Because Good Medicine Deserves Better Explanations
In medical school, they had taught him that numbers don’t lie.
Tonight, the numbers felt like they were whispering through clenched teeth —
speaking in halves, withholding the rest.
He printed the report, folded it twice, and slipped it into his pocket.
A contradiction he wasn’t ready to resolve.
A question he knew he would carry for years.
In 2012, telling a heart patient to cut carbohydrates could still get you labeled a heretic. Fat was the villain. Carbohydrates were the gospel. Medicine spoke in percentages and pyramids, not physiology. Calories were our currency, and balance was our creed. But the numbers on my desk told a different story.Triglycerides were falling, waistlines shrinking, … Read more
Not long ago, I saw a 58-year-old man who had done “everything right.” His LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) was well controlled on a statin, his blood pressure stable, and he exercised regularly. But he carried extra weight around his waist, his triglycerides were persistently high, and a CT scan revealed clear signs of atherosclerosis in his … Read more
In cardiovascular medicine, some numbers are sacred. LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) has long been the cornerstone of risk assessment and treatment targets. But what if we’ve been following the wrong number? This updated article revisits and expands on a piece I wrote in 2021 — enriched by new evidence, deeper clinical insights, and a clearer understanding of … Read more
It’s called Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a) for short. And if you haven’t had it measured, you’re not alone—most people haven’t. In fact, most of you may have never heard of it. It’s not part of a standard lipid panel. It doesn’t show up in routine check-ups. And yet, one in five people carry levels so high … Read more