I am fairly active in Dave Feldman's "Lean Mass Hyper Responder" Facebook group. Membership is an interesting mix of people - newbies freaking out about having super high cholesterol after going keto/carnivore, some trying to figure out how to lower their LDL, some old timers like me that have come to believe that high LDL-C alone is not unhealthy given my "fat burner" WOE, and finally many medical professionals trying to figure out what is going on with their patients. There is lots of discussions about the known science in that group. I've posted there about my weight loss, diabetes reversal and about reducing my CAC (Coronary Artery Calcium) score by over 50% the past 2 years.

Last night I had a friend request from a pro-keto/carnivore family physician via that LMHR group. I accepted. Shortly thereafter I was blasted with questions about what I've been doing the past 5 years on my journey back to health. I only wish that my own doctor was so inspired to learn more about what this WOE can do. Anyway - this doctor was interested in putting together detailed real life "success story" anecdotes of what this WOE can do as a way for him to keep learning and to inspire his patients. He wants the details. I'm not the fastest with text messaging, so we agreed to chat this weekend. Looks like another doctor has gone rogue.

one-by-one-by-one, the dominoes they are a-falling!

And BTW: This doctor I spoke of is from your neck of the woods.

Dr. Garrett - Direct MD - Austin

Ken, you might also direct him to the Low Carb MD podcast which has many MDs, patients, and some of the big names in the low carb world on. Some may find it a bit rambling, but I have been really enjoying it and learning a lot. LowCarbMD

One of the hosts (Dr. Tro) is also a direct MD. They give their contact info, so he may find it helpful to reach out to the other like-minded MDs in addition to speaking with you.

Your story would be ideal for the Low Carb MD podcast, FYI. Maybe you should volunteer to be on the show.

[QUOTE]
Good to hear b/c while keto or low carb is becoming quite popular around here (to the point where most potluck dinners now have more low-carb options that desserts!) we don't have many LC-friendly docs in this area.

My medical insurance is probably the single most common one in this area. (They have contracts with pretty much all the largest employers.) But, when I decided to switch doctors several years ago, I could find only ONE LC-friendly doctor on the very long list of those who accept my insurance.

Most of my LC friends tho are still going the route of just NOT telling their doctors about their diets.

Just went through the interview hoops with a new doctor. I had to say how much weight I'd lost recently and the remission of my condition -- this was all in the records.

Then I was honest about how I did it. Thank goodness I don't need anything from the medical profession... at the moment.

Dr Mike called me yesterday at around noon. That 'little chat' lasted for 3 hours! He is a great guy and a wonderful doctor. He is really into the science and is soaking up information like s sponge.

His story (in brief): A doctor since 2001. He didn't want to join one of the corporate like Family Physician practices that makes doctors burn through 30 patients a day, so I did 5 years in the ER of a hospital. He saw many heart attacks in those days. Later on he opened his own practice.

Dr. Mike is 5' 10" and was about 155 pounds in his college prime. He had asthma and took prescription drugs for it. As life went on he slowly gained weight into the 170's. He went on an Atkins diet to shed 10 or 12 pounds rather easily. A few more years down the road he'd gained the weight back and noticed that his own lab work was not looking so good. His A1c was rising and his CR/P was consistently high (in the 5 to 6 range). He started doing keto and noticed that all of his markers improved. He had a patient who had been doing carnivore for many years. Dr. Mike thought that it was a little too extreme, but had to admit that this patients health markers all looked good. This carnivore patient kept bringing in studies, pointing his doc to websites and success stories. Eventually Dr. Mike was convinced to give it a try. He joined a 30 day carnivore challenge. After an adjustment period he noticed how terrific he felt. He burned through the 30 days and kept on doing carnivore (including dairy) with very few 'cheats'. For him a cheat is putting a tbsp. of plant derived Tabasco sauce on his food -- so not much of a cheat in my book. Anyway - as time went on he noticed that he'd stopped using his asthma medications. All symptoms of asthma faded away. His CR/P & A1c fell into normal ranges as well. He was doing keto for a few years and is now into his 2nd year of carnivore. So that's what got him into this. He has experienced the health benefits for himself. Now he wants to know all that there is to know about what this WOE can do.

Although impressed with my weight loss and diabetes reversal, he was particularly interested in what I was doing in the time period between my two Coronary Artery Calcium scans (2017-2019) where my score fell from 347 down to 158 (a 54% reduction in calcium). The biggest problem that he has with his patients is the fear of 'artery clogging' saturated fat. He wants to put together a bunch of detailed success stories like mine in order to show people the results that can happen from this LCHF lifestyle. He had a series of questions about what I'm doing -- and I'm sure that I added a few more questions to his list. He is just getting started on this. I think that I was among the first few people that he has interviewed.

I want THIS doctor. Maybe I should move to Austin.

Dr. Mike sounds like a great doctor. My doctor would likely not admit it, but he has slimmed down a lot and my hunch is it’s keto. I think I’ll ask him. I have lost nearly 40 pounds in a couple of years, I think he thought I was putting him on and looked back in my file...his jaw dropped and he asked how I did it. I told him. He didn’t balk. He actually seemed interested.

Ken, I just read your post to DH.
He was talking about 2 friends recently who literally dropped dead at 62 and 63. I told him that if he gets proactive he can
do a lot of good for himself like you have.

He does good for a little while than gets tempted by things like lunch at a Mexican restaurant with others.

Sometimes he just wants to think he's eating LC until I dissect what he has eaten when not with me and it's another story.

There is a group CAC going on next month at a church nearby and that would be a good time to check things out. I would like to know about myself too!
How much do they usually charge? The solicitation for that group testing doesn't mention cost.

We paid around $300. May be less at a church thing. Not covered by Medicare.

Mexican can be great for keto! Those big salads without the tortilla shell, beef, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa.... all good.

Thanks for the info. It's an ultrasound test isn't it?

DH can't do Mexican restaurants, he has no will power against those tortilla chips, beans, rice, tortillas etc......

Churches in my area are offering 'Lifeline Screenings' for around $150. That includes a couple of test -- including an ultrasound of your carotid artery. While it is a valuable check that can find a buildup of plaque, it is not a CAC (calcium score). The two CAC scans that I had done cost me $150 and $160. I've seen reports of people spending less than 100 and more that $300 for a scan, so the price is all over the place. In Virginia I need a doctor's prescription for a CAC, but that is not true everywhere.

Yes it's Lifeline Screenings.
So that's not CAC?

So how about this list of tests at this hospital, any of them the CAC?

No, it’s a CT Scan. Takes 5 minutes .