Medical advice solicited

gringosabroso

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Oct 16, 2004
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I'm an American, suffering or close to suffering from high cholesterol, high blood sugar, & / or anemia. I have a very good MD in the USA, but see him only twice annually. I have my blood tested monthly in POP by a local, reputable lab. My questions:

* Has anybody had positive experiences with any DR hematologist in Santiago? Santo Domingo? Evidently there are none practicing in POP? Or am I misinformed? Names? Phone #s & addresses, please. I'm primarily interested in positive experiences, but . . .

* DR laboratory blood testing: I assume that it's reliable; anemia is, I'm told, quite common in the DR; the vocabulary, evidently some English & some Spanish is beyond my present skill level. The normal lab report seems to lay out the results fairly plainly, but, . . . what to 'WBC', 'RBC', HCT', & PLT' mean? These appear to be English, not Spanish, phrases.

* Can an educated non-medical professional understand any of this? Deal with it? Resources, on-line or in the DR? Well educated lab technicians? Accepted local remedies? Suggestions? Comments? Thank you.
 

HOWMAR

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Jan 28, 2004
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gringosabroso said:
. The normal lab report seems to lay out the results fairly plainly, but, . . . what to 'WBC', 'RBC', HCT', & PLT' mean? These appear to be English, not Spanish, phrases.

* Can an educated non-medical professional understand any of this? Deal with it? Resources, on-line or in the DR? Well educated lab technicians? Accepted local remedies? Suggestions? Comments? Thank you.
The test you cited arre parts of a Complete Blood Count (CBC). WBC is white blood cell count, RBC is red blood cell count, HCT is hematocrit and PLT is platelet count. Normal values can be found in http://www.webmd.com/hw/lab_tests/hw4260.asp#hw4305

I would believe a specialist in internal medicine would be more appropriate than a hematologist to treat your diabetes and cholesterol. Granted the blood is changed by these conditions, but the cause is not a hematologic condition.
 

Ken

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Jan 1, 2002
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I agree you should consider a well qualified internal medicine specialist. I highly recommend Dr. Fernando Contreras at Clinica Abreu in Santo Domingo. He has 2 offices: 809-687-0107 and 809-567-1815. My wife and I have gone to him for years. He was educated in the US and is a highly regarded doctor.
 

MommC

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Mar 2, 2002
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Next time you are in the States.....

Two books to pick up.....

"The NEW 8 week Cholesterol Cure" by Robert Kowalski

"The Dr. Dean Ornish Program for the Reversal of Heart Disease" by Dr. Dean Ornish

I did the Ornish diet for 18 months then switched to the Kowalski "cure" and my cholesterol went down enough that I no longer need to take cholesterol lowering medication.

The Ornish program will also help with the blood sugar issues and the anemia.
 

BushBaby

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Jan 1, 2002
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www.casabush.org
Charles - Contact Dr. Jim Bailes in Costamber. He is well known & you will have NO difficulty finding him by asking around.

Talk to him about Red Rice Yeast (some refer to it as Red Yeast Rice) which is a natural product & available from the States (Google Solaray - Red Yeast Rice). This certainly helps in reducing Cholesterol. ~ GWB.
 

MommC

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Mar 2, 2002
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Yes Red Rice Yeast is good for lowering cholesterol as is curcumin (tumeric to us English folks) and lets not forget the infamous bowl of oatmeal in the mornings.....along with many other foods and herbs.
This is why a good book with an eating plan is a must (like the two I mentioned)
Regular exercise (2 miles a day walking at a pace of 13 minutes per mile) also has a great impact.