Husband's High Cholestrol - Need Advice

My cousin did a lot of reading on alternative health care. He said that with scientific studies some medical professionals have shown that when high cholesterol is genetic that it's not a problem.

My doctor took me off statins because recent studies have shown them to increase the likelihood of having a stroke or heart attack. However, my cholesterol level is only mildly high.

I suggest you do more research and perhaps get two opinions from doctors with different views.

Get the book "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" by Ethelstien. My husband is a family practice M.D . His cholesterol was 230. Everything about the book rang true and he adopted a plant based diet. He tested all his numbers before and after going plant based for 6 weeks. His cholesterol dropped 70 points.
Now instead of prescribing medications, he prescribes this book to them. He sees mostly geriatric patients and daily sees how a western diet destroys quality and length of life.
Vegetarianism is not really good enough. You can be a cheese, butter , and sugar vegetarian and fair as poorly health wise as a meat eater.
FYI my husband did not exercise and ate all he wanted. He also lost 10 lbs. His family adopted the diet too and his parents now weigh what they did on their wedding day without exercise.

Check out the website of Dr. Mercola. Some people think he's a quack, but he's got TONS of info on cholesterol and is years and years ahead of the conventional medical community when it comes to cholestorol and triglycerides.

My mom is a nurse but has been into "alternative" medicine for years, which my dad has rolled his eyes at for decades. His cholesterol was elevated and instead of listening to my mom, he went on a statin drug. Bad news - it definitely caused some side effects that scared him enough to wake up and look into this further. Now he's a natural health zealot, talking about inflammation, insulin resistance, etc. like a pro.

The cholesterol isn't a critical issue this very second. If the blood work from his physical confirms the low HDL, exercise and dietary changes and simple supplements like fish oil or krill oil and vitamin D can get that up to the optimal range over time.

There's actually no proof that high cholesterol causes heart disease (shocking, right?) and cholesterol is produced in response to inflammation, so he needs to understand what is causing the inflammatory response in his body. The triglycerides are a sign that his body isn't processing sugars effectively, so he needs to look at things like all carbohydrates (including grains and fruit), alcohol, etc. If there is a genetic component, he may benefit from a very restrictive diet (one that is low in carbs but high in protein and good fats).

I have found that the "alternative" or complementary field of medicine is way, way, way ahead of conventional medicine in understanding how diet affects the body. If his physical confirms these numbers, he should consider seeking out a naturopath (many chiropractors are naturopaths) to have someone help guide him through dietary changes, supplements, and changes to his exercise regimen (e.g. adding in high-intensity interval training) and measure his progress.

Please don't panic or immediately jump to medication. There are other ways for him to heal his body and get on the path to optimal health other than taking dangerous and over-prescribed drugs.

Does anyone in his family have heart problems?
Some people have high cholesterol but they are perfectly fine.
Mine is high too.
After dropping 70 lbs my doctor was sure my numbers would be in the 200's.
Nope.
I won 50 cents on that bet.
I'm at 328 - which for me is great because in the 400's is typical for me.
I had a bad reaction to taking statins 13 years ago.
It gave me horrible memory loss and terrible joint pains.
At one point I was driving down a street I had traveled on regularly for more than 15 years and for 10 minutes I had no idea where I was (I was taking CoQ10 with the statin and it didn't help me.)
I was 38 years old! and I felt like I was 70!
And even then with a fairly high dose of the statin they could not get it below 250.
I had to stop taking the drugs - they were making me feel miserable.
It's a quality of life thing.
People with low cholesterol have heart attacks too.
Not everyone with high cholesterol develops heart/artery problems.
Just be very very careful of the doctors who want to push these medications like candy.
I do think they help some people.
But they are not a cure all for everyone.

If it's genetic, how healthy are the rest of his family? Do they all have high cholesterol too? Has it impacted their lives?

My ex-husband's family was prone to high cholesterol and none of them took medicine. But they all lived well into their 90s. So it wasn't all that of a big deal. Could your husband be like that?

Honestly the machine may have malfunctioned. Don't worry yet at his physical they will do blood work and then figure it out after it

HI S.,

I agree with Sally about the psyllium and also JB and Patty about nutrition. I know of two supplements that worked great for my son-in-law. His cholesterol and his high blood pressure were under control in 60 days. His numbers were terribly high as well...at 23 and fit! One of the supplements actually cleaned out his arteries of plaque and restored the elasticity that we are supposed to have.

Dodge the meds!!! Statin drugs can shut down his liver. You don't want to go there. But you have to do something.

Hope this helps!
M.

Well, I'm in the same boat. My LDLs are borderline, as they have been since I was 13 years old. Yes- 13!! It's totally a hereditary thing- my father's side of the family have long history of cholesterol problems.
Per my doctors suggestion- I have started eating more nuts- esp almonds, and fish. I cut out red meat to once a week and am trying really hard to moderate my cheese intake. I use only olive oil for cooking, and have started label watching out for high saturated fat content which is a killer to cholesterol levels. Now, if I could only cut out chocolate!!!
The other thing I plan to start doing is drinking a little red wine at night. It's very good for raising HDLs (good cholesterol).
I go back after the first of the year and get retested. Hopefully, I will back on track!!
Hope this helps.

Ugh. That's a high triglyceride number.

I have the same problem and have taken 2 meds for it for yrs. after a few yrs I changed the way I ate, exercised 3 times a week, lost 13 lbs. I thought I would try going off my meds before my next appt. so I did for about 6 mths. Had my blood checked. My triglycerides were over 500.

Sooo, if he can change it without meds, more power to him, but I don't think so. On another note, I also tested hypothyroid, which can also raise your cholesterol. I started med for that, went back on my meds and in three weeks, my levels were perfect!

I take Crestor and Trilipix. Have his thyroid checked, too. Good luck!

start with a cardiolite stress test-if he has no occlusions and no arterial damage-what's the rub? Have him eat good fats and get the HDL up to about 90. Good luck-don't worry!

He needs meds now. Okay? Diet and exercise will not address this issue. His body makes too much and doesn't process it.

He needs meds.

Once he starts taking the meds his levels should start dropping. Diet won't hurt but it will have very little impact on a biological problem.

If a person with mildly high cholesterol starts eating higher amounts of oatmeal and cuts out some foods they can usually get their levels down. BUT with high like your hubby's meds will make a difference.

Make sure the doctor checks his thyroid levels. Hypothyroidism is most common cause of high cholesterol after diet.

I have a number of friends who have drastically lowered their cholesterol from following a mostly Paleo way of eating. At least 2 of them workout consistently but it wasn't until changing their eating habits that they really started to see great results with their levels. It's proven to be a very healthy choice for all of them.
How you guys can find a way to bring the numbers down!

Why doesn't he want to go on medication? My husband is VERY fit, works out several times a week actually, but his cholesterol was high (runs in the family) so he's taking medication for it. His numbers are perfect now and he has no problems or side effects.
Don't mess around with this, if he needs the meds then he needs them.

I have genetically high cholesterol too. When he goes to the doc., ask for a referral to the Rasmussen Center at the U of Minn. That's where the cholesterol specialists are.

Bottom line, learn more and do NOT freak out. Some of us are just born this way and it works for us.

Of course we try to eat right and exercise. However, if one is truly genetically inclined, meds are probably a must. Event though he doesn't smoke, drink alcohol, or eat meat, he's male, which is a risk factor, itself.

No one would guess by looking at me that I have really high cholesterol--in fact, I'm underweight sometimes! I've always exercised. The first time I was tested at age 5, my total cholesterol was close to 500. Have you had your kid's cholesterol levels checked?

My family has high cholesterol, I've kept mine down with psyllium (it's a type of fiber) I take 2 TBS per day. I also eat the good fats like nuts, avacados, etc. This actually helps to clear out the bad cholesterol. Low carb diets are also supposed to help.

I was actually on meds, but was able to get off of them by modifying my diet. I was already walking regularly for exercise.

What I think helped me:
1) Nutrition. An excellent vitamin regimen. Fruits and veggies instead of sugar. Lots of healthy low fat protein. I drink smoothies based with soy.
2) Fiber. Adding fiber to the diet can bring down the cholesterol a good 30 points fairly quickly.
3) Cutting back on cheese and fats.

I'd add...... if he is overweight...... lose a few!

One more thing....... cholesterol is hereditary in my family too. I have 3 brothers and sisters. I am the one with lowest cholesterol and the only one NOT on meds.

I am 37 and have had hereditarily high cholesterol since I was a teenager. I have always been underweight for my height, and have always eaten well and maintained an active lifestyle. My doctors wanted me to wait until after I was done having babies to get on medication, so after our third was born I did just that. My highest reading prior to meds was 315. On prevastatin, I just had my best score ever--177.

REALLY? ive been to alot of gyms in my time and ive yet to see one that allows blood draw..you might be getting scammed-wait til dr appt.and in the future-if you need ANY TYPE of medical work go to the friggen drs.unreal hope their needles were clean..good luck

I had a lot of commiserating and other things written out, but it all comes down to this:

Your husband needs to go into that physical next week with an open mind that medications could very well be what save his life.

Many times with hereditary high cholesterol medication is needed along with the lifestyle changes. There are a lot of types of meds to choose from, which your doctor can discuss with you. American Heart Association has a web site full of good info and diet ideas that could help. My family also has hereditary high cholesterol. I started taking meds for it at 37. My Mom had her heart stent put in at 49 as she hadn't been having things checked and treated. Kudos for getting the screening and following up!!

Your husband needs to be seen by a medical doctor, not someone at his gym! They will run blood tests to get his actual numbers. A result of N/A means the results are not accurate. Make an appointent for him to see your primary doctor to have the tests done properly.

mine is almost that high too, and is genetic. i eat well (other than my sugar issues, which DO contribute) and exercise appropriately. my doctor really, really wants me on medication. but i tried it, had side effects i found insupportable, and have refused to go back on it.
i've improved my numbers with upping the amount of dark green leafies i eat every day (at least 2 and up to 4 cups) and adding ground organic flax seed and beetroot powder to my green smoothies (which are the only way i can stuff that much kale down my gullet.) i also take fish oil.
my doctor still shakes her head, but unless a blockage is found (i get checked) i find the pharmaceutical toxicity risk to be the one i can't live with.
khairete
S.