Let's not forget that Dr. Ravnskov has pointed out that people with higher cholesterol live the longest. http://westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/benefits_cholest.html
And as Mary Enig says, a total blood lipoprotein count between 200 and 240 is normal, not a disease process. http://westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/fats_phony.html
In any population, all measurable characteristics vary within a normal range in a Bell Curve fashion. Just as some people are shorter than average and some taller than average, some have smaller and some have larger feet, and some have lower and some have higher total lipoproteins. Thus, "high" cholesterol is not by itself indicative of a disease process any more than above average height indicates a disease process.
I have read that taller people have, in general, a lower life expectancy than shorter people (don't have the reference). Assuming this is true, it would not give warrant for height reduction surgery for taller than average people. Similarly, even if it could be demonstrated that people with lower total lipoprotein counts did live longer, that would not give warrant to subject individuals with "above average" total lipoprotein counts to artificial cholesterol reduction.
This gets back to the whole issue of reductionism. Tim's doctor thinks a blood cholesterol of 226 is a disease process. He completely ignores the context (patient) in which this occurs. Rather than evaluating the patient, he reduces the patient to a lab number. He wants to treat the cholesterol, not the patient.
Don
http://westonaprice.org/moderndiseases/benefits_cholest.html
And as Mary Enig says, a total blood lipoprotein count between 200 and 240 is normal, not a disease process.
http://westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/fats_phony.html
In any population, all measurable characteristics vary within a normal range in a Bell Curve fashion. Just as some people are shorter than average and some taller than average, some have smaller and some have larger feet, and some have lower and some have higher total lipoproteins. Thus, "high" cholesterol is not by itself indicative of a disease process any more than above average height indicates a disease process.
I have read that taller people have, in general, a lower life expectancy than shorter people (don't have the reference). Assuming this is true, it would not give warrant for height reduction surgery for taller than average people. Similarly, even if it could be demonstrated that people with lower total lipoprotein counts did live longer, that would not give warrant to subject individuals with "above average" total lipoprotein counts to artificial cholesterol reduction.
This gets back to the whole issue of reductionism. Tim's doctor thinks a blood cholesterol of 226 is a disease process. He completely ignores the context (patient) in which this occurs. Rather than evaluating the patient, he reduces the patient to a lab number. He wants to treat the cholesterol, not the patient.
Don