How to lower cholesterol ???

hi guys.

looking for any ideas on how to lower cholesterol levels without medication.

I was previously put on medication, but after 12 months of taking it...i almost couldnt even walk. had no idea what was wrong with till i heard a conversation about the side effects. went off them and within 4 weeks the pain was gone.

had another blood test the other week and now its at 9.5. very high.

so far i haven given up sugar, bread and all wheat products. i basically just eat fresh vegies, fruit and small amount of meat.

i must say that after 2 weeks of doing this, im starting to feel the best i have felt in years.

what im looking for is someone else who cant take statins that has reduced their levels naturally.

thanks.

reply to post by bellagirl
It's hard work and takes time too. A few years back I was 1.4 cholesterol and I'm due a check-up in 2 weeks and can't wait to see where it is now....probably higher!

A good way to drop cholesterol is lowering the amount of saturated fats you eat. Eating a stack of veggies and fruit won't help if processed food, fast food and/or junk food is still in the diet. Cakes, chocolate bars, butter etc. All the good stuff has to become a treat instead of a standard.

You can eat a pile of grilled chicken and oily fish to reduce cholesterol, but fried chicken and minced meat raises it.

Getting into exercise or just improving the level of activity goes a long way too.

There's some good, medical information to help you out right here.

reply to post by bellagirl


HI There,
Im in the same boat, I had a level of 5.6, so become more careful about what I eat, I cut back a lot on junk food/fried food. I stared taking cholesterol lowering drinks as well. I also cut out wheat and stopped smoking.

Just recently had another cholesterol check and now its 6.7!
The Doctor has now put me on statins, I have had no side effects though.

As my levels have gone higher, I have done a lot of reading and research and have come to the following conclusion.
"Its all a conspiracy".... Heart disease may be a form sub clinical scurvy.
Please have a good read of the following website.

www.paulingtherapy.com...

To summarise, doctors have it all wrong with heart disease and cholesterol.
Cholesterol is an attempt by the body to repair itself, to stop your veins from rupturing,
because of a lack of VITAMIN C....

The Unified Theory

Linus Pauling and Matthias Rath alerted the world to the cause of heart disease in 1989 -- a chronic, sub-clinical vitamin C deficiency -- due to a missing liver enzyme caused by the ancient GULO genetic defect in primate DNA. [1]

Is anybody listening?

Pauling, the founder of modern chemistry, holder of 48 honorary Ph.D.s, and the world's only 2-time unshared Nobel prize laureate, theorized that too little vitamin C elevates cholesterol levels, including the Lp(a) variant that causes narrowing of blood vessels. After Pauling learned that Lp(a) binds to strands of lysine protruding from weak and damaged blood vessels, he invented the high-lysine therapy described here.
"Knowing that lysyl residues are what causes Lp(a) to stick to the wall of the artery and form atherosclerotic plaques, any physical chemist would say at once that to prevent that put the amino acid lysine in the blood to a greater extent than it is normally. - 92-year-old Linus Pauling

His specific high-dosage therapy for heart disease is apparently very effective, and it has been named the Pauling Therapy in Linus's honor.

The Pauling/Rath unified (vitamin C) theory of cardiovascular disease constitutes one of the great potential breakthroughs of modern science. Their remarkable theory, and its intriguing claim that very low cost Lp(a) binding inhibitors will prevent and even dissolve arterial blockages has apparently gone unnoticed by the pharmaceutical industry, the medical profession and the media

As a result of my research and thanks to large part of the work done by Linus Pauling,
Im taking 6 grams a day of Vitamin C and 3 grams a day of L-lysine.
I have never felt better. I no longer get tingly sensations in my left arm.

Eat various types of beans often, the fibre helps lower the supposed bad cholesterol, and use more olive oil to help raise the good cholesterol. Oatmeal is also good. Also garlic is said to help.

That said, its not the so called bad cholesterol that is the problem, it's the size of the particles of the ldl cholesterol. That's what the latest data claims.

Sugar is the inflammatory culprit that causes the problems that they blame on cholesterol.

reply to post by bellagirl


My husband started eating oatmeal everyday and his went down really fast.

A diet in whole grains, and eating a lot of CHERIOS for breakfast, if you have them in your part of the world, will go a long way in naturally reducing cholesterol levels.

Reduction in saturated fats is VITAL to your diet, as other posters have noted. Reduction in carbohydrates too, is very important.

But, don't be discouraged. It can take a relatively long time for reduction. It may take upwards of a year, once you adjust your diet.

So it is important to remain vigilant.

What I am particularly interested in, OP, is your description of your pain and walking problem when on statins. I have been on Tricor for almost a decade, and am experiencing problems that my MD is blaming on other things other than the Tricor.

Please elaborate?

Originally posted by Char-Lee
reply to post by bellagirl

 

My husband started eating oatmeal everyday and his went down really fast.

Another great food that I failed to mention in my post! Oatmeal, whole grain cereals.

And, you dont have to restrict yourself to eating cereal just for breakfast!

Originally posted by phantomjack

Originally posted by Char-Lee
reply to post by bellagirl

 

My husband started eating oatmeal everyday and his went down really fast.

Another great food that I failed to mention in my post! Oatmeal, whole grain cereals.

And, you dont have to restrict yourself to eating cereal just for breakfast!

he started having it for lunch at work everyday, it can be varied in so many ways too, unfortunately for myself I hate it without butter and sugar!

If I eat regular rolled oats, it does me no good, because I need about 2 tbsp brown sugar on it.

But I found if I eat the steel cut oats, I can cut up various dried fruits into it, and then it's much healthier. Still sweet, but the sugar content is natural, from the dried fruit.
That just doesn't work the same with the porridge type oats.

I have inherited a cholesterol problem. Doc told me to drink wine Nice, red, dry wine... try to avoid anything too sweet. Natural grape juice will do as well, but for the price, I go with the wine LOL One glass 2 times a week.

I quit smoking, and I exercise more.

I have high cholesterol but I can't take statins because it has an adverse effect on my liver. My doctor told me to try red yeast rice with the ingredient monacolins. I found some on the amazon website and tried it out and had my cholesterol checked again. Sure enough...my overall cholesterol reading was normal and my bad cholesterol reading was normal to and my liver reading was also normal. Red yeast rice is a food supplement so it is safe to take. Many people take this for their high cholesterol and it has helped them.

Go to the amazon website and search out red yeast rice with monacolins

I would put a link on here for you but I don't know if I'm allowed to do that or not.

Originally posted by phantomjack
A diet in whole grains, and eating a lot of CHERIOS for breakfast, if you have them in your part of the world, will go a long way in naturally reducing cholesterol levels.

Reduction in saturated fats is VITAL to your diet, as other posters have noted. Reduction in carbohydrates too, is very important.

But, don't be discouraged. It can take a relatively long time for reduction. It may take upwards of a year, once you adjust your diet.

So it is important to remain vigilant.

What I am particularly interested in, OP, is your description of your pain and walking problem when on statins. I have been on Tricor for almost a decade, and am experiencing problems that my MD is blaming on other things other than the Tricor.

Please elaborate?

i was put on statins (crestor) about 2 years ago for my cholesterol level. i took it everyday for about 12 months. i didnt connect the pain and the statins which i will get too in a minute.

it must have been about 3 months into taking them that i started to get pain. i had not long turned 40 and just put it down to getting a little (lol) older and starting to get a few aches and niggles. i do a fairly physical job and while at work i would walk on average 15 kilometres a day. on days off i used to walk about 5kgs for fitness. i started noticing that instead of just getting up from a chair like normal it took me a few seconds longer as it hurt my legs/back/shoulders. then over the next few months it got worse and worse. i could no longer bend over to pick up stuff...and then one day on my 5km walk i made it too the top of the street and sat down on a bus stop seat and cried i was in that much pain in my calf muscles and legs/back. i walked back home and that was the last time i went for ages.

i was suffering at work and began to dread when i knew i had work the next day...wondering how i would get through the day. then one day i had an afternoon shift. i had made a hot bath and put radox in it and was lying there soaking my muscles before i went to work. i had the radio on and just by chance they had a doctor on radio answering questions. someone had rang in and was describing exactly what i was like. i was lying there talking to myself saying "thats me, thats what i have". the first thing the doctor asked the person was "are you on statins for cholesterol". they said yes and he said i think thats whats wrong. i pulled the plug in the bath as quick as i could and got out and googled statin side effects and nearly died. IT WAS COMPLETELY HOW I WAS. i went to my doctor and he dismissed it. told me what ever you do dont go off them. i went home and did so much research and printed out many articles and went back to the doctor with the facts. again...didnt believe me, so i came home and threw the statins in the bin.

i reckon it took about 4-6 weeks before the pain was gone. but after the first two weeks i started noticing the difference. i got better by the day. my dad was the same as me and it seemed all we spoke about was aches and pains. i took all the evidence i had to him and told him to get off them. again...same thing. his pain went away. the pain in my calf muscles in my legs was the worse. it completely vanished.

i reckon that when i was in pain and my muscle tone was gone i hurt my back...this is the only problem i have now. i could now walk forever with no leg pain.

i honestly believe that my back problems stems from the statins.

hope this helps.

Originally posted by kijne
I have high cholesterol but I can't take statins because it has an adverse effect on my liver. My doctor told me to try red yeast rice with the ingredient monacolins. I found some on the amazon website and tried it out and had my cholesterol checked again. Sure enough...my overall cholesterol reading was normal and my bad cholesterol reading was normal to and my liver reading was also normal. Red yeast rice is a food supplement so it is safe to take. Many people take this for their high cholesterol and it has helped them.

Go to the amazon website and search out red yeast rice with monacolins

I would put a link on here for you but I don't know if I'm allowed to do that or not.

thank you for your suggestion.

thank you all for the replies.

Originally posted by bellagirl

Originally posted by phantomjack
A diet in whole grains, and eating a lot of CHERIOS for breakfast, if you have them in your part of the world, will go a long way in naturally reducing cholesterol levels.

Reduction in saturated fats is VITAL to your diet, as other posters have noted. Reduction in carbohydrates too, is very important.

But, don't be discouraged. It can take a relatively long time for reduction. It may take upwards of a year, once you adjust your diet.

So it is important to remain vigilant.

What I am particularly interested in, OP, is your description of your pain and walking problem when on statins. I have been on Tricor for almost a decade, and am experiencing problems that my MD is blaming on other things other than the Tricor.

Please elaborate?

i was put on statins (crestor) about 2 years ago for my cholesterol level. i took it everyday for about 12 months. i didnt connect the pain and the statins which i will get too in a minute.

it must have been about 3 months into taking them that i started to get pain. i had not long turned 40 and just put it down to getting a little (lol) older and starting to get a few aches and niggles. i do a fairly physical job and while at work i would walk on average 15 kilometres a day. on days off i used to walk about 5kgs for fitness. i started noticing that instead of just getting up from a chair like normal it took me a few seconds longer as it hurt my legs/back/shoulders. then over the next few months it got worse and worse. i could no longer bend over to pick up stuff...and then one day on my 5km walk i made it too the top of the street and sat down on a bus stop seat and cried i was in that much pain in my calf muscles and legs/back. i walked back home and that was the last time i went for ages.

i was suffering at work and began to dread when i knew i had work the next day...wondering how i would get through the day. then one day i had an afternoon shift. i had made a hot bath and put radox in it and was lying there soaking my muscles before i went to work. i had the radio on and just by chance they had a doctor on radio answering questions. someone had rang in and was describing exactly what i was like. i was lying there talking to myself saying "thats me, thats what i have". the first thing the doctor asked the person was "are you on statins for cholesterol". they said yes and he said i think thats whats wrong. i pulled the plug in the bath as quick as i could and got out and googled statin side effects and nearly died. IT WAS COMPLETELY HOW I WAS. i went to my doctor and he dismissed it. told me what ever you do dont go off them. i went home and did so much research and printed out many articles and went back to the doctor with the facts. again...didnt believe me, so i came home and threw the statins in the bin.

i reckon it took about 4-6 weeks before the pain was gone. but after the first two weeks i started noticing the difference. i got better by the day. my dad was the same as me and it seemed all we spoke about was aches and pains. i took all the evidence i had to him and told him to get off them. again...same thing. his pain went away. the pain in my calf muscles in my legs was the worse. it completely vanished.

i reckon that when i was in pain and my muscle tone was gone i hurt my back...this is the only problem i have now. i could now walk forever with no leg pain.

i honestly believe that my back problems stems from the statins.

hope this helps.

Very helpful, thank you!

What I dont get is that I have taken a "drug holiday" several times from the tricor of about 3-4 weeks, and never felt better during that time. So I too, figured it was old age.

My thighs are the worse. And, what bothers me most is that my legs are very VERY tender to the touch. If my kids should happen to pounce on me, I usually scream in pain.

That leads me to conclude that the drug holiday is not long enough, that the statin effects can take much longer than I thought to subside.

Thanks for your help and info!

A good clean diet with enough quality protein, Eating beans fresh vegetables and by drinking much water can also helps to lowering cholestrol.

reply to post by bellagirl


bellagirl,
Having high cholesterol is not necessarily a bad thing. Cholesterol protects the heart. Please please don't ever take statins again. Please everyone stop perpetuating this myth that saturated fats cause cholesterol. A implies B is not equal to B implies not A.
Please start adding more saturated fats to your diet. Eat plenty of nuts, berries(blue, black, red). Please stay away from all sugar(only organic sugar in small quantities no fake sugar like stevia, surcose or high fructose). Organic coconut oil and organic butter. MCT (medium chain triglycerides) are not bad for your health. Stay awy from vegetable oil at all costs virgin olive is okay, walnut oil has a healthy dose of omega 3's which are important for reducing inflammation, and a high smoking point. Take a good quality multivitamin.Try this-
www.amazon.com...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367697251&sr=8-1&keywords=multivitamin+nature
Take a good quality fish oil and coq10. Coq10 is very important as it should help you with side effects.
www.swansonvitamins.com...
www.swansonvitamins.com...
articles.mercola.com...

Cholesterol helps the brain process information.

There are tones of natural supplements that help with cholesterol-
altmedicine.about.com...
www.cnn.com...

Some other links-
www.livestrong.com...
www.westonaprice.org...
www.cbn.com...