Another sore spot with me are lab results. Why is it that the medical profession insists our lab results read like that of a 20-year-old? Especially if you happen to be part of the baby boomer generation. My veins…my arteries are not 40 years younger. They are not supple anymore. Let’s face it. They are hardening and it requires more effort to get things moving through them. That is one of the reasons why blood pressure climbs. It’s a long way to travel to the brain and more pressure is required to get there. It is literally an “uphill” journey.

And what about cholesterol? After all, cholesterol is the “band-aid” required to patch up blood vessels that sustain nicks. This keeps the blood platelets from latching on and therefore causing a major “traffic jam” with the resultant build up that can lead to a blocked artery or vein resulting in a heart attack or stroke. If our cholesterol is supposed to be as low as the medical professionals have us believe, than there seems there wouldn’t be enough “band-aids” to heal those nicks. It has been reported low cholesterol reading in the more mature years could be a sign of dementia or even Alzheimer’s.

A trick of the trade is to divide your total cholesterol number by your HDL (the good cholesterol). I found out about this formula during one of my health screens. The comment was made, “You do have high cholesterol but we aren’t worried because your HDL is high.” Yes…it’s high because I exercise and I watch that my simple carbohydrates are kept to a minimum. If the result is less than 5.0, you are not at risk of a heart attack. So…say your total cholesterol reading is 240 and your HDL is 60. After dividing the numbers, the result is 4.0. Now…your doctor will tell you that you will need to promptly start medications to lower that total cholesterol number. But you know good and well you are not at risk and you refuse the doctor’s recommendation.

Another reading is blood sugar. Specifically fasting blood sugar. How reliable is that? Given the dawn phenomenon that usually happens in the middle of the night in which your blood sugars raise, preparing you for the start of the day, I would think the morning fasting is a bit skewed. And there are a lot of people who experience this. To top that off, one has to eat to stop those sugars from rising further. I firmly believe in the A1C readings done every three months. That seems to be more accurate in giving the reader the true picture of the way blood sugar is being used in the body.

Have I told you anything you already knew? I hope you, the reader, have at least begun to question any suggestions your doctor may give you regarding your health care. It is time we teach our family doctor that we are not a “paycheck” but people who rely on their expertise to help us reach an educated decision in our health care. We refuse to blindly accept their advice that makes us feel uncomfortable or there is no acceptable explanation forthcoming for this suggested treatment or that medicine to be taken, in our pursuit of a reasonable and healthy lifestyle.

Most of us have had to seek the advice of our family practitioner and when finished, wonder about the lack of customer service. That’s right! Medical professionals need to brush up on their customer service skills when it comes to spacing appointments. How many of us wait, wait and then wait even more to see a doctor? Time is money and when we have to wait, we are wasting money. It is rare that you find a doctor who makes sure word gets back to their impatiently waiting patients that they are behind in appointments. Personally, I give the doctor a half hour and then reschedule my appointment, provided I am not too upset to do so. After all, we are the ones responsible for the lifestyle they have acquired and wish to maintain.