Elevated cholesterol?

Carmen,

I totally understand how you feel about not wanting to take medication for high cholesterol. I don't trust the dangerous side effects of these medications.

I started with slight elevated cholesterol somewhere in my 40's. I have never been overweight , exercise and eat healthy.

My cholesterol was 237 last we checked it a year ago , which is moderate. The doctors have let me deal with it by exercising and diet so far, and the reason is my good cholesterol is high and my bad is okay, and my tryglicerides are good. They told me they look at the ratio of these 3 things.

I am confused by the numbers because my dad never had high cholesterol, in fact his total number was under 200, yet he had 3 blockages and had stents put in. My dad's doctor told me that the main cause for blockages is aging of the arteries, things just don't work very well as we get older.

I think the best way to handle it if you can't or don't want to take medications is look into a heart healthy diet ( you can get this online) and supplements that help with it, and exercise.

Minute Maid orange juice (pasturized in carton) makes one with plant sterols and proven in tests to bring down cholesterol, and a supplement by Natures Made, Cholest Off which has plant sterols in it as well and also proven to lower cholesterol. You might look at Red Yeast Rice supplement which works like the statins, but a lot lower dose and not the side effects like Lipotor. My dad took a low dose of this which kept his numbers down, as he could not take Lipotor.

My dh(230 cholesterol) takes a medication for cholesterol that is not a statin and does not have the side effects like Lipotor, it works by moving and absorbing the cholesterol in the intestines and seems to be working pretty good, and it is called Whelcol. I think it works like the plant sterols do. I think this is one for people who have low to moderate cholesterol and need help with their diet and exercise that they are doing.

I plan to not take medications for this unless my ratio is not good, in other words the good cholesterol would have to be low, the bad cholesterol high, and tryglycerides high. I would look at medications that are not statins which have those bad muscle and kidney problems. I think there are alternatives and options for most of our ailments, we just need to look into these a little more and not be too fast to grab medication.

I am very sensitive to medications and drugs, so I really need to be careful. I am allergic to almost all of the antibiotics now and can't take anti-inflammatories because of bad side effects.

s

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Presouz Jean, yes puzzled is the word!! My Doctor told me my "good" cholesterol was very good as well. What is happening with this stuff? I really dont think anyone knows the truth about cholesterol yet. On the Atkins diet you can eat eggs, bacon and butter and meat, with no cholesterol problems? But what is happening to our arteries if we eat all that fat? Too confusing!

I'm an Atkins devotee and you're missing a great deal of the diet here. Atkins not only involves eggs, butter, bacon and meat (in moderate quantities) but it also involves a LOT of low carb veggies and low glycemic fruits. I eat more veggies on a daily basis than most "low fat" devotees I know. You basically cut out starches, high glycemic fruits (citrus is nearly 100% sugar), and grains.

Grains are NOT necessary for good health in any form. Think of what ranchers and farmers feed animals to make them gain weight - GRAINS!

Since I started following the Atkins way of eating (not weight loss only diet) about 5 years ago, my blood sugar has normalized without medications and my cholesterol, although high at 249, is in perfect triangulation.

IMHO it's not the total cholesterol number that should be looked at, but the individual components and how they work together.

For instance, my LDL (bad stuff) has dropped from 166 to 146; the HDL (good stuff) has gone from 71 to 89 and the triglycerides (really bad stuff ) has dropped from 61 to 40.

My doc just looks at the overall picture, grins and says he wishes ALL of his patients had cholesterol profiles as good as mine.

Everyone has to do what is most comfortable for themselves, but I love the Atkins way of eating. Much more satisfying than starving my body into submission and ending up with horrible cholesterol and blood sugar numbers.

I should have another look at it, I have to eat a diet for IC for my troubled bladder, its been hard. Thanks for the info on the diet and blood panels!

My post may be irrelevant, but then again it may help someone.

Seventeen years ago while I was living in England, I was diagnosed with a rare and incurable kidney disease. Poor renal function results in all sorts of things, one of them being high blood lipids. However, 17 years ago, no one knew that.

Five years ago when I moved back to the US, I had a medical for insurance purposes. I am not overweight and have always exercised and have watched my diet. I do not have a sweet tooth and I don't like high fat foods, anyway, so I didn't ever feel deprived. Much to my surprise, my cholesterol was 550 and my triglycerides were 2100, all because of my kidney disease. My doctor told me that I could eat cardboard the rest of my life and I'd still have high blood lipid levels.

I now take three differents meds for high lipids, one being a statin. Each drug works a different way. My triglycerides are still high at around 325, but my cholesterol is now normal.

I had an allergic reaction to the first statin I was prescribed, so my doc changed it to an older drug, and I've been fine.

I had to resort to meds because of my renal disease and because I cannot eat a "heart healthy diet" because if I eat too many fruits and vegetables of the wrong kind, then I get elevated potassium and phosphorus levels, which is disastrous. If I eat too many things like bananas, spinach, dried fruits and nuts, whole grain breads and melons, it would literally kill me. I kid you not.

If you can control your cholesterol with diet and exercise only, that's terrific. But if you can't, then try hard not to make some sort of moral judgment about it. But it is always wise to keep an eye on your numbers.

I'm only 47, but I hope you don't mind me posting in the "50" thread -

I have a strong family history of cardiovascular disease and had my blood lipids run during my 3-month postop check up. Mine came back high, too. I don't remember the exact numbers. My total cholesterol was moderately high, but Doc described my triglycerides as "alarming." He immediately prescribed Zocor and a heart healthy diet and told me if I didn't lower my triglycerides to expect a stroke! I was moderatley overweight, but not "fat." My family must be like yours Bizet - we are hardy "German" stock. I have managed amazingly well - lost 20 lbs to date. And I have had absolutely no side effects from the Zocor. He has also told me that the Zocor is not a "lifetime" medication, but is used to quickly lower blood lipids to more "normal" levels so that diet and exercise can manage them more effectively. I will have my lipids run again in March.

American Heart Association has remarkable diet and exercise suggestions for people who are trying to lower and control their cholesterol and triglycerides with and without medication. It would be worth your time to check some of those out. It has certainly helped me. I am expecting a much better test report in March!

One other thing to keep in mind...

Ask your doc to check your CRP level the next time you get your cholesterol tested. That stands for "C-Reactive Protein", elevated levels of which cause inflammation. Current studies show cases of heart attack in people who have normal cholesterol levels, which was puzzling. The culprit turns out to be inflammation/C-Reactive Protein.

When you have crap kidneys, it's amazing the things you have to learn!

I would not recommend meds.......I have had issues with this and would try diet changes and exercise. I had my hysterectomy in dec. and started HRT in jan. Had blood tests done about 3 weeks ago and my triglycerides have shot up to over 1700...not sure what to do now but for your numbers diet and exercise can make a world of difference....good luck!