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General Medicine Healthy Living

Busting myths: In measuring cholesterol and heart health…Keep it simple.

Let’s talk about the newest cholesterol myth gone busted. I can hardly write; I’m so giddy. That’s what happens to me when simplicity and obviousness triumphs over complicated testing that adds nothing to (or even clouds) the big picture. They come to my office with pages of data dissecting the particle sizes and sub-fractions of […]

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Cycling Wed General Cardiology General Medicine

CW: Important lessons on cholesterol numbers

When cyclists find out that I am a heart doctor, they most frequently ask about cholesterol numbers. “…My cholesterol is this…What do you think?” “…My doctor wants me to take a statin…But I read that these drugs might lower my functional threshold power 2.014 watts/40km.” All this focus on numbers saddens me. Remember, I am […]

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Doctoring General Cardiology Health Care Healthy Living

Liquid plumber, Pacman and Heart disease…The Anacetrapib story

It beats 100,000 times per day. It pumps liters of blood per minute. If it stops, you stop, in about six seconds. For the human heart to contract this reliably, without hiccups, it requires a steady stream of nutrients. A healthy heart has clean pipes. There are two ways to keep pipes clear of blockage. […]