Cholesterol

[bumbershoot]

Red yeast rice. It works the same as a statin. In three months of taking 2 pills a day, my cholesterol went down 90 points. (272 to begin with) I now take one pill a day for maintainence. My doctor is big on using anything herbal to avoid a rx medication, thank goodness.

Very interesting! And I have the dress you're wearing in your avatar pic.

Yes, as of September.

The one problem I have is that I can't limit meat as much as some are recommending. I always go for the leanest cuts possible and generally avoid red meat, but I have to really watch my carbs because that is what raises blood sugar. Protein and fat help to slow down the absorption of carbs, and I've found without some kind of lean meat at a meal, I tend to go hypo. I do try to get fruit and veggies in, more veggies than fruit because of the whole carb issue. I can't remember what my LDL was, I think it was maybe 108 or something like that. If you have diabetes it has to be under 100, but for anybody else that number would not even bear mentioning.

Hubby has been low-carbing it, but we're vegetarian, so we're using the MOrningstar Farms, as we call it, "fake meat" strips. Tried the "beef" ones and they are awful, but the "chick'n" ones are actually quite nice.

 

[wardfamily1]

Another excellent advice. I add flaxseed to my oatmeal/cereal. Once my dh read that it should not be taken within two hours of your medication - he would not even try it.

I did that last year, every day for about 2 months. I stopped when I developed a kidney stone from too much flaxseed.

 

[ntsammy5]

Exercise - I'm surprised no one has mentioned niacin - no flush kind. It works. I'm type II, 62 and my cholesterol is 135. Fish oil helps reduce triglycerides which I do have a problem with ut mine are down to 150 after I started fish oil (mega 3). GOOD LUCK

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I just wanted to say that my DH had over the top cholestrol since he has been your age.
It scares the doctors. At some point it was over 500.

He hates meds so he has been off/on them for a while. Right now he is "off". He did finally find a med that did not mess with him. That took forever.....