My story so far

[JJ]

OK, our family has a history of longevity, yet both my sister & I have discovered we have what is said to be high cholesterol. She has just started taking Simvastin, and said she feels better for it only after a month.

I know mine has been high for quite a few years and I only just decided to do something about it and then found this forum.

My figures are 277 - HDL 46, LDL 185, Trig 228

I was initially prescribed Prevencor by a doctor without much explanation as to what it did. I stopped taking it after two months as it was so expensive here.

I then started taking Simvastin 2 days ago but you've clearly worried me here. I live in Spain. I do eat dairy products, cheeses, etc but I'm beginning to wonder if diet may be a better option. I haven't dared tell my sister what I found yet, as the doctor really frightened her by telling her she was at increased risk of a heart attack or stroke - she ended up intially on a constant diet of porridge

I read about things that we simply can't get here such as blueberries. Kiwi fruit are plentiful which I believe are good, and I also read here Vit C supplements are a help. We eat a lot of fish.

I know you must get fed up of people asking you this and I apologise in advance, but what would you recommend. I found a local Pharmacia that will test my blood instantly whenever I need it, so I can check. I must admit I dont quite understand if there are separate ways of bringing down the LDL/HDL and the Trigs.

I really appreciate your input on this .... maybe in simple language I can understand

[Allen1]

Hi there JJ,

you don't mention if you are male or female or your age, but here is a link from the homepage on this site about women and cholesterol lowering.

*http://www.spacedoc.net/women_statins.htm

Remove the (*) and paste the link in your browsers address bar. If you are sure you want to reduce your cholesterol then the porridge approach does work although slowly. In reality as long as you are active and eat a varied nutritious diet and don't overindulge too often, then you should be ok.

People have different cholesterol levels and Dr's want everyone to be the same, what level works for one person may be disastrous to another. Lowering your levels may and probably would have a small benefit, but I am pleased to see you have had the good sense to look for answers before the problem of side effects start from taking medications.

I will leave this as is for now, there are plenty of folk on here that will have a better knowledge of dietary needs and what works best, so I will leave the explanations and food types to them.

It really is good to see someone finding the answers before they become another addition to this mess.

All the very best,

Allen

[cjbrooksjc]

If you will click on 'Home Page' at the top of this page you will find, in the left most column of the Home Page, a list of 'clickable' subjects. Under HEALTH you will find the word CHOLESTEROL - point your cursor there and follow the links to Cholesterol Lowering Supplements. There are other products on the market such as Policosinol (sp?), but I'm not sure how they work. Be careful NOT to order anything with Red Yeast Rice extract - RYR is a STATIN just like Simvastatin. Bienvenido a Spacedoc!

Regards,

Brooks

[JJ]

Thats excellent, apologies for not finding it, theres such a lot of info on this site
I'll read, take it all in and come back if any more questions

[Brian C.]

The cholesterol hypothesis has been falsified by every study but the meme lives on.

There is NO link between "cholesterol level" and heart disease (or stroke susceptibility). It's the quality that matters not quantity.

Homocysteine and CRP (c-reactive protein) are more relevant markers.

Dr Graveline (spacedoc) had a recommended supplementation regime on the spacedoc.net site but it has either disappeared or been buried.
I suspect professional peer-pressure has been brought to bear, backed by law....


Brian.