Are you dealing with chronic skin conditions? There is a good chance there are some things going on under the skin that should be addressed. Poor metabolic health leads to all sorts of problems.
If you’d like to hear my most recent Podcast with Dr. Phil Ovadia—Click Here!
Are we a skincare company—yes. Do we care about your overall metabolic health—ABSOLUTELY! Over the past few years, I’ve gotten to be quite good friends with Dr. Phil Ovadia. Dr. Ovadia is a heart surgeon who had the gumption to challenge the system and write a book explaining to folks how to “Stay Off My Operating Table”. His book delves into how to address cardiovascular disease through diet and exercise….NOT DRUGS.
Frankly, and this may sound crazy to those of you that don’t know me, the current state of big Pharma and Western Medicine is to put profits above people by addressing the symptoms of disease and NOT the root cause. Skincare is quite similar. Here are just a few bangers for you:
Cholesterol is NOT the leading cause of Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD)
Statins are one of the biggest money makers to big Pharma—with little to know efficacy
The year I was born (1974) Cholesterol levels under 300 were considered normal…today that number is down to 200—WHY?
Over 50% of the heart attacks in this country happen to people with “normal cholesterol”
One of the primary tests for the potential of CVD is called a Coronary Calcium Survey—Bet you’ve never even heard of that before….?
Let me quickly tell you my story:
I’ve been the “crazy” person in my family for years…dating all the way back to my early days exploring the Paleo Diet. They thought I was bonkers and couldn’t understand how someone could eat so much meat, eggs, and butter without gumming up my arteries. So, from 2010-2022, my total cholesterol hovered between 290 & 320.
Every year, my primary care doctor would take my blood and try to convince me to go on some drug to lower this number—this despite having exceptional HDL (the good cholesterol) and overall being in very good shape. Funny enough, the one year in that time where I actively reduced my total cholesterol (2020-2021), I ate no fewer than a dozen eggs a day…every day. What’s the one thing they tell you to reduce when your cholesterol is high? Eggs.
Anywho—in 2022, I took an in-depth blood panel with Specialty Health and Wellness out of Reno Nevada. Here are the numbers from that report:
***So, some REALLY SCARY numbers to your average Doctor…but they dug deeper. Have you ever seen these numbers on a standard lab?
The Team at specialty health wasn’t concerned with my high cholesterol. However, my LDL-P figure did concern them (that’s Cholesterol Particle Count by the way). It was so absurdly high that they requested I get a CORONARY CALCIUM SURVEY.
I mentioned the CCS earlier—have you ever heard of one? I had NOT and I’ve been swimming in the ‘healthy lifestyle’ waters for a while. It cost me $100 dollars and 15 minutes of my day. They take an MRI of your heart and can measure the level of calcium build up in the main arteries coming in/out of your heart. Here is the list on my report of how to interpret your CCS score:
My CCS Score: ZERO
After over a decade of drastically elevated cholesterol and it turns out there is zero calcification in my arteries—go figure!
I should mention that in the previous 12 years of meeting with my Primary Care Physician to discuss my blood panel, NOT ONCE did he ever discus a CCS with me. Every single year I would be encouraged to reduce my saturated fat intake and consider taking a cholesterol-lowering drug.
Thanks for making it through my story and YES, I know this isn’t necessarily a skincare topic—BUT IT IS! Skin health is directly tied to metabolic health, which is directly tied to cardiovascular health.
If you or someone you care is struggling with metabolic health, I strongly endorse Dr. Ovadia and his private practice.
Stay Lathered,
