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LOWERING CHOLESTEROL - LDL

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GraceK

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Has anyone used red yeast rice to lower their LDL? If so, how beneficial was it? :think:
 
Thanks for that input CC and Indy ... I had my doubts about it for some reason ... but will definitely give it a miss having read up on it now.

I've got my blood sugar behaving quite well so I'm trying to sort out the cholesterol now. At my 3 month review it was LDL 4.summat and HDL was only 2.summat, totalling 6.summat and I managed to hold off from going on Statins for another 3 months because I really am terrified of the side effects having suffered angioedema and anaphylaxis for 10 months due to bad side effects and my reaction to another prescribed medication. Honestly, it takes a huge effort from me now to take any medication after that. I bring it home and sit staring at it for a week before I can summon the courage to take it or leave it.

Thankfully, I'm OK with the Metformin and Omeprazole but my liver profiles are not so good. I very, very rarely drink alcohol if at all yet I have fatty liver and high LDL. The HCPs always look a bit disbelieving when I say I rarely drink alcohol and my liver certainly feels as if it's not doing it's job properly and that annoys me no-end. The last doctor I saw who was really very nice told me that Omeprazole can cause liver damage but if I stop taking it, my gastric problems return so I'm stuck with it really. But I have halved the dosage since going LCHF.

So I was looking to see if anyone has used a good LDL lowering supplement that I haven't come across. I'm taking high dose VitD3, and Omega 3,6,9 and multivits and have ditched all processed foods and flour and grain based carbs are just not on my radar at all now. So I'm at a loss as to what more I can do to lower my cholesterol in time for next review. :roll:
 
Personally, I will never take statin drugs again and no doctor will be able to convince me otherwise. I had horrendous side effects. I've also done my own research and found that they are not useful for women anyway. Here's just some of the research I've found on the subject:

http://www.whp-apsf.ca/pdf/statinsEvidenceCaution.pdf
http://healthandpharma.awardspace.com/S ... 0IJC09.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3303886/

Note in the conclusions of the last study:
"If our findings are generalizable, clinical and public health recommendations regarding the ‘dangers’ of cholesterol should be revised. This is especially true for women, for whom moderately elevated cholesterol (by current standards) may prove to be not only harmless but even beneficial."

I plan on being prepared next time the subject is raised by my doctor by taking along printouts of these reports.

I've successfully stopped taking Nexium/esomeprazole since starting on LCHF. I also had the help of some supplements along the way. Sounds like you're well on the way in that regard. When you read about the problems PPIs can cause, I don't blame you for wanting to stop taking them:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21894279
 
I've no intention of taking them either Indy and I've also read that LDL build up in arteries is actually a protective measure and is what prevents strokes and heart attacks, it doesn't cause them ... it's a bit like a sticking plaster on a weakened artery which when I think about it ... makes sense. But I suppose if it builds up too much it can cause blockages and prevent blood from flowing well.

So until the medical profession know enough about the body's natural defence mechanisms, I think I'll leave it to do it's own thing. :D
 
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