mstevens

Bullseye! Agree 100%! At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, do the opposite of what mainstream media says. Embrace red meat. Don't shy away from fats and do add salt to taste.

All that meat, especially if it is fatty cuts, will do them the world of good. There is a lot of research showing that meat consumption is healthy, even if the mainstream media and some activist groups try to tell us that is not. Granted, "conventional wisdom" was that fat should be avoided - and I agree that trans fat absolutely should be avoided - but fatty cuts of meat are, I believe, food from the Gods. Do your own research on this. I try to eat fatty cuts of red meat often and enjoy ribeye 3 or 4 times / week. Fortunately, I am in a part of the world where all beef is grass-fed and prime cuts of meat are relatively inexpensive. I have increased my meat / animal-protein markedly in recent times and I really do feel better for it.

And people who are able to retire earlier.

I'd consider adding PSA. I get mine checked every year. Fasting insulin is also one to consider. It can pick up insulin resistance before you become pre-diabetic or full on diabetic.

A banana has 300 - 400 mg of potassium. RDI (recommended daily intake) of potassium is 4700 mg. I think he can have a fair few more bananas before he has to worry!

This is 100% wrong. It is not illegal to take ashes on a flight. When someone is cremated, tell staff at the crematorium that you plan to take the ashes on board a flight and they will prepare a document for you stating what the ashes are. Usually this is not required to be shown to anyone but should anyone ask, you have this document to produce. It goes without saying that you should take the ashes with you on board with your carry on luggage, lest your checked luggage get lost in transit and the ashes lost!

Blood tests for magnesium levels aren't helpful. If your blood shows low magnesium, it's seriously low. You need to test magnesium in the cells which is a much more expensive test and not widely offered.

Good work, Thai Police! People like this guy are nothing but trouble. They are merchants of misery. Extradite him to Australia and ban him from ever returning to Thailand again!

Yep, running super slow here too. George said to be patient and it would speed up but that has not been my experience at all. When it came back online it was slow and it's still slow now, no change whatsoever.

Can you please tell me where I can find episodes 3 - 6 as I cannot see them anywhere.

Funny that. Larry hasn't had a drink in 30 years.

5.3 is good. Nothing to worry about at all!

I'd say if your diet has not reversed diabetes (assuming type 2) after 30 years, then it's hardly a great diet! A ketogenic, carnivore or even merely a reduced cab diet will reverse diabetes type 2.

Bingo. This is really excellent information - and this is where the science is currently at. 100% agree that the Triglycerides / HDL ratio is a great indicator.

Saying scientists don't post to YouTube is absolutely false. On the issue we're discussing in this thread about cholesterol and whether one should take a statin, perhaps the name Aseem Malhotra rings a bell. He is one of the world's leading cardiologists and he has posted A LOT on YouTube all about cholesterol and how it relates to heart attacks along with whether to take statins or not (spoiler: in many cases he recommends consuming a low carb diet rather than taking statins.) A quick search of cholesterol and heart attacks on YouTube brings up thousands of videos from medical doctors, any of whom can be Googled to check that they are real and currently practicing. I am not talking about the likes of Eric Berg or Sten Ekberg, but doctors from the likes of Harvard and Johns Hopkins. I'm not American but I gather these are respected medical facilities.

When you talk about medicine, be careful that you probably mean studies designed and financed by Big Pharma whose primary interest is in getting doctors to prescribe you drugs.......for life, thus increasing the size of their bank accounts.

The nicer developed countries like Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy. The nicer parts of some developed countries like California, Florida etc. Just a few examples. There are many - but like I said, the proviso is that you are not on a tight budget.

If you are slim / have a low BMI and eat a low-carb diet (does not necessarily mean keto or carnivore), you may have what many medical professionals consider an "odd" cholesterol panel with total cholesterol high, LDL and HDL high but Triglycerides low. This describes me. My total cholesterol is over 300, LDL over 200 and HDL touching on 100. Triglycerides are very low. My A51C is also very good. There is a greater awareness of these results which is referred to as a LMHR - lean mass hyper responder. There is a lot online about this WRITTEN BY DOCTORS who are increasingly aware of this. High cholesterol numbers can be a worry and for sure, many doctors will freak out if they see a high total cholesterol number. But if you have a lean body mass and eat a very low-carb diet, you might be a LMHR. Google it (and check YouTube) for more information.

Pattaya is a great place to retire if you are on a tight budget and / or wish to avail yourself of the services of the city's many thousands of hookers. If you have a decent budget and / or hookers aren't your thing, I really think there are a lot of much better places to retire.

Super slow and not usable IMHO. Asia Now should have sent an email to explain what was happening and what is going on which would have more value than an email with a list of new threads.

Congrats on your new diet and your A1C results. 4.8 is GREAT!

Took Taurine capsules some time back for gallbladder issues. It was part of a protocol including milk thistle, choline and TUDCA and the gallbladder issue (suspected to be gallbladder sludge) cleared up.

RCA, Patpong and Rachadapisek are the "official" nightlife areas. I read once that if you wanted to, for example, apply for a licence for a new gogo bar, you could do it in those three areas but anywhere else it would not be allowed (while existing licences can continue to be used).

To answer your question, no, I would not take statins - at least, not before trying and if necessary, exhausting, all lifestyle factors first. I am a big proponent of trying lifestyle adjustments and natural medicine first - and only using pharmaceuticals if absolutely necessary. The reason for this is that pharmaceuticals have a lot of side effects. Yes, sometimes they may be necessary, but it's very much worth trying lifestyle choices first. My understanding is that the key number with your cholesterol is the ratio of good (HFL) to bad (LDL). That's how my doctor explained it to me. Not the total, but the ratio. Personally, I eat a high fat diet including eggs (minimum 3 per day), nuts (macadamias and pecans), seeds (pumpkin, flaxseed, sunflower), more red meat than is "recommended" with 4 or 5 red meat meals per week, avocados, olive oil, avocado oil, butter and a little cheese - and my cholesterol ratio is "outstanding" according to my doctor. To be clear, I do not eat a keto diet per se, but I do aim for high fat / and moderate to low carbs. I get a full blood panel and check in with my doctor every year and no concerns whatsoever from Doc. I know those with experience in the medical industry will blast me for saying this but I am of the belief that a diet high in healthy fats (and low in carbs) is a key to good health.

Got a signed copy of Nick Nostitz's Patpong: Bangkok's Twilight Zone.