Posted by vitaqueen on October 4, 2005, at 15:47:28
In reply to Re: AT MY WITS END -- Cholesterol Homocysteine » vitaqueen, posted by JLx on October 2, 2005, at 15:59:23
> Some food for thought on some of the pages on Dr. Lam.com, which could use more proofreading, I notice. Lam is an anti-aging specialist apparently. Not all, but most, of what he has to say seems pretty solid to me, albeit alternative/natural. I like how he has things highlighted so you can skim.
Excellent site. I've printed things out to read at a more leisure time. Thank you.
> I know you said you've had high cholesterol since childhood, but since it's getting more resistant to your efforts, maybe there will be some info of value there.
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> One interesting thing was his comment about hypothyroidism, which we can be at increased risk for as we get older:
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> "As many as 10 percent of 98 million Americans with high cholesterol and high LDL ("bad") cholesterol may not know that their cholesterol is high due to undiagnosed thyroid problem. Older women with sub clinical or under-active hypothyroidism was shown to be twice as likely as women without this condition to have heart attacks." http://www.drlam.com/physician_support/hypothyroidism.cfm#4I have had my thyroid checked fairly recent, and it was normal -- at least it was by the test taken (a T3 I believe). But I've always wondered if there was a more comprehensive test for this.
> This was an interesting article:
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> New Markers of Cardiovascular Health http://www.drlam.com/A3R_brief_in_doc_format/1999-No5-NewMarkersofCardiovasularDisease.cfm
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> Have you been tested for lipoprotein(a)?You mean testing for lipoprotein(a) is different than testing for cholesterol? I've never heard of this before. Of course, no "doctor" ever told me to have my homocysteine checked before either.
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> I'm going to get some ascorbyl palmitate, as it seems a good idea in general to have a fat soluble Vit C. Interesting that what he recommends, per Linus Pauling protocol for reducing cardiovascular disease, includes most of what he also recommends for adrenal insufficiency, namely proline, lysine, Vit C, and pantothenic acid.
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> In his article about cholesterol, http://www.lammd.com/A3R_brief_in_doc_format/Cholesterol.cfm , he mentions pantethine and pantothenic acid, which you are already taking but not in the dose he discusses.
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> "Typically, a daily dose of 900 mg pantethine has been shown to reduce triglyceride by 20-30%, total cholesterol by 10-20%, LDL cholesterol by 10-20%, and a rise in HDL cholesterol by 10-20% in many studies."So very interesting. Can't wait to really get into the aricles. I don't believe I'm taking much pantethine and pantothenic acid at all. I'll have to check this out.
> He also talks about digestive enzymes, probiotics and milk thistle besides what you've already said you're taking.I do take a probiotic -- Acidopholus 40+ and 200 mg Milk Thistle, both every other day. I know the probiotic has helped.
> You asked about carbohydrates influencing cholesterol and Dr. Lam discusses that too:
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> "The surest way to reduce cholesterol is by reducing sugar intake and not reducing dietary cholesterol alone."I've heard this enough times now to know it's true, but as you say later -- it is tough to cut this one out. Although, I do notice that once I stop for awhile, it reduces my cravings.
> "b. Eliminate refined carbohydrates and sugar from your diet and substitute complex carbohydrates that have lots of fiber. Fruit should be the major source of sweetness in your diet. Fruits are filled with pectin and fiber, which work wonders in lower serum cholesterol.I have a fruit smoothie every morning -- with about 4-6 ozs almond milk and one scoop of a soy-free vegetable protein powder. It's the damn carrot muffins at Whole Foods that drive me nuts.
> c. Foods that have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol include oat bran, oatmeal, and dry beans out of a can. Oat bran has been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol by up to 20%. Grapefruit - segments and membranes, not the juice - drives down cholesterol. Also fresh oranges, apples, garlic, onions, barley, ginger, and shitake mushrooms.All stuff I eat a lot of, except the grapefruit as I was told when on a cholesterol-lowering statin (i.e. red yeast rice), grapefruit is a no-no.
> d. Eat lots of raw onion - at least half a medium onion a day. This has been shown to raise the good HDL cholesterol by up to 30%. Oat bran has also been shown to increase HDL cholesterol by up to 20%."
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> There you go, raw onion every day. ;)
Onions no problem, but I have to say, I have never been able to get into oatmeal, or oat bran. There just seems to be too much to have to do to oatmeal to take away the "cardboard" taste.>
> Dr. Joseph Mercola is practically rabid on the subject of statins. He says about carbs,
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> "A health food plan that is focused on consuming little to no sugar and grains will effectively lower insulin levels. Elevated insulin levels are one of the primary drivers for raising cholesterol." http://www.mercola.com/2005/may/19/statins_otc.htm
> http://www.mercola.com/2001/jul/14/insulin.htm
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> The more I can avoid sugar, simple carbs and high glycemic foods in general, the better I feel. It's just so hard to do.Yes it is!!! I was on the South Beach Diet awhile back which is based on the glycemic index, and I have to admit, I did lose weight and felt great on it. Contrary to the Atkins which was just too much high-fat for me.
> You didn't mention if you are taking magnesium. Magnesium has really helped me with depression, so I take it for that. But when I read both "The Miracle of Magnesium" and "The Magnesium Factor", I thought I would be taking it to prevent heart disease and diabetes otherwise.
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> Magnesium orotate is one that I've been reading about lately as especially valuable for heart utilization. http://www.aor.ca/MedicalAbsDetail.asp?abs_id=87 I bought some recently from Beyond a Century, in bulk as it's cheaper, but it tastes terrible.Calcium and magnesium are two I do not take with any regularity. I'm probably naive about this, but for some reason -- since cholesterol has been referred to as a calcium build-up, I'm hesitant to take calcium -- the magnesium is in the same "liquid calcium" I have, so I'm not getting that either.
> I take a lot of supplements too and the cost horrifies me sometimes which is why I try to get some things there. Also, at iherb if I can stand to order things all at once, there's no shipping charge and a discount for bigger orders. It's not that hard to rack up $120 worth and that's an 8% discount on prices already lower than my local store.I would love to save money on some of these things as well, but I'm not certain which brands to trust. There are so many it can get very time-consuming just researching the companies which I really don't have time to do. So I go with the most popular names which I'm sure are a lot more expensive than some other just as good ones. I must spend at least $160/month on this stuff and really wish I could consolidate and take exactly what is necessary. I used to take everything every day, but someone suggested I take some things every other day -- that has saved me a few $$$.
Thanks again, you're help is invaluable.
Donna
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poster:vitaqueen
thread:559795
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050924/msgs/562796.html