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The Definitive Health Thread

Bio

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I'm creating this thread as a resource for the conscientious weightlifting enthusiast who uses AAS and ancillaries. John Meadows recent passing has rocked the bodybuilding world. I hope those with the proper knowledge will contribute to this thread. This will be a comprehensive resource for health issues we need to be aware of and the tests that are needed. There are volumes of information on this incredible forum but let's try to get it not only in one thread but one post! I'll take the information that's posted and add it to this first post so people don't have to search through multiple pages!!

It's unfortunate that the medical world is more reactive than proactive. You can go to 23andMe or Ancestry and get DNA testing done that shows genetic factors where one may be susceptible and all for a very cheap price considering what you get. Sadly the medical community, that I know of, isn't offering a cumulative testing package like this.

Ok, I'll start with a few and hopefully this list keeps growing!

Cardiovascular

- Blood Pressure - This is the simplest thing one can track and so many still don't. High BP causes Cardiomyopathy and is the #1 cause of Kidney Failure.

- Resting Heart Rate and Average Maximum Heart Rate - https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates

- ECG/EKG - Records the electrical signals in your heart which can reveal an arrhythmia. https://www.heartrhythmalliance.org/aa/uk/types-of-arrhythmia

- Echocardiogram - This is an ultrasound of the heart that can reveal different types of heart disease and/or defects. This will also give you your Ejection Fraction. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/echocardiogram

- Calcium CT Score - This measures the plaque inside your arteries. $99 to $150 out of pocket! https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/heart-scan/about/pac-20384686

- VAP Panel - This is a Cardiovascular Risk Marker Panel. It's an in-depth look at your different lipoprotein, TG's, cholesterol, and other cardiovascular relevant lipid levels.

**broken link removed**

- CRP HS - C Reactive Protein High Sensitivity is a predictor in the risks of future heart attacks, stroke, arterial disease, or sudden cardiac death even when cholesterol levels are within normal ranges. https://healthresearchfunding.org/understanding-the-crp-hs-blood-test-results/

- BNP (B-Type Natriuretic Peptide) - BNP helps the body compensate for Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/bnp-an-important-new-cardiac-test

Clotting Disorders

- Factor V Leiden - A genetic blood clotting disorder. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/factor-v-leiden/symptoms-causes/syc-20372423

- Prothrombin II Mutation - A genetic blood clotting disorder. https://www.stoptheclot.org/learn_more/prothrombin-g20210a-factor-ii-mutation/

- Polycythemia Vera - A blood cancer that begins in the marrow and causes it to make too many red blood cells. Polycythemia Vera is usually inherited and you can be genetically tested for Polycythemia Vera via its marker, the JAK2 (Janus-associated kinase 2) gene present in approx 95% of cases. You would likely only have this genetic test if other symptoms were present such as irregularly high RBC counts, above normal HCT, and enlarged spleen. Bone marrow can also be sampled for examination. Just because you test negative for JAK2, you may still have polycythemia.

Types and treatment:

Polycythemia Vera
is a chronic cancer associated with inherently proliferative activity in bone marrow (95% along with JAK2 gene) causing elevated RBCs, HbG, white blood cell counts (specifically granulocytes) and also platelet counts. It is treatable but not curable.

Secondary Polycythemia: Unlike Polycythemia Vera, secondary polycythemia manifests for a specific reason such as increased erythrocytosis brought on by a specific condition such as hypoxia, sleep apnea, steroid abuse, etc. In other words, fix the underlying problem and erythrocytosis should return to normal. Once the underlying cause is treated, secondary polycythemia will usually resolve itself but often not before some type of tissue damage is done.

Nonspecific Secondary Polycythemia: Manifests for no identifiable reason whatsoever. It is treatable but for obvious reasons, not curable.


Supplements

This is for supplements that we use for acute issues and proactively for long term health!

- Curcumin - This has so many health benefits it's mind boggling. Type in any disease or disorder along with Curcumin and most often a study will pop up.
 
Last edited:
Blood pressure, blood pressure, blood pressure. When it's high it causes so many problems.

Sleep apnea. I ignored it for years, figured it was a fat person problem. I was wrong. The CPAP changed my life. And cut my blood pressure meds in half.

I'll also mention bodyweight, both muscle and fat. I walked round at roughly 5-9 and 240 pounds for the last 15-20 years, not ripped but definitely not fat. I turned 57 years old this year and realized there was absolutely no reason to weigh that much. I'm down to 222-224 and my energy is greatly increased at the end of the day. I have my yearly physical in a couple weeks and am looking forward to see any changes.
 
VAP Panel is a must for bloodwork when wanting to get a good in-depth look at your different lipoprotein, TG's, cholesterol, and other cardiovascular relevant lipid levels.

**broken link removed**

Privatemdlabs has similar testing with “Cardio IQ” that does in depth into lipids, lipoprotein, size and fractionation etc as well, I do them twice per year..

Also other tests I think are important;

CRP HS

BNP (B-Type Nateiuretic Peptide) heart health/function

Fasting Insulin

Cancer detection/prevention panel (privatemd has this)

Here’s a link to my thread also for Blood Clot Factor testing


They also have Prothrombin Time with INR and Partial Thromboplastin Times;

 
Blood pressure, blood pressure, blood pressure. When it's high it causes so many problems.

Sleep apnea. I ignored it for years, figured it was a fat person problem. I was wrong. The CPAP changed my life. And cut my blood pressure meds in half.

I'll also mention bodyweight, both muscle and fat. I walked round at roughly 5-9 and 240 pounds for the last 15-20 years, not ripped but definitely not fat. I turned 57 years old this year and realized there was absolutely no reason to weigh that much. I'm down to 222-224 and my energy is greatly increased at the end of the day. I have my yearly physical in a couple weeks and am looking forward to see any changes.
Agree with this. I know I have said this over and over, imo it seems like the number on the scale is equally if not more dangerous than the number of mg per week

You can bulk up to 240 at 510 on trt, but that weight be it muscle or fat is stressing the body, the heart, the kidneys. Many NFL lineman lose a ton of weight after retirement I am assuming they know some good Doctors.

Kidneys of course should always be monitored.

Don't neglect cardio w brisk walk of the dog Ed may not cut it for many.

Look at lifestyle before medication and supplements

And lastly, stress is no joke. Toxic jobs and toxic relationships aren't good for the bp and heart. Don't be afraid to walk away from something that causes you stress. A wise man knows when to walk away from something that causes him misery and distress.
 
On genetic testing


"Our analyses indicated that 40% of variants in a variety of genes reported in DTC raw data were false positives. In addition, some variants designated with the “increased risk” classification in DTC raw data or by a third-party interpretation service were classified as benign at Ambry Genetics"

Not sure if there has been changes in testing methodologies; but this is prob one of the reasons I've held off from getting a 23andme from a health standpoint. You don't want to get flagged for something that's not there, nor have peace of mind about stuff that didn't show up
 
I posted this on Dante's IG, but I think getting your DNA from 23andme is useful. They give you the two clotting factors as part of the basic info. You can download all.your DNA as a text file and use services like promothease for more detailed information and references.

 
I want to say this, the health advice is for everyone but this is still a board for competitive and non-competitive bodybuilders that are pushing the limits. We all know a lighter body weight would be healthier but that's not plausible for someone who's looking to push the limits of their body and not what this thread is about. This thread is about taking as many precautions as you can while pushing the limits and monitoring your health so you can be in control as much as one can be.
 
I think "a lot" is the quantitative measure here. A lot in terms of a 50+ natural male won't be much. More tissue equals more expense for the organs. Dante has been warning people to lighten up in their later years, and not just on terms of lower AAS use.

I think I'm pushing it with a lean 225 at 52 of I'm honest and thinking how I will pare it down in the coming years. My heart and lungs would probably be a lot happier were I 20lbs lighter.
Truth be told too, if you look at the folks that live the longest they are smaller people. The same holds true for a lot of animals. I think the smallest dog breeds live longer.

That article is on height, but overall body mass is what the factor is I think.
 
One thing I think needs to be listed here are supplements since this thread is about being proactive. Some actually have an acute effect while others are more for long term health.
 
I don't look at health from a longevity standpoint, I look at it from a quality of life standpoint. Of course I hope to have a somewhat long life...mid to late 80's sound good from where I'm at now but that's just a guess. I might hit the 80's, be in damn good shape and say, I hope I have another 20 in me as long as the quality is there!
 
Clotting Disorders

- Polycythemia Vera - A blood cancer that begins in the marrow and causes it to make too many red blood cells.
Bio, you can add any of this you feel appropriate. Some additional info on P and PV as I've been through this. Polycythemia Vera is usually inherited and you can be genetically tested for Polycythemia Vera via its marker, the JAK2 (Janus-associated kinase 2) gene present in approx 95% of cases. You would likely only have this genetic test if other symptoms were present such as irregularly high RBC counts, above normal HCT, and enlarged spleen. Bone marrow can also be sampled for examination. Just because you test negative for JAK2, you may still have polycythemia.

Types and treatment:

Polycythemia Vera
is a chronic cancer associated with inherently proliferative activity in bone marrow (95% along with JAK2 gene) causing elevated RBCs, HbG, white blood cell counts (specifically granulocytes) and also platelet counts. It is treatable but not curable.

Secondary Polycythemia: Unlike Polycythemia Vera, secondary polycythemia manifests for a specific reason such as increased erythrocytosis brought on by a specific condition such as hypoxia, sleep apnea, steroid abuse, etc. In other words, fix the underlying problem and erythrocytosis should return to normal. Once the underlying cause is treated, secondary polycythemia will usually resolve itself but often not before some type of tissue damage is done.

Nonspecific Secondary Polycythemia: Manifests for no identifiable reason whatsoever. It is treatable but for obvious reasons, not curable.

Treatment: Treatment for all three types include periodic therapeutic phlebotomy, blood thinners, CCBs and BBs.
 
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Such a good start to a great thread. Thanks for putting this list together BIO.
Honestly, this thread needs to turn into an all-time great sticky.
Let's make that happen.
 
Bump
 
Can someone add some info on GI problems? Seems to be a thread everyday about someone having GI distress of some sort.

Gastroesophageal reflux
Bloating
Indigestion
Gastroenteritis
Ulcers
IBS, IBS+D
Colitis

These are just a few of the many I have seen here again and again over the years.
 
Definitely worth mentioning that people get a sleep study (or self use cpap if insurance doesn't cover it)

A lot of issues covered through methods like blood donations, BP meds, stimulants for alertness; can be fixed with managing OSA

I'm hopefully getting one this week; I had my in person sleep study and had the best sleep in the past 6 years in those 4 hours. Now I await a call from the DME company to deliver my cpap
 
Can someone add some info on GI problems? Seems to be a thread everyday about someone having GI distress of some sort.

Gastroesophageal reflux
Bloating
Indigestion
Gastroenteritis
Ulcers
IBS, IBS+D
Colitis

These are just a few of the many I have seen here again and again over the years.
There’s not a lot that can be done for ibs d. Viberzi is the only fda approved treatment for ibs but you can’t use it if you’ve ever had gall stones or had tour gall bladder removed. My understanding is most ibs is misdiagnosed sibo. Glutamine can help sooth and heal the lining of the gut. I just recently watched a podcast with a renowned Gi doc and he suggested 40 mgs first week, 30 mgs 2nd week, and 20 for the next two weeks to begin healing. Managing anxiety is also crucial and Sarai’s can help with some of the discomfort. Fermented foods are good and s. Bouilardii has shown to be helpful as well
 
There’s not a lot that can be done for ibs d. Viberzi is the only fda approved treatment for ibs but you can’t use it if you’ve ever had gall stones or had tour gall bladder removed. My understanding is most ibs is misdiagnosed sibo. Glutamine can help sooth and heal the lining of the gut. I just recently watched a podcast with a renowned Gi doc and he suggested 40 mgs first week, 30 mgs 2nd week, and 20 for the next two weeks to begin healing. Managing anxiety is also crucial and Sarai’s can help with some of the discomfort. Fermented foods are good and s. Bouilardii has shown to be helpful as well
This was supposed to say ssri’s, not sarai’s
 
There’s not a lot that can be done for ibs d. Viberzi is the only fda approved treatment for ibs but you can’t use it if you’ve ever had gall stones or had tour gall bladder removed. My understanding is most ibs is misdiagnosed sibo. Glutamine can help sooth and heal the lining of the gut. I just recently watched a podcast with a renowned Gi doc and he suggested 40 mgs first week, 30 mgs 2nd week, and 20 for the next two weeks to begin healing. Managing anxiety is also crucial and Sarai’s can help with some of the discomfort. Fermented foods are good and s. Bouilardii has shown to be helpful as well
Mine is almost always brought on by anxiety. It can also come on when I start doing a lot of abdominal work which is almost positively muscle spasms but feel almost identical. I think they're both brought on by intestinal spasms. Once I get past the first few weeks, I'm usually okay from there. I think people should use digestive enzymes more liberally. And SIBO can be treated with antibiotics. I just don't know enough about it. Any of it.
 
Mine is almost always brought on by anxiety. It can also come on when I start doing a lot of abdominal work which is almost positively muscle spasms but feel almost identical. I think they're both brought on by intestinal spasms. Once I get past the first few weeks, I'm usually okay from there. I think people should use digestive enzymes more liberally. And SIBO can be treated with antibiotics. I just don't know enough about it. Any of it.
It can be treated with antibiotics, but it’s a slippery slope as overuse of antibiotics is also one of the leading causes of sibo.
 

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