statins Archives

Greetings and may this blog find you in great health with your Medicare insurance coverage working properly.

Remember, if there’s a big problem with your coverage, please book a time on my calendar. If it’s a quick question, email Gray@TheBig65.com and we’ll do our best to get it sorted, promise ☎️.

Well, it’s a wet, windy day here in Colorado. Plato was in desperate need of a grooming session. Q said he was bringing in too much debris every time he went outside so off to the groomer he went.

I prefer him with long hair, but life’s all about compromises, right?

I’m not a big fan of going to the doctor (or the groomer), but I am a total believer in preventive medicine, stopping small problems from becoming big ones. Clip the hair before it becomes knotted, visit your primary before uncontrolled cholesterol sends you to the Emergency Room.

Today, let’s dig in on cholesterol and statins.

According to this article, roughly one in four Americans over the age of 40 are prescribed a statin to reduce cardiovascular disease.

Many patients hesitate to take statins due to potential side effects like muscle pain or diabetes risk, leading them to seek over-the-counter supplements like plant stanols/sterols, red yeast rice, niacin, fiber, and fish oils containing omega-3 fatty acids (see Jason’s freshly caught fish above).

Now you can live a healthy life, like my little brother Haas, and go out into the Shenandoah Valley and hunt your own Morel mushroom (just remember the leading cause of death to mushroom hunters is poisonous mushrooms). Morel mushrooms do have compounds that may reduce the oxidation of cholesterol. Sadly, mushrooms alone may not be enough.

Research indicates that while some supplements may slightly reduce cholesterol, they’re not as effective as statins and lack evidence in reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke.

A study in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that statins reduce LDL cholesterol by 38% on average, whereas the most effective supplement, red yeast rice, only reduced LDL by about 7%.

Of course, I still have a cognitive bias about raw honey. Some studies say it may slightly improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Regardless, be sure to have a heart to heart with your Primary Care provider.

You may remember that last week we split the hives and sent the Queens north to start new hives (this is done so that the existing hive doesn’t grow too big and swarm to a new location.) Once the Queen is removed, the hive gets busy creating Queen cells to produce a new Queen

I’m happy to report the hives are looking good and we should have new Queens shortly, We hope to have even more honey to share with clients this September, keep your fingers crossed! No prescription required.

I had to laugh at this picture of our Air Force son Nicholas from years gone by when he was still a twerpasaur. We’d been on a road trip somewhere in the Midwest when he picked up this moustache at some novelty store. He thought it was the coolest thing.

Fast forward eighteen years and Nicholas texts us this picture of himself working on the flightline at 3:00 AM on a US base in Britain, with the same dang moustache. No matter what you do, the young uns grow up and do what they gotta do.

Remember all of our soldiers in your prayers. They are working hard to protect our freedom.

Keep squeezing the juice out of life and look for ways to help others!

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

If you know someone who might like to receive The Big 65 newsletter, forward this link.

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here
Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:

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The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 10 organizations that offer 50 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

May this note find you in great health with your Medicare coverage working properly.

Are you getting ready for the holidays?

The Annual Election Period is over 🎉🙏🎉! It was so much fun catching up with so many of you from all over the country. Most people kept their plans but some made changes.

If we didn’t speak and you aren’t happy with your Advantage coverage, don’t worry.

You have until the end of March to make one change if you need to. Most people don’t need to do anything, but if you’re unsure, book a time in January to make sure.

If Plato looks warn out above, that’s because he played hard all day. Say hello to “Suki,” our newest house guest and Plato’s new pal.

Suki and his boss Max arrived this morning to live with us for a while and we immediately drafted them to help us cut down a Christmas tree up in the Rockies.

After ten weeks of ten hour days (including most weekends), it was a pleasure to get out of the house and up into the snow in the Arapahoe National Forest.

Plato was even gladder than me to be out of the house and doing something new with Suki.

I was so tempted to spend the day vegging, but I followed James Clear’s advice and we had a great afternoon hunting the perfect tree (plus the permit to cut a tree was only $20).

Every time we do something new, our brains make new connections and it strengthens our bodies, our minds, and our souls.

Listen to this three minute Ted Talk on how a group of nuns avoided the pitfalls of dementia just by doing new things.

We cut down this 18 footer and carried her out of the forest through deep snow, strapped her on top of the car, and drove down the mountain. It was exhilarating to do something new.

On the way down I caught up with our daughter Sus and she sent pics from the Ugly Sweater Party at work. I guess that’s way computer coders like to have fun.

Before heading up the mountain, I spent an hour on the phone with Nathan Jenkins, a Physician’s Assistant and a retired Navy Veteran. He now works for a company that does in-home health assessments and I learned so many interesting things about the state of medical care in America.

His best piece of advice: every time you go to the doctor, throw ALL OF YOUR MEDICATIONS in a large plastic bag and put them on the table in front of the doctor and have them confirm that you still need to be taking each medicine.

Nathan said most doctors are great at beginning the healing process but they are not always great at formulating an end game to treatment. Many patients continue to take a medicine to treat a specific condition (like situational depression) long after the condition has subsided. Be sure to review your prescriptions with EVERY DOCTOR you see.

By the way, if you take a statin, watch this video a cardiologist posted on the pros and the cons of taking this medication.

Q had a birthday in early December – 29, again 😶🤫. We celebrated with great friends that I plan to see more often because life is incredibly short and we never know when it will end.

Two weeks ago, Frank and Brigitte were driving to Costco, a regular Saturday morning. As Frank looked ahead, he suddenly saw a car out of control heading straight at them at break neck speed. “Gina, hold on, we’re gonna roll.” To avoid the head on collision, he swerved and the car flipped down the embankment.

When the paramedics came with jaws of life, they expected to find two lifeless bodies. No one could survive such a devastating crash.

Miraculously, Frank and Brigette were standing beside their 1950 Oldsmobile Ricket 88 completely unharmed.

The officer said if it hadn’t been made of solid steel (and if the both hadn’t been in such excellent physical shape), they would have gone through the windshield and been nothing more than a statistic.

What’s even more impressive? One year ago, I visited Frank in his home and he was bedridden, slowly recovering from an extremely difficult surgery. This is one of the most amazing couples I’ve ever met. Their love for each other, their work ethic, and their faith make them a living miracle, and a treasure.

Never give up, never surrender. As Winnie the Pooh said famously:

“You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

Keep squeezing the juice out of life and look for ways to help others!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here
Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:

Tag: statins

Do you really need to take a statin?

You need to wake up your doctor!