My Cholesterol Level is Too High! - Comments Page 2

First and foremost Bob, I like to thank you for all the knowledge that you have giving me about computers and the internet for the year 2009. I received e-mails about stuff I never heard of especially the new gadgets. Well, I have a cure for you. You want to lower your cholesterol and for you diabetics out there here it is. If you want to live a long life eat one meal a day. If your body is strong enough and your not sick eat every one or two days and of course eat the proper foods like fruits and vegetables and drink plenty, plenty of water. Good Luck

Dear Bob:

I really enjoy your web site and all your knowledge which I find most of the time very accurate. It’s rare to see this on the internet. We both know that information most often is related to financial persuasion.

I have been in the Western and Eastern medical industry for my entire life and full time for the past 25 years. I am fortunate to have grown up in these industries and played on both sides of the track.

The part I try to stay away from is the political side of medicine which can be very difficult. Being in my shoes I am privileged to information that most are not.

I write a News Letter that goes out to a large number of people and consult with people on their health. I enjoy this work and in a position where I can do most of it Pro Bono.

I would like to discuss the subject of lowering cholesterol. People are becoming obsessed in lowering their cholesterol even when it within normal range. This is one of the most dangerous things a person can do. Cholesterol is a major component of our immune system. It is made up of many chemicals that our body needs for everyday functions. It also lines our blood vessels to prevent stroke. Like with any health symptom there is always an underlying cause. When cholesterol elevates there is usually something else wrong not related to elevated cholesterol. If this something else is not addressed future problems will reveal themselves. When lowering cholesterol it does not matter whether you are using drugs or natural ways including foods. The cholesterol is elevated for a reason and that reason must be discovered. In the past 25 years I have seen clients lower the cholesterol using whatever means they choose and within weeks of their cholesterol becoming normal they have a fatal stroke or heart attack. I’m not just talking about a few cases here. Most of these people were extremely healthy, young, and without hereditary traits and no health complaints. I have also seen hundreds of cases of very high cholesterol clients that chose to do nothing and never had a heart attack or stroke.

It is common knowledge that strokes and heart attacks have quadrupled by percentages shortly after the release of the first Statin drugs. This could be coincidence or directly related, we may never know. The US is known to have more heart attacks and stroke than any other county in the world. France and Asia have the lowest levels of heart attacks. The French and Asian diet is real different then the US and use the least amount of Statin drugs or cholesterol lowering applications. In fact they rarely even discuss cholesterol with their doctors.

We all know that the majority of heart attacks and strokes happen on Monday morning either going to work or at work. We also know that 75% of these people have never had high cholesterol. So are heart attacks really from elevated cholesterol or does lifestyle, diet and stress really lead to these conditions. Asian and French diet is superior to the US diet and their foods are way more nutritious. They do have normal amounts of stress but do things everyday to distress them. Their lifestyle is without a doubt is much healthier than the US lifestyle. So what is the real cause of disease?

You would be surprised what I found was really wrong with many people that came to me with high cholesterol. There were many different things and over half of them were life threatening or close to it. In most of these cases we were able to correct the problem and their cholesterol went to normal. I’m not against lowering cholesterol through natural approaches as long as it done through the immune system and liver. The liver is primarily responsible for cholesterol levels.

I spend hours each day studying many web sites and there might be a dozen of them worth reading. People will believe whatever they have been brainwashed to believe and the world will continue to turn until the batteries run down. It’s all about Freakonomics.

Steve

You didn't break down your total cholesterol to include the LDL and HDL figures. The ratio of LDL/HDL may be more important than the total cholesterol number. In my own case, my total cholesterol is "high" because my HDL is high (Total=220; HDL=80; Ratio=2.75). A ratio of http://www.exrx.net/Testing/LDL&HDL.html

It is refreshing to have someone passionate about one thing and wanting to share their life experience to help those who read regularly.

I wish you the best. I have heard that diet and exercise are the key to most of the diseases. Remember your goals and what is important. I am sure your family wants you around for a very long time.

Also, I hear Cheerios is a good cereal for this too.

Best of luck

Dedra Cagle
avid follower and reader

Bob-- The problem with any exercise regimen is that if it's not fun, it will be hard to stick with. So, instead of the drudgery you're planning on, I recommend that, if your past injuries are too bad to keep you from playing tennis, that you take up COMPETITIVE ping-pong (or, if you're a purist, table tennis). It may not be quite as good exercise as tennis, but believe me, you can work up a sweat, even if you're a beginner. To find a club in your area, visit usatt.org. Good luck.

The whole thing is just another scare tactic perpetrated by the pharmaceutical companies on a naive public. Wise up lemmings and sheep.

Getting out of the closet on any subject is good personal therapy. At 74, I have been on Lipitor for almost 10 years but we do eat a healthy and balanced diet; which includes not overeating. Luckily for me the medication has no discernible affect on me and with diet and exercise my cholesterol numbers are well within the acceptable range. Only my triglycerides are too high. I need to work on that. Good luck with your plan and many thanks for the Bob Rankin web site. I need a dog for my walks.

Bob, You missed three supplements that are really effective to reduce Cholesterol:

Phytosterol (Plant Sterols)- The plant sterols remove the Cholesterol from the body and can reduce the levels by 30% in a month or two. There are many studies showing this over the last 50 years. The sterols are like eating a lot of vegetables and have no side effects.

Policosanol - Increases your HDL and CAN reduce all Cholesterol as part of a a low fat diet with exercise. It also helps the older prostate and is used to improve memory also.

Rice Yeast Rice - the natural form of Statins. If you take it or a statin then take 200mg of COG-10 per day to stop the muscle pain and failure. Out of the US it is required to include COG-10 with a statin prescription.

Btw, the drug companies spent a lot of money getting the US levels dropped to 160-200 from 200-240 as the normal range. In most of the rest of the world 200-240 is still normal. Below 160, long term, is associated with early dementia. Studies in Europe show that Statins reduced cognitive performance by 10-15%.Not a good thing in the engineering business. Hope this helps. It reduced mine by 60 points.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rice Yeast Rice may be a "natural" statin, but it's the same chemical compound as prescription Lovastatin, and carries the same risks. See http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/red-yeast-rice/NS_patient-redyeast

You might want to look into taking krill oil instead of fish oil. The krill oil contains a lot more omega-3 related products than the typical fish oil capsule. I use Neptune Krill Oil which is available at Amazon. Good luck, it ain't easy - I've been fighting low good cholesterol and high triglycerides for years. Get a handle on this now and avoid type II diabetes when you get older.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I did mention at the end of the article that I've decided to take krill oil. :-)

I really don't know what to think about high cholesterol. I have taken statin drugs and they do lower it to reasonal levels But the statins were making me very sick too. Digestive problems were so bad I was to the point I didn't want to even eat a lot of times. I have no history of heart attach and stroke in my family. I am not taking anything now and don't know what cholesterol is doing but I know I feel 100 % better and don't really want to take anymore cholesterol lowering drugs. Don't know ifI am really in danger of having a heart attach or stroke but know that i have to feel good too without worrying about that. Any advice?

Hi Bob
Upper and lower case ?
Sheesh !
I'll keep it short.
In keeping with Jack LaLanne's
"if it tastes good" comment -
Go Raw !
Raw fruits Raw veggies Raw nuts.
Also check out Shivampu Kalpa (try Google)
and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).
You won't need any Lipitor
or other bad side effects.
charles ranalli
albuquerque

Bob. Try 'Lipitor' and/or 'Lipex' in Google -it'll frighten the life out of you. Two of my friends (both in their sixties) are now in a dementia home after years of dosing on these drugs.
The ratio of 'good' to 'bad' is most important but can be misleading if your 'good' value is much higher than 'normal'.In my case it contibutes to an apparently high total level reading, which is erroneous.

As ever, it was interesting to read your article, but a bit surprising this time around. Like you, I never suspected there was anything wrong with me until I went to the doctor for a routine bloodpressure check. He sent me for an ECG - just to be on the safe side - and things went rapidly downhill from there. Now I am coming up to the second anniversary of my quadruple heart by-pass operation, so it is at least good to know I am on the right side of that event! It's in the past and that is where it is staying, I hope.

But - hey - surely you knew all that stuff about eating healthily and pursuing a more active lifestyle. It's not as though they only tell you this stuff when you have gorged and slobbed yourself to death's door. I thought I lived a healthy lifestyle before I got ill. (Although I never actually did feel ill!) I am sure I live healthily now and the only real difference is that I gave up doing a pretty stressful job and now just work part time and spend more time doing the important things in life, like relaxing and enjoying myself with my family and generally getting my priorities a bit more sorted!

I still work, I still enjoy food, I still enjoy a drink of alcohol and I like riding my bike and taking the dog for a walk. I just don't do any of them to excess and I enjoy the things I do. I may drop dead tomorrow, I suppose, although I don't expect to because I feel great! The big thing is, though, that even if I do, I've got a better perspective on my life now and that makes it seem much more worthwhile without just changing one obsession (working and making money!) for another (extending my llife without a thought to the quality!)

Hope you crack the cholesterol thing, Bob. But most of all, enjoy it while you've got it!

All the best,
Jim, Cannock, UK

Glad to hear of your use of natural methods. I would also suggest the use of cinnamon at every chance and nutmeg. They help lower cholesterol. I would also suggest you find a good naturapathic doctor whose into natural remedies. The AMAs pertty much booboo the natral methods and very few know anything about them.
Something else to take into consideration may be a slow metabolism or low functioning thyroid. Cholesterol problems, thyroid, high blood sugars, and digestive problems often go hand in hand. So whether they told you there were any other possible problems, you might think about taking some supplements to help speed up your thyroid a little. It will help in burning off the cholesterol and add a lot more energy.
Keep on keeping on, you're on the right track.

Stress can add alot of issues for your overall health, it increases trigs too, so look at mediatation and relaxation too.

Bob,

Have not you considered soya bean oil as a candidate for cooking oil.

regards,
Sarma.

Hi all. Lately I've been seeing and reading a lot of information on tumeric/cucurmin. Seems as if it too will help with cholesterol levels, along with an abundance of many other maladies. Inflammation being the #1 cause of many of them, cucurmin seems to stop the inflammation on the cellular level where it does the most good. Just thought it would be a good addition to all the other great natural ways to help heal ourselves.

f

I'm too out of shape to exercise!

Hi Bob, My advice to you would be to keep away from "Lipitor" My doctor put me on it because my Cholesterol was "too high" and that thing (Lipitor) gave me all kinds of problems. My arms became weak and painful. The muscles in my legs & feet hurt constantly. I was in constant pain and weak weak weak.
I stopped taking it after reading an article about the side effects. I told my doctor point blank "NO MORE" Man was he furious, but I didnt care. It took two & one half years for the pain in my arms and feet to subside and another year or so for some strength to return. I am only about 85% good now some 7 t0 8 years after that episode. I switched (myself) to "Niacin" and after trial & error with the dosage, my chlosterol came down from 5.8 to 5.1. I am due for another test soon to see what further reductions I have acheived, and I am expecting great results with "Niacin"

Cinammon is great for lowering cholesterol - 1/2 tsp per day on your oatmeal or something.

And i also agree with other writers suspicious of current "normal" cholesterol ranges. Says who and why?

More important is the difference between HDL and LDL.

Are you aware that what you eat for a full 48 hours before your blood test will effect your reading?