - what works for one may not work or may be
    harmful for another.

    On the subject of using meds for treating non-
    bacterial/viral/pain conditions - such as high-cholesterol -
    my feeling is that something in our diet, environment or
    lifestyle is causing our bodies to go awry. If, indeed,
    cholesterol levels are related to heart disease, something
    is going on in human history that's a relatively new
    development. Let's look to solving the problem's source
    instead of taking medications to force the body to comply.

  8. Owen Lowe said:

    In article
    <[email hidden]>,

    (fresh~horses) said:

    Salut Owen


    Thanks.

    Quoted message said:

    news.bbc.co.uk678811.stm


    As a layman, I find it frustrating reading such articles.
    I guess it boils down to individuals react differently to
    the same treatments - what works for one may not work or
    may be harmful for another.

    Yes, YMMV.

    Quoted message said:


    On the subject of using meds for treating non-
    bacterial/viral/pain conditions - such as high-cholesterol
    - my feeling is that something in our diet, environment or
    lifestyle is causing our bodies to go awry.

    The top two things on my list are overeating and aging.
    A lot can be done about the former though not much on
    the latter.

    Quoted message said:

    If, indeed, cholesterol levels are related to heart
    disease, something is going on in human history that's a
    relatively new development.

    Same top two things.

    Quoted message said:

    Let's look to solving the problem's source instead of
    taking medications to force the body to comply.

    Imho, medications are a bridge toward that end.

    Servant to the humblest person in the universe,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
    Board-Certified Cardiologist
    heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com

    **
    Who is the humblest person in the universe?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    What is all this about?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    Is this spam?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

  9. Owen Lowe said:

    In article <[email hidden]>, "Dr. Andrew B.

    Chung said:
    Quoted message said:

    Will the doctors who read the study or were involved
    in it surmise that educating the patient isn't worth
    the bother?

    Doctors surmise this not from such studies but from not
    being reimbursed for the time they take for providing
    such education.

    Quoted message said:

    Better to just medicate and get the numbers down to
    the recommended numbers by expending the least time
    and effort?

    From a business view, it would be better. Physicians are
    not as a general rule compensated at an hourly rate.

    Well from my perspective, paying $185 for a 10 minutes of
    face-to-face with the doc (not counting the 40 minutes of
    sitting in the exam room with the only visitor being the
    nurse to take my BP and ask about current health
    conditions) should certainly get me some quality, fully
    rounded medical advice and treatment. But that's another
    touchy point.

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    After my coronary blockage and hospital stay, I
    searched and read til all hours of the night, educated
    myself and then set out to do all I could to ensure my
    own future. As a result my cardiologist removed me
    from the statin and blood pressure meds due to the
    fantastic results. I ended up losing 30 pounds in the
    process (6' and 175 lbs.) and am working toward 10
    lubs more (winter was a [censored]). He even had to write a
    letter to my new internist explaining why I wasn't
    taking anything other than a daily aspirin and
    carrying my little vial of NitroQuick (unused since my
    episode 15 months ago).

    Good for you. It sounds like you were self-motivated.
    Actually, your example illustrates the value of an
    information source such as SMC for folks who are self-
    motivated. So how did you lose the 30 lbs?

    I follow a low-carb way of eating. Lots of green veggies
    (5-6 servings/dy), meat, little by way of grains and stay
    away from hydrogenated, processed, manufactured "food". I
    visit a fast food joint about once every 6 months. With
    that, I do moderate quantity of mid to high exertion
    exercise (3-4 days; 30 mins ea.; 160-170 HR) along with a
    moderately active lifestyle.

    SNiP

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I'm just fed up with the attitude that we ought to
    just pop a pill and all will be well with no effort or
    sacrifice on our part.

    Imho, eating less (and being a bit hungry most of the
    time) is not a big sacrifice :-)

    Yes, it's really not and the gains seem to be so
    beneficial - though I must say I don't often feel hungry
    "most of the time". I will feel tempted and deprived at
    times but if I'm truly hungry there's plenty of things to
    eat or drink that don't harm my health.

    It is the "plenty" that will harm your health.

    The solution (ime, works every time):

    heartmdphd.comwtloss.asp

    Servant to the humblest person in the universe,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
    Board-Certified Cardiologist
    heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com

    **
    Who is the humblest person in the universe?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    What is all this about?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    Is this spam?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

  10. In article <[email hidden]>,

    Dr. Andrew B. Chung said:
    Quoted message said:

    Yes, it's really not and the gains seem to be so
    beneficial - though I must say I don't often feel hungry
    "most of the time". I will feel tempted and deprived at
    times but if I'm truly hungry there's plenty of things
    to eat or drink that don't harm my health.

    It is the "plenty" that will harm your health.

    The solution (ime, works every time):

    heartmdphd.comwtloss.asp

    I believe you misinterpreted what I meant. By "plenty to
    eat" I was referring to the variety in healthy fruits,
    veggies, drinks and water that will eleviate between-meals-
    hunger without grabbing for donuts, cookies,
    hydrogenated chips or crackers, cakes, and other sugary,
    processed whatnots.

  11. Owen Lowe said:

    In article <[email hidden]>, "Dr. Andrew B.

    Chung said:
    Quoted message said:

    Will the doctors who read the study or were involved in
    it surmise that educating the patient isn't worth the
    bother?

    Doctors surmise this not from such studies but from not
    being reimbursed for the time they take for providing
    such education.

    Quoted message said:

    Better to just medicate and get the numbers down to the
    recommended numbers by expending the least time and
    effort?

    From a business view, it would be better. Physicians are
    not as a general rule compensated at an hourly rate.

    Well from my perspective, paying $185 for a 10 minutes of
    face-to-face with the doc (not counting the 40 minutes of
    sitting in the exam room with the only visitor being the
    nurse to take my BP and ask about current health
    conditions) should certainly get me some quality, fully
    rounded medical advice and treatment. But that's another
    touchy point.

    Her too. Cardiologist $175, electrophysiologist $275.

    Quoted message said:


    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    After my coronary blockage and hospital stay, I
    searched and read til all hours of the night, educated
    myself and then set out to do all I could to ensure my
    own future. As a result my cardiologist removed me from
    the statin and blood pressure meds due to the fantastic
    results. I ended up losing 30 pounds in the process (6'
    and 175 lbs.) and am working toward 10 lubs more
    (winter was a [censored]). He even had to write a letter to
    my new internist explaining why I wasn't taking
    anything other than a daily aspirin and carrying my
    little vial of NitroQuick (unused since my episode 15
    months ago).

    Good for you. It sounds like you were self-motivated.
    Actually, your example illustrates the value of an
    information source such as SMC for folks who are self-
    motivated. So how did you lose the 30 lbs?

    I follow a low-carb way of eating. Lots of green veggies
    (5-6 servings/dy), meat, little by way of grains and stay
    away from hydrogenated, processed, manufactured "food". I
    visit a fast food joint about once every 6 months. With
    that, I do moderate quantity of mid to high exertion
    exercise (3-4 days; 30 mins ea.; 160-170 HR) along with a
    moderately active lifestyle.

    SNiP

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    I'm just fed up with the attitude that we ought to just
    pop a pill and all will be well with no effort or
    sacrifice on our part.

    Imho, eating less (and being a bit hungry most of the
    time) is not a big sacrifice :-)

    Yes, it's really not and the gains seem to be so beneficial
    - though I must say I don't often feel hungry "most of the
    time". I will feel tempted and deprived at times but if I'm
    truly hungry there's plenty of things to eat or drink that
    don't harm my health.

  12. Oliver Costich said:
    Owen Lowe said:

    In article <[email hidden]>, "Dr. Andrew B.

    Chung said:

    > Will the doctors who read the study or were involved
    > in it surmise that educating the patient isn't worth
    > the bother?

    Doctors surmise this not from such studies but from not
    being reimbursed for the time they take for providing
    such education.

    > Better to just medicate and get the numbers down to
    > the recommended numbers by expending the least time
    > and effort?

    From a business view, it would be better. Physicians
    are not as a general rule compensated at an hourly
    rate.

    Well from my perspective, paying $185 for a 10 minutes of
    face-to-face with the doc (not counting the 40 minutes of
    sitting in the exam room with the only visitor being the
    nurse to take my BP and ask about current health
    conditions) should certainly get me some quality, fully
    rounded medical advice and treatment. But that's another
    touchy point.

    Her too. Cardiologist $175, electrophysiologist $275.

    You wouldn't like how much I charge (there is the PhD
    you know ;-).

    Servant to the humblest person in the universe,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
    Board-Certified Cardiologist
    heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com

    **
    Who is the humblest person in the universe?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    What is all this about?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    Is this spam?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

  13. Owen Lowe said:


    In article <[email hidden]>, "Dr. Andrew

    B. Chung said:
    Quoted message said:

    Yes, it's really not and the gains seem to be so
    beneficial - though I must say I don't often feel
    hungry "most of the time". I will feel tempted and
    deprived at times but if I'm truly hungry there's
    plenty of things to eat or drink that don't harm my
    health.

    It is the "plenty" that will harm your health.

    The solution (ime, works every time):

    heartmdphd.comwtloss.asp

    I believe you misinterpreted what I meant.

    Would assure you that I have not.

    Quoted message said:

    By "plenty to eat" I was referring to the variety in
    healthy fruits, veggies, drinks and water that will
    eleviate between-meals-hunger

    If you are overweight, that "hunger" is not a warning of
    impending starvation.

    Quoted message said:

    without grabbing for donuts, cookies, hydrogenated chips
    or crackers, cakes, and other sugary, processed whatnots.

    If you are overweight, you should not be grabbing anything
    extra to eat whether the extra is "healthy" or not.

    Servant to the humblest person in the universe,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
    Board-Certified Cardiologist
    heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com

    **
    Who is the humblest person in the universe?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    What is all this about?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    Is this spam?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

  14. Wed, 19 May 2004 11:45:54 -0400 in article
    <[email hidden]> "Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD"

    Quoted message said:


    You wouldn't like how much I charge (there is the PhD you
    know ;-).


    Does that imply that you have patients? Not necessarily I
    guess ;-).

    --
    Matti Narkia

  15. Matti Narkia said:

    Wed, 19 May 2004 11:45:54 -0400 in article
    <[email hidden]> "Dr. Andrew B. Chung,

    MD/PhD said:


    You wouldn't like how much I charge (there is the PhD you
    know ;-).


    Does that imply that you have patients?

    Yes.

    Truth is simple.

    Servant to the humblest person in the universe,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
    Board-Certified Cardiologist
    heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com

    **
    Who is the humblest person in the universe?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    What is all this about?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

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  16. I for one am tired of people telling me to each plenty of
    fresh fruit. I am not allowed to have all that much natural
    sugar that in contained in fruit. A doctor told me once to
    cut down on apples.

    "Owen Lowe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:onlnlowe-
    [email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    In article <[email hidden]>, "Dr. Andrew

    B. Chung said:
    Quoted message said:

    Yes, it's really not and the gains seem to be so
    beneficial - though I must say I don't often feel
    hungry "most of the time". I will feel tempted and
    deprived at times but if I'm truly hungry there's
    plenty


    of

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    things to eat or drink that don't harm my health.

    It is the "plenty" that will harm your health.

    The solution (ime, works every time):

    heartmdphd.comwtloss.asp

    I believe you misinterpreted what I meant. By "plenty to
    eat" I was referring to the variety in healthy fruits,
    veggies, drinks and water that will eleviate between-meals-
    hunger without grabbing for donuts, cookies, hydrogenated
    chips or crackers, cakes, and other sugary, processed
    whatnots.

  17. Ha, seems no one wants to discuss prices. I just go to the
    doctor and find out what the charge is "later". I would feel
    like a fool asking how much they charge ahead of time. Are
    we supposed to?

  18. Don said:


    Ha, seems no one wants to discuss prices. I just go to the
    doctor and find out what the charge is "later". I would
    feel like a fool asking how much they charge ahead of
    time. Are we supposed to?

    You can if you choose.

    Servant to the humblest person in the universe,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
    Board-Certified Cardiologist
    heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com

    **
    Who is the humblest person in the universe?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    What is all this about?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

    Is this spam?
    makeashorterlink.commakeashorterlink.com

  19. Don said:

    Ha, seems no one wants to discuss prices. I just go to the
    doctor and find out what the charge is "later". I would
    feel like a fool asking how much they charge ahead of time.
    Are we supposed to?

    We certainly do in the UK. In 2000 an angiogram was £1200
    and heart surgery £15 -£20,000. I paid for the angiogram but
    would not have thought of doing that without knowing the
    price first. Diana

  20. <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Don said:

    Ha, seems no one wants to discuss prices. I just go to
    the doctor and find out what the charge is "later". I
    would feel like a fool asking how much they charge ahead
    of time. Are we supposed to?

    We certainly do in the UK. In 2000 an angiogram was £1200
    and heart surgery £15 -£20,000. I paid for the angiogram
    but would not have thought of doing that without knowing
    the price first. Diana

    Quoted message said:


    I'm curious as to how that would work. Are those the costs
    if you go outside "the system" or does pretty much everyone
    pay around that? In the US I think the typical full cost of
    an angiogram would probably be more, but the amount the
    patient pays after typical employer provided insurance would
    probably be less.

    Thanks.

    Bill

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