hs-CRP Test.... Ever had one????

[Cajunboy47]

hs-CRP is a blood test done to predict cardiovascular disease and other inflammatory related diseases.

If you've had such a test, please share your experience with us.

Was it helpful? If inflammation was determined, do you have it reduced now?

This is something new to me and I am hoping to learn all I can about it.

Thanks...

Cajunboy47

[Nancy LC]

You might want to read this: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/12/20/heart-tests.html

[Cajunboy47]

NancyLC

You might want to read this: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006...eart-tests.html


Sorry, I don't buy what they say in that article. It has bias written all over it.

You are here LC dieting just like I am and the AMA and the ADA doesnt approve of this. They say high-carb/low-fat is the way to go. We know that LC dieting is the way to go and we have proven results, yet the AMA doesn't change its position. So, think about this, you don't believe in the AMA if you're here living a LC WOE....... right?

Then why believe that study?????

That Framingham Study has bias written all over it. Traditional medicine would lose billions of dollars if we could prevent disease by discovering we only need to treat inflammation before it wreaks havoc on our bodies. It has to many scare tactic words in it for me to have believability in it.

You suggested a link. I suggest all of these, which all were recommended by other fine folks such as yourself:


http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-146.shtml

http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C163465.html

http://www.jigsawhealth.com/articles/chronic_inflammation.html

http://www.stopinflammation.com/quenching_the_fires.html

http://www.naturalchoicesforyou.com/site/680805/page/219656

http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=67195-fish-oil-dha-inflammation

http://www.syndrome-x.com/#preface

http://www.stopinflammation.com/
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by the way: If you take the hs-CRP test and you have high inflammation, guess what? It is recommended you go on a LC diet.............. go figure..... No money in that for the Doctors..... :)

[cs_carver]

What's to believe or not? The study didn't say that inflammation wasn't a problem. It simply said that the blood tests, as studied in the target population, didn't do any better at predicting heart disease than current markers. So if your other markers are low and you're living right, what additional information are you expecting to learn?

You may have hidden inflammation, true, in the face of otherwise "perfect" blood numbers, and maybe the test will give you a small piece of news. If so, you are in a small minority. Over the entire population, however, there's a whole lot more low-hanging fruit. Will the population as whole "come to Jesus" and change their life because they know they have inflammation, when they already knew they are fat and don't exercise? Is there anyone who really believes krispy kremes promote health?

[Cajunboy47]

What's to believe or not?

Considering that almost 30% of the population is overweight, I feel certain there are way more people walking around with inflammation and are totally oblivious that they are currently developing future health issues. I find the medical community as a whole is at work trying to prevent us from developing concerns about inflammation and many other illnesses.

We, as a whole are mainly people who are in denial. We feel we are immortal when we are younger. That is why young men fight wars. When we're older, before serious health issues occur, you see it happening to others, but you don't see it is going to happen to you till it does.

Medical science could work to eliminate our denial, work at raising our awareness, make us more informed. Instead, almost any new report of how to take care of yourself can be refuted by another report that says it is bunk. We, non professionals are walking around with apathy, which leads to more denial till it is too late.

I'm expecting that we hold the medical community accountable for their lack of health care concerns. I'm expecting that we all come to the conclusion we can't just walk around and choose a Doctor based on how well you like their mannerisms or how you buy into their little speel to get you through your present little health concern.

The world has had two thousand years to "bring the world to Jesus" and only 1/3 of the world's population is following Christianity and Christianity has not grown in 10 years now.

I think if people knew they had inflammation, and the importance of it as to how it silently reaks havoc, then I think people could make informed decisions as to whether they change their lives. As of now, I think people are walking around with blinders that have been put on us by the entire Medical community.

As for Krispy Kremes, I think we all know it doesn't promote health, but we aren't all aware it reduces health. Denial makes us do strange things, doesn't it?

We can either bitch about it and remain in the darkness with others who are unaware, or we can light a candle and help others come into the light of knowledge. I don't expect everyone to come and stay in the light, but the numbers would gradually grow in time. Awareness by the way is inevitable, it is only a matter of time. I just am not sure I'll be around to see it..... :)

[cs_carver]

Sorry, I'm just not in that camp at all. Doctors are not responsible for breaking through denial, at least not as long as they're not allowed to hold a patient's head in front of a mirror and say, "YOU ARE FAT FAT FAT!!! and it's killing you!!" Sigh. There are two posts from last weekend ON THIS FORUM with LOTS of people saying, "'Obese' is just a word, don't let it affect your self-esteem."

People have had 71 years to teach 12-Step recovery and there are still drunks, driving, and killing themselves and other people, WAY faster than fat kills. People still smoke. People still have unprotected sex. Why should fat be any different?

When it becomes as unacceptable to be overweight in middle America the way it's pretty much unacceptable to smoke, we'll start seeing change. Inflammation is just another symptom and not any particularly different from the more obvious.

The report did NOT say that inflammation was "bunk." It simply said it was no better than current, cheaper markers at predicting long-term outcomes. Why should I want my insurance dollar subsidizing a more expensive test that doesn't add diagnostic value? If you're at risk for heart disease and not taking action, one more marker isn't going to make much difference at all.

As long as I can watch self-proclaimed diabetics joke about how they lied to their doctors by leaving their glucometer at home and saying their blood sugars are fine and then thinking the HgA1C isn't going to out them, I don't think learning about inflammation will make any difference at all.

[Cajunboy47]

posted by cs carver

"'Obese' is just a word, don't let it affect your self-esteem."


sounds like you're saying people who are obese should conform to having low self esteem..... so, constructively, what's your point????

Why should fat be any different?


They aren't, all are in denial and improperly informed and probably struggling to find truth.

When it becomes as unacceptable to be overweight in middle America the way it's pretty much unacceptable to smoke, we'll start seeing change. Inflammation is just another symptom and not any particularly different from the more obvious.

That is how real change comes about, conscious awareness!

I disagree that inflammation is just another symptom. Inflammation seems to be the precursor for more serious health problems down the road if the inflammation is not allieviated. Inflammation seems to be the common link in all age related illnesses and I think it is time it gets explored more seriously and be treated. I now see diabetes and pre-diabetes as a symptom of inflammation, oh if I would have only known that a few years ago........


The report did NOT say that inflammation was "bunk."

The "bunk" was that the report was misleading. It did not empashize at all the importance of the test at identifying inflammation and then having that treated and how that would lead to improving health, thus preventing early death. The report focused rather on the hs-CRP test not being able to better determine future cardiovascular risks than the current Cholesterol, etc.. testing.... That report is slanted and thus it is "bunk" to me, if not anyone else.......

As long as I can watch self-proclaimed diabetics joke about how they lied to their doctors by leaving their glucometer at home and saying their blood sugars are fine and then thinking the HgA1C isn't going to out them, I don't think learning about inflammation will make any difference at all.


I have no idea what you meant by that statement. "self-proclaimed?" ...... I can tell you this....... "A little knowledge is dangerous" and someone much greater than me said it. I think we need to keep learning and continue sharing our learning and not become negative or give up because of all of the misinformation and denial that exists in others all around us.
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the best quote for last:

hold a patient's head in front of a mirror and say, "YOU ARE FAT FAT FAT!!!

So, Doctors are not responsible for letting us know how sick we are. It's ok for them to see we have denial issues from having too little knowledge and they're not required to share true knowledge with us. "Just take an aspirin and come back to see me in a week if you're not feeling better", that is the limit of their responsibility, right????? Too funny! :)

Cajunboy47

[Nancy LC]

Well, like cholesterol tests, I think this just shows us we can't get complacent at seeing results on blood tests. I think that's one problem we have is that doctors and patients are looking for some way to grade your health using blood tests and we don't really have a good way to do this yet.

It doesn't mean CRP is worthless, I know they use it in checking on autoimmune issues and infections and what not, it just means it might not be a reliable indicator of heart health.

It is just information though, use it or ignore it however you see fit.

[kaypeeoh]

It's a sign of inflammation somewhere in the body. But where? Considering the epidemic of heart disease in this country, it's logical to assume an overweight person is stressing his heart badly enough to trigger the C-reactive protein.

An normal weight person with vision problems may be developing glaucoma so the CRP could be emanating from his eyes.

[ReginaW]

It's a sign of inflammation somewhere in the body. But where? Considering the epidemic of heart disease in this country, it's logical to assume an overweight person is stressing his heart badly enough to trigger the C-reactive protein.

An normal weight person with vision problems may be developing glaucoma so the CRP could be emanating from his eyes.

The biggest problem I see is an otherwise healthy person, who is eating well, taking care of themself and everything else is on target going and having this test just to see what their level is without any indication anything is abnormal....in another post someone had perfect - and I mean perfect cholesterol levels, better than excellent blood pressure, a normal CBC - including WBC, and everything else totally acceptable.

Then Whoa goes and says well what's your WBC, what's your CRP? Given all the test results presented, there is NO COMPELLING REASON to test CRP, at all, period. IMHO, doing a test for the sake of doing a test is chasing a phantom, or put another way, if you keep looking for something and you're bound to find a problem - then the question is, what do you do?

As DH reminds me often, it's a good rule of thumb to ask yourself - will the results of this test "change the management" of any given disease, condition or disorder or what you're currently doing? If your answer is "no" then your testing and results offer nothing at the end of the day other than data that you'll not use as a reason to change course on what you're already doing. If every other test thus far is well within normal, what purpose does it serve to test something that is, in all likelihood normal too?

It's one thing if you have an indication you may have hidden inflammation - you're obese, tired, immune depressed, eating poorly, highly stressed, etc. - it's another thing if you are just doing the test to do the test and it's not likely to give any impetus to make any change to what you're already doing.

Stepping off the soap-box now! :wave:

[kaypeeoh]

There's a lot of info that can be gleaned from the WBC. But the CRP, if available as a snap test, (one drop of blood with instant result) becomes useful in the exam room. An elevation is reason to look deeper. With managed care becoming the norm, it allows the doc to prioritize his/her time better.

[Cajunboy47]

a CRP test only costs about $30. Inflammation is something that builds up, very silently over years. It manifest itself in the form of high cholesterol, high cholesterol, diabets, high blood pressure, obesity, congestive heart failure, strokes, heart attacks and this is to just name a few things that originate with inflammation. Treat the inflammation and these things don't happen. Wouldn't anyone want to know if they have inflammation before they're sick of something that will plague them and take their health away????

I think there is a lot being misunderstood about Syndrome X, Metabolic syndrome and inflammation which are all one in the same thing, really......

Just like a fever is a sign of an infection somewhere in the body, inflammation is a sign of an ongoing process in the body that is leading to disease........

If I am wrong on this, please feel free to correct me.....

Cajuyboy47

[Nancy LC]

Sure, knowing you have a lot of inflammation is good information, but you can't really tell what the heck is causing it, just whether or not you have it. And if you don't have it, what assumptions are you going to draw, that your perfectly healthy? And if you chase it down and undergo a lot of medical tests, perhaps it was just a virus or something causing it.

It kind of reminds me of having a bit of blood in my urine. I often have a few casts. Well, one doctor sent me through a kidney IVP, a bladder scoping and a whole bunch of xrays, then she told me sometimes it happens and they find no cause for it.

But I suppose if they'd have found something I would have been glad of her thoroughness. Meanwhile I am wondering about my life time exposure to x-rays though... sheesh!

[kebaldwin]

I have had the tests - and mine came out high. It helped me realize why my gut hurt, shoulder joint hurt, knee joint hurt, and why the skin covering my elbows was starting to look bad again.

Many, many health problems - from head (your brain) to toe - are related to inflammation.

I reduced my inflammation and these problems went away. My inflammation source was bad fish oil and a bad tooth.

[nawchem]

I had the crp test a few years ago. I had severe bursitis in my hip, neck, back injury and an anaphylactic allergy that I eventually had to have sinus surgery. My CRP tested normal as well as cholesterol, blood pressure and ekg.

To me its kind of silly to worry about the cost of a crp test you get every 5 years, compared to the cost of IVF. For me scoring well on my physical is my main motivation to diet and exercise- along with feeling good. The jobs in my field usually have physicals attached to the hiring process- so it directly affects my employability.

My mom developed high blood pressure, high cholesterol. She was stick thin, ate pretty healthy and was very active. Her dr advised her to quit smoking and cut back premarin (hrt) and she did. Her blood pressure normalized but the damage was done to the arteries and a blood clot went to the heart and brain. Her 4 siblings and mother all outlived her by at least 20 years so far. Sorry off the subject of crp.

Like all testing I think one of the benefits is to see how your numbers are changing over time. There can be a difference between hitting the bell curve in the normal range and what is normal or optimal for the individual.