Cholesterol (sigh)

[cookiejar]

Sorry, work has been a bear but I am grateful to be gainfully employed

 

Lipid Panel with LDL/HDL ratio

Cholesterol Total High 203 mg/dL 100-199

Triglycerides 136 mg/dL 0-149

HDL Cholesterol 42 mg/dL 40-59

VLDL Cholesterol 27 mg/dL 5-40

LDL Cholesterol 134 mg/dL 0-99

 

The mg/dL I guess are the ranges of normal

 

I don't even know what the VLDL thing is but it's ok so ok.

 

Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

Of course you realize that now I'm craving anything deep fried...

 

...CRISCO

with double batter

 

 

and a cream sauce

 

I am the salad queen

[Cricket]

My DH was put on a statin and became progressivley more sore and achy to the point that he could hardly straighten up in the morning. Then we did more research and decided he would forgo any cholesteral lowering drug. He stopped taking it and all the muscle aches went away.

 

What was really alarming to us is that there seems to be a correlation to the increased use of these drugs over the years and a big increase in the frequncy of Alzheimer's disease. The brain NEEDS fats, including cholesteral, to function properly.

 

Some studies indicate that Alzheimer patients tend to have abnormally LOW cholesteral levels.

 

DH's sister was diagnosed with Alzhiemers at the young age of 65. No other family history. His sister had been on an extremely low-fat progressively more vegan diet for probably 20 years before she was diagnosed.

 

That spooked me.

[Virginia]

I was going to stay out of this since I have a "bad" attitude. My cholesterol has been high for years. Doctors and nurses get worried because I won't take the drugs. I know in the past most of these drugs called for liver testing every so often. My thought was "high cholesterol" or "liver damage". I decided to just take my chances and stay off those drugs. I have an aversion to taking most meds anyway, don't even like vitamins. I do try to eat healthier (not always successful) and walk, but this is one thing I am just not willing to take drugs for. I don't find fault with anyone who wants to, but it is just not for me. DH feels the same about his, but his Dr. doesn't worry about him either.

 

I will say that I would take blood pressure meds if needed, and take them as directed. Many in my family have that and I know the drugs help.

[Snowmom]

 

It was over 25 years ago I was first tested and was high then. I tried a couple things then they put me on Lescal, it helped for a while. So now I am on Lipitor and it helped a lot too. But, for some reason, this last test in September went wild. I'm wondering if some way they got me mixed up with someone else. No, that couldn't happen, could it?? I really wanted it to be that way, but, I'm sure it wasn't. I just can't figure out why it was such a big change.

 

I do know I hadn't been eating much meat, and we hadn't been having a lot of salads either. So, this is changing and I am NOT taking those Lopid pills now either. I will see a dr. within the next couple weeks, of course I have to make an appointment yet.

 

I hate pills and I don't like taking them, but, when they are helping, then that is good.

 

Oh, yes, we both, oldpine and I have to have our bloodwork done every 3 months or so.

 

[FunkyPioneer]

Fats don't cause high colesterol, its grains and sugars. Cut those out of your diet and your levals will go down in two weeks. Try it. I did, went grain and sugar free, still ate fruits and vegis by the ton, beans, bacon steak, yumm. Also take Milk thistle and phosphytadyl choline.

[Violet]

I know sugars cause high tryglicerides.

[Snowmom]

 

I do have an appointment with a dr., mine is out for a couple months, she is having a baby. Anyway, I will see this other dr. on Monday, and we will have a talk.

 

Years ago, probably 30 years ago, I went on a diet, cut out all the bad stuff, I ate no bread, cake cookies, etc., just the meats, fruits and veggies. That is when my cholesterol went up. So, for me this didn't work. People are different and their bodies work different with different things.

 

When I first went in for this problem, I was told that it is the natural sugar in the fruit that caused the high tryglicerides, now, I really am going to check this out. See what this new dr. has to say.

 

I did real good in May, and I'm sure I was eating as much sugar then as ever and it didn't make all that much difference in my numbers. But, this time in Sept. the numbers were all higher. I'm wondering too, if there could be a connection with all the pain killers I had been taking in July and Aug., as I was taking them a lot. I don't mean things like Tylenol or Advil. I mean the perscription pain killer.

 

I take Policosanol two times a day and I also take Milk Thistle one time a day. I'm wondering too, if this should be taken at meal time or at bed time. I've been taking it at night before I go to bed. Right now I am out of the M.T., but, have some on order and it should be here soon.

 

Anyway, I will have a talk with the dr. and see what she says.

 

 

[cookiejar]

((((((SnowMom))))))))

 

Yeah, though I am a serious carnivoure, I am trying to balance my meals out. So, more greens for me.

 

My lady doc has said for me to make sure I do include *healthy fats*-olive oil, avacados etc. but in moderation.

 

Has anyone eard the only 20% fats in your diet?

 

I was already taking milk Thistle, cinnamon, lethicin, and fish oils (yes, the carefully pressed no mercury kind...I did listen)

[Snowmom]

 

Cookie, I have found a real good site, and am putting some of the info here for everyone to see.

 

This is where I started, I think.

 

http://www.lovaza.com/consumer/understanding/learnabout.html

 

They have several charts you can print off too.

***********

 

http://www.lovaza.com/pdfs/LOVAZA_FitnessTracker.pdf

 

 

This is where the printable exercise or fitness log is located.

 

*************

http://www.lovaza.com/pdfs/LOVAZA_FoodLog.pdf

 

This is where you can find a weekly food log.

 

***********

 

http://www.lovaza.com/pdfs/LOVAZA_BodyMassIndex.pdf

 

This one is where you can find out, or try to find out your Body Mass.

 

***********

 

http://www.lovaza.com/pdfs/LOVAZA_FoodLog.pdf

 

This is where you can find a weekly food log.

 

*******

They also have a nice chart that tells the bad, good/better and the elite foods to eat.

 

http://www.lovaza.com/pdfs/LOVAZA_NutritionalGuide.pdf

 

*********

 

I hope I have the correct urls for them.

 

[Snowmom]

 

Well, Cookie and others who are eating a lot of oatmeal, are you eating it without sugar or some kind of sweeterner??

 

I like my sugar on oatmeal and ferena as well as other cereals. But, I did try it this mornng and I put some walnuts in it, that did help, but, boy, I did miss the sugar .

 

 

 

[nmchick]

Snowmom, I canned apples in apple juice and we've been putting a couple tablespoons of this on our oatmeal each morning. Or sometimes a banana or some frozen blueberries. Gives it a little taste and sweetness and gets another serving of fruit in. Oatmeal without anything is boring.

 

OR, how about agave nectar? It's has a very low glycemic index and tastes very sweet. In recipes, you replace 1 cup sugar with 2/3 cup agave. My kids think this is the best stuff and it does not give them the sugar crazies. DS won't even eat honey anymore because he doesn't like how it makes him feel. We bought the gallon jug of agave nectar.

 

From http://www.madhavasagave.com/FAQ.aspx#q13

 

What is the Glycemic Index of Madhava's Agave?

Glycemic Index (GI) is a measure of a foods impact on blood sugar. It indicates the level of glucose in a food. Madhava's Agave nectar measures in the range of 32. In comparison, Honey is 58 and table sugar measures about 64.

 

Glycemic load is a more useful guide for diabetics however, as it includes a factor for the amount of a food consumed. Because a small amount of agave typically used, its glycemic load value is very low-7.36 per tablespoon, 2.45 per teaspoon.

[Snowmom]

nmchick.

 

The dr. wants me to stay away from any form of sugar. Like I can do that. But, of course, I hadn't thought of applesauce.

 

so much for your ideas. You are so right, just thinking of eating the oatmeal without anything on it was something else.

 

I do have some frozen blueberries too, but, I thought they might need sugar too. So, I didn't even try them this morning. The walnuts did help too.

 

again.

 

[cookiejar]

Hi there!

 

i've been putting in cut up fruit like strawberries, bananas, blueberries etc. I had to add something! The bland-o-la taste was getting to me. Sometimes a touch of cinnamon too...I love the smell.

 

I have been losing weight steadily. I have been shamelessly using the cholesterol as a way to stave off young co-workers from suprising me with cheeseburgers and fries or such foods.

 

I've had so many greens, grains and oats I'm starting to

[Snowmom]

 

Guess what, I got our bloodwork results yesterday morning and I was so . After the dr had raised such a fuss about the Triglycerides, she didn't even have them checked. I was soooo Here I had been doing so good and being careful of what I ate and had not eaten sugar on my cereal for 3 weeks or about that, then she didn't even have it checked.

 

So now I have to wait until Feb. to see what they are. I tell you one thing, I am going to have cookies, bars and candy that I make between now and Christmas. Oh the breads too, I am going to eat for the next month and then start over again.

 

 

[lifeforce7]

You may have high cholesterol, so they say, but do NOT take any kind of Statin drugs, the side afects are not worth it. We had the same thing happen when my wife was told that her cholesterol was up, put her on Statin drugs, after a month, didn't do her a bit of good. So we started doing our own research and came across drsearsmd.com and found out the truth about the whole drug/doctor lies. The drug companys are making a big push to make everybody think they have problems with their cholesterol, and many do, but their drugs are not the answer, they will only do you more harm than good, or kill you. Dr Al Sears has a whole lay-out on cholesterol, the truth about it, and the natural way to take care of it. For the most part, drugs are not the answer.