Lifeline screening
 

Has anyone used the clogged artery screening offered by this company? If so were the results useful to you and did your primary doctor accept them?

Thanks in advance

Personally, I would never undergo any medical screening that was not ordered or recommended by a medical doctor. How do you know that the results that are produced are not going to be misinterpreted or used by your doctor to practice defensive medicine to protect them from a possible malpractice lawsuit? If you need to be screened, your doctor can order it.

I agree with above, talk to your PCP first, many can do preliminary screens in their office to see if a detailed screen is necessary.

Last year I did talk to my pcp about the tests offered by the testing company. He ordered sonograms of the main arteries to the heart. My insurance would not pay for a sonogram of the carotid arteries. From what I've researched, often the first symptom of a blocked carotid artery is a stroke. If that is true my pcp would not know to order a sonogram. My cholesterol was a little high but now it's normal because of diet changes I made.

Your PCP should be listening with his stethascope to your carotid's with every visit. If he hears the loud swishing sound of the blood flow, you should be good to go.

Good to know

It is unnecessary and Lifeline makes money off fools and hypochondriacs.

It looks like a legit company, and it’s true that many people with borderline cholesterol levels have clogged arteries and even heart attacks. If you have cholesterol levels around or over 200 or any other risk factors, I would see a cardiologist first. They can do some of these tests. Also, you can get a more extensive bloodwork test that includes Lipoprotein (a) and ApoB. You can ask your PCP to add these tests to your annual checkup. Or order them yourself from Quest or a more specialized company such as FunctionHealth: What'''s Included.

For a more detailed explanation, check this recent review article ScienceDirect

If you have a screening test performed as a result of a doctor's order, you have already been screened as needing the test, based on accepted medical protocols. But, if you go to Lifeline Screening, the only screening that takes place is to determine if you have enough money to pay for the test. In that case, the test results can often be misinterpreted because the decision to have the test was not based on years of research data to determine who should and who should not be tested.

eh. . from cardiologists a better indication of heart attack potential is the calcium score from a calcium scan. I started with a cardiologist just for preventative heart attack protocols at 60, as my dad had heart attack at 60, my grandfather at 50.

My cholesterol was borderline, and my blood pressure has always been borderline.
Calcium scan came back extremely high! means that I have an elevated risk of a blood clot from plague breaking off and clogging up somewhere clear.

recommended cholesterol levels keep dropping. . drug company conspiracy? or better medical research on longevity?

I play soccer with the TV group, no symptoms, never had a symptom, even on the stress test monitor. But I have an elevated risk of a heart attack after the calcium scan, requested by an 70+ year old cardiologist. Old research docs are the best.

But i know people who are in the same place as I am with traditional blood work only and have had heart attacks.

My opinion, any risks factors, start seeing a cardiologist, as a PCPS are just generalists, and their only recommendations are drugs. . . my PCP recommends heart drug changes, and I constantly tell him i will go with the cardiologist recommendations.

Just my opinion, and I support the AED program as I know too many with heart attacks, including a ship captain i was with, and I had to take over and dock the ship as the chief mate, and got him an ambulance at the dock waiting for him.

Very true.

We have a very good PCP and she orders tests as she thinks are necessary.

I too started with a calcium scan! Highly recommend.
 

My calcium score came back very high! My PCP shipped me off to a cardiologist immediately, and told me to take a statin starting that day. Subsequent stress tests, echos, etc. showed plaque in a coronary artery, and I'm grateful to the calcium scan for the heads up. I feel that both my PCP and cardiologist take good care of me, and I try to do my part.

I used a similar service from HealthFair about 12 years ago and I was very satisfied. The tests were much more affordable than going the conventional route. This screening would never have been covered by insurance.

Ignorance is not bliss. I personally think it is foolish to wait until you experience symptoms from cardiovascular diseases and cancer before you do any testing. Heart disease and stroke are the number one killer in the USA. The earlier you know the better. It is also good to have a baseline for comparison later on.

It also may be a good motivator for people who rarely exercise and eat poorly to improve their lifestyle.

Most doctors put much more emphasis on drugs and surgery than lifestyle changes probably because they know that their patients will not follow their advice. This is too bad because almost all cardiovascular disease are preventable. We know this because there have been epidemiology studies of populations that have almost zero heart attacks and cancer.

A calcium scan is also a good idea. It only costs around $120 and no doctors approval is needed.

And if you are going to disparage a business, ethically you should have some credible information to back it up.

I used to get them. When I asked my physician about them, he said it didn't hurt to have them, but it was unnecessary in his opinion as he listens to my arteries at visits. He said if there was an issue he would have heard it.

I will send the paper work in to create a new Village's affinity group:
The high calcium score group!

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