I found this blog and found and joined the Track Your Plaque (TYP) program 7 weeks ago now.

I struggled to figure out how to get the right blood testing done per Dr. Davis for several weeks.  If I knew then what I know now, here are the steps I would take without thinking about it and which are consistent with the TYP program.  I'm sure Dr. Davis will correct me if I advocate anything he opposes.

1)  Go to LipoScience.com and order the NMR test from LabSafe.  The specific link appears below.  Dr. Davis, in multiple forum or blog posts has stated that he prefers the LipoScience NMR above the other two blood tests he mentions in his post.  The NMR test ran about $100 when I ordered it.  You'll get the paperwork or a phone call in a couple days with a list of blood draw centers in your area.  Here's a link to the page with the LabSafe Order icon.

http://www.lipoprofile.com/control.cfm?id=69

When you order the NMR test, BE SURE to add the LipoProtein(a) (aka LP(a)) test to your order.

2)  Go to the Life Extension Foundation (LEF.org) website and order a Vitamin D test.  Dr. Davis would certainly say that the Vitamin D test is less a priority than #1 above but, hey, for about $47 or $62 more you can get the test out of the way at the same time that you do the NMR test.  Here's the link to the LEF Vitamin D test.

http://www.lef.org/newshop/items/itemLC081950.html

==>> The two LipoScience tests and the LEF Vitamin D test can be done at LabCorp drawing centers.  So, if you order them at the same time and wait a week to get all the paperwork you can get all the blood drawn in a single lab visit.

So, there, about $200 outside of insurance reimbursement, boom, done...  in a week...

Ok... That's all well and good but now you're thinking to yourself... "I need a Doctor's evaluation just like Dr. Davis has recommended in this blog post."

Well, I think Dr. Davis has significantly UNDERSTATED the value of joining his Track Your Plaque program for what, $40 for the first 3 months and $19 for every quarter after that?

Once you join the TYP program, you get access to the TYP forum.  Once you get your blood test results a week or so after the blood draw then you post those results (anonymously) to the forum and ask for advice about what to do.  Forum members who know what they're talking about (because they've been following Dr. Davis' work for a while) will provide you with feedback about what your numbers mean and what you need to do and can do about them.

Since I became a member, Dr. Davis has personally answered each post also unless the post didn't really require a reply.  Usually he replies within 24-48 hours.  Can you get an appointment with any doctor more qualified than he is to provide feedback in less time?  Well, no, you can't.  And then, when you have follow up questions, you can post those questions and get solid answers from other members or from Dr. Davis... about blood testing, heartscans, supplements, diet, etc.

I suppose you could ask for a personalized report from him for $75 as well.  My impression is that it wouldn't say much more than what he would say to you anyway in the forum.

From the forum, you'll often be referred to one or more of dozens of special reports Dr. Davis has written on the most critical issues related to coronary artery disease, including all the most harmful results you may learn of through the blood testing you got done.

One of the most important things about the forum is this:  Forum members, who have been doing the TYP program for a while, often post their 1 year results.  It's incredibly inspiring to read about folks reducing their coronary plaque measured by CT heart scans and improving their blood lipoprotein numbers.

So, 20 days, start to finish, less than $250 outside of insurance reimbursement, boom, you're armed with the information you need to move forward.

7 to 10 days from initial blood draw ordering to getting the blood draw done.  7 to 10 days from blood draw to receiving your results and getting world-class feedback from Dr. Davis and TYP members under his tutelage on your specific numbers that you post anonymously.

wccaguy--

Excellent points about vit D and practical ways to get this done.

And thanks for the wonderful comments.

How do we avail ourselves of the opportunity to send you our results for $75?  

I saw an "anti-aging" doctor who insisted I have the Atherotech VAP test, but frankly in my follow-up visit, I don't remember him saying much about the results.  In fairness, he ran about dozens of other tests as well, including extensive hormone tests, so the discussion may have gotten lost among discussion of the other test results, but he also spent a lot of time trying to sell me expensive vitamin "infusions" and other alternative therapies.

Just forward your lipoprotein results to contact@trackyourplaque.com. The link is on the website.

I'd like to make clear, however, that I discourage use of this route. It is  a last resort.

I frankly don’t like doing this because I feel that I can only provide limited information through this method and, frankly, it is very time consuming. I provide a written discussion of the implications and choices for treatment with the caveat to discuss them with your doctor, since I can’t provide medical advice without a formal medical relationship. We also charge $75 for the interpretation. But it’s better than nothing.

Does he subscribe to Cordain's anti-saturated fat view of nutrition? That is one of the biggest issues I have with Cordain's take on paleolithic nutrition. The biggest problems with speculations on paleolithic nutrition is the extinction of the megafauna that were the basis of human global expansion. Fatty acids in modern deer doesn't tell us anything about fatty acids in mammoths, cave bears, and aurochs.

It is so sad that Robb is making money off of telliing people to eat the same SAD (Standard American Diet) that is killing Americans. The SAD diet is the same diet to promote heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, etc.
and all other chronic diseases that plague western countries. Only animal foods have cholesterol so stop eating them. Go Plant BASED! goveg.com

Dr. Davis, I'm not sure if you meant to, but the book you have linked is for Cordian's Paleo Diet not Wolf's Paleo Solution.

Here is Wolf's link: http://robbwolf.com/

I've been interested in studying the paleo diet for a little while now. Since I am following some of the principles on my low carb/sugar regimen, it can't be too much of a stretch. The health benefits are probably a great improvement over the SAD and vegetarian diets I have tried in the past.

Eating foods that readily provide nutrients for lean muscle mass development gives you a competitive edge on the health continuum.

Maybe I'll take a dive on the upcoming release.

Oops!

Thanks for catching that, Kellgy.

How old is Robb?  It says former research biochemist but he looks like he's 27?!!  Guess that's what paleo does for ya.

@Linda- Actually, consuming animal based foods isn't what the SAD diet means. SAD is more about processed foods (largely grain-based) which is what the Paleo diet does NOT promote consumption of. The reality is that Robb doesn't make money by telling people to go out and buy whole, real food. None of us who promote a whole-food diet benefit in the pocket from it.

A Paleo diet is actually largely plant based, though it clearly involves animal foods to a large degree. We eat TONS of plants.

If you knew anything about cholesterol, you'd know that eating it actually isn't killing us. Processed grains and sugar will go way farther to damaging our health than a hunk of pork belly any day.

Oh, Robb is around 38, I think...

Linda, You may want to check and then re-check your facts. Wolf's ideas are the antithesis of SAD. I'm 49 years old, 8.5% body fat, eat no grains at all...None.....Have very low blood pressure....great blood chemistry and unlimited energy.

@ Linda, quality meat (grassfed, wild, etc) is not bad. Humans have been consuming meat for 2.5 million years. Hell, the Inuit have a diet that contains about 95%+ animal products, and they don't suffer from the level of chronic diseases we do. If you actually do your research on the subject, you'll see that meat is not the source of all our problems. "The Vegetarian Myth", written by a former vegan, is a very good book I hear.

@ Carlos, actually, Cordain's stance on saturated fat has softened quite a bit. He is actually releasing a revised version of his book, The Paleo Diet, in which some of stuff on saturated fat is revised.

Robb Wolf tends to be saturated fat agnostic. He weighs the pros and cons in the book, and provides good info and research to back it up.

Drew said it well: Saturated fat varies in composition, depending on what mix of fatty acids it contains, e.g., stearic, lauric, and myristic.

It also matters whether saturated fat keeps the company of exogenously generated advanced glycation end-products.

Saturated fat, in and of itself, is not that bad. But it can keep the company of other things. In other words, saturated fat has served as a surrogate marker for these other things. Unfortunately, it means that, for years, the data have been distorted by these other measures.

Linda
Go meat-eating! And read please.

Cholesterol bad? What stupidity!

Vegetarians are so so ignorants...

Just catching up with the posts since I've been on holiday. Just posted in the Fred Hahn bit as I've been doing Slow Burn for over three years now. I have also been following a Paleo diet for over four years ! Wow, two of the things that have been most influential for my health and well being you posted on Dr Davis ! Wish I could have taken part in discussions while I was away. Never mind...I couldn't agree more with both the Slow Burn weight lifting technique and the Paleo way of eating....they both help me with my health problems: osteoporosis, atypical type 2 diabetes (thin and not insulin resistant) and congenital heart valve defect.

Drew: I'll be keeping an eye out for the updated PaleoDiet. Thanks for the heads up.

Vegetarians are silly.

That Paleo makes alot of sense

Thanks for your post and welcome to check: here
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