My cardiologist just restarted me on a statin, based on my lipid profile. I had discontinued it because of myalgias. I've got the myalgias back so I am going to stop it. This is a great explanation. I am a retired general internist, and I was generally skeptical of statins when I was in practice, especially for primary prevention. Our toxic food environment is the elephant in the room.
I agree with you! It is the food "environment". In order to minimize the noxious things in food such as additives, harmful seed oils, preservatives, sugars, etc you'd have to do all your cooking because the pre-cooked America diet is full of it. No wonder there is so many Americans now diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
Why is no one talking about inflammation? Cholesterol will pass through smooth vessels, but builds up on the walls of porous , inflamed vessels. I'm a nurse who had a patient on statins for years ...still had bypass, and was placed on the liver transplant list due to "pharmacology induced liver failure" caused by statins.
I was having all the signs of a coming heart attack after having an arrythmia episode for about 2 hours. My cardiologist never said anything to me about inflammation due to the episode. I started taking Niacin and things to reduce inflammation and all my symptoms are gone! So much for the medical community!
@@michaelp5283 I'm an ER nurse for 25 yrs and I'm completely disgusted with the medical establishment. I've watched it go downhill, especially the last 5-10 years. Our family avoids meds, doctors and the hospital...and that's a shame for me to say. I'm truly sorry that the medical community is failing people.
@@ShalomUSA My last interaction with my gp was due to an abnormal ekg I had done through work, so of course it needed a follow up. I got less than 5 minutes of her time!, most of that was her typing in epic. I had other issues I needed to discuss, but had been dismissed.
Who would give someone statins for that many years and never check liver enzymes? Usually this is checked twice a year. Every person on statins should know their doctor will check their blood work for this.
@ShalomUSA • I don't know if you'll see this since your comment was 5 mo ago. Do you know if having a LBBB and EF 25, finally improved to 45, if either or the combination would warrant taking a statin?
Statins made my intestines swell shut it was horrible . In and out of the ER and hospital for 18 months . I quit smoking and eat better . Not been back to cardiologist in over a year . It's been 4 years since my stents. $2000 per visit with tests . I walk 4 to 5 days a week and lift 2 days a week . Everyday is a gift.
I've always had low triglyceride levels until one year when l went off my usual low carb diet. Triglycerides literally quadrupled and l gained weight. Great video - it should be required viewing by all docs.
Jama had a report in March on statins that concluded that they were very ineffective in reducing heart attack and stroke deaths. This was an excellent video. Thank you.
I get way more motivation out of knowing why. Obviously one’s personal doctor doesn’t get to sit down and explain this stuff. Dr. Mike keep on making these videos. I wonder how many people you are helping. Thank you!
I have slightly high cholesterol. My regular doc and I have agreed I will not use statins. When he was unavailable one day, another doc wrote me a script for statins which I politely refused and explained my position. She became annoyed and proceeded to lecture me. I again politely refused. She continued to the point where she became more than annoyed and I was feeling harassed by her. I maintained my composure and again politely refused. When I eventually escaped and went to reception to pay, she had charged me for a long consult. After a discussion with the manager it was agreed that I wouldn’t pay the higher amount. My question is, what is it that drives a doctor to the point that they become so upset and plain nasty especially when they aren’t my usual doctor. Kickbacks?
This is disturbingly common. There are good doctors, and bad doctors whom are bad for various reasons ranging from not listening to expecting total authority. The former focuses on people’s needs, the latter is so engrossed with books they forget they’re treating a human being. Bad doctors are too convinced they’ve seen the future and know more than they possibly can.
@@richardmalone3172 First place, you went to consult Dr. She was not your enemy, trying to convince you for your welfare..... Right. Then why dont you accept what you'been told to do so. Never be stubborn in life. Be flexible, responsive to good. ...Good luck Man
This is one of the best holistically explained if not the best video on RU-vid. Thank you for saving lives and simplifying everything one needs to use in their everyday lives and make informed decisions about one’s health.
Highly impressed by this and all your videos. We need more Healthcare providers like you to make a difference. People need to take responsibility in learning to care for themselves. Medications can be lifesaving, but healthy lifestyles are vital. Thank you for advocating for the public and for maintaining such strong ethics despite the multiple pressures exerted by our broken healthcare system. God bless your kind heart and values.
HELP! I was substitute teaching in a school this week and had lunch duty. The situation is MUCH WORSE than it was even in twinky times. The school lunch was ALL processed foods and the food in kids lunch boxes was ALL processed food at ALL the tables I checked. ONE kid had brought spaghetti and meatballs in a thermos alongside his chips and processed peanut butter cracker sandwiches. These kids were ALL 1st and 2nd graders!!!!
Thanks Dr Mike for being the voice of ethics and caring about human beings. Worked as cardiac nurse and rehab nurse for many years and totally agree. The science must be listened to not the money interests and separated out over time it becomes clearer. Your analysis is spot on in my opinion and much much needed by the public. Your doing such a great public service.
@@DoctorMikeHansen Where do you get the idea that large LDL is neutral from a CVD risk perspective? Every lipid expert I have heard talk about says large LDL particles are dangerous also just not as dangerous as the smaller ones. And from the paper: "Lipoprotein Particle Profiles by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Compared with Standard Lipids and Apolipoproteins in Predicting Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Women" you can clearly see the risk factor for the larger LDL particles is 1.44 and 1.63 for the smaller ones so obviously both are risky and the difference between them isn't that huge. Is it only the egg board theory that larger LDL would be neutral or are there some actual solid data to demonstrate this?
Thank you for showing this video. A very good friend of mine just yesterday told me a story about her husband. He was going to have a knee replacement. He went to get cardiac clearance. The cardiologist noticed his cholesterol was borderline so he started him on Lipitor 80 mg. He had the surgery but his recovery wasn’t As expected. The pain was intense and he needed lots of pain meds. He developed a darkness in that leg that couldn’t be explained. Finally the orthopedic said I don’t understand what is happening but you should not hurt like this. His wife did some research and found that Lipitor can cause muscle and joint pain. He ended up with a rash and blisters. He stopped the med cold turkey and that I told her wasn’t the smartest thing to do. He isn’t doing well. Still having severe stomach cramps and muscle aches. He took that dose for 4 months which according to literature should never have been given for a cholesterol level of borderline. The good cardiologist even told her that the primary Dr. would thank him for addressing an issue he was just watching. How long can these symptoms go on for after the med is stopped? Questions she has been trying to get answers for.
Thank you for simplifying this information. My husband and I have been trying to sort out this exact topic for a while now. He has had mitral valve replacement and a bypass. He’s now on a statin, but is doing a major overhaul on his diet. We’re beginning to see that metabolic syndrome is the key link to nearly all modern health conditions.
FINALLY! A mainstream doctor who hasn’t been cancelled talking about this!! I have been trying to explain this to friends and family for at least a few years now! I agree with most of what you are saying, Dr. Hansen. But, people who do very low carb/keto/high fat carnivore will sometimes get very high LDL but probably don’t need a statin because their triglyceride:HDL ratio will be excellent or even < 1. Thank goodness that my current physician either understood the concepts discussed in this video..or he knew that I wouldn’t take a statin based on TC 232, LDL 152, HDL 80, & Triglycerides 58. My other disagreement with you, is that saturated fat from well-raised ruminants is healthy..not unhealthy as you assert in your saturated fat video. But otherwise, thank you for this video! I will definitely be sharing it!
@@SimonHealthAction thanks for your concern, but I’m not particularly worried. Having said that, I am up for getting a CAC, IF a doctor will prescribe it. But again, not really worried.
Fat regulation is dependent on genetics and thats a bell curve, but a straight line relationship exists for fat , heart disease, hypertension, breast cancer, prostate cancer. It is irrefutable and there is over a century of data to support this. Japanese cancer and heart disease data shows this clearly.
You've very neatly articulated information in a short period of time that has taken me several years to comprehend, in a format that is easily understood by practically anybody. Hopefully your messaging allows more people to see and understand that there is a thriving deconstruction of decades of dogma and shaky science, and perhaps in a generation or two our current dietary guidelines will get the same treatment as leaded gasoline or smoking does today.
@@DoctorMikeHansen If only your whole presentation would be a notch slower! 😔 There is way too much information squeezed into a limited time. Not possible to even register all that properly, let alone link and comprehend on the spot 😮💨 Wondering what is the reason for rushing??? (this goes for all videos, except the covid ones from early on in the pandemic, when the pace was far more appropriate for an average YT viewer. It is of course fine for experts and those with lots and lots of background knowledge, but it's too fast for the masses)
@@DoctorMikeHansen Hello dear Doctor! I'm 31 and 2 weeks ago first time in my life i just wanted to check my cholesterol level & got high number of LDL... My doctor said that i should start taking statin asap otherwise later it'll be bad for my health! Please could you help me to understand what should i do, whats is the right way ? 🤷🏻♂️ P.S before that i had no complaints about my weight and health...
thank you for this. I flat out refused statins because they make me feel so bad. I eat a ton of vegetables, and I do my best to avoid processed foods, but I do fail a little on bread, but keep it low as possible. when I worked ER I met many people coming in who felt awful after starting statins. I know it is skewed as people who didn't have difficulty with the medicine wouldn't come in to ER, but it made me think hard about how often medicines are pushed for reasons other than patient health.
Fish, especially salmon with the skin, sardines with the skin, and mackerel with the skin on can help a lot to get your numbers where they need to be. My Mom was in the danger zone and she went low carb and then started eating those fish on a daily basis and now her numbers are back down to where they needed to be.
Glad you mostly eat unprocessed foods. It's ok to stray here and there...I love bread too haha. Lifestyle (nutrition, exercise, not smoking) is way more helpful than statins.
I've been reading up on this for the last 12 years at least and discussed the matter with my doctor who had suggested I take statins. I am blessed with a doctor who is open-minded and does not automatically recoil at youtube information though it is frequently justified. My LDL has always been on the high side although I only very occasionally eat processed food (not even salad dressings) and I have been doing 20-hour fasts 4 days a week for the last four years. The intermittent fasting has dropped my triglyceride levels dramatically. This has brought me well into my seventies without signs of diabetes or heart disease though my weight is higher than I would like it to be. I don't know the future but, so far, so good. This video is the best summary of the conclusions I have come to during all the years I have followed this subject. I think anyone interested in the subject but hesitant about challenging the medical orthodoxy to read up on it, there is plenty of published and peer-reviewed scientific papers supporting the information presented here.
On my third cardiologist, yup excellent cholesterol but LDL 103! Put my on statin and after four cortisone shots in biceps, brain fog and lethargy, I stopped them. I am healthy weight, eat a heart healthy diet, and exercise. Done with statins.
Been LCHF/ IF since 2017 - Lost 60 pounds and kept it off. My meals today: 4 scrambled eggs in butter with spinach sprinkled with flaxseed, then later a fatty 300 gram sirloin with sauerkraut, cherry tomatoes and some almonds and olives for dessert. 55 and my heart pumps like a champ🏆
Been doing that but my LDL skyrocketed to 200. Trigliseride 43, hdl 76. Is it ok tho? Im super active, weight training and cardio 6 tikes a week, im 36 yo. I eat healthy lot of protein, moderate fat,low carbs.
Great video and great information. After watching this, I think that I am entitled to 3 college credits!!! I had a heart attack on April 8, 2023. One stent put in my right artery that was 100% blocked. Left the hospital on a 40mg statin. After a few months, I requested blood work to look at my cholesterol numbers because I told the doc that I didn't want to take more meds than needed. My cholesterol was not high when I weighed 247 lbs. I now weigh 194, changed my diet and exercise program. The doc said that he was going to reduce the statin to 20mg. When he did, I stopped taking them. Did more blood work 3 months later not taking the statin and my cholesterol and triglycerides are perfect. Triglycerides were 120 when I weighed 247, now they are 71. I have come to the conclusion from great doctors on youtube - that the side effects OUT WEIGH the benefit of any statin med in any dose. This is one of the best videos on this subject I have watched and I have watched dozens of them. Doctor Mike Hansen is in a league all by himself!!!!
Thanks! This is the most complete and accurate explanation of heart disease prediction I've ever seen. It covers all significant aspects of metabolic and blood lipid health and also the important numbers we need to look for when getting blood work testing. It also covered very completely the best options for prevention particularly lifestyle diet and exercise.Thank You so much 👍.
You provided a great public health service. I foolishly bought into the low fat fad and have been consuming too much sugar, bread, rice and pasta which i now understand is the cause of my rising LDL and triglycerides. My diet will change today, thanks to your informative presentation. This is one heart attack that will be avoided thanks to you, Doc. 🙏😊
Thank you! And yes, I once upon a time bought into the low-fat fad myself. It means a lot that my video made that kind of impact in your life, so cheers to you, and all the best to your health!
I wouldn't call you foolish - this whole low fat thing was the prevailing health paradigm from 1978 until....well it is STILL being shouted from the rooftops by most governments! In Australia it says a grown man should have something crazy like 5 or so serves of grains per day, which is 2 slices of bread X 5 ....... 10 slices of bloody bread a DAY. Just plain nuts.
@@mikebrigandi_ You're actually thinking it's still 1980. Research now all says it's carbs that cause LDL and triglycerides to rise. Update your knowledge.
This is the best explanation I’ve ever heard from someone. Overtime I have learned all of these things. But you have put them in one video. This is a teaching video! I’m saving it to share.
This is so helpful! I fall into the exact scenario you mentioned. My LDL is "very high", but under 190, and my TG and HDL are normal. I had a plaque scan just for peace of mind, and there was 0 plaque. Thank you so much!!
My total cholesterol is always over the "magical" 200. (216 was my last). My GP, though I love her, is ALWAYS trying to push a statin on me, even though my triglycerides are always well below 150 and my HDL is always in the 60-80 range. This information is so helpful and didn't know the triglyceride/small LDL relationship until watching your video.
You're at risk for CVD. Don't buy into this bs. The only diet ever proven to prevent and reverse heart disease is a low fat, wholefood plant based diet.
A great video. Very important information in a nutshell. I am familiar with this material from previous medical-oriented low-carb websites I have visited over the past 4 years. I have my pre-diabetes under control with a low-carb diet, unprocessed foods, and intermittent fasting. I wish my doctor would become familiar with the current literature. Recently, I had my bloodwork done and by my own calculations of my TG:HDL ratio and LDL Hazard ratio, my results were excellent. But my doctor ordered me to be on a statin based on a cholesterol level considered high according to the lab guidelines issued by the government. I have refused. She is very concerned but when I asked her questions, she had never heard of large buoyant LDL or small, dense LDL particles. She is a wonderful person and very caring, but our healthcare system is overwhelmed.
I can’t speak for everyone but exercising more and limiting the intake of simple carbs and alcohol has helped me. I’ve tried a bunch of statins but stopped taking them as they affected my balance, caused nausea and gave me horrible leg craps. So, I’m glad to hear they are not as essential as advertised. Thanks!
Nice and clear explanation of understanding modern day lipid panel information. You did forget to mention though, Lp(a) or lipoprotein a. Lots of people don’t get tested for this genetic cholesterol but it’s a real concern to have.
Last week my triglycerides were 69 and my HDL was 76. My LDL was 129. I'm very happy with my blood work and of course my doctor wants me to take a statin. 🙂 I had metabolic syndrome for almost 20 years before I went keto and low carb.
I went on an extremely low fat diet in the early 90's. It destroyed my lipid profile. Triglycerides jumped to 145. Now I've been on a statin for 20 years and no one ever mentioned K2 or Quercetin to protect the heart muscle. 🤬
The best way to protect your heart is stop taking Statins, and go to a high fat diet, using animal fats like butter, beef fat and pork fat. Do not use vegetable oils. Vegetable oils (seed oils) destroy you from the inside out. The US Govt has been lying to all of us about "dangerous" animal fats for a century now. It is the vegetable oils that are the real problem.
When taking statins, you need Coenzyme Q10 first of all and before all others you have mentioned. Please read about how statins deplete Q10 in the body ( it anyway decreases when getting older and have to take it not related to statins ) and how Q10 is the enzyme providing best energy for the body cells but preferentially for the heart muscle cells ! Q10 is the heart's best food in general.
Very good info, thanks. When I was fighting Lyme disease my LDL went up to 272 for quite awhile. I studied Naturopathy, and was taught that LDL carries endotoxins out of the bloodstream so that having this happen was normal with active Lyme. Sure enough, it went down to 130 after treatment. I was told that I had 60% small LDL , which is awful, but that was before I switched from a low-fat lacto-vegetarian diet to the Paleo Diet. Also, low HDL runs on one side of my family, and despite daily exercise, it was stuck at 29, until my doctor suggested I eat 21 soaked almonds every day. That got it up to 56, not wonderful, but much better, and has kept it there for years.
Your comments are very interesting, but not fully comprehensible to me, an engineer... not a medical professional. Did you err in complaining about "60% small LDL, which is awful"? Dr. Hansen said small LDL is bad and a low number should be good. However, you seem to rectify in your description of your HDL number. That you could raise your HDL with almonds is remarkable; I thought only exercise could do that.
@@johnbecich9540 - My GI doctor told me about the almonds since they fixed his low HDL and it also worked for me. Exercise did not lower HDL for me, no matter how vigorous and I was up to 2 hours of that daily. Almonds may not help everyone, but it's worth a try. HDL compared to triglycerides is the most important comparison. I had 60% small LDL plus 40% large LDL, that is correct. Heart attacks run on one side of my family.
I have an LDL-C of 105 even though the only foods I eat are vegetables, wild caught salmon, scallops, egg whites, berries and ground flaxseed. My triglycerides are 83 and my triglyceride/HDL ratio is 1.5. I have less than the lowest detectable level of inflammation as measured by the HS-CRP blood test (
My (narcissistic) mother has always rescued cats, she loved them all but would say things to the cats such as, "You're a nasty little beast today" (which she used to say to me!) or "Rude cat!" She now has late stage dementia, I bought her a toy "dementia cat" which is a very realistic Siamese. My mother adores it and says wonderful things to it. It gives her enormous comfort and happiness.
I had two of my doctors tell me I must immediately go on a statin after a recent blood work up. For 10 months previously I ate no sugar little or no carbs. I ate eggs, bacon, beef and black coffee, one cup in the morning. I practiced intermittent fasting using a four hour window for 2 meals thus fasting for 20 hours. I lost 35 pounds. My triglycerides dropped from 182 to 79. My HDL went up from 47 to 51. My LDL rose from 129 to 182. My A1C went from 5.8 to down to 5.5. I got healthier! But all they could see was that my LDL was higher. Yeah, I was eating eggs and bacon! I hadn't been able to lose weight on any diet except this one. It isn't the fat, it's the sugar. By the way 15 years ago my calcium score was 3.79. My cholesterol has been high since I was 23. I'm 72 now. I don't feel I'm at risk for a heart attack especially since I lost weight and lowered my A1C. Am I wrong?
scan your heart when it's simple losing some excess weight is nice but is it a good maker? cancer patients lose weight very fast, heroin addicts also lose weight extremely fast u ain't healthy if u have plaques in your heart veins
Losing weight is not associated with heart attacks. Your diet should be balanced. The fat I. The diet contributes to vascular risks bc of the artery logging with too much saturated fat. Eat more chicken instead of bacon beef and high fat oils
One of the best explanations on this complex topic. I wish Dr. Mike talked about the number of particles and using ApoE as an additional biomarker. I would love to get this into the picture. Very nicely done.
Now I know how my high school students felt when we would read essays with long intros. Took nearly 5 minutes to get to target info that it's type B LDL, a small particle. To be fair, I've been listening to this kind of video for a few days. guess I need to go on a video diet.
Thank you for the lesson doctor. I came here because I had Hypertension yesterday. I mainly commented because I think your hand sketches are entertaining and extremely informative. I immediately understood what was good and bad, which was mainly dense LDL and Triglyceride. I now understand the need to cut back on processed foods and sugar more than before whereas I before thought that eating meat would do equal damage. I now know better.
Excellent video. Excellent information. In my practice we’re usually dealing with patients who have high ASCVD risk (previous MI, stroke and other vascular events) and many of those patients are on statins for secondary prevention and do quite well. Statins are NOT for everyone, however, and not everyone should be prescribed them. We’re using more APO-B, Lp(a) and triglycerides and less reliance on total LDL. These tests (except the TGs) can be expensive and not all labs are doing them. Most are send-outs. Many of our patients are diabetic, have high insulin resistance, and are overweight/obese and the TG:HDL ratio (as well as other biomarkers), along with a good and thorough history about family/genetic risk, diet/nutrition and physical exercise, can all help in determining overall risk and procuring an individualized treatment plan that works to reduce risk. Cheers.
When I was doing my exit physical from the Navy the doctor gave me a prescription for Zocor saying that when I left the Navy my activity level and diet were definitely going to be much worse after I left. My response was, "Really? We aren't even going to discuss lifestyle changes at all?" When he handed me the prescription I immediately threw it in the trash. Probably one of the smartest things I've ever done.
Great video. I do wish you would have touched on Lp(a) as well. I really think more people need to be aware that this genetic risk factor exists and is NOT part of a normal blood panel. You have to ask for an advanced lipid panel to show LDL particle size and Lp(a) number.
Yes, for cholesterol you want to get a the NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) test, which shows particle size and number. Small particle LDL is the one that is dangerous.
A nurse practitioner in my cardiologist's office tried to talk me into taking a statin. She didn't have any response when i told her that they do not reduce all cause mortality and that almost everyone who takes them has side effects.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 📚 The Role of LDL Cholesterol 03:59 💡 The Two Types of LDL Cholesterol 05:53 💊 The Impact of Statins and Other Drugs 08:13 🍔 Nutrition and Heart Health 11:12 🚫 Avoiding Trans Fats and Inflammation Made with HARPA AI
yep. Worked in cardiology over 20 years and he is absolutely correct. Problem is, every patient believes they know more than him yet can't seem to fix their problem. The idea doesn't occur to them, that if what they are doing isn't working, they should stop doing it.
While that is definitely problem of many customers/patients and not just in medial industry But in a way you can’t blame them because there are so many information and there were a time dr would recommend no fat at all good or bad fat Then we all know many dr who can’t really speak their minds or have pressure to sell depending depending on where you do ur practices Then because of the Under massive funding Dr don’t have the time or patience which can also give out a vibe that make patients don’t want to trust Yes health care isn’t a service industry but it’s human nature to trust frds/ family or Drs that may be nicer even if they r doing it to get more money out of you Then even drs among themselves also have different opinions on same topic It’s just a very complicated issue especially you thrown in Death/money into it
I remember Dr. Castilini (sp?) of the Framingham study saying over 30 years ago that it was the very small hard dense particles that were the most damaging.
I'm a perimenopausal woman age 51. My doctor told me that I'll need stations soon and there's nothing I can do with diet etc. I ate very good stuff and very bad stuff ... So I'm going to cut out the very bad stuff and walk more just to see what happens!
Update: I ate unprocessed foods for 6 months. I didn't eat low fat. I ate veg, nuts, oily fish , chicken and some red meat. I ate peanut butter, olive oil , butter etc. I lost a stone and a half slowly and my bad cholesterol went down a nice amount (I didn't even walk). Next time I went to my doctor and she was delighted! Sugar is the enemy! .... I didn't keep it up though but now I'm starting again.
Been dealing with the cholesterol issue for years. Doctor's have tried to put me on statins for years (I have refused). I eat an animal based (high protein, high, fat, extremely low carb) and have for over 6 years. Prior to this, I was overweight and sick. Since going animal based (Keto, Carnivore, whatever you want to call it) I have eliminated my T2D, Sleep Apnea, GERD, neuropathy, brain fog and more (including lowering my Triglycerides from the 260's to the 80's). Despite all of this, my total and LDL are really high. So much conflicting cholesterol guidance. I feel better at 51 than I did at 31 and have no desire to go on a statin.
You draw like Dr. Arthur Guyton (the famous Physiologist). But he could write with his right and left hands at the same time, starting with the beginning and ending of a sentence, finishing in the middle. Smartest, kindest person I had the pleasure to know.
Information seems to be constantly changing regarding cholesterol and this short video is extremely helpful in deciphering the numbers. Thank you for a concise, yet information explanation.
No mention here at all of the importance of healing and supporting the endothelial? The most important aspect of halting and even reversing heart disease. We still have a long way to go when going over the same story of what the lipids are showing us but neglecting the critical importance of repair and replacement of the endothelial for creating Nitric Oxide to increase vassal dilation.
Believe it or not, you got through my thick 70 year old head with this one! I vow to improve my diet (there is a _lot_ of room for improvement) and to pay attention to triglycerides. My doctors have been telling me to do that but none adequately explained why. I will also add fish oil capsules to my daily vitamins; can't hurt, might help. I would add one thing, though: my nomination for the most important factor in reducing heart attack deaths. (Drum roll)... know what heart attack symptoms are and commit yourself _now_ to getting to an ER if any of them appear. Everybody I have known who had a heart attack when I was there said, "I don't feel good." When it comes from a middle age person I ask, "what kind of 'don't feel good'?" Several times I have had to point out those are cardiac symptoms and really should be checked out soonest. Nobody did until our manager got involved; one had bypass surgery later that day. I have promised my wife I will not ignore cardiac symptoms and I had to honor that promise once. Fortunately, the near faint, the lump under my sternum when I was out of the faint, and especially the sudden unexplained fatigue made me bum a ride to the ER from my friend. It was ultimately narrowed down to an anxiety attack with attendant esophageal spasm. I'm not sorry I did it.
Sardines are probably going to be a cheaper and more nutritious way to get your fish oil. Costco sells them in tins and they're pretty good. You can put them on top of a big pile of dark, leafy greens with a few walnuts.
Thank you! I have always refused a statin (LDL 129), and now I have ammo for my position (Triglycerides 79)! I remember when statins first came out; they were prescribed for those who were BORN with genetics that resulted in very high LDL levels (~ 300). Think this may have been around 1987 or just a bit later. Initially, they were NOT meant for everybody. I truly remember that rep, because I had suddenly developed Raynaud's - so he gave me the Merck Manual of Rheumatic and Arthritic diseases. That's when I discovered a footnote in the section on Scleroderma, which lead to a clue about an "outbreak" of this collagen or connective tissue disease - that led me to concoct a protocol of Anti-oxident Nutritional Supplements that alleviated all of my symptoms and eventually to a normal ANA titer. Anyhow, that was about the time Merck introduced the first statin - and it was NOT promoted for "out of range" LDL.
Agree entirely. My lastest HDL is 70 and my Trig level measured 47. My LDL was 112. My PCP expressed concern over my LDL number? However, I am not worried a bit. I practice Keto and almost always do intermittent fasting every day!😉
@douglasx How do you determine your trig/Hal level ? I just had labs done & all I see as far as ratios is chol/hdlc & mine is 3 - my trigs are 71, hdl 69, ldl 120 and total is 206 - that’s all the info I got - wish I would’ve watched this video earlier - I just went to my PCP today - would’ve had more questions for him - I wonder how you determine is your ldl’s are A or B
The atorvastatin made my feet unbearable so I stopped taking it and did intermittent fasting and did Mediterranean diet, and walked 1.5 miles a day and now my feet doesn’t have any pain.
Thank you for talking about the "elephant in the room" towards the end of the video - industrually produced seed oils, in all our ultra-processed "food" (if you can call it that), oxidation and inflammation caused by them. There are many different "diets" that improve health a lot, reducing metabolic syndrome, from carnivore to vegetarian, but the common factor amongst all of them is eliminating ultra-processed edible material.
You didn't mention LP(a), a lipoprotein 6 1/2 times more atherogenic than regular LDL-C, or ApoB, the most predictive marker for heart disease. I liked your very clear explanations of what the various studies actually say. cheers
I had a very good HDL ratio, but my doctor still wanted me to take statins. I said no thanks. He never mentioned taking K 2 with the D he put me on either. Last time I went, he wasn't happy I stopped my blood pressure meds, either. He asked how much D I was taking. I told him 20,000 units. He said 2,000. I said, no 20,000. Every medication they give you will make you worse. They barely tell you to take vitamins. Vitamin D testing became mandatory, but not until after the beginning of the 2000s.
I am blown away by the info presented in this video. It is one I will rewatch most assuredly! One question: Kaiser - my healthcare provider, includes a note on lab results that risk of HA using the CHOL/HDL bio marker - avg risk of males to be 5.0, females 4.4. I tried statins for 2 weeks about 10 yrs ago (funny how my Dr didn’t say a word about the potential side effects) but I found out real time quickly - very scary med for me. Your video gives me a bit of hope that I can exercise better control and participate more fully in finding a path forward without a statin! Thank you!
Dr. Hansen this is so enlightening. I did speak with my Dr.regarding the statin meds and he said I still need them even though my blood tests came back good. the only thing was my Sugar level was a bit high/7. I will go again and discuss my meds with him because I feel am unnecessarily taking meds that I do not require. Thank you, Dr. I really appreciate this.
My last bloodwork showed LDL @ 176 and a Total Chol of 259. My primary doctor expressed concern and started talking about putting in a statin. But HDL was @ 68, TG @ 75, and TG:HDL @ 1.1.
After 3 years on Keto, had a heart attack and now have 3 stents; while on Keto, I changed my A1C from 10.1 to 5.2 (latest 5.7). Trig/HDL ratio finally under 2 while 2016 ratio was 13. Trig down to 92 from 434 (2016), HDL 47 up from 33-38. LDL between 141-210 though more recently on the lower side. Cardiologists seem to be plant based as the guy who did my stents wants me on a Mediterranean diet (there’s apparently a Keto version) while his partner described an entirely plant-based diet with grains, beans, veggies and fruit. I will note that I was in the low fat generation so eating high fiber cereals in the AM and a sandwich, carrots & apple were my primary staples. I had 100% blockage, 90% blockage and 70%, the latter without stent. I asked how long this had been going on, to which the cardiologist said 15-20 years. But of course, these guys come after Keto instead of my historical diet. There’s more to the diet of course as I loved bread, pizza, beer and anything sweet especially chocolate. Anyone else with similar experience or working on Keto post-heart attack?
For post-heart attack patients, the benefits of statins are HUGE and undeniable, especially with the levels of blockages you posted. Please listen to your cardiologist and adhere to the statin regime they prescribed to you.
@@hn5460 Although I've followed a Keto lifestyle for 3 years, most channels suggest benefits of statins post-event. I also have a clotting condition and have been on statins for some time. I'm not exactly their poster boy
I developed end stage heat disease while on strict keto for 4 years. My LAD 90 % blocked. I have been on a strict whole plant based diet for 18 months now. No angina, don't need the Stent and have my life back. Zero animal or dairy, fish and no oils or caffeine and salt. Problems all fixed. It even stopped my AF.
I had a heart attack 3 weeks ago. With normal cholesterol and normal blood pressure. I was given 2 stents and, of course, put on BP meds and a statin even though both were normal. After only being on the statin for 4 days I was in so much pain I couldn’t sleep. The BP medication dropped my BP too low. They seem to have a set protocol and even when you don’t “fit the usual profile” you’re still put on those medications anyway
Wondering why you did not mention C-reactive protein and homocysteine levels as important makers for heart attack risks? Can you address the importance of these markers for a person as they relate to heart disease and risks thereof?
@@alphaomega1351 More like de-programming. Doctors are taught by the drug companies. Taught to prescribe drugs for everything and eschew the body's own ability to heal given appropriate nutrients.
Excellent video... Mike. However you didn't mention the effects of LDL cholesterol on the kidneys. Could you make a video on that? My friend said his kidney disease was caused by LDL cholesterol.
A 2022 systematic review (that has no external funding) found that statins lower all-cause mortality: "The risk of all-cause mortality was significantly reduced in statin users (hazard ratio: 0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.66-0.76)". You can look for "Effect of Statins on All-Cause Mortality in Adults:A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Propensity Score-Matched Studies".
My LDL is 109 but my doctor doesn’t want to give me a statin because all my other numbers are fine. He thinks the side effects could be worse than mildly elevated LDL.
@justrusty - I just had bloodwork done & the only ratio I see on it is chol/hdlc and mine is 3 - is this what you’re referring to or is there another one that I just didn’t get - my LDL is 120 - wondering how I find out if they are A or B
@@Melody-285 The chol/hdl ratio is not the same one as I am talking about - that one is total cholesterol/hdl. Trigs/HDL is more meaningful. Usually you have to calculate it yourself from the other values in the report.
@@justrusty Thanks so much for replying - if it’s not too much trouble, can you tell me how to calculate it ? I just had labs done & was at the dr. today - I wish I’d known about all this yesterday - lol - I have all the numbers if it’s not too difficult for you to tell me how to do it - I’ve heard of advanced lipid panels - I wonder if that’s what you would need to find out if your LDL is A or B - I tell you, I have learned so much from RU-vid - info I actually feel I can trust - I’ve had to care for several family members & I’ve learned you have to be knowledgeable & proactive about your health - and I’m in Florida, so everyone’s old & the doctors are really busy - lol - the PA at one of my doctors asked me if I was a nurse - ha ! No, I just watch a lot of RU-vid 😂
@@Melody-285 It's pretty straightforward calculation if your lipid panel has triglycerides reported. Just divide Triglycerides by HDL. A good ratio is 2.0 or less. The Pattern A vs. Pattern B test is called an LDL fractionation test, though it goes by other names also.
Dr Mike, Can you do a video on Niacin? I had to stop taking statins because they crippled me. Took months to get those awful chemicals out of my system. Been taking Flushing Niacin for years. Started really low (1/4 tab) adding 1/4 incrementally. I am now up to my desired total of 2,000 (4 X 500) per day. My doctor loves my test results & told me "Whatever you are doing, keep doing it. Its working"
@@francoisperez4046 from my understanding the liver damage isn't much of a possibility unless taking well above 1500 so I think 2000 still in the safe range but everybody is different and I assume Dr does blood work
@@grantlawrence611 liver damage start at 500 and insulin resistance with risk of diabetes, I work in pharmaceutical so I know this for a fact please check with your doc liver enzymes and glycemia every 3 months
