Ran into a way cool cardiologist tonight

[ikojo]

On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, before the evening service, there is the Tashlich service. This service takes place at a body of water and a short prayer is said, After the prayer one throws in pieces of bread to symbolize casting away one's sins.

Well, after the Tashlich service people stood around schmoozing as Jews are wont to do in these situations....Among the crowd was a cardiologist. We got to talking about cholesterol and stuff and I asked about cholesterol levels. He was of the feeling that only a few people can bring their cholesterol levels down by diet and exercise and those that cannot should take medication.

What was so cool about him was that he didn't harp on diet, diet, diet...he said that one cannot forego all the pleasures of life nor should one...he related the story of a monk, Savonarola, who became powerul and believed that all artwork depicting graven images of human kind was sacreligious and advocated bringing down all the statues and burning all art. Well a couple years later he was burned at the stake in front of the statues.

[Safi]

1. Did you ask him how he feels about socialized medicine? (nt)

[ikojo]

3. Since I don't consider universal healthcare to be

socialized medicine, that is not how I would frame the question....but no, we did not get into discussing insurance. It was a short conversation but he was very nice. He was wearing a Keith Haring tie so I suspect he'd support some type of universal healthcare.

[meti57b]

2. similar experience ...

My slim and trim husband had high cholesterol and border-line diabetes. He has a young doctor, an endocrinologist, and she too says although he could improve his diet, she isn't going to push that. She prescribed medicine for both the cholesterol and the diabetes. Both medicines have been extremely effective.

Previous to that, husband was in an HMO and they were too cheapskate and refused to prescribe medicine. They advocated severely restricted diet, only. It's pretty hard to diet both for diabetes and cholesterol at the same time, that just about leaves steamed fish and lettuce or something like that.

This endocrinologist also said that her experience is that diet doesn't really lower the high cholesterol much by itself. (Although, it may have been the diabetes she said that about, I've forgotten which one by now).