tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350181109033523476.post7994430070830878342..comments2023-08-24T00:28:08.108-07:00Comments on Why is American health care so expensive?: Drugs for cholesterol and high blood pressure actually can be cheap and workJanice Boughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02321947802871503562noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350181109033523476.post-86192770313426871092017-05-14T07:42:34.637-07:002017-05-14T07:42:34.637-07:00Excellent idea. The saga continues. I'll write...Excellent idea. The saga continues. I'll write a blog about it soon. Janice Boughtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02321947802871503562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350181109033523476.post-77609994989469499122017-05-14T07:32:55.094-07:002017-05-14T07:32:55.094-07:00Hi Janet
Since it has been 5 months would you off...Hi Janet<br />Since it has been 5 months would you offer an update ? I am on the cusp of possible medications similar and though very resistant to it, your post and quick movement towards these type meds. has given. me pause and re-consideration. Thanks for all the balanced insights on the various medical issues of the time<br />Be well ,<br />Warren Baconwarren baconnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350181109033523476.post-75485037381780382622017-01-10T15:00:47.474-08:002017-01-10T15:00:47.474-08:00Absolutely right. I am completely not sure that th...Absolutely right. I am completely not sure that this is the right path. I do believe that while ignorance is bliss, knowledge is power and there is only so far I can go with these clichés. But people like me sometimes do get unexpected vascular events. They also get side effects. Using myself as an experimental animal is an active way to engage with this conundrum. I hope I don't get diabetes! <br /><br />The secondary point is that some drugs which are likely good for some people are actually cheap. That is an interesting story that doesn't get much press. Janice Boughtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02321947802871503562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350181109033523476.post-40947348467015728832017-01-10T14:44:02.962-08:002017-01-10T14:44:02.962-08:00This sounds to me like a cautionary tale regarding...This sounds to me like a cautionary tale regarding the risks of overscreening. You presumably knew before that you had less-than-perfect numbers, but you were not statinized, because you knew that statins for primary prevention in healthy women have a minuscule absolute benefit and are more likely to do serious harm than good. Yet as soon as you pointed that probe at your neck and saw a bit of plaque, you were made fearful and happy to accept lifelong medication - even though you no doubt also know that a huge fraction of those healthy women who don't enjoy a net benefit from statins have similar plaque. <br /><br />It is like the difference between knowing intellectually that thyroid "cancer" is grotesquely overdiagnosed, and being told that you yourself have a suspicious nodule. How many people could resist the urge (and coercion) to investigate further, without wallowing in anxiety thereafter? If the answer is "hardly any", then the way to maximize your statistical health and happiness is to make sure that that wand never gets pointed at you. Ignorance really can be bliss.<br /><br />With respect, if you develop numerically defined diabetes I hope you will consider discontinuing the statin and see what happens.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350181109033523476.post-33882193698170974852016-12-17T23:04:33.687-08:002016-12-17T23:04:33.687-08:00Another good idea. Clearly the atorvastatin had al...Another good idea. Clearly the atorvastatin had already messed with my mental functions since in the last sentence I said "...generic atorvastatin and atorvastatin..." instead of "generic atorvastatin and lisinopril" as I had intended (and just edited it to say.) No cough as yet. Not sure about GI distress since that is often a moving target. My kidneys have not yet failed, but I would only expect that if I continued to take the lisinopril when I was otherwise physically stressed. I have also not yet gotten a stroke or heart attack and muscles feel fine. I'll keep you posted.Janice Boughtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02321947802871503562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350181109033523476.post-85805346254950865232016-12-17T20:14:39.034-08:002016-12-17T20:14:39.034-08:00Janice, please keep us up to date. You have not be...Janice, please keep us up to date. You have not been on either of these drugs for very long, and it would be interesting if you maintained your "self experimentation". I especially want to know when you lose your (considerable) mental acuity! bdurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00573703383993837276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350181109033523476.post-2246266713412236032016-12-09T08:25:40.690-08:002016-12-09T08:25:40.690-08:00Excellent point. My BMI is pretty low. I'm not...Excellent point. My BMI is pretty low. I'm not skeletal but weight loss would be a bad idea. Your point, though is that doctors frequently bail to medication when lifestyle changes would be profoundly more effective. We do this because it takes less time and demands less from our patients, We have also absorbed the hype from the time when these drugs were a major revenue stream for their makers. But hypertension in my case is hereditary and if I choose to treat it will need drugs. The cholesterol is another question. I know I could lower it with some more radical diet changes but there is no good evidence that diet changes would halt or reverse vascular disease. The data on good fats is not convincing, though the motivation to do realty good studies is poor since a healthy diet makes no money for a drug company. Janice Boughtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02321947802871503562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350181109033523476.post-36169434741046933622016-12-09T06:07:57.508-08:002016-12-09T06:07:57.508-08:00Did you try diet change first? When I was in my ...Did you try diet change first? When I was in my 20's, may weight started to increase from 225 lbs all the way up to 310 in my 30's. My blood pressure was typically above 140/90 and I failed the required military physical exam 4 times because of the the bp.<br /><br />After changing my diet more than 20 years ago, my weight is now 185 lbs and my bp has been below 115/70 also for more than 20 years. Even before I lost most of the weight, my bp went down to these lower levels apparently just due to my dietary changes.<br /><br />I eat a vegan diet with no added fat or sugar. I eat mostly low calorie density vegetables, a few fruits, with a tablespoon of ground flax seed and 2 tablespoons of raw cacao every day for their healthy fat.<br /><br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09371393198030837318noreply@blogger.com