High triglycerides

[DebE13]

I've been reading previous posts related to high cholesterol and I am still not sure the best course of action. My husband hasn't been to the doctor since 2010 (can you imagine? Lucky guy). He had high cholesterol then and its even higher now. What is the lesser of two evils? Should he take a medication or risk heart issues?

Cholesterol 232 mg/dL
Triglycerides 314
Hdl 43
Ldl 126
Non HDL cholesterol 189

[Erica P-G]

Just food for thought Deb....read the attached pages from a newly released book by Dr. Steven Gundry, and if it sounds interesting supposedly the 'good' foods help with the questions you pose due to them being friendly to our gut system. Also I remember reading somewhere probably by Tex about something we do that lowers cholesterol in the gut, that might be an answer also.

I'm just swimming my way through this information and trying some of it on for size with my husband also, as some of these 'good' foods I will have to wait on until I can process them better.

[Vanessa]

Hey Deb,

I know that high cholesterol and or triglycerides can be a mineral and magnesium deficiency symptom (I know I know, how can this be ). If you look that up on Dr. Carolyn Dean's website, she can give you some science behind it. I would start him on the mag supplements way before a Statin.....which will cause more mag def.

I hope you are doing well. I know you got some ReMag awhile back. Keep us posted

[tex]

To further confuse the issue I have to point out that vitamin D supplementation raises cholesterol levels, whereas getting vitamin D by means of exposure of the skin to sunlight does not.

Tex

[DebE13]

Thanks for the book pages, I will have to look it over.

I saw some info on magnesium and think I will start having him take it too- it's already in the house.

Tex, thats really weird. He takes Vit D supplements along with me and is in construction so gets plenty of sunshine. He also has the good ole Wisconsin beer belly that doesn't help. We have places to start anyway.

He took statins ten years ago but then stopped when he read about the dangers of taking it. I do notice creases on his earlobes which I've repeatedly read are an indicator of potential heart disease. I'm not sure if that's a myth or not but has always concerned me. He has always been incredibly healthy even thiugh his habits could be improved upon. He isn't too far from retirement and I want him to be able to enjoy it.

Does anyone else take fish oil? Or could coconut oil be substituted? I am a lover od coconut oil and use it in cooking, a natural lubricant, as my body lotion, and as a oral aide (separate jars, of course, for culinary and personal use), and even give it to my cats. One of my girls has a chipped tooth and nasty breath. It makes a noticeable difference.

[JFR]

High carbohydrate diets lead to high levels of triglycerides. You can read about it here:

http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/01/h ... lycerides/

Switching to a low carbohydrate diet almost invariably leads to much lower levels of triglycerides.

Jean

[tex]

I take 2,200 mg of fish oil daily.

I agree with what Jean posted.

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

Deb
you might be interested in this discussion from a couple of months ago where after a period of taking coconut capsules, magnesium and using diatomaceous earth my cholesterol dropped big time - and my eating plan is low carb

reiterates the points above about magnesium and low carb eating plan
I also get lots of time in the sun
but other items that may help your hubby are the coconut and/or diatomaceous earth

http://perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic ... ht=coconut

[DebE13]

Thanks for the link Jean. Good information- I wouldn't have known the dose for fish oil was that high. I have some on the way that is comparable to Lovaza.

We are definatley going to have to work on diet. Sadly, stress levels for him are through the roof. A bad work situation. Long story.

I am intrigued with the diatomaceous earth. I have that on order too.

My biggest concern is how to go about this- is it better to start the statin (something I would not want to do but comically, I am taking cholestyramine for D management) along with the supplements to get the numbers down faster then discontinue and see if the supplementation can hold its own? Or give the supplements a try first and if they don't do the job, start the statin? How long does it take to see results? Six weeks? Three months?

I won't feel comfortable with either choice... statins scare the bejeebers out of me but if something were to happen to him without taking a prescription, I will feel it's my fault for steering him towards natural remedies that may or may not work.

[Gabes-Apg]

any supplement approach is not going to be instant - to fix magnesium deficiency and start to get full benefit of magnesium supplementation is going to take at least 6-8 weeks.

you may need to read the literature on the statin and see what they say about how long the med takes to provide benefit.
one option you may want to consider/research. start the statin and the revised eating plan and supplements (Vit D, magnesium, coconut, active B's) after 8 weeks or so, start to reduce the dose of the statin as you will be well into resolving deficiencies of the nutrients...

With Diatomaceous earth, you should only use it for 3 weeks, have a break for 3-4 weeks and then use it again if you want. it is kinda like a natural form of cholestraymine.

[tex]

Statins usually work pretty quickly. He should see significantly lower cholesterol numbers in a couple of months or less.

I think I'm supposed to take a cholesterol test next week (Friday). I've been on statins since the stroke (since they couldn't think of anything else to do — I was already taking plavix, and I don't have hypertension). That will be about 6 weeks since I started taking them. My cholesterol level was 234 when I had the stroke. We'll see what it is after 6 weeks on Lipitor (generic).

Tex

[brandy]

Very good link Jean, thanks for posting.

[tex]

Deb,

Here's more information on what I posted about the difference in getting vitamin D from the sun or from supplements:

Getting vitamin D from sun exposure significantly lowers total cholesterol, (TC), low-density-lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density-lipoprotein (HDL). Increasing one's 25(OH)D level by taking vitamin D3 supplements increases TC, and HDL, but causes only an insignificant increase in the LDL level. Here's a link to the actual study report.

Randomized Control Trial Assessing Impact of Increased Sunlight Exposure versus Vitamin D Supplementation on Lipid Profile in Indian Vitamin D Deficient Men

Tex

[DebE13]

Thanks Gabes, good info to know about the DE.

I wonder if he should stop Vit D supplements. He takes them because I do. He has no issues at all aside from the cholesterol. Or maybe just during the winter months. He is outside year-round.

I didn't realize how little I knew about carbs. The easiest thing will be to eliminate some of the junk around the house and join him. It certainly can't hurt. I could stand to loose ten pounds. Although, comsidering my diet is already pretty limited there will be some items I will sVe for when I am on my own.

Looking at all the label around the house..... High carb products all over. This will be difficult hor him so I don't believe an all in method at once will work. I can easily see him getting discouraged and giving up if he is too limited.

[Gabes-Apg]

Deb
it is as we have discussed before : we can lead the person to knowledge but we cant make them think.
The motivation for anyone to embrace changes and stick with them comes down to how much they value long term health and wellness and life with minimal symptoms/issues.