Anyone with high cholesterol?

[surgtech1956]

I had some lab work done and my cholesterol is 204, HDL 57 and LDL 135. I have a doctor's appt Tuesday and I know she's going to want to put me on something. Anyone on medication??

[KnottedYet]

My doc and I would both do ecstatic handsprings and cartwheels if my cholesterol were that low!

I'm not on anything. Betcha all your doc will do is tell you to lower the amount of fat you eat and get more exercise.

Metamucil is more effective at lowering cholesterol and heart disease risk for women than statins, so don't decide to take statins as a shortcut.

(all the preliminary statin studies were done on men. even among men, the risk of heart attack is only lowered by 2%. the risk of muscle-wasting disease side effects is 15%. among women, the later studies found ZERO decrease in risk of heart disease. the cholesterol goes down, but the heart disease risk doesn't. you are better off changing your diet and activity levels and adding more fiber to your diet through food choices or psyllium husk fiber than taking statins.)

As my doc so lovingly said: Eat more vegetables and get off your butt!

[LBTC]

My naturopath is working on her masters degree and the last sessions were on adrenal stress. An interesting finding is that stress will raise cholesterol even in people with a great diet and exercise routine. That stress can be caused by the usual outside factors we are all familiar with, or by more internal factors including food that you don't tolerate particularly well, etc.

Diet and exercise are definitely the best methods of improving your cholesterol rating, but if that's not enough, finding a way to better support the adrenal system may be the next thing to try before resorting to drugs.

This is the woman who helped me get from barely being able to walk my dogs around the block a year ago, to racing weekly time trials and preparing for a 6 hour mountain bike race in a week. What she says worked very well for me, so when she has something to say, I believe her.

Sending lots of calming, energizing, stress and cholesterol reducing butterflies your way,

and hugs, too,
~T~

[Crankin]

Your ratio of hdl to ldl is more important than your total. They most probably will not put you on medication.
My total has gone from 244 to 218 from cycling and eating well. I asked about medication at one point, but they wouldn't even consider it, because my hdl was 81-- the highest the doctor had ever seen. My hdl is now about 75, which is still way above what it needs to be. I would still like to get the total below 200, but it's taking a long time to do that!
As long as your ldl isn't too bad and your triglycerides are low, diet and exercise will be the first line of defense.

[surgtech1956]

Thanks girls. I'm not one for medication - its bad enough that I take Celebrex(for my knee) - which I want to get off of. Stress could be a factor - I have been under alot of stress(worker's compensation stress).

[mupedalpusher]

I have high cholesterol and recently started statins. My thyroid disease seemed to drive my cholesterol up and my family has a history of high cholesterol. The good news for me is that I have very low triglycerides and CRP which are important markers to look at. So, the thinking is that my elevated total cholesterol may not actually be affecting me and could still just be elevated due to my thyroid disease.

My doctor debated not treating with statins but after several visits she decided to go ahead. My boss is one of the top researchers in cardiovascular disease and believes that statins have benefits for most people, so I started a very low dose a few months ago. I still don't like taking them and have seriously considered going off them and just doing fiber and diet changes. I am due to get my levels checked so I guess at that point I'll decide. If the statins haven't helped drastically I am certainly going off them. My next approach might be to go off statins and on metamucil to see if it gives me equal benefits. I can't take both at once because I wouldn't know which one helped. I'm my own little experiment at this point, but what do you expect from someone who has worked in research for 25 years!

[Red Rock]

I fit into the category around where you do surgtech1956. Im 209-210. All of my other numbers are good. My dad was going to go to statins but my younger brother, who is a personal trainer, was able to have his numbers dropped w/out the meds. I have not had a chance to talk to him since I had mine checked to figureout what I can do to change things. My diet is pretty clean because I had this problem earlier but the doc has not said much to me so I guess its all "ok"?

Ellen

[Jolt]

204 is just barely over the "desirable" level (that being 200) for total cholesterol--it's not high. In addition, your total-to-HDL ratio is about 3.6, which puts it well under the goal of 5.0 that it should be below. LDL, at 135, is slightly above the "desirable" level (which is 130) but not by much. HDL of 57 is fine, and triglycerides at 60 are well below the cutoff. If anyone starts talking about putting you on meds for these levels, you can tell them to take a hike! BTW, at my most recent physical my total was higher than yours (207).

[stacy]

Two years ago my cholesterol was too high...(dont remember the numbers) but my dr gave me 2 months to get it under control or go on medication. I started immediately having oatmeal every morning and 12 almonds everyday. At the end of two months it was considered normal/acceptable. Might be worth a try? This "cure" was given to me by an friend who had had the same problem. Good Luck!

[Red Rock]

Stacy- what did you eat during the summer months when it is warmer?

I have been watching out for oat-like cold cereals but they are hard to come by. I have been using a high bran cereal but that most likely will not work.

Suggestions?

Ellen

[KnottedYet]

Cheerios are oats.

You can also make your own muesli. We used to do it by putting a bunch of rolled oats, dried fruit, chopped nuts, and powdered milk in a jar. Shake it all up. B'fast was a scoop of that in a bowl with cold milk poured on it. (just like store-bought cereal)

I can't eat oats anymore cuz of my damm celiac disease, so I'm left with the Metamucil. I'd rather eat muesli!

[Red Rock]

Knot-thankyou for the suggestion. I will have to try this. On the oats, are you talking the old fasioned kind? The type that is cooked on the stove the old way?

Thankyou

Ellen

[KnottedYet]

Yup, old fashioned rolled oats. (not the *quick* oats, they just get mushy and nasty in the cold milk)

The oats soften up without losing their texture, very easy to eat. With the dried fruit and the nuts you end up with a rich and satisfying stick-to-your-ribs breakfast without the fat of my other favorite b'fast: two scrambled eggs with melted cheddar cheese and 2 slices of fried Spam.

Sigh. I miss muesli. I REALLY miss scrambled eggs with cheese and Spam!

[stacy]

I still eat the oatmeal in the summer. Just put a bit of yogurt and fruit on it and let it cool it down a bit before eating. It also keeps me from getting hungry mid morning.

Stacy

[sundial]

I'm not one for medication - its bad enough that I take Celebrex(for my knee) - which I want to get off of. Stress could be a factor - I have been under alot of stress(worker's compensation stress).

I have always battled borderline high cholesterol. I'm with Knot, try the Metamucil, reduce your stress (which may reduce your arthritic pain) and cycle lots to keep your joints flexible and happy. With regular aerobic exercise, some of the benefits you may experience is an increase in your good cholesterol (HDL) and lower blood pressure. Also, if you can maintain a good weight, your joints will be happier too which is easier said than done when you are approaching middle age.

I hate taking Rx pills too. I am the worst patient at taking pills on a regular basis. If it doesn't come in patch form, forget it!