I visited the clinic after a three-year absence and met my
new physician, Dr. Jain. The pretext was physical checkup
and the real goal was to get him to prescribe physical
therapy so that I can see a rolfer for my plantar fasciitis
and posture and physical performance questions. I recently
discovered that I had $1000 to spend for 2018 in my
HSA account. "The doctor should be Indian and therefore
more open to alternative medicine" I predicted when
talking with my friend M.
The doctor, a second-gen immigrant, looked younger
than me and was pleasant to talk to. He re-took my blood
pressure and the high read 116 instead of the 148 taken
10-15 min ago by his aid. The coffee that morning might have
to do with the difference but I might have relaxed more under
his guide. This was new to me and Dr. Jain explained several
factors could easily affect the number.
After I described my foot problem and especially my story of
years of yoga and stretching, he readily prescribed rolfing
although he didn't know exactly what it was at first and
helpfully put the diagnosis "foot pain" on his referral.
The doctor didn't know about Weston Price's work when I
raised it as he recommended teeth-cleaning since I haven't
done it for a while. On that, I thought I might follow his
advice. Meanwhile, I declined the vaccines.
Well. It was a great visit.
The next day, the blood test results were out along with the
Dr.'s diagnosis. I attained four personal records. My total
cholesterol(292 from 215 mg/dL three years ago), HDL(75 from 57), and LDL(202 from 133) hit the
all-time highs and Triglicerides(77 from 127) historic low. Looking
at the numbers, for a while, my mind went blank. Dr. Jain
said although my risk of getting a heart attack was low
(2%, while normal is between 5-7%) according to his
additional calculations, he adviced diet change.
I thought about it for about 10min and turned to Chris
Kresser's (Joe Rogan) podcasts and articles, especially this
one. According to him, studies showed LDL not as accurate
as LDL-carrying particles for assessing risks and "low
cholesterol can increase the risk of death, especially in
women and the elderly."
Clearly, more tests need to be done. I asked and the doctor
ordered an advanced lipid test in three months. Meanwhile, I
can sit back and enjoy my raw milk and juicy steaks.
