Why haven't you heard about lipoprotein(a)?

1. July 2010 William Davis (26)
Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is the combined product of a low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle joined with the liver-produced protein, apoprotein(a).

Apoprotein(a)'s characteristics are genetically-determined: If your Mom gave the gene to you, you will have the same type of apoprotein(a) as she did. You will also share her risk for heart disease and stroke.

When apoprotein(a) joins with LDL, the combined Lp(a) particle is among the most aggressive known causes for coronary and carotid plaque. If apoprotein(a) joins with a small LDL, the Lp(a) particle that results is especially aggressive. This is the pattern I see, for instance, in people who have heart attacks or have high heart scan scores in their 40s or 50s.

Lp(a) is not rare. Estimates of incidence vary from population to population. In the population I see, who often come to me because they have positive heart scan scores or existing coronary disease (in other words, a "skewed" or "selected" population), approximately 30% express substantial blood levels of Lp(a).

Then why haven't you heard about Lp(a)? If it is an aggressive, perhaps the MOST aggressive known cause for heart disease and stroke, why isn't Lp(a)featured in news reports, Oprah, or The Health Channel?

Easy: Because the treatments are nutritional and inexpensive.

The expression of Lp(a), despite being a genetically-programmed characteristic, can be modified; it can be reduced. In fact, of the five people who have reduced their coronary calcium (heart scan) score the most in the Track Your Plaque program, four have Lp(a). While sometimes difficult to gain control over, people with Lp(a) represent some of the biggest success stories in the Track Your Plaque program.

Treatments for Lp(a) include (in order of my current preference):

1) High-dose fish oil--We currently use 6000 mg EPA + DHA per day
2) Niacin
3) DHEA
4) Thyroid normalization--especially T3

Hormonal strategies beyond DHEA can exert a small Lp(a)-reducing effect: testosterone for men, estrogens (human, no horse!) for women.

In other words, there is no high-ticket pharmaceutical treatment for Lp(a). All the treatments are either nutritional, like high-dose fish oil, or low-cost generic drugs, like liothyronine (T3) or Armour thyroid.

That is the sad state of affairs in healthcare today: If there is no money to be made by the pharmaceutical industry, then there are no sexy sales representatives to promote a new drug to the gullible practicing physician. Because most education for physicians is provided by the drug industry today, no drug marketing means no awareness of this aggressive cause for heart disease and stroke called Lp(a). (When a drug manufacturer finally releases a prescription agent effective for reducing Lp(a), such as eprotirome, then you'll see TV ads, magazine stories, and TV talk show discussions about the importance of Lp(a). That's how the world works.)

Now you know better.

How to have a heart attack in 10 easy steps

29. June 2010 William Davis (48)
If you would like to plan a heart attack in your future, here are some easy-to-follow steps to get you there in just a few short months or years:


1) Follow a low-fat diet.

2) Replace fat calories with "healthy whole grains" like whole wheat bread.

3) Eat "heart healthy" foods like heart healthy yogurt and breakfast cereals from the grocery store.

4) Use cholesterol-reducing plant sterols.

5) Take a multivitamin to obtain all the "necessary" nutrients.

6) Take the advice of your doctor who declares your heart "in great shape" based on your cholesterol values.

7) Take the advice of your cardiologist who declares your heart "like that of a 30-year old" based on a stress test.

8) Take a statin drug to reduce LDL and c-reactive protein while maintaining your low-fat diet.

9) Neglect sun exposure and vitamin D restoration.

10) Limit your salt intake while not supplementing iodine.



There you have it: An easy, 10-step process to do your part to help your local hospital add on its next $40 million heart care center.

If you would instead like to prevent a heart attack in your future, then you should consider not doing any of the above.

Kick inflammation in the butt

25. June 2010 William Davis (0)
C-reactive protein, or CRP, is a protein produced by the liver in response to inflammatory signals its receives. Thus, CRP has emerged as a popular measure to gauge the underlying inflammatory status of your body. Higher CRP levels (e.g., 3.0 mg/L or greater) are associated with increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular events.

The drug cartel have jumped on this with the assistance of Harvard cardiologist, Dr. Paul Ridker. Most physicians now regard increased CRP as a mandate to institute statin therapy, preferably at high doses based on such studies as The JUPITER Trial, in which rosuvastatin (Crestor), 20 mg per day, reduced CRP 37%.

I see this differently. Two strategies drop CRP dramatically, nearly to zero with rare exception: Vitamin D restoration and wheat elimination. Not 37%, but something close to 100%.

Yes, I know it sounds wacky. But it works almost without fail, provided the rest of your life is conducted in reasonably healthy fashion, i.e., you don't live on Coca Cola, weigh 80 lbs over ideal weight, and smoke.

How can something so easily reduced like CRP mean you "need" medication? Easy: Increased CRP means there are fundamental deficiencies and/or inflammation provoking foods in your diet. Correct neither and there is an apparent benefit to taking a statin drug.

Why not just correct the underlying causes?

Life without Lipitor

25. June 2010 William Davis (17)
One of the most common reasons people come to my office is to correct high cholesterol values without Lipitor. (Substitute "Lipitor" with Crestor, simvastatin, Vytorin, or any of the other cholesterol drugs; it's much the same.)

In the world of conventional healthcare, in which you are instructed to follow a diet that increases risk for heart disease and not advised to correct nutrient deficiencies like vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, then a drug like Lipitor may indeed provide benefit.

But when you are provided genuinely effective information on diet, along with correction of nutrient deficiencies, then the "need" and apparent benefits of Lipitor largely dissolve. While there are occasional genetic anomalies that can improve with use of Lipitor and other statins, many, perhaps most, people taking these drugs really would not have to if they were just provided the right information.

Anyone following the discussions on these pages knows that wheat elimination is probably one of the most powerful overall health strategies available. Wheat elimination reduces real measured LDL quite dramatically. Provided you limit other carbohydrates, such as those from fruits, as well, LDL can drop like a stone. That's not what your doctor tells you. This approach works because elimination of wheat and limiting other carbohydrates reduces small LDL. Small LDL particles are triggered by carbohydrates, especially wheat; reducing carbohydrates reduces small LDL. Conventional LDL of the sort obtained in your doctor's office will not show this, since it is a calculated value that appears to increase with reduced carbohydrates, a misleading result.

Throw vitamin D normalization and iodine + thyroid normalization into the mix (both are exceptionally common), and you have two additional potent means to reduce (measured) LDL. Not restricting fat but increasing healthy fat intake, such as the fats in lots of raw nuts, olive oil, and flaxseed oil reduce LDL.

While I still prescribe statins now and then, a growing number of people are succeeding without them.

(Note that by "measured" LDL I am referring to the "gold standard," LDL particle number by NMR provided by Liposcience. A second best is measured Apoprotein B available through most conventional labs.)

In search of wheat: Emmer

23. June 2010 William Davis (13)
While einkorn is a 14-chromosome ancient wheat (containing the so-called "A" genome), emmer is a 28-chromosome wheat (containing the "A" and "B" genomes, the "B" likely contributed by goat grass 9000 years ago).

Both einkorn and emmer originally grew wild in the Fertile Crescent, allowing Neolithic Natufians to harvest the wild grasses with stone sickles and grind the seeds into porridge.

Having tested einkorn with only a modest rise in blood sugar but without the gastrointestinal or neurological effects I experienced with conventional whole wheat bread, I next tested bread made with emmer grain.

The emmer grain was ground just like the other two grains, cardiac dietitian Margaret Pfeiffer doing all the work of grinding and baking. Margaret added nothing but water, yeast, and a little salt. The emmer rose a little more than einkorn, but not to the degree of conventional whole wheat.

I tested my blood sugar beforehand: 89 mg/dl. I then ate 4 oz of the emmer bread. It tasted very similar to conventional whole wheat, but not as nutty as einkorn. Also not as heavy as einkorn, only slightly heavier than conventional whole wheat.

One hour later, blood sugar: 147 mg/dl. I felt slightly queasy for about 2-3 hours, but that was the end of it. No abdominal cramps, no sleep disturbance or crazy dreams, no nausea, no change in ability to concentrate.

I asked four other wheat-sensitive people to try the emmer bread. Likewise, nobody reacted negatively (though nobody tested blood sugar).

So it seems to me, based on this small, unscientific experience, that ancient einkorn (A) and emmer (AB) wheat seem to act like carbohydrates, similar to, say, rice or quinoa, but lack many of the other adverse effects induced by conventional wheat.

Modern wheat , Triticum aestivum, contains variations on the "A," "B," and "D" genomes, the "D" contributed by hybridization with Triticum tauschii at about the same time that emmer wheat hybridization occurred. It is likely that proteins coded by the "D" genome are the source of most of the problems with wheat products: immune, neurologic, gastrointestinal destruction, airway inflammation (asthma), increase in appetite, etc. This is consistent with observations made in studies that attempt to pinpoint the gliadin proteins that trigger celiac, the area in which much of this research originates.

If I ever would like an indulgence of cookies or cupcakes, I think that I will order some more einkorn grain from Eli Rogosa.

In search of wheat: Another einkorn experience

23. June 2010 William Davis (6)
Lisa is a trained dietitian. Unlike many of her colleagues, she has "seen the light" and realized that the conventional advice that most dietitians are forced to dispense through hospitals, clinics, and other facilities is just plain wrong. 

I know Lisa personally and we've had some great conversations on diet and nutritional supplements. I told Lisa about my einkorn experience and how I witnessed a dramatic difference between bread made from einkorn wheat and that made from conventional whole wheat. So she decided to give it a try herself. 

Here's Lisa's experience:


This past Friday, June 18th, I conducted my "Einkorn Wheat Experiment".

7 am 
FBG [fasting blood glucose] 97 mg/dl

8 am-9 am 
1 hour high-intensity aerobic workout

10:05 am 
BG 99

10:05 am 
I embarked upon the journey of choking down, I mean enjoying, the hefty piece of Einkorn bread. Wow, was that bread dense!  It was a lot of work chewing. 

10:50 am 
(45 minutes after consumption, wanted to see what BG did a bit before the 1 hr mark)  BG 153

11:05 am 
1hr PP 120

11:35 am 
90 mins PP [postprandial] 113

12:05 pm 
2 hours PP  114 ... at this time I ate an egg & veggie omelet for lunch.

12:50 pm 
BG 100

Before dinner 5:10 pm 
BG 88

I was surprised with the BG of 153. However, it was good to see my insulin response is reactive and decreased BG 33 points in 15 minutes to end up with a BG of 120 1 hr after the bread.  

So, it appears my response is similar. A slight elevation of BG at the 1 hour mark, but not to the degree of conventional whole grain wheat bread.  

Of note, also, was the fact that I cannot remember the last time I ate a piece of wheat bread of this magnitude that did not make me bloated... not at all: No cramps, no brain fog, no headache and, did I mention not bloated?  

I believe you are on to something with tolerance of Einkorn wheat for those of us with wheat sensitivities, in addition to its apparent lower glycemic response.

Along with Lisa, I asked four other people with various acute intolerances (all gastrointestinal) to conventional wheat, i.e., people who experience undesirable effects from wheat within minutes to several hours, to eat the einkorn bread. None experienced their usual reactions.

Obviously, this does not constitute a clinical trial. Nonetheless, I find this a compelling observation: People like myself who generally experience distinct undesirable reactions to wheat did not experience these reactions with einkorn.

Note, however, that einkorn behaves like a carbohydrate. No different, say, from brown rice or quinoa. However, unlike modern whole wheat flour from Triticum aestivum,  in this little experience there were no immune reactions, no neurologic phenomena, no gastrointestinal distress--just the blood sugar consequences.

While this may not be true for all people consuming einkorn, it suggests that primordial einkorn wheat is quite different from modern conventional wheat for most people.

Increased blood calcium and vitamin D

21. June 2010 William Davis (50)
Conventional advice tells us to supplement calcium, 1200 mg per day, to preserve bone health and reduce blood pressure.

Here's a curious observation I've now witnessed a number of times: Some people who supplement this dose of calcium while also supplementing vitamin D sufficient to increase 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood levels to 60-70 ng/ml develop abnormally high levels of blood calcium, hypercalcemia.

This makes sense when you realize that intestinal absorption of calcium doubles or quadruples when vitamin D approaches desirable levels. Full restoration of vitamin D therefore causes a large quantity of calcium to be absorbed, more than you may need. In addition, two studies from New Zealand suggest that 1200-1300 mg calcium with vitamin D per day doubles heart attack risk.

We have 20 years of clinical studies demonstrating the very small benefits of supplementing calcium to stop or slow the deterioration of bone density (osteopenia, osteoporosis). These studies were performed with no vitamin D or with trivial doses, too small to make a difference. I believe those data have been made irrelevant in the modern age in which we "normalize" vitamin D.

Should hypercalcemia develop, it is not good for you. Over long periods of time, abnormal calcium deposition can occur, leading to kidney stones, atherosclerosis, and arthritis.

Until we have clarification on this issue, I have been advising patients to take no more than 600 mg calcium supplements per day. I suspect, however, that the vast majority of us require no calcium at all, provided an overall healthy diet is followed, especially one that does not leach out bone calcium. This means no foods like those made with wheat or containing powerful acids, such as those in carbonated drinks.

Heart health consultation with Dr. Joe D. Goldstrich

20. June 2010 William Davis (3)
Cardiologist, nutritionist, and lipidologist, Dr. Joe D. Goldstrich, is a frequent contributor to the Track Your Plaque Forum, where we discuss the full range of issues relevant to coronary health and coronary plaque reversal.

I have come to value Dr. Goldstrich's unique insights, especially in nutrition. Formerly National Director of Education and Community Programs for the American Heart Association and a physician at the Pritikin Center, his dietary philosophy has evolved away from low-fat and towards a low-carbohydrate focus, much as we use in Track Your Plaque. Like TYP, Dr. Goldstrich is always searching for better answers to gain control over coronary health. His unique blend of ideas and background has helped us craft new ideas and strategies. Dr. Goldstrich has proven especially adept at understanding how to incorporate new findings from clinical studies in our framework of coronary atherosclerotic plaque management strategies.

Dr. Goldstrich is offering to share his expertise with our online community. If you would like a one-on-one phone consultation with Dr. Goldstrich, you can arrange to speak with him at his HealthyHeartConsultant.com website.

Wheat aftermath

16. June 2010 William Davis (18)
Following my 4 oz whole wheat misadventure that yielded the sky-high blood sugar of 167 mg/dl, compared to einkorn wheat's 110 mg/dl, I suffered through a 36-hour period of misery.

After I obtained the blood sugar of 167 mg/dl, I biked hard for one hour. This yielded a blood sugar back down in the 80s. I felt spacey in the ensuing few hours, as well as a little queasy. However, about 12 hours later, I awoke with overwhelming nausea along with that hypersalivating thing that happens just prior to vomiting. It did not come to that, but persisted all through the following day.

The next morning, I could barely concentrate. Trying to read a study (admittedly on the complex topic of agricultural genetics), I had to read each paragraph 4 or 5 times. Abdominal cramps and a bloated feeling also developed, though I was able to eat.

The 2nd night was filled with incredibly vivid dreams and intermittent sleeplessless. I awoke about 5 times through the night, but periods of sleep were filled with detailed, colorful dreams. I dreamt that a large corporation was secretly trying to gain control over the world's water supply, and I snuck onto a complex underwater vessel that was exploring and mapping the coastline of the Great Lakes in preparation. Weird.

I recognized these odd feelings as various facets of wheat intolerance, since they were all reminiscent of feelings I used to experience before I removed wheat from my diet. They were amplified and compressed, likely because I had been wheat-free for so long.

The odd thing is that, despite the modest blood sugar effect of my einkorn experience, none of the gastrointestinal or neurologic effects of wheat developed. So far, two other people with acute gastrointestinal wheat sensitivities have consumed our einkorn bread, also without reproduction of their usual symptoms.

Einkorn contains gluten, though the structure of the many gluten proteins of einkorn differs from that of the wheat bread I consumed, an example of modern Triticum aestivum. 14-chromosome einkorn carries what biologists call the "A" genome, while Triticum aestivum has the combines genomes of 3 plants, the combination of the A, B, and D genomes. It is the D genome that contains the genes coding for the most obnoxious, immunogenic forms of gluten.

So einkorn may not be entirely benign, but it is a good deal less obnoxious than modern Triticum aestivum.

I am awaiting the reports from a few other people on their experiences.

In search of wheat: Einkorn and blood sugar

14. June 2010 William Davis (32)
There are three basic aspects of wheat's adverse health effects: immune activation (e.g., celiac disease), neurologic implications (e.g., schizophrenia and ADHD), and blood sugar effects.

Among the questions I'd like answered is whether ancient wheat, such as the einkorn grain I obtained from Eli Rogosa, triggers blood sugar like modern wheat.

So I conducted a simple experiment on myself. On an empty stomach, I ate 4 oz of einkorn bread. On another occasion I ate 4 oz of bread that dietitian, Margaret Pfeiffer, made with whole wheat flour bought at the grocery store. Both flours were finely ground and nothing was added beyond water, yeast, olive oil, and a touch of salt.

Here's what happened:

Einkorn wheat bread:

Blood sugar pre: 84 mg/dl
Blood sugar 1-hour post: 110 mg/dl

Conventional wheat bread
Blood sugar pre: 84 mg/dl
Blood sugar 1-hour post: 167 mg/dl

The difference shocked me. I expected a difference between the two, but not that much.

After the conventional wheat, I also felt weird: a little queasy, some acid in the back of my throat, a little spacey. I biked for an hour solid to reduce my blood sugar back to its starting level.

I'm awaiting the experiences of others, but I'm tantalized by the possibility that, while einkorn is still a source of carbohydrates, perhaps it is one of an entirely different variety than modern Triticum aestivum wheat. The striking difference in blood sugar effects make me wonder if einkorn eaten in small quantities can keep us below the Advanced Glycation End-Product threshold.
 
Letter from the insurance company

Letter from the insurance company

18. March 2011 William Davis (24)
Claudia got this letter from her health insurance company:

Dear Ms. ------,

Based on a recent review of your cholesterol panel of January 12, 2011, we feel that you should strongly consider speaking to your doctor about cholesterol treatment.

Reducing cholesterol values to healthy levels has been shown to reduce heart attack risk . . .

Okay. So the health insurer wants Claudia to take a cholesterol drug in the hopes that it will reduce their exposure to the costs for her future heart catheterization, angioplasty and stent, or bypass surgery. This is understandable, given the extraordinary costs of such hospital services, typically running from $40,000 for a several hour-long outpatient catheterization procedure, to as much as $200,000 for a several day long stay for coronary bypass surgery.

So what's the problem?

Here are Claudia's most recent lipid values:

LDL cholesterol 196 mg/dl
HDL 88 mg/dl
Triglycerides 37 mg/dl
Total cholesterol 291 mg/dl

By the criteria followed by her health insurer, both total and LDL cholesterol are much too high. Note, of course, that LDL cholesterol was a calculated value, not measured.

Here are Claudia's lipoproteins, drawn simultaneously with her lipids:

LDL particle number 898 nmol/L
Small LDL particle number less than 90 nmol/L (Values less than 90 are not reported by Liposcience)

LDL particle number is, by far and away, the best measure of LDL particles, an actual count of particles, rather than a guesstimate of LDL particles gauged by measuring cholesterol in the low-density fraction of lipoproteins (i.e., LDL cholesterol). It is also measured and is highly reproducible.

To convert LDL particle number in nmol/L to an LDL cholesterol-like value in mg/dl, divide by ten (or just drop the last digit).

Claudia's measured LDL is therefore 89 mg/dl--54% lower than the crude calculated LDL suggests.

This is because virtually all of Claudia's LDL particles are large, with little or no small. This situation throws off the crude assumptions built into the LDL calculation, making it appear that she has very high LDL cholesterol.

Do you think that Big Pharma advertises this phenomenon?
Tags :

Comments (24) -

  • Anonymous

    3/18/2011 1:49:34 AM |

    Dr. Davis,

    I think total cholesterol should be 290, perhaps, and not 29?

    I have started using the lipoprofile in my practice.  Patients with relatively normal lipid profiles are startled with the results.  Getting them to make any changes is another thing, but I will keep trying.

    Teresa

  • Anne

    3/18/2011 7:42:37 AM |

    I live in the UK under the National Health Service but I also  have private medical insurance. I know that neither my private medical insurance company, nor the NHS itself, know my cholesterol numbers - they are known only to the lab, my doctors and me. How is it that patient information, which should be confidential, is given to insurance companies ? I find that a very worrisome aspect of this.

  • Kris @ Health Blog

    3/18/2011 8:08:05 AM |

    I find it kind of strange how obsessed american doctors are with cholesterol levels, in my country (Iceland) this is not such a big deal.

    It's almost as if the doctors in America are going out of their way to find something wrong with their patient so that they can treat it.

    For example high cholesterol, thyroid disorders. I pretty much never hear people talk about those things here.

  • Anonymous

    3/18/2011 11:55:23 AM |

    and when she refuses to do as ordered, her insurance company will find out about that, and will then terminate her coverage. Anybody want to make a bet? So much for privilege and confidentiality in the ole US of A.

  • Peter

    3/18/2011 1:29:41 PM |

    Seems very odd, I've had health insurance fornforty years, and they've never given me any advice or indication that they read my lab results.

  • Marg

    3/18/2011 2:22:16 PM |

    Some insurance companies routinely require physical examinations before they will write life insurance and are happy to find any reason not to write the insurance. Could this have been a life insurance company?

  • Galina L.

    3/18/2011 2:33:23 PM |

    What do you think is the best line of defense for the patient? My husband has similar calculated LDL - 181, the rest of numbers are excellent and he is in a very good health at 50 years old. Blood pressure is excellent(115/65), pulse is 45 at rest, fasting BS is 76. Our doctor admits it, but recommends Lipitor anyway. Our health insurance is about to be changed and it makes me worry about perspective pressure from insurance people on my husband to take that Lipitor.

  • Anonymous

    3/18/2011 2:37:48 PM |

    How does an individual give honest answers on health questionaires when applying for new or additional life or health insurance?  If they ask my PCP they would be told that I am low risk for heart attack.   If they look at my CT scan score they would see that I am in the 90th percentile - high risk.
    These are hypothetical questions at this point but my inclination would be to base my answer on my PCP's opinion rather than my calcium score, in part because medical insurance does not cover CT scans (apparently because they don't consider them to be a reliable predictor of risk) and in part because I have taken steps to significantly reduce my risk.

  • Anonymous

    3/18/2011 2:41:21 PM |

    Let's name names!  I have coverage by United Health Care through an employer.  I have gotten several letters in the past couple of years telling me I NEED this test, or that that test, to maintain my good health!  [However, never anything about the value of lipoprofile testing!]

    I consider this an abhorrent practice, an invasion of my privacy, and totally reject their "advice".  Advice should be coming from my doctor, and in fact it is.  I don't need their nurse "case manager" nor this advocacy for excessive testing.

    There's nothing like a letter from an insurance company to raise blood pressure!

    madcook

  • Barbara

    3/18/2011 4:35:25 PM |

    It is very disturbing to me that 1) her health insurance has access to her medical records and 2) that a for-profit organization is getting involved in her healthcare. Having moved from Australia about five years ago, everything about American health care disturbs me. I trust no one; they all seem to be desiring a profit and therefore paperwork is their main concern, not patient care, health, or longevity.

  • Jonathan

    3/18/2011 6:31:50 PM |

    My last test showed calculate LDL at 208, however the one from three months ago was "directly measured lipid" and showed 263 LDL direct, so might the calculated version be wrong in either direction?  I have pattern A and am FH.

  • susan

    3/18/2011 6:53:21 PM |

    I'm for naming names too!  I have Aetna health insurance through my employer. I don't get letters from them, but I get emails. Just today, I told my email program to automatically delete any further emails from the "Simple Steps to a Healthier Life" program. Plus whenever I sign into the online portal, I get nagged to have all kinds of tests, fill out questionnaires, and join health improvement programs.  I got so tired of the demand that I "fill out a health assessment questionnaire" I finally gave in, hoping it would be removed from the page. It just opened a new can of worms: now I have a half dozen new "suggestions" on my "to do list". Bah humbug!

    I'm of the "live and let live" school.  Why go looking for trouble?  As long as I'm not having symptoms, I feel no need to undergo all of these tests.

    Thank God my doctor is beginning to understand that I'm not going to be taking any of those Pharma-pushed poisons just because my lab results don't meet someone's criteria. Once again, I say Bah humbug!

  • Dr. William Davis

    3/18/2011 7:15:53 PM |

    Thanks for catching that, Teresa.

    It is indeed an eye-opener, isn't it?

  • Dr. William Davis

    3/18/2011 7:17:42 PM |

    Anne and Kris--

    Fascinating non-American perspectives.

    Insurance companies have incredible info on us. I'm always surprised more is not made of this issue.

    Remember: The more they know, the better they are at denying coverage.

  • Anonymous

    3/18/2011 8:19:22 PM |

    Dr. Davis,

    I didn't want to put this here (not sure if I could post it elsewhere) , but I thought you would find this interesting if you haven't seen it yet.

    http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/p-nu/201103/cardio-may-cause-heart-disease-part-i

    RyanH

  • Anonymous

    3/18/2011 8:25:47 PM |

    Anonymous1 said:
    "I have coverage by United Health Care through an employer"
    Ah, United. I have Oxford/United. '
    Several years ago, when everyone at Oxford (and patients) worked toward a noble goal of "salary" for their CEO of 1.6 Billion a year, they sent me several letters suggesting that I have basic check up. I followed their suggestion. Then, I started to receive letters ... refusing to pay - 100% refusal. Each time, I had to call and ask nicely and politely: "Are you nuts?" They paid.

  • Dr. William Davis

    3/18/2011 10:52:16 PM |

    Though I am not in the habit of defending health insurers, I have found that they tend to provide a benign "you should speak to your doctor about . . ." kind of approach.

    I often wonder, however, if at some point they start to be more coercive. Something like: "You should strongly consider a cholesterol-reducing drug. We anticipate that your premiums may be higher if you do not."

    That would be scary.

  • Anonymous

    3/19/2011 12:50:53 AM |

    Ah, I should have continued.
    In a way, Oxford achieved their goal. What they paid was minimal, but they avoided bigger cost at that time.
    They scared me to death - if they don't pay for what they send to ( with letters firmly printed) which is basic, stated officially in some book as my right, they probably won't pay for anything else. I neglected all symptoms and asked for medical attention when I really didn't have any choice (and in a slightly new climate)
    I was diagnosed with two quite serious conditions - neither curable, but one was preventable and the other was at this time preventable to a degree. I mean the condition would be one only (the result of "bad" accumulation +genes?), less serious and correctable.

  • Contemplationist

    3/19/2011 3:16:40 AM |

    An insurance company has a tremendous incentive to reduce its costs and hence a great incentive to find out the truth. If they are not, it means that something is fishy. Why are insurers not commissioning their own studies? Are they not allowed to? Is it the regulators who are holding them back? Or are they actually stupid?

  • Anonymous

    3/19/2011 3:59:39 AM |

    I have not had any insurers say they know what a patient's lipid numbers are, but they can pretty well tell from claims data what tests have been done, and what medications are prescribed.

    We get faxes all the time recommending that meds be changed or weaned or made as needed rather than routine.  Yes, I know Mrs. Jones has been on an ulcer medicine for 6 months, and we should try to wean it.  What they don't know is that she won't change her diet and lose some weight, so maybe her symptoms would stop, and her symptoms get horribly worse without her ulcer medication.

    Teresa

  • jkim

    3/19/2011 2:57:41 PM |

    Dr. Davis,

    Based on Claudia's numbers, I guess I should expect a letter from my insurance company and a prescription from my doc for a statin. I won't fill the scrip.

    I'm 65, slim, eat VLC, and haven't been afraid of  saturated fat. But I just got my labs and TC was 476, HDL 146, Triglycerides 79 (I'd had wine with dinner--they're usually in the 30s), and LDL 314!!!

    How worried should I be about these numbers?

  • susan

    3/21/2011 1:57:39 AM |

    Hey Dr. Davis,

    At my last visit, my doctor mentioned my lipid numbers; but even he had to admit that my LDL (157) and TC (234) had improved (from 177 and 255), and the rest of my labs were all WNL. I generally eat low carb -- other than my recent indulgence in mini PB cups -- so I suspect that, as you indicated, the actual numbers are better than the official calculated numbers.

    My doc didn’t try to prescribe any meds this time. But at other visits he’s tried to guilt me into following the accepted guidelines by telling me his “performance score” is determined by how well he adheres to those guidelines, including prescribing all the meds and tests recommended by the so-called experts for a patient of my age with my lab results.

    I also fear that things are changing in this regard – and not for the better. Our government has now decided that we all must have insurance or pay a fine. If I refuse to follow the recommended guidelines, either my insurance company or my doctor, or both, may “fire” me. The truth is, I really don’t give a fig which entity it is (doctor, insurance company, or government panel) that tries to hector me into following guidelines promulgated by “experts” who believe in the lipid hypothesis. I simply choose to believe that I’m in charge of my body and that I get to determine whether to take a recommended med or have a recommended test.

    As for insurance companies getting lab results, I don’t know whether the doctor’s office or Quest Labs has been feeding my results to my insurance company, but when I look at my online health info on the insurance company’s web site, all my lab results are listed. And I’m sure the company is basing at least some of its many recommendations on those results.

    I must admit, having the results online makes it easy for me to keep track of them; but given the ease with which records can be hacked, I fear for my health privacy. And I resent the big brother attitude of the insurance company. I'm a well-informed, healthy adult. Treat me like one.

  • ShottleBop

    3/21/2011 4:50:53 AM |

    Just this past week, my insurance company (Aetna), which has paying for my test strips for the past year and a half, sent me a letter suggesting that I might have diabetes, and should talk to my doctor.

  • jkim

    3/21/2011 1:39:31 PM |

    Hi Dr. Davis,

    I spent the weekend reading your older posts about LDL. I guess I need to get a test done to determine my LDL particle number before my doc and I have a discussion. Thanks for posting that info in such detail on your blog.

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