If you are already doing What Everyone Should Be Doing For Their Health and there are still things you want to improve about your current health or that you want to optimize to protect your future health and longevity, it may be time to do some lab testing beyond whatever your doctor orders for you in your checkups.
I found I have high lipoprotein(a) and elevated coronary artery calcium so my doctor sent me to a cardiac stress test. Fortunately I broke the hospital’s record for time and METs, and my doctor said the report was the best he had ever seen so he told me not to worry about the calcified plaque especially since I am in great health with no risk factors other than my high lp(a) which is equivalent to two risk factors.
Thanks! But the lp(a) test could prevent heart attacks among those with no symptoms. You can take a low dose statin to slow down the formation of plaque that can still occur even with “healthy” cholesterol levels.
I'm not convinced it has any causal role as opposed to being a proxy marker for ox-LDL formation, and so I thing the genetic repeats can raise it without causing risk.
I also have a high lipoprotein (a), and I lowered it by taking slow-release niacin. It's unclear if this reduces risk, but I suspect that it does. L-carnitine, coenzyme Q 10, and red yeast rice also appear to lower lipoprotein (a).
I take the bran Endur-acin and I only get mild flushing. It's best to take it with food to lower the risk of flushing. If you have a high level of lipoprotein (a), be sure to treat your cholesterol if it is also high.
Wonder if anyone at HealthRising.org or Open Medicine Foundation knows about this. There are a lot of really desperate and bedbound people who need help, and a few might still have access to funds to help themselves.
Very helpful. I will have to look at this next week when maybe I can think about health again. The shock and loss, martyrdom really; of a preacher of Christ is so sad its just beyond my ability to overcome this week . What a shock for America....the whole world really. But we have this comfort that Charlie is in paradise with Jesus.
Interesting post. I eat pretty healthy, but my hs-CRP has always been elevated between 2 and 5, indicating too much excess chronic inflammation. I recently eliminated sugar (sucrose), and my hs-CRP level came back at 0.5, the lowest it's ever been.
I did the Mitome test, and have lots of mitochondria issues. Bought a 3 in one meter from Alibaba. It works good, but learned some interesting lessons the first few weeks:
1. You have to measure lactate first, as the test amount measured will increase by 5+ points for every 20 seconds the blood drop sits on your finger, and each test takes about about 20 seconds. Measure glucose last as it doesn't seem to change no matter how long the blood drop sits on the fingertip.
2. Also, dip the edge of the sample strip in the edge of the drop of blood, if you press it in to the bottom of the drop it wont suck up the blood properly. This one took me a week and quite a few wasted strips to figure out.
3. If you are already on a ketone diet, your glucose will be completely stable no matter what time of day or how much meat you shovel in your mouth. Not sure it is worth measuring more than once after you make a change.
4. The Alibaba test kits measure in mg/dl and each item has its own conversion:
Convert mg/dl glucose to mmol/L by multiplying by 0.0555
Convert mg/dl ketone to mmol/L by multiplying by 0.17212
Convert mg/dl lactate to mmol/L by multiplying by 0.1111
Some of the instructions in the mitome sheet use mg/dl and others use mmol/L, so it is helpful to track the measurements on the spreadsheet that auto converts the results.
I hope my lessons learned assist others doing the Mitome test and protocol. Good luck to anyone else trying this!
I found I have high lipoprotein(a) and elevated coronary artery calcium so my doctor sent me to a cardiac stress test. Fortunately I broke the hospital’s record for time and METs, and my doctor said the report was the best he had ever seen so he told me not to worry about the calcified plaque especially since I am in great health with no risk factors other than my high lp(a) which is equivalent to two risk factors.
Nice! "The Michael Hood Paradox"
Thanks! But the lp(a) test could prevent heart attacks among those with no symptoms. You can take a low dose statin to slow down the formation of plaque that can still occur even with “healthy” cholesterol levels.
I'm not convinced it has any causal role as opposed to being a proxy marker for ox-LDL formation, and so I thing the genetic repeats can raise it without causing risk.
Very interesting! Thanks
I also have a high lipoprotein (a), and I lowered it by taking slow-release niacin. It's unclear if this reduces risk, but I suspect that it does. L-carnitine, coenzyme Q 10, and red yeast rice also appear to lower lipoprotein (a).
Thanks! I’m already taking 400mg CoQ10, mitoQ, 2000mg L carnitine, and 300mg NR. But I’ll add red yeast rice and slow release niacin!
The niacin has the most potent effect. It will cause flushing, which can be uncomfortable but not dangerous. Some people get better results than others:https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/S0735-1097%2823%2903757-9
Thanks! I’ll try to find the slow release form. I hate the flushing effect as it makes me feel I’m getting poisoned 😛
I take the bran Endur-acin and I only get mild flushing. It's best to take it with food to lower the risk of flushing. If you have a high level of lipoprotein (a), be sure to treat your cholesterol if it is also high.
Found it In CMJ’s Fullscript dispensary. Perfect!
Thanks! Yes I’m cutting down on saturated fats and taking low dose 5mg Rouvastin.
Wonder if anyone at HealthRising.org or Open Medicine Foundation knows about this. There are a lot of really desperate and bedbound people who need help, and a few might still have access to funds to help themselves.
What about us living in the EU? Any alternative test to Mitome or can we order it in the future?
Reach out to support@mito.me for your specific location as there is some limited EU distribution which we intend to improve in the future.
Very helpful. I will have to look at this next week when maybe I can think about health again. The shock and loss, martyrdom really; of a preacher of Christ is so sad its just beyond my ability to overcome this week . What a shock for America....the whole world really. But we have this comfort that Charlie is in paradise with Jesus.
Interesting post. I eat pretty healthy, but my hs-CRP has always been elevated between 2 and 5, indicating too much excess chronic inflammation. I recently eliminated sugar (sucrose), and my hs-CRP level came back at 0.5, the lowest it's ever been.
That's great. I would retest at least twice to confirm it stays at the new level before making a final conclusion.
British reader here who would jump at the chance to do the Mitome test as soon as it became available in the UK.
Reach out to support@mito.me for your specific location as there is some limited EU distribution which we intend to improve in the future.
I did the Mitome test, and have lots of mitochondria issues. Bought a 3 in one meter from Alibaba. It works good, but learned some interesting lessons the first few weeks:
1. You have to measure lactate first, as the test amount measured will increase by 5+ points for every 20 seconds the blood drop sits on your finger, and each test takes about about 20 seconds. Measure glucose last as it doesn't seem to change no matter how long the blood drop sits on the fingertip.
2. Also, dip the edge of the sample strip in the edge of the drop of blood, if you press it in to the bottom of the drop it wont suck up the blood properly. This one took me a week and quite a few wasted strips to figure out.
3. If you are already on a ketone diet, your glucose will be completely stable no matter what time of day or how much meat you shovel in your mouth. Not sure it is worth measuring more than once after you make a change.
4. The Alibaba test kits measure in mg/dl and each item has its own conversion:
Convert mg/dl glucose to mmol/L by multiplying by 0.0555
Convert mg/dl ketone to mmol/L by multiplying by 0.17212
Convert mg/dl lactate to mmol/L by multiplying by 0.1111
Some of the instructions in the mitome sheet use mg/dl and others use mmol/L, so it is helpful to track the measurements on the spreadsheet that auto converts the results.
I hope my lessons learned assist others doing the Mitome test and protocol. Good luck to anyone else trying this!
1. That doesn't make sense unless your finger isn't clean. Did you wash the finger with soap, rinse well, and wipe with alcohol pad?
2. Yes nova biomedical meter is finicky in the same way. Really annoying at first.
3. That might be true for you but will definitely not be true for everyone.
Thanks for sharing!