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Peaceful Meadows 06-18-2008 12:08 PM

Dh has high cholesterol
 
He is only 40. :sigh They put him on cholesterol meds this week. I really want to try a complete diet overhaul before going the med route but dh seems to think he needs the meds. He says, "You cook healthy. I think it's how my body breaks it down. I think it's heriditary." He has a point because both of his parents have trouble with cholesterol but he eats lunch at chinese rest. and I could cook a bit healthier. I tend to like to add cheese to stuff :blush plus if I looked I am sure there are other ways I could cut out choleteral.

Oh, well, I can't make him not take the meds and maybe he does need them but I would have liked to have a few months to try a diet change before him going on the med. It's his body and he is way more trusting of doctors and modern medicine than I. :shifty There is really not much I can do to make him change his mind. :sigh

cobluegirl 06-18-2008 12:16 PM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
:hugheart mine does too. I have some info somewhere if you want it..I will have go find it..LOL

~yogamom~ 06-18-2008 12:23 PM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
I would definitely avoid statins if at all possible. There is no study that shows they reduce MORTALITY even if they reduce cholesterol-- telling the liver to suppress its cholesterol output (by permanently damaging the liver)-- is simply not the solution to the underlying problem causing the increased inflammation (cholesterol) in the first place. That's if the cholesterol is truly a problem. It's not the total cholesterol that matters, it's the ratio. Statin producers have effectively convinced doctors that we all have high cholsterol. I believe the cut-off for high cholesterol has decreased from 300 to 240 in the past 10 years or so-- and we still have no better mortality, just more people experiencing prolems on statins. Anyway, here is a post I wrote a year or so ago on cholesterol:

***
http://www.gentlechristianmothers.co...?topic=99949.0

Here's what I've learned so far. I am still learning and open to any and all corrections!

Cholesterol is good for you. I already believed this since I am a WAPFer, per cobluegirl's links. Cholesterol is vital for children and pregnant women and is also important as an adult for the regulation of hormones in both men and women. Normal cholesterol is approximately 275-300. Note that the upper limit of "normal" has recently changed to 220-250 because pharmaceutical companies want doctors to prescribe more statin medicines. Their position is that at least 20% of the US population has "high" cholesterol, based on their definition, and that they need to be on statin medicines to reduce cholesterol. Cholesterol will clog arteries, but only in the cardiac muscles, not throughout your body. This is why people don't have clogged arteries in their arms or legs-- it's specific to the cardiac region.

As you age (especially around 55-60), it is normal for cholesterol levels to increase, as your body produces more cholesterol to heal arteries throughout your body in response to increased inflammation from aging. Inflammation is the main cause of high cholesterol. Inflammation can be from high blood sugar, smoking or other toxic chemicals, a bacteria or virus causing an infection, an allergic reaction to some food or environmental cause, or depleted nutrients.

When one has "high" cholesterol, it is important to do two things:

1) Determine why the cholesterol is high.

2) Assess your heart disease risk. Cholesterol levels are actually a bad indicator of cardiac disease. Half of all people who have heart attacks actually have low cholesterol. There are several blood tests that more accurately assess your risk of heart disease than cholesterol levels. One is a test for the C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (here are some links re the test
http://www.healthy-heart-guide.com/crp-blood-test.html
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heart...btests/crp.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/hear...6/METHOD=print) There are two other important tests, but I can't remember their names right now-- I will find out and edit this!

Blood sugar and diabetes are a huge risk factor for heart disease. A recent article in the Well-Being Journal (The Biggest Culprit in the Heart Disease Pandemic By Shane Ellison, M.Sc.) discussed the role of inflammation (primarily caused by high blood sugar) in heart disease and did a great job of explaining the issues and offered some natural solutions. Here's the website for the journal-- http://www.wellbeingjournal.com/current.htm -- though the article is not available on-line. I got my issue at Whole Foods.

The article's primary suggestions for treating high cholesterol due to high blood sugar are:

* a low-carb, low-sugar diet and regular exercise (low-fat diets are not recommended). regular exercise dramatically improves blood sugar, which in tun reduces inflammation and cholesterol production
* supplements of natural anti-inflammatories, including cinnamon supplements (2-6 grams/day), 1 tbs. apple cider vinegar in water before meals, green tea, magnesium aspartate (400 mg/day), and tannic acid
* L-arginine and grape seed etract have also helped many patients naturally cure heart disease

There is also another protocol for treating inflammation of the arteries and corresponding high cholesterol by treating the liver. I will find out more about this and get back to you! However, it sounds like in your dh's case, controlling his blood sugar is key to managing his heart disease risk.

Bottom line: high cholesterol is something to take seriously because its cause needs to be found and evaluated. But statin drugs are not the answer, IMNSHO! Lowering cholesterol artificially does not reduce the risk of heart disease because these drugs are not addressing the underlying causes of high cholesterol and statins also cause a lot of harm by inhibiting the liver's natural processes.

Peaceful Meadows 06-18-2008 12:46 PM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by cobluegirl
:hugheart mine does too. I have some info somewhere if you want it..I will have go find it..LOL

Yes, I'd love any info that you have!

ETA: Well, I copied some of the above info in an email to dh. I have been wanting to put our family on the mediteranian diet anyway but have been waiting for a book to arrive from the library.

cobluegirl 06-18-2008 05:17 PM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
I am going to sticky this thread. Cholesterol comes up frequently. Valentine posted excellent information. I will try and post more later.

kaismamma 07-03-2008 09:37 PM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
Omegas will help with high cholesterol, but I know of a number of people (including my mom) who didn't get a lot of results off of omegas until they added extra fiber to their diet....then everything changed rather quickly.

cobluegirl 07-03-2008 11:55 PM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
ooh I forgot to post more... glad this popped up again.

FaithfilledGranolaChick 07-10-2008 09:12 AM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
I agree-omega 3's

My cholesterol was "high" for a little while....1st Dr tried to out me on meds ..... I was 25 :jawdrop

Anyway, I found another Dr and he told me to get plenty of Omega-3s and using whole ground flax-seed has been helpful...that was just one of the things he suggested, exercise and other stuff too... my cholesterol is fine now

Iansmama 07-10-2008 09:20 AM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
Valentine, excellent post!

I am also of the opinion that dietary cholesterol and saturated fat are not the issue when blood levels are high. My first step in correcting high cholesterol would be to cut out all trans fat that may be in the diet along with lowering the amount of grain and sugar in the diet.

cobluegirl 07-11-2008 08:58 AM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
http://www.mercola.com/2005/may/28/c...erol_heart.htm

Quote:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Cholesterol Book

The Cholesterol Myths : Exposing the Fallacy that Saturated Fat and Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease (Paperback)
by MD, PhD, Uffe Ravnskov
Quote:

http://www.mercola.com/2002/jul/24/carbs1.htm

What If It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?
Quote:

http://www.redflagsweekly.com/features/2002_july08.html
>
> July 8, 2002
>
> STATIN-INDUCED CARDIOMYOPATHY
>
> INTRODUCTION TO THE CITIZEN'S PETITION ON STATINS
>
> By Peter H. Langsjoen, MD

SansSouci 07-20-2008 09:53 PM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
SuperFoodsRx is a fantastic little book - and a quick read too - and is a great reference for foods that help lower cholesterol.

I have heard from many people that they've had great success in lowering their cholesterol (and getting off cholesterol meds) by eating more old fashioned oatmeal, omega-3s, and exercising 2-3 times a week.

cobluegirl 08-16-2008 08:25 AM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
I am so frustrated.... Dh was tested in march..His levels are what they consider dangerously high (he is only 30) Heart problems also run in his family...dad had them, grandpa, great gpa, maternal gma and his mom has high cholesterol as well.. so you get the picture...

I do not know how to convince him not to take the statins....

He was tested again in early Aug and actually the good cholesterol had gone up a little and the bad had dropped a little..something we are doing much be working somewhat... but still...he thinks that if he doesn't take it he will be dead by 40. He is a really high strung person..which adds into that.

FaithfilledGranolaChick 08-16-2008 08:39 AM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by cobluegirl
I am so frustrated.... Dh was tested in march..His levels are what they consider dangerously high (he is only 30) Heart problems also run in his family...dad had them, grandpa, great gpa, maternal gma and his mom has high cholesterol as well.. so you get the picture...

I do not know how to convince him not to take the statins....

He was tested again in early Aug and actually the good cholesterol had gone up a little and the bad had dropped a little..something we are doing much be working somewhat... but still...he thinks that if he doesn't take it he will be dead by 40. He is a really high strung person..which adds into that.

I am a really high strung person too, and I think that contributes to my blood pressure being a little high sometimes (cholesterol too maybe)?

Hope you can convince him :hugheart

SansSouci 08-21-2008 01:14 PM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by cobluegirl
I do not know how to convince him not to take the statins....

:hugheart

My brother was told he has slightly high cholesterol, and so he was making an effort to lower it... but didn't know what to do, really. I knew if I gave him a book (Superfoods Rx), he wouldn't read it. But I knew how the book could help him (b/c it helped my friend's DH lower his from dangerously high, to now being a great #). So, I bought the book (for like $8 at Rite Aid), and looked up "cholesterol" in the glossary at the back, and then I turned to every single page that had "cholesterol" mentioned, and I underlined the pertinent parts in red and dog-eared the pages.

When I handed him the book he said that was really smart, b/c he wouldn't have read it otherwise (MEN!). That was a few months ago, and since then he's mentioned it to me a few times (so I can tell he actually read it and took some of it to heart).

Would something like that work for your DH? Mine doesn't read anything, but if I highlight a small part and stand in front of him while he reads it, or lay in bed next to him while he reads it, then that seems to work.

cobluegirl 08-21-2008 04:47 PM

Re: Dh has high cholesterol
 
I dunno....


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