Although you didn't address it to me, I don't particulary like my doctor. She keeps pushing statins and BP lowering meds, and I keep kindly refusing them. Mind you I objectively think I don't need either, but hey, I am not the one who gets kick backs from Big Pharma... I agree with Speedo, a reasonable person with the internet at his fingertips can decide if he needs a doctor or just a supplement...
Well, then don't... People like you worship doctors, and think they know everything. Let me ask you a simple question: Are eggs good for you? Guess what, science keep changing the answer to that question, and doctors might not keep up with new research. And don't even get me started about statins because I will blow a fuse....
I don't worship doctors. I just know my own limitations. I don't know what your BP or cholesterol levels are, but if they are worrying your doctor then perhaps you ought to attend to them in some manner. Lifestyle changes first, of course, if it can make a meaningful difference. Several years ago I knew two people, a generation older, admittedly, who had both high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels. They did not take care of themselves and they didn't want to deal with "bogus" medicine. They both stroked out big time. Perhaps it might have happened regardless. However, all I can reasonably conclude is that they were not doing all they could to deal with their conditions.
Hypertension is a real threat. It is something that can be self-monitored and moderated with lifestyle controls but it's important that it is controlled. "whitecoat" hypertension readings in a doctors office are not uncommon, if that is the case, the wise thing is to buy a monitor and test regularly.
Since this is off topic here, I will address medical establishment choices and how hard to change them in the Statin thread, since that is an excellent example for it... And I know the doctors' limitations. The science on both BP and cholesterol isn't obvious or settled for good. Also Big Pharma does provide kickback to doctors. We can call it lobbying if we like that way better. But nobody lobbies for supplements. Some well meaning doctors are even in a lose-lose situation concerning "well established" guide lines. I will give you an example: Let's say my cholesterol levels are slightly elevated, thus taking statins is not out of the question, but my doctor actually doesn't believe in them and would use them as a last resort or only for people with cardiac history. So he doesn't prescribe it for me, and down the road, I get a heart attack. I could easily sue him and would probably win, because he didn't advocate taking statins, when the "established guidelines" would have told me to take statins, even if they don't help or the help is minimal. I could have got the heart attack with the statins too, but that way my doctor's ass would have been covered. Now if the doctor gets sued regularly, his insurance is going to go up. So instead of screwing himself, he will just go with the establishment's choice instead of trying to challenge it. It is incredibly hard to change medical establishment's stand points. And we came back to full circle, so are eggs good for us?
Exactly. Obviously I know better my BP, since I can measure it multiple times a day compared to my doctor measuring it twice a year tops...