Ask Us Anything III
As we head into the holiday season, it seems time for another AUA. Same rules as before:
This is a thank you to our paid subscribers, so comments here are limited to them.
We’ll close the comment section after a day or two so we have a manageable number of questions to answer.
We will answer, to the best of our abilities, each and every question! Try to avoid really personal medical questions, and please be succinct.
We will answer the questions on upcoming (dedicated) podcast(s).
Speaking of the holiday season, what better gift for a nerdy loved one than some Sensible Medicine merch? We have men’s and women’s t-shirts, long-sleeved and short, as well as caps.
The comment section is now closed.
Photo Credit: Matt Walsh
Forever frustrated
I retired from my medical career a few years ago, after serving 35 years as a family physician. During my career I saw the prevalence of diabetes skyrocket 450% and obesity 150%. The prevailing guidelines admonished LDL control with statin medication and essentially nothing else. With much independent research I changed my emphasis to the metabolic syndrome, which is essentially a marker for insulin resistance and elevated insulin levels.
By focusing of fasting blood sugars, we have been missing the elevated insulin. Behind the scenes, because we don’t routinely measure it, it wreaks havoc years before diabetes is evident by elevated glucose levels; leading to all the complications of the metabolic syndrome.
I changed my practice the last ten years by focusing on carbohydrate reduction, especially sugar reduction. I realized that 50% of sucrose is fructose, which is converted directly to fat in the liver, leading to fatty liver, which starts the cascade towards diabetes. The results were significant; lower blood sugar, reduction of liver enzymes, weight loss, BP reductions.
Conventional medicine continually condemns dietary carbohydrate reduction as quackery and prefers pharmaceutical approaches for most issues.
Any chance you could comment on this approach?
It’s an inexpensive, effective approach; despite arguments about compliance and lack of research.
Thanks for your consideration,
Mark Nelson, MD
Chicago
P.S. You guys do a fantastic job, keep it up!!!
Please discuss pros and cons of a 70+ yr old getting a colonoscopy. I’ve heard that recent RCT has shown no survival benefit for all cause mortality and a significant increased risk of complications for older adults. I did have a benign polyp removed on my last 6 yrs ago. I’m a healthy eater, fruits greens veggies fish with very little red meat. Thank you.