Reducing cholesterol?

Which is just natural Mevacor
If you read the monograph on Mevacor, it was developed from the yeast on red yeast rice. Then the sleazebags at the pharmaceutical co tried to have the rice banned in the US, because they “Patented” it.



Stay away from hardcore drugs if you can. Statins, while effective, are still dangerous drugs. I know first hand. I had rhabdomyolysis from Vytorin, and it was not fun. Lucky for me, I caught it early, and flushed the crap down the toilet before it did any permanent muscle damage.



Diet, exercise, and weight loss (If needed) are as effective for most people as statins. Fish oil and soluble fiber can help a lot, too. Most americans just don’t have the willpower to stick with it, and take the “magic bullet” instead.



I stay vegetarian during the week, and never eat red meat. I excercise 6 days a week on average, and don’t overindulge on the weekends. But in my case, I do take Zetia to put me over the hump. I’ve brought my cholesterol down from 230 to 165.

And, of course, the doctor is still pushing statins saying “they deserve one more chance”. Drug pushers with licenses…



Wayne

drug pusher
I am a drug pusher with a license and commend you on your ability to reduce your cholesterol without a statin.

Statins are not for everyone and there is risk associated with them. They do however save lives and have evidence to prove it. There is no evidence that zetia prevents heart attacks or strokes only that it lowers cholesterol.

I would caution anyone from taking the advice from anyone over the internet who does not know your personal medical history or knows all of the facts about the medicines and there outcomes.

Statins have gotten a bad rap from a few vocal people. There are dangers assocaited with them and drug companys push them for their profits. However they are great and save lives, wether they are right for you is not a question anyone but you and your “drug pusher with a license” can determine.

To lower your cholesterol without meds, which red yeast is a drug: loose weight, eat more fruits and vegetables, and fish. For a more detailed diet regimen I would recomend a book writtne by Dr Willett “Eat drink and be healthy”. It is not a diet just gives information about different foods.

eugene

that is an excellent book
this librarian has read it and owns a copy

combination of flax, oatmeal
coconut, walnuts, and honey -



My dad’s wife lets this soak overnight in distilled water and this seems to break down the flax seed. Then she serves everyone a bowl of this for breakfast.



She cured herself or at least put into remission breast cancer by researching and trying various natural cures over the last ten years.



If the flax isn’t well soaked the seeds just come out the other end but it does help clean you out as it swipes through.



My cholesterol was 205 with 60% good before the oats and flax, so I’ll be curious what the next report is. That was when I ate a lot of red meat but now I eat a wider combination of foods and a lot of fish.



If my cholesterol comes in much lower I will know why. I think they are going to test it next week.


easy does it on flax seeds
flax seeds are great, but easy does it. A little too much and you can have bowel obstruction, a real and not fun result.


Confirmation
Most of the recommendations of the various posters to this thread are following some part of the Abs Diet. Oatmeal, almonds, flax, whole grains, fish, its all part of his plan. These posters are confirming for me that I’m on the right track. Thanks, all.



Sort of a strange diversion from the usual discussion here on pnet, isn’t it? But why not? Gotta stay healthy to keep on paddling, so its all related.



~~Chip

I am on prescription meds…
(Zocor) and still had high numbers but the last tests were much better…not sure, but the only thing I THINK I can attribute this to is the Omega 3 (fish oil) I’ve been taking daily. And it wasn’t my physician who reccommended this to me, it was my insurance agent!

Just speaking from experience
>There is no evidence that zetia prevents heart >attacks or strokes only that it lowers >cholesterol.





And neither do statins. Read the fine print in the ads for them sometime. They all state that there is no proof that they prevent heart attacks. One fact that most MD’s gloss over, or neglect to mention at all, is that almost half of all americans with “normal” or “low” cholesterol have heart attacks, too. It seems being american, or living like one, is the greatest risk factor of all.



At the advice of a pharmacist, I research every drug that is prescribed to me before I even fill the prescription. Some of the facts you uncover are absolutely shocking. Prescription drugs can be lifesavers, but they also kill when misused or mis-prescribed. If you want your eyes opened, talk to a pharmacist sometime when they’re not on duty.



Most people can lower their cholesterol by diet and excercise alone. That is a proven fact (And probably the only one in this whole debate). Some, like me, cannot get it into the “normal” range without some kind of intervention. But you don’t need to bring a howitzer to a knife fight, either.



Research is showing that cholesterol alone is not the whole picture — it’s just one piece of a much larger picture. Learn as much as you can about your particular situation, and take what actions work for you. As was accurately stated in the previous post, everyone’s situation is different, which illustrates my point that you shouldn’t accept a “canned” course of treatment just because it worked for someone else.



Start with the simple. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed. Any good doctor will tell you just that, and will work WITH you to find your individual solution. If they start giving orders and not listening, remind them who pays their salary…or find a new doctor.



Wayne

incorrect
there is evidence that statins prevent heart attacks and strokes. They will not prevent all heart attacks and strokes. Some statins are indicated to reduce risk of heart attack and stroke where as zetia has no outcome data.

eugene

Then why is it in the ad?
Given that we have “Truth in advertising” laws? Why would a corporation that markets one of the most profitable drugs of all time admit that in their ad if they didn’t have to?



Not trying to be diffcult, but want to be able to separate marketing and hype from truth.

not all statins same
specifically zocor and lipitor are indicated to reduce risk of heart attacks. Will not prevent all heart attacks. Don’t know what ads you are refering to so can’t make specific comments.

Also lipitor has also proven to reduce risk of heart attacks in people with normal cholesterol.

It is a numbers game. Certain statins will prevent heart attacks that is a fact. They can also cause side effects that can be catastrophic. As you alluded to there is more than just cholesterol however statins seem to due more than just cholesterol as they will prevent heart attacks in hi risk people with normal cholesterol.

It is actually extremely complicated and only appears simple until you try to delve deeper. There is more than just lowering cholesterol, who cares what your number is? What you want is something that prevents heart attacks. Adriamycin (chemo for cancer) it will drop your weight and cholesterol very well. Will it help prevent heart attacks? No it will cause heart damage.

There is alot of misinformation out there that you must be careful about. Yes pharmaceutical companys are business out to make a profit but occasionally they will do something that helps people, so they can make more money. Alternative treatments will never get good studies becasue no one can profit from them. Does this mean they are good or bad? I don’t know and anyone who tells you they are without proof is either power hungry or trying to sell you something.

Mine Was Off The Charts
A long time ago (over 300). I went to a nutritionist (got my insurance to pay for it) and went with heavy duty diet and excercise. Got it down to about 185 overall. But, with the pressure to go lower coupled with the severity of the diet and excercise, I have surrendered to the drugs and continue with diet and excercise (although it’s easier to slip now).



Lou

flax
Flax seed properly ground and consumed with other food shouldn’t cause any bowel problems. Especially if you work your amount up gradually, just like any other fiber diet regime.

aint no doc just what I saw
razor.



you could be right. Just happened to see on www.mayoclinic.com some new information regarding flax seed that said it has recently been found to be more problematic than thought. You, knowing more than me might want to check it out and let us know what you think.

I beg to differ
http://www.annecollins.com/diet_nutrition/apples.htm



http://www.gardenersnet.com/fruit/apples/nutrition.htm



Every source shows apples are a good source of vitamin C

Scoop out your brain. High cholesterol.

more fish,less red meat
has worked wonders for me…

Discovered the cholesteral numbers went way up after every cycing season, this year I took up snowshoeing…numbers stayed down.

I do a lot of the dried fruits (cranberries esp.)for snacks…

My overall weight is still 230 but the numbers for concern have dropped a ton…

ok
I’ll check that link out…thanks.



Damon…

I take flax seed OIL, one cap a day…
…I think a gram of oil. Don’t know if it’s better or worse than the seeds, and I take so many other helpful nutrients I can’t isolate its effect.

BORDERLINE

– Last Updated: Jan-22-06 10:13 PM EST –

MAHALO...lots of good advice in this thread. I do not want to be on meds and from reading your posts (oatmeal, flax seed, OJ, almonds,less red meat) looks like I'm right on track. I just added a daily 4 mile hike to the lake to make sure, can't hurt , I could stand to lose 10 holiday pounds.