Total 278
HDL 68
LDL 210
Trig 110

The Dr. put me on Vytorin and applauded atkins and told me to stick with it, and exercise. Both my Dad and Mom had high cholesterol (when my Dad had his heart attack his was over 400). It just depresses me my last test a few years ago my total was only 212, with my HDL the same as now 68. Of course, I've put on 25 lbs since then too. *sigh*

I've been taking niacin, lethicin and Flax Seed Oil, but have been bad about forgetting it 1/2 the time, so going to try and take every day. I'm back on day 1 of induction again.

Any suggestions, comments on the results and treatment? I know a lot of peeps seem to be anti/cholesterol lowering drugs, and I really want to do it with diet, but I know I'm also fighting genetics pretty bad too.

Don't know much about cholesterol, but I do know that triglycerides can be lowered by exercise (walking for example) and that olive oil is a good fat. Also, you might want to try taking CLA as an essential fatty acid. I know flax seed oil is an EFA, but studies have shown CLA to be wonderful for weightloss. I would use both.

Thanks Tina, I'll look for that in stores. My Trig used to be about 16 when I was younger. Then I started sitting at a desk all day, trying to add more and more exercise, I know when the weight comes down, they will get better.

I read Protein Power a few years ago and don't remember all the details. They said that some people are sensitive to arachadonic acid that is found in eggs and red meat and it can cause your cholesterol to be high. That might be something to look into.

VirginiaF, read the book Life without Bread. In there it says that high homocysteine levels is a better marker for heart disease than cholesterol. As a matter of fact he says that people with the worst heart desease in his practice, were those that had normal cholesterol. I think he recomends the Folic Acid and B-Complex to keep homocysteine within normal limits.

Virginia,

A fellow that I work with always has very high cholesterol.. 371 the last checkup.. he was dreading going to the doctor's again to be tested.. it runs high in his family..

He saw how good I was doing on low carb and started too.. after a few months he got tested and it was below 200 for the 1st time ever..

The last time I had mine checked it was 160.. and I'm eating meat.. lots of eggs..

*hugs*

I will, I do eat eggs every day, but I don't eat red meat haven't for years.

I will talk to Dr. on Monday Glendajo, and ask her if I get to my goal weight of 135, I want to go off the meds, and have her retest my cholesterol, and see if the diet, exercise and supplements will keep it down. I'd much rather long term do that, then take drugs. I will put up with it short term though.

SadLady, I will also ask about the homocysteine and see if she tested me for it.

I don't believe all the cholesterol hype. My total was over 325, went on Lipitor, which almost killed me. Now it's around 265 and I'm fine with it. My homocystine is normal, that's all I look at.

what happened? How did Lipitor almost kill you?

Depression so severe that I could barely get out of bed and cried all the time (and for the first time in my life wondered if it would just be better to end it all!) . Nausea constantly with frequent vomiting (I have esophageal problems and risk rupturing something and bleeding out from vomiting). I had loss of memory with at least 3 episodes of amnesia. My BP and pulse were also very low (dangerously low) while on Lipitor. I also had minor muscle damage and neuropathy.

Because of the symptoms my doc gave me another med....can't remember which one. One dose and I started vomiting. That was enough for me.

How do those drugs work to lower your cholesterol? My boyfriend has high bp, high cholesterol and epilepsy. Hes also a little overweight. Since he started on the cholesterol medication he became really hard to deal with and was diagnosed as having anxiety and put on another medication. I'm so frustrated that he won't try lowcarb. He did atkins for 3 days and said it made him feel sick. He drinks tons of coffee all day and literally no water and I think that could be why he felt so bad. I would love to see him get off all that junk but his epilepsy medications. And its weird hes so cold all the time.

Wow, the coffee will mess you up and no water, he can be dehydraded as hell.

I was told years ago by a Dr. when I went through a very bad time I was manic-depressive, and she wanted me to take the blood tests to get on meds. I never went back, so went through the next 18 months of hell with mood swings so bad it wasn't even funny.

I have found out that dropping my sugar/carb intake smooths out the up and downs, with some therapy on and off, I deal very little with it.

Your friend with the dehydradtion, tons of caffine (which could be giving him the anxiety right there) and eating junk on top of it, could definitely be making him a basket case. And epileptic drugs are strong too, most of them.

The coldness could be poor circulation, thyroid issues, hard to say. I suffer from that from time to time but exercise really helps.

I'm taking all the information on Policosanol to my Dr. tomorrow, and am going to tell her I'm going to try this for a time, and have her retest me. I don't want to do the statin drugs either. Not to mention I bought a 3 month supply of Policosanol for $20 with priority mail shipping, and the same 3 months of Vytorin would cost me $228.

I'm dealing a bit with mood swings right now because of caffine withdrawl, I'm down to 1 cup in the morning a day and BOY after drinking several pots a day I REALLY notice it. But I know if I can keep going, it will get better. Eventually, I'll drop the 1 cup too.

Good luck with your boyfriend, sorry to hear about all problems he is having.

Virginia

You ratio is good 4.09.(Total Cholesterol/HDL) Less than 5 is desirable I think. Your HDL number is very good and your triglicerides are in the good range. The total is mostly understood to be too high.

But my reading has me wondering about this cholesterol thing. Low cholesterol may lead to certain types of strokes. Some studies show no relationship between reduced cholesterol and reduced heart trouble. And even the Lipitors admit in their advertising that their drug has not been proven to reduce heart trouble. LDL is understood to be bad but HDL is good. You may have enough HDL to counter the bad.

I think 30 years from now we will look back at our current "wisdom" on cholesterol and be amazed at how little we knew.

Even my Dr. says she thinks the drug companies keep "lowering the standards for what is the max your levels should be" to sell more drugs. I'm glad I have a Dr. that feels that way, I think she will be much more open to alternative treatments.

I've printed out all the Policosanol research, bought some online, and I'm going to start taking this as soon as it arrives. I'd love to be a test case, I have the genetic risks, Dad with heart attacks from high cholesterol, Mom had strokes, but I have low bp, mid range triglycerides, so I feel that with this natural therapy I can get it down to where it should be.

Depends on the med. Statins prevent the liver from producing cholesterol. Others prevent the absorption of cholesterol from foods.


If his cholesterol is too low it can lead to depression.


I'm sure it did! All physical withdrawal results in physical symptoms.


Low carb might also help with the epilepsy too....children with intractable seizures are put on LC diets....very low carb.

Unfortunately, like all addictions, there's little you can do to change his mind. He has to be ready and do it himself. Don't enable him by buying and cooking high carb foods....other than that there's not much you can do.