High Cholesterol Problem

[Derek Simonds]

All right here is the problem. My wife went in for her normal check up and her cholesterol was 235 or 238 and they asked if she wanted statins. She wisely said no and they sent her a bunch of literature to read about how to control cholesterol the government way. Aargh. With her being a nurse by profession she diligently read all the information and last night told me what the diet had to be based on.

I as politely and without any undo concern in my voice told her that those pamphlets not only were outdated but the best way to end up with higher cholesterol and diabetes. Maybe a little too much to throw at her in the first conversation.

She said that she is willing to read any papers or abstracts that I can send her that support my views but, and it is a big but she isn't going to read a book or anything that is overly complicated.

My go to site for this kind of things is http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/, does anyone have anything bookmarked from marks daily apple or another fairly easily read site that can offer a good counterpoint to traditional views.

Any help would be appreciated and I will spend some time researching this weekend just hoping you guys can help me get a head start!

[Roberto Garza]

Take a look at: http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/

I'll try to dig up specific blog posts later today.

[Mark Gebhard]

Have her read this post on Dr. Eades' blog about improvements seen with the paleo diet and the accompanying journal article.

[Matthew Bacorn]

Maybe this http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.co...kitava_14.html will help

It may not directly address the problem, but I think it's a fantastic point.

Please keep us updated, this is good stuff to have. I am trying to convince my mom that low fat, high fiber gvt recommendations are not the be all end all of health. So we'll see how it goes, I suppose

[Mike ODonnell]

Dr Eades site is full of good stuff on cholesterol including these ones:
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/s...atin-disaster/
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/l...bs-and-lipids/

also this article in business week:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine...8052092994.htm

this article in the NY Times:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/0...ke-you-stupid/

this short video by Dr Rosedale on the cholesterol myth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awA2fsa94MI

Weston Price's article on Cholesterol Friend or Foe:
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyour...ol-friend.html

or just my post that links to all those above anyway:
http://lifespotlight.com/health/2008...e-needs-drugs/
and sums up like this:

* Cholesterol is not the bad guy as made out. Inflammation is a greater risk factor
* Cholesterol is 80% made by the liver….doesn’t matter what you eat. If you eat less cholesterol then the body makes more. If you eat more cholesterol then the body makes less.
* If your doctor says you need statins, ask him/her where the actual proof is that they do any good….there is none. If they still force you to take it….I might think about finding a new doctor who will work with your lifestyle changes instead. (of course I am no medical professional who can judge your real risk factors so you can’t listen to me…but from the looks of it above, are those doctor even aware of why they are giving out statins?)
* Eating better foods and exercise seem to do more than statins to reduce risks for heart disease
* If we stopped spending billions of dollars on cholesterol related medical visits and procedure, and put it to educating people about what is really going on….we could probably help millions (but there is no financial gain for any company for that).
* Low Fat/High Carb diets make more smaller dense dangerous cholesterol particles (so we can thank the whole eat “low fat” advice over the last few decades as a role in increasing heart diseases)
* Statins make us sick and dumber….all to prevent something it hasn’t been proven to help for most all people. How is this legally on the market?
* Cholesterol goes up when the body is under stress (including inflammation, immmune system, toxins and chemicals in us, oxidative damamge, free radicals, etc). I know chronic joggers with high cholesterol who won’t listen to me when I say “stop jogging so much and eat less sugar”. But they would rather think their doctor knows it all. Sigh…..
* Get your SLEEP….and stop stressing out all day. Lack of sleep and chronic stress leads to increased insulin resistance…high insulin…and all the fun things to come. Lifestyle is a huge factor…and if we choose to ignore this then we choose to make ourselves sicker.
* Get rid of ALL vegetable oils….want a great way to cause cell membrane destruction? Increase your consumption of unstable and easily oxidized fats (PUFAs). Eat more “stable” Sat and MUFA (monounsat fats).
* High Insulin drives MORE cholesterol production!!!! Focus on what matters, insulin control!!!! How do we do that? Well high insulin levels are usually a result of insulin resistance brought on by high blood sugar (from eating/drinking too much processed/easily broken down carbs and sugar and also a lack of protein with meals to slow down gastric emptying). Best ways to reverse the damage, eat less sugar and processed carbs to keep blood sugar stable, eat more proteins/healthy fats/whole food carbs like fruits and vegetables, and exercise to improve insulin sensitivity. Hands down the best way to get better! HyperInsulinia (chronic high insulin levels) could be the #1 risk factor for most ALL diseases.

[Roberto Garza]

Richard Nikoley's latest lipid panel is worth a look. He eats what many would consider high fat.

http://www.freetheanimal.com/root/20...pid-panel.html

[George Mounce]

Statins kill your sex life:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...tm?csp=usat.me

More from MDA since you asked!

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/statin-insanity/

[Derek Simonds]

Thanks everyone for the great links. We have had a couple of good conversations about the links and Tracy is keeping an open mind.