Kendrick, Malcolm; MbChB, MRCGP. Medical Director; Adelphi Lifelong Learning. Adelphi Mill, Bollington, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 5JB, United Kingdom. Essays

is my health hero (you may recall that I have one only hero in just about every category that an old broad’s life can cover); and he it is who has caused me more trouble, anxiety, worry and frustration than, I think, any other individual in all my days.

Because Malcolm writes books about – well, check these:

that I find absolutely credible. I believe every word he writes – well, those I know the meanings of. Malcolm is no fly-by-night snakeoil salesman: he is a fully qualified and still practising medico; and were you to look him up on Google you would find that he is ubiquitous (to put it mildly). I am completely persuaded of Malcolm’s evidence-based beliefs; and will remain so to the end of my days.

The problem is that the medical fraternity is up in arms about Malcolm and what he writes, but they cannot come up with anything to prove him wrong. As has happened several times in the past, medicos worldwide have locked arms against “new” medicine – and they are wrong, which makes their arm-locking even tighter (of course).

What this division amongst doctors – for Malcolm is far from being a lone voice crying in the wilderness – means to people like me is that we have no access to those who understand what he has written and agree with him. They’re far too scared to raise their heads above the medical ramparts and identify themselves, because the majority have the power to not only make their lives hell, but to see them relieved of their qualifications and kicked out of their positions. And, needless to add (but I do), the majority feel hurt and injured and are behaving badly – petty, bitchy, thunderous, sneering … think of a pejorative and it is applicable.

So here is an ancient fattish broad who wants to go carnivore but needs to really understand her own medical condition and if/how it relates to such a radical step, and I cannot find any doctor, be it at GP level or cardiologist, who will say aught but how vital statins are to my long-term health !

Having with huge pleasure come across

— which made me feel a shitload better about the whole thing, seeing as how nearly all these people are fully qualified medicos, like Malcolm — I picked out all the Australians in the list and wrote a group email thus:

With the exception of Dr Kendrick, whose writings are what turned me into one of these – and I make ZERO claims for the right to be numbered amongst this august fraternity ! – all can be contacted in Australia — unhappily, none in Victoria.

My approach, gentlemen, is a fervent hope of anyone’s being able to refer me to someone in Melbourne to whom I can turn for medical advice.

My GP and my ex-cardiologist are both wedded to the status quo regarding the evils of cholesterol and the benefits of statins. As I’ve made it utterly clear that nothing on this earth will convince me to take statins and I would like my “cholesterol level” to be a lot higher, my GP is now more than somewhat off-side and the cardiologist gone. I have … ahh … interviewed one or two new GPs in hopes of their being more up-to-date, without success.

I seek a credible “medical supervisor” because I have, I’m told, hypercalcemia.

• • • I had an ECG some years back, given at Cabrini because I’d been taken there by ambo after passing out at a laundromat, that showed AF – none has been seen since; but I’m told this is due to the rivaroxaban and the atenolol.
    • When sent back to the Cabrini cardio after a year, it was to a new one because he had retired. She sent me for a calcium score that showed calcium – I believe around the heart.
    • Then I was sent for a nuclear medicine stress test that again showed too much calcium.

I’m a young 81. Until all this started I thought myself in perfect health; and I find this mysterious degree of hypercalcemia irritating to the point of infuriating: I feel absolutely fine !

I want to embark on a carnivore regimen. I now detest cooking and, having before that fainting episode managed to lose 30 kg (am now ±77 kg), I’m desperate to maintain (if not improve on) that weight loss. But I would greatly prefer to embark on something as radical as carnivore with rather than without medical advice.

Please, gentlemen, can you point to anyone whose medical opinion I can respect ?

In the words of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, that famous writer and poet, relevant to whom anyone knowing me is aware of my fondness for his work —

«but answer came there none.»

One had since died; one’s email sent an automatic reply saying he wasn’t there any more; two were simply silent and one actually replied – but it was so off-topic in terms of what I’d asked for that it might as well have not arrived. Total fizzog, basically,

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I hope you now see why I describe the wonderful Dr Kendrick as the most infuriating, irritating, trouble-causing hero I have ever had …