Has anyone ever heard of an association call Best Doctors. My doctor, who is trying his hardest to get me on Lipitor, has told me several times he is a cholesterol expert and has been voted as one of the country's "Best Doctors".
I was in today and he even showed me the plaque on the wall. The plaque didn't say what organization was behind it.

I suspect it is an award for prescribing a certain quota of Lipitor. Just wondering if my suspicians are correct.

I would ask him some peertinent questions about cholesterol. Ask him about diet. If he stresses high carb I would question his knowledge. A good doctor is an open, listening doctor. A good doctor works with the patient to manage their health. You do not need a plaque or piece of paper.

JMO,
Black57

The BEST doctor:
1. WILL KNOW that total cholesterol and/or LDL is NOT the best indication of heart health.
2. KNOWS that 50% of all heart patients do NOT have high cholesterol.
3. Will take into account other MARKERS (family history, smoking, type B LDL, etc.), as well as order a CRP (C-Reactive protein) test, which indicate INFLAMMATION
4. WILL KNOW that dietary glucose INFLATES triglycerides, while saturated fat has remarkably very LITTLE bearing on lipid profiles.
5. WILL KNOW that it is polyunsaturated fats that make up the majority (75%) of arterial plaque in studies, not sat fats. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...p;dopt=Abstract
6. KNOWS that the dangers of statin drugs FAR OUTWEIGH the benefits. http://www.lipitor.com/pi/default.asp#warnings

Hi Howe:
Yes, there is a group that rates MD's as "America's Best Doctors", and they have a web site. US News also does ratings,as do many local magazines. Anyone can get a plaque, and I wonder why he/she is trying to convince you to follow their recommendation by trying to "prove" what a great doctor they are.
Good luck in learning more, and making a decision.
E