Even doctors undergo self-tests to see how healthy or sick they are. In my case, I do it twice a year.I just got hold of the results of my latest fasting blood sugar and lipid profile tests. It made me smile. From borderline high cholesterol, I now have low cholesterol and an improved HDL (good cholesterol) value.
All those lifestyle changes the past few months worked!
Now I can tell my patients that even their doctor follows the same advice he often gives.
To give you the an idea of how happy I am with the latest results, here's a table from a medical reference doctors use when evaluating high blood cholesterol. This is also known as ATP III or the Adult Treatment Panel III (you can download the free PDF file here):
From March to October this year, my total cholesterol levels went down from 5.48 to 3.64 mmol/L. These are values in SI units.
The ATP III values are in conventional units. Converted, that means my cholesterol values decreased from 212 mg/dL to 141 mg/dL (a conversion table can be accessed here).
That means I have achieved the recommended desirable levels suggested by ATP III. The other components of my lipid profile like LDL, HDL and triglyceride values have also shown significant improvements.
This doctor is not as hard-headed as he previously thought he was in the past.
Conclusion --- A doctor can also become a good patient. It is possible to practice what I preach.
