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JennGM
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Can you point me to the right direction towards looking at cholesterol with practical eyes?
I'm nervous about statins, but now can't remember where I read about all this.
I have a looming appointment and know my numbers are high and I know that will be the first thing they will address...
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Claire F
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My husband has faced this same subject, as he tends to have high cholesterol. We have chosen not to have him take the statins his doctor prescribed. He did for a while, about six years ago, and they messed with his short term memory. It was very disconcerting. We did a lot of research then, and I wish I could find more of it now, but I don't seem to have all the links saved on this computer.
I know the Weston Price Foundation has some information on cholesterol. You might also search for articles written by Gary Taubes, as he's tackled the subject as well, if I remember correctly. Those might be a start. Sorry I don't have links to share, but hopefully this is helpful.
It is a tough thing, and I'll weigh in with my personal opinion, based on our research and my husband's experience. I am vary wary of statins and I think that the numbers doctors use to determine healthy cholesterol levels are very much influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, not by good science. This is completely my personal opinion though, and I think it is very good that you are doing your research. You may come to the conclusion, between your own research and your doctor's advice, that medication is warranted. I'm certainly not a doctor, nor am I advocating not listening to a trusted doctor. But I am concerned about the prevalence of statin prescriptions these days and I do feel that there is a lot of misinformation out there about cholesterol.
Good luck! There's a lot of info to wade through, so I hope you're able to find good information and make a sound decision. 
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Claire
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Claire F
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Ah, here I found one from the Weston Price Foundation - Cholesterol: Friend or Foe?
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Claire
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JennGM
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I remember reading Gary Taubes a while ago. That's where I was leaning...aiming to lower the LDL, isolating that isn't necessarily a good thing.
You're the second person that has mentioned the negative side effects...
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Servant2theKing
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Dh has the genetic version of high cholesterol, which is notoriously difficult to control, even with statins. He's been having very good results using niacin (he emphasizes that it has to be the regular type, NOT the non-flush type, which can be difficult at first to tolerate). He currently takes 3,000 mg a day, but that would definitely be something that should be built up over time, since the flushing can be very uncomfortable, until you get used to it. He also takes a fish oil combination, Omega 3-6-9; Co Q-10; lecithin; and chromium picolinate. We get supplements from Vitacost or Sams.
"Prescription for Nutritional Healing", by Balch and Balch, has quite a bit of helpful information. One of the first things they recommend for high cholesterol is apple pectin. Curiously, I found quite a bit of information on taking pectin for inflammation, while searching for pectin on Amazon for making jelly. Most of the reviews were actually from people who take pectin for medicinal use. The suggested amount seems to be 1/2 to 1 teas. of liquid pectin in 5 or 6 oz. of 100% grape juice.
I think it's also no coincidence that dh's cholesterol has been under better control since we stopped using hydrogenated spreads, like margarine. For the first 30 years or so of our marriage I used margarine faithfully, since that was what the medical community insisted was "better" for bringing down cholesterol. With more recent research suggesting hydrogenated products are bad for cholesterol levels, we switched to butter in moderation, olive oil, and coconut oil. We also limit red meat, concentrating on poultry and fish, in rather small amounts.
Praying your appointment goes well. 
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Jeanne
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A few years ago my cholesterol was 300. My doctor was pushing me toward
statins, but I just did not fell comfortable with the drugs.
I did some research and found Dr. Joel Fuhrman and his research on reversing high cholesterol with nutritional intervention. He wrote a book called Eat To Live. I followed the advice for 6 weeks and lowered my numbers to 150. I have had several friends who had the same results-one even reversed her diabetes.
Here is a link to one of his articles-he has a website with a wealth of information.
http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/article15.aspx
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guitarnan
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Jenn, I know you have health/time constraints that can make it hard to find good ways to exercise, but my husband can keep his "bad" cholesterol levels down with regular aerobic exercise (doesn't matter if it's running, elliptical, swimming...just has to be aerobic).
Also, check on the research on cholesterol and eating oatmeal daily. (I can't remember if you can eat oatmeal, but if you can, you might try it for a month and see what happens. It's been shown to help with cholesterol issues.)
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4 lads mom
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Another thought is the DASH diet. It is Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension. I have been on it since May and have lost about 18 pounds (very big deal for me) and lowered my BP. I am due to get my labs done soon. My numbers have been okay before, but interested in seeing if there is a change with this diet. The diet is just a healthy lower carb diet. I think carbs, for some people, cause a lot of issues with cardio labs. When I saw a cardiovascular surgeon about vein surgery on my legs, she said DASH is one of the best cardio diets out there. I have been able to do this with lots of food allergies and sensitivities, takes a lot of planning, but worth it to see my BP go way down.
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CrunchyMom
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This article about heart disease written by a heart surgeon has been making the rounds lately.
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JennGM
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Oh, thank you, all! I just blanked on all the stuff I had read in the past. I know my high numbers are genetic. My diet follows more of real food approach -- not totally Nourishing traditions, but we do olive and coconut oil and butter, no trans fats. I'm wheat free. I'm pretty much sugar free, too.
I can't tolerate nuts and beans, so going vegetarian or vegan is not an option for me. My body really needs the animal protein to function.
Anyway, I feel more armed with delaying any medicine. I have the Balch book. Servant, I'm not familiar with the niacin at all, so if you have more info on that, I'd appreciate it.
My sister and I have been adding walks to our day, and I'm trying to figure out how to do this when school starts. I think exercise is probably the main missing factor for me.
If I were to eat oatmeal, how does one fix it so that it can digest properly (Real Food style)? I'm generally no grains, just some rice at times. I know I've read this so many times, but now I'm just at a blank!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Betsy
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JennGM wrote:
If I were to eat oatmeal, how does one fix it so that it can digest properly (Real Food style)? I'm generally no grains, just some rice at times. I know I've read this so many times, but now I'm just at a blank!
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I make a mixture of 1 cup oats, 1 cup warm water and 2 table spoons of yoghurt and let it sit out on the counter over night .
In the morning I heat up 1 cup of water and a bit of salt to a boil and put the mixture in, reduce the heat and stir until it's warm.
You can substitute oats for other grins like kamut or spelt, but I have never tried this.
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Mareth
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My husband has high cholesterol and it runs in his family. He will never go on a statin again (had been for a few years and had lots of muscle aches, a typical side effect). He has been doing a ton of reading. You mentioned Gary Taubes and his book, Good Calories Bad Calories. Excellent but very heavy science/health studies. My husband was so on fire with this great info and kept reading me excerpts in his excitement! There's Taubes' more layman's version book, Why We Get Fat. But my husband is really enjoying, The Great Cholesterol Myth. Very good!
We're almost paleo over here, lots of coconut oil, some Nourishing Traditions stuff, fermented cod liver oil, etc. Nowadays we have to be our own doctors, sadly.
A Catholic friend of mine has a great blog and she has posted about cholesterol a few times: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/
Hope that helps!
Mary
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JennGM
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Thank you, Mary! That is very helpful!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Liz D
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Jenn,
I'm mostly a lurker but wanted you to know that you can soak the oatmeal with buttermilk instead of yoghurt, also. It seems less sour when I do that. I use Homestead Creamery buttermilk which I can get locally here in Tidewater Va.
Liz
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JennGM
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Liz D wrote:
Jenn,
I'm mostly a lurker but wanted you to know that you can soak the oatmeal with buttermilk instead of yoghurt, also. It seems less sour when I do that. I use Homestead Creamery buttermilk which I can get locally here in Tidewater Va.
Liz |
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Thank you for coming out of lurkdom for that suggestion! And my farmer sells buttermilk, so that's a great idea.
Thanks so much!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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4Real Forums : Our Lady of Good Remedy and Care
Topic: Straight Talk about Cholesterol
