RE: High Cholesterol - Good HDL to Total Ratio. What to Do?

[Guest guest]

Joan,

How are your hormone levels? Cholesterol is a precursor for all hormones.

Maybe you body is making more cholesterol in attempts to try to give you more of

some hormone you are deficient in.

Sherry

jaydeejersey <siegal-divor@...> wrote:

Has anyone dealt with this problem: I have a family history of high

cholesterol. Despite the fact that my weight and general health are

fine, mine ranges from the 270s to the 320s. For the last 20 years

I've been doing the skim milk, low fat thing to no avail. Now I'm

seeing a nutritionist and an alternative physician. The nutritionist

put me on to Nourishing Traditions, and I've been transitioning to

that diet (coconut oil, butter, kefir, lots of greens), plus taking

fish oil capsules and making salad dressing including flax seed oil to

try to help the situation. My recent blood tests were: Total Chol:

319, HDL 94; HDL ratio to total 3.4 - which is supposed to be pretty

good; LDL 225. These numbers show virtually no change pre- and post-

my change to Nourishing Traditions foods. My regular doctor wants to

put me on Lipitor and the alternative doctor wants to put me on red

yeast rice and niacin -- and I don't want to do either! I'm in my

early 50s. Has anybody had similar experience -- what did you do?

Thanks.

Joan

[Guest guest]

I heard somewhere that you can take two tablespoons of olive oil in the morning

and it will reduce cholestrol numbers. try it for a couple of weeks and

see...cant hurt?/

High Cholesterol - Good HDL to Total Ratio. What to Do?

Has anyone dealt with this problem: I have a family history of high

cholesterol. Despite the fact that my weight and general health are

fine, mine ranges from the 270s to the 320s. For the last 20 years

I've been doing the skim milk, low fat thing to no avail. Now I'm

seeing a nutritionist and an alternative physician. The nutritionist

put me on to Nourishing Traditions, and I've been transitioning to

that diet (coconut oil, butter, kefir, lots of greens), plus taking

fish oil capsules and making salad dressing including flax seed oil to

try to help the situation. My recent blood tests were: Total Chol:

319, HDL 94; HDL ratio to total 3.4 - which is supposed to be pretty

good; LDL 225. These numbers show virtually no change pre- and post-

my change to Nourishing Traditions foods. My regular doctor wants to

put me on Lipitor and the alternative doctor wants to put me on red

yeast rice and niacin -- and I don't want to do either! I'm in my

early 50s. Has anybody had similar experience -- what did you do?

Thanks.

Joan

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Sherry, and others who responded or will respond.

Hormones are fine except slightly hypothyroid. I am taking a small

dose of synthroid...BTW, I remembered my numbers wrong in original

post: They are Total Cholesterol: 325; HDL: 84; LDL; 219;

Triglycerides 109; ratio hdl to total: 33.8. Sorry about that, but

it's still the same relative interpretation.

After reading Nourishing Traditions, I'm not even sure if there is a

real medical need in my case to lower the number.

Again, any experiences or thoughts to share?

Joan

-- In , Sherry <sr@s...> wrote:

> Joan,

>

> How are your hormone levels? Cholesterol is a precursor for all

hormones. Maybe you body is making more cholesterol in attempts to

try to give you more of some hormone you are deficient in.

>

> Sherry

>

> jaydeejersey <siegal-divor@m...> wrote:

> Has anyone dealt with this problem: I have a family history of high

> cholesterol. Despite the fact that my weight and general health are

> fine, mine ranges from the 270s to the 320s. For the last 20 years

> I've been doing the skim milk, low fat thing to no avail. Now I'm

> seeing a nutritionist and an alternative physician. The nutritionist

> put me on to Nourishing Traditions, and I've been transitioning to

> that diet (coconut oil, butter, kefir, lots of greens), plus taking

> fish oil capsules and making salad dressing including flax seed oil

to

> try to help the situation. My recent blood tests were: Total Chol:

> 319, HDL 94; HDL ratio to total 3.4 - which is supposed to be pretty

> good; LDL 225. These numbers show virtually no change pre- and post-

> my change to Nourishing Traditions foods. My regular doctor wants to

> put me on Lipitor and the alternative doctor wants to put me on red

> yeast rice and niacin -- and I don't want to do either! I'm in my

> early 50s. Has anybody had similar experience -- what did you do?

>

> Thanks.

> Joan

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Joan

If you are getting enough Omega 6 and 3s I would say only time will tell. You

have to give your body time to repair. I think your on the right road.

If you take enough of the coconut oil. . .you may even be able to make the dose

of Thyroid less. Don't over do the Coconut oil, or take to much to fast, as it

might overload you delicate thyroid.

This comes from a person who was born with half a thyroid

Sherry

[Guest guest]

> High Cholesterol - Good HDL to Total Ratio. What to Do?

>

>

>Has anyone dealt with this problem:

Yes, but I don't consider it a problem.

I have a family history of high

>cholesterol. Despite the fact that my weight and general health are

>fine, mine ranges from the 270s to the 320s. For the last 20 years

>I've been doing the skim milk, low fat thing to no avail.

That could actually raise your total cholesterol level.

Now I'm

>seeing a nutritionist and an alternative physician. The nutritionist

>put me on to Nourishing Traditions, and I've been transitioning to

>that diet (coconut oil, butter, kefir, lots of greens), plus taking

>fish oil capsules and making salad dressing including flax seed oil to

>try to help the situation.

IMO, there is no situation here that requires " help " . I encourage you to

read " The Cholesterol Myths " by Uffe Ravnskov and the links in my sig line.

My recent blood tests were: Total Chol:

>319, HDL 94; HDL ratio to total 3.4 - which is supposed to be pretty

>good; LDL 225. These numbers show virtually no change pre- and post-

>my change to Nourishing Traditions foods. My regular doctor wants to

>put me on Lipitor and the alternative doctor wants to put me on red

>yeast rice and niacin -- and I don't want to do either! I'm in my

>early 50s. Has anybody had similar experience -- what did you do?

My one and only cholesterol test last fall showed my total cholesterol at

273. My ratio is " good " like yours. My ND and I are totally unconcerned

about the total level. The " healthy " range is essentialy an arbitrary

number. The committee that determined this range was thinking of making the

healthy range around 300, IIRC. At the last minute they decided to make it

lower without any particularly compelling reason (although possibly a

financial reason). Don't sweat it. Your worrying about it may be causing you

harm while there's no reason to believe your cholesterol level is doing any

such thing. You will know what I mean if you read some of the links in my

sig.

As for your doc's recommendation to take Lipitor, I'd suggest finding a new

doctor - one who actually knows what he's talking about.

Suze Fisher

Lapdog Design, Inc.

Web Design & Development

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg

Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

http://www.westonaprice.org

----------------------------

“The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause

heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times.” --

Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt

University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher.

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics

<http://www.thincs.org>

----------------------------

>

[Guest guest]

> Re: High Cholesterol - Good HDL to Total Ratio. What to

>Do?

>

>

>Thanks, Sherry, and others who responded or will respond.

>

>Hormones are fine except slightly hypothyroid. I am taking a small

>dose of synthroid...

I'm also hypothyroid and am on Armour. Underactive thyroid also raises one's

cholesterol level.

Suze Fisher

Lapdog Design, Inc.

Web Design & Development

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg

Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

http://www.westonaprice.org

----------------------------

“The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause

heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times.” --

Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt

University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher.

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics

<http://www.thincs.org>

----------------------------

>

[Guest guest]

I have this problem too, but I'm only 41. My numbers were similar to

yours, except even higher. I ate a low-fat diet for 19 years. My

reg. dr. wanted me to go on statins, but 2 weeks ago I was able to

get an appt. with Dr. Tom Cowan, who is also affiliated with WAPF,

and he told me not to worry, but I had abused my body by eating low-

fat for so long that I am also hypothyroid because of it. I was

starving my thyroid so it slowly stopped working. He gave me some

supplements that feed my thyroid.

High chol. goes hand-in-hand with hypothyroidism. He said according

to Dr. Uffe Ravnskov, author of " The Cholesterol Myth " , there is no

reason to take statin drugs. Especially for women. You might want

to read that book because it gives a lot of background on the whole

cholesterol hype. My cholesterol really shot up once I started

eating healthy. My body finally recognized food so it generated all

the cholesterol to help my thyroid. I tell you, low-fat diets will

kill you a little at a time.

Dr. Cowan told me if it was in NT I could eat it. If not, don't. He

was more concerned with my TSH level because there is ample evidence

that people with hypothyroid do have more heart attacks and cancer.

So, once my thyroid is under control my cholesterol should naturally

lower because it is no longer needed for damaged cell repair. He was

very reassuring about this. My cholesterol my never be under 200,

but then again there is enough evidence out there saying that low

cholesterol is not necessarily good.

If you are anywhere near CA I recommend you try to see Dr. Cowan. If

not, he recommended a couple of books. One is " The Schwarzbein

Principle " , just stay away from the soy and canola oil she

recommends, and the other it " Life Without Bread " . Again, " The Chol.

Myth " is quite an interesting read. Also, if you haven't already,

get on the WAP website and read the articles they have conerning this

issue. That might help, too.

Kara

> Has anyone dealt with this problem: I have a family history of high

> cholesterol. Despite the fact that my weight and general health are

> fine, mine ranges from the 270s to the 320s. For the last 20 years

> I've been doing the skim milk, low fat thing to no avail. Now I'm

> seeing a nutritionist and an alternative physician. The

nutritionist

> put me on to Nourishing Traditions, and I've been transitioning to

> that diet (coconut oil, butter, kefir, lots of greens), plus taking

> fish oil capsules and making salad dressing including flax seed oil

to

> try to help the situation. My recent blood tests were: Total

Chol:

> 319, HDL 94; HDL ratio to total 3.4 - which is supposed to be

pretty

> good; LDL 225. These numbers show virtually no change pre- and

post-

> my change to Nourishing Traditions foods. My regular doctor wants

to

> put me on Lipitor and the alternative doctor wants to put me on red

> yeast rice and niacin -- and I don't want to do either! I'm in my

> early 50s. Has anybody had similar experience -- what did you do?

>

> Thanks.

> Joan