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Ticker: Don't die of heart disease

myticker.com

31–40 of 501 posts

Re: Ticker: Don't die of heart disease

#31
post #6

Fabulous information, but lacking information isn’t the issue. The behavioral changes are obvious and well evangelized : lose weight, regular activity (walking), and if necessary, take meds. (Yes I know your marathon runner cousin who died suddenly of a heart attack, but these are still your best odds) Telling people what to do rarely fixes anything. People need dozens of impressions for those changes to sink in. Fri…

This site isn't necessarily meant to have a big sociological impact; it provides enough information that someone with sufficient motivation, but a lack of resources and expertise can take concrete steps to reduce their risk. That seems useful to me.

Re: Ticker: Don't die of heart disease

#32
I was planning to start getting scans ordered for specific risks like aneurysm or heart attack but what holds me back is the idea the scans will harm me worse than those things.

It is very difficult to have any level of confidence with the medical industry so my current approach has been to eat as healthy as possible while staying as fit as I can without undue extreme stress.

Re: Ticker: Don't die of heart disease

#35

I might just be tired, but this seems highly repetitive. The author mentions friends in the field and concierge doctors multiple times in as much as I read. Feels like the whole thing could be shortened to just say "here's the tests you run, the drugs you might take, the lifestyle changes you should consider".

Right? It started okay even if a bit too verbose, then there was a second introduction. There I lost interest.

Re: Ticker: Don't die of heart disease

#37

The title of the article says "don't die of heart disease", but given that we all have to die at some point, if you could choose what natural cause to die of, wouldn't you pick heart disease? It is the best way to die. The worst is stroke. So once you cross a certain age, say 60, don't worry about heart disease, worry instead about stroke.

I agree, but both are heart disease and both can be prevented in similar ways. My dad and my father in law both died from heart disease. My fil was on the surface less healthy. He had an extreme high stress job with exposures to environmental factors that made it worse, was partially disabled with bad knees, etc. i believe he was on blood thinners for almost 20 years.

He got up to make a sandwich for my mother in law, who was very sick, and don’t come back. Massive heart attack and aortic rupture - he was dead before he hit the ground.

My dad had a lot of stress over his career and his share of health issues but found a happy medium and improved his health greatly stating about in his late 40s. He was basically walk/running 2-5 miles a day for several years after retirement. He had a major stroke, recovered somewhat, and then ended up almost dying from a kidney stone and resulting infection. (He could not communicate pain as part of his aphasia.) long story short, he suffered in a lot of ways (pain, disability, loss of dignity) for 4 years before finally succumbing.

In online discussions, we tend to boil everything down to death. Reality is that longer you can put off complications, the better you will be when something more severe happens or you get sick. As you age, each time something happens, your recovery is a little less robust. Go to the doctor, take your statins and take care of yourself.

Re: Ticker: Don't die of heart disease

#38
post #17

Very interesting, but do the numerous mentions of taking action in your 20s, 30s and 40s mean it's too late for someone in their 50s? Nitpick: he mentions LDL-C but the test results don't mention that at all. Only later do I see that is "LDL Cholesterol".

If you start exercising in your 20s, and never stop, it will be so much easier to maintain fitness in 40s 50s etc. The challenge is that the benefits are not yet visible in your 20s (when you’ll probably be healthy and at a proper weight regardless). Gotta lay that foundation for older age though!

EDIT - I misread the comment. It’s never too late to start, just be careful for injuries as that will block your ability to exercise.

Re: Ticker: Don't die of heart disease

#39
post #12

Tl;dr be affluent enough to be able to afford great medical care and have enough free time for preventative actions

Walking and eating sensibly is free. Even a balance oatmeal, rice & beans with infrequent meat servings would defend against heart disease better than expensive medicine, at less than $1 / day.

Promoting good habits is good but this is health advice from an unlicensed commenter to say rice and beans is better than taking a statin. Consult your doctor if you’re curious what to do.

Re: Ticker: Don't die of heart disease

#40

The title of the article says "don't die of heart disease", but given that we all have to die at some point, if you could choose what natural cause to die of, wouldn't you pick heart disease? It is the best way to die. The worst is stroke. So once you cross a certain age, say 60, don't worry about heart disease, worry instead about stroke.

Dementia seems a pretty awful outcome too. I hope my heart gives out before my brain.

Alzheimer's too.
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