Hi I am a 44year old women who is 5ft 6 and weighs 9st 2 and I've been told my cholesterol is high but the Dr will not put me on statins to curb my anxiety of having a heart attack. My bad cholesterol is 4.6 my good is 1.4 total cholesterol is 6.4. I'm now so scared of having a heart attack I weigh all my food even my skimmed milk(8oz limited so I only consume 5mg of cholesterol). I've stopped eating all meat and only have salmon once a week due to the added cholesterol. Ive stopped eating cakes biscuits sweets and chocolate. I'm concerned about carbs so I limited my potatoes and I won't now eat bread. I'm eating fruit but now after reading some posts I'm concerned about the sugar.I try and walk 10,000 steps daily and I use excerise bike daily I can't afford the gym so bought home DVD but feel a fool. If I don't excerise I get more obsessed. I'm a mess and my dr wont take my worries seriously. Can anyone advise me what else I can do to lower the cholesterol. Oh I'm allergic to nuts clove and ginger.
High Cholesterol: Hi I am a 44year old... - Cholesterol Support
High Cholesterol
Hi, I am sorry you are so stressed and anxious about your cholesterol. It really sounds like you are a young, healthy, active person who happens to have raised cholesterol levels. It also sounds like you are already doing ALL the right things to control it! My cholesterol has been high for over 30 years... always over 6.4, but I refuse to take statins. I have a myriad of reasons, of which I won't get into here, but I know I do the best I can with my diet, exercise and trying to keep stress at a minimum, while still enjoying my life! I'm a YOUNG 63 and was just told on Wednesday that my new cholesterol number is 8.8!!! I was a bit taken back by this, but know I'm on some meds that may be causing it to jump... There is a TON of stuff on on the internet about the myths of high cholesterol and how there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration i.e. C-Reactive Protein, LDL Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol; Do you smoke? Is there heart disease in your family? My question is, do you trust your doctor? Has s/he explained to you why they don't think you are a good candidate for statins? Have they explained the pros and cons of being on a statin at the young age of 44? Perhaps try to get more information from the doctor, read some of the newer, more controversial articles about cholesterol. Best of luck
Hi
Thank you for your reply. I'm not a smoker and I was adopted at an early age so I have no contact with my biological parents as they have no wish to see me, so I have no way of knowing about any family history. I do know both my parents are alive so my father would be in his 70s my mother late 60s. I can't even get a appointment with my dr all I get is cholesterol high follow low fat diet. This is why I'm reaching out for advice.
Ahhhh, got it. They won't make you an appointment for a consultation with your doctor? Sounds to me like you need a new Surgery/Doctor! That's crazy.
By the way... good sign that both biological parents are still alive, so no sign of EARLY cardiac issues.
I'm told it's because they can't pre book ahead because of high patient numbers. It's a case of emergency daily appointment only and you have to tell them what the problem is b4 they book you. They don't class cholesterol as an emergency. I have decided to tell them I'm having bad panic attacks to just get a appointment. Respect to you though I'd be in the looney bin if I had your readings how do you cope ?
If you are prone to panic/anxiety attacks (which I have also had since I was in my young twenties!) YES, book appointment for that! Please do not take this the wrong way, and I'd never ask if not for understanding to some extent what you are experiencing... is it possible you might be obsessing a bit over the cholesterol? Panic and anxiety disorders have a way of exaggerating and focusing your attention on things, to the point where they becomes an obsession. There were about 10 years of my life, after my daughter was born, that I lived at the doctors office! I was sure I had some strange disease, or a brain tumor, or was having a heart attack... I was ALWAYS sick/dying with something. Turns out, it was a subconscious crippling fear that is something happened to me, my daughter would be alone. My panic/anxiety issues were brought on by postpartum depression, by the way.
Im not have any panic attacks over it i need an excuse to be seen but Yes I agree with you 100% ive totally become obsessive about this and I think it's because nothing has been explained to me I didn't even get results from the drop had to ask receptionist for them.
Sorry... I misunderstood. Yup, I think you need a good long conversation with doctor. I'd go well prepared with all your questions written down. I do wish you the very best of luck.
Thank you so much for your reply and advice you have made me feel so much better.
I sincerely do hope things get better for you... There is nothing worse than being stuck in your own head worrying about your health!
Hello Beetle 1973. I was so sorry to read your history and realise that you have been given a huge dose of the very thing you really don’t need and that’s fear or stress. Big Pharma have done their marketing job well; they have taught the GPs to prescribe fear so that you will take their horrible drugs. Nobody knows what your correct level of cholesterol should be especially your doctor. As one of the replies has stated, it is likely that your cholesterol level will rise when a repair job is in hand.
You have already been given some very good advice and certainly Dr.Mercola is a very reliable source of good information. We take no medication except a well balanced diet of the food Nature has given us as instructed by Hippocrates. I am writing this while our 100% wholemeal bread is cooking in the oven – we NEVER eat white bread at home.
I would point you towards some articles which will increase your understanding of the mechanism of cholesterol in the body. A heart surgeon confesses: healthscams.org.uk/heart-su... There is also a very useful summary of advice about statins at: healthscams.org.uk/are-stat...
To close I would advise you certainly to follow the good advice you have been given but also be careful not to deprive your body of the tools of life given to you by a whole range of whole foods to include dairy (whole unpasteurised milk if you can get it), a moderate amount of meat and fish, plenty of fruit and vegetables (we often have at least four vegetables with our meal). Avoid seed oils like the plague, that’s rape seed, sunflower oil, etc. There is nothing wrong with saturated fat; an article appeared in the BMJ last year reinforcing that. bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/15/...
We are only 83 and 87 so we do take a cod liver oil capsule each once a day. I hope my two pennyworths have helped you a bit more.
Thank you so much for your reply. I have changed to wholemeal pasta and rice. In addition I to have a homemade wholemeal loaf of bread in the oven as I have decided to make my own from now on. My diet is mostly Mediterranean now and I have set a meal plan in action where I have 3 days a week eating either chicken, Turkey or salmon. The remaining days of the week I am following a vegetarian diet. I also have joined a gym were i can either do gym, swim or classes. I have decided to do the yoga class to help alivate or reduce stress levels. It's all a little trial and error at the moment but I've made a start at least.
There is nothing wrong with a vegetarian diet but ensure that the content is good. I can't advise you on that. The bread recipe I use is available at: healthscams.org.uk/bake-you... I modify the quantities in direct proportion so that I can make two 900g wholemeal loaves at the same time taking a little over an hour. I put one in the freezer.
Keep up the good work. A consultant surgeon we had the good fortune to meet in 1981 gave us some advice, he said, "stay away from your doctor if you can".
Stay happy!
Congratulations on having you cholesterol levels as they are, people of your age especially women with your cholesterol levels live longer than those with low levels, thats a fact you can look it up if you like
chriswoollamshealthwatch.co...
Focus on eating healthily and getting regular moderate exercise and stop worrying and what ever you do dont take statins
Hi
Wow thank you for that reply and the link it was really interesting it just shows how misleading some information on the Web can be.
Thank you for your reply
Your weight is proportional to your height. Half of all heart attacks occur to people with normal levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), so elevated cholesterol on its own is not a risk. 75% of cholesterol is synthesized by your liver so dietary consumption of cholesterol does not cause elevated cholesterol levels. The saturated fat being bad for you is a myth that was long ago disproven.
You can have 3 oz of animal protein per day without concern. Your body needs protein, if not from animal meat (including fish) then from legumes (lentils, chick peas, beans) or egg whites and dairy. Many people have sensitivities to dairy which may trigger allergies, but other than that, there's no reason for you to avoid dairy as long as you have it in moderation. I drink a small amount of full-fat goat milk with my breakfast tea daily and have a small portion of feta cheese daily with my lunch and dinner.
Your avoidance of simple carbohydrates and sweets is well-founded. Simple carbohydrates increase both LDL and triglyceride levels. A diet high in sugar and simple carbohydrates is inflammatory to the body especially your blood vessels and ultimately this is a major factor in coronary artery disease.
Exercise is critical to good health - optimally you should walk between 30 and 60 minutes per day or do some other form of exercise daily that lasts at least 30 minutes. I target 15,000 steps daily for myself.
The total cholesterol value is of no practical use in determining your health. LDL-C is of some value, but optimally you need to know LDL-P (particle number). A lab test called NMR Lipoprofile provides the ultimate metrics for LDL subfractions. In the absence of that test, the ApoB and ApoA-1 measures provide a good proxy.
Heart attacks and strokes are caused by blood clots. Assuming you do not already take some type of blood thinner or aspirin. You can take a 400 IU dose of vitamin E daily as well as a turmeric supplement. There's also a product called 'fruitflow' that is all natural and provides an anti-platelet aggregation function similar to that of aspirin.
Before taking any of these supplements - get your blood tested for 'fibrinogen' and 'homocysteine'. Fibrinogen measures your blood platelet stickiness which can lead to blood clotting too quickly. Homocysteine levels determine your blood's tendency to coagulate as well. If these values are normal then your probabilities of experiencing a heart attack are very low. Vitamin E is an antioxidant and that is one supplement that is likely to benefit you either way.
Cholesterol is produced by the body to repair damaged cells in the absence of collagen. To synthesize collagen, your body needs a large supply of vitamin C. The more vitamin C you take, the lower your LDL cholesterol will drop, to a point. Generally you can get your LDL cholesterol down by about 15% by taking 3,000 mg of vitamin C per day in divided doses spread throughout the day. I suggest you try 1,000 mg tablets with each meal.
Vitamin C is a molecule that our body needs in large supply, much larger than the recommended daily allowance suggested by the medical community. It is non-toxic and you can have as much as you like to the point of bowel intolerance. It also helps your body retain iron so as long as your iron (ferritin) levels in your blood are normal, you can take as much as you like.
Overall, other than your misguided avoidance of meat and dairy, your dietary and lifestyle habits appear good and you should not obsess about a heart attack or stroke any longer. You definitely do not need any pharmaceuticals - statins are dangerous drugs and there's no evidence they help women in any way.
Find time to relax and mellow out and not worry about your health so much.
You can find out more about me and see my posts here:
healthunlocked.com/user/sos007
good luck
Thank you for all your wonderful advice I will certainly increased my vitamin c intake and I will ask for the blood tests you stated. Although I walk daily and use a excerise bike at home I have joined a gym today.
I am going on Wednesday to put a regular excerise plan and guided diet together with a trainer. I don't need to lose weight bit I need to get fitter.
I am also going to take up yoga to help relieve any unnecessary stress I'm always up tight which in hindsight may not be helping my levels.
I also have decided to look for the positives instead of the negatives. It is a new year and maybe it's time to address this issue head on in a postive way by joining the gym to get fit and get out instead of wallowing at home in self pity.
Great interview here about statins and ageing between Dr Mercola and Proffesor Sennoff
Thank you for link
Please please don’t worry so much about your cholesterol! That’s completely unnecessary. Did you know that elderly people with high cholesterol actually live longer? Increasingly, medical experts are beginning to find that the premise that high cholesterol is dangerous is based on faulty research - bad science. Read, for instance, ‘The Great Cholesterol Con’ by Malcolm Kendrick - that’ll open your eyes, and make you feel better. Statins are a really bad idea, their side effects include a greatly increased risk of breast cancer in women, muscle damage which may be permanent and lead to disability (necrotising myopathy and/or neuropathy), liver and kidney failure, risk of diabetes, and so on and so forth. Briefly put: high cholesterol isn’t dangerous but statins are.
I would suggest you cease thinking about cholesterol. Stop depriving yourself of the foodstuffs you like to eat, have everything in moderation & enjoy life without worrying all the time.
i was 7.2 before Christmas. 1.2 good cholestrol. Took to eating a red apple and porridge oats every day and eating sensibly. Checked last week again and its gone down to 5 with good cholestrol 2.5. Diet can go a long way
Hi
I tried eating porridge and brown bread everyday but it gave me such stomach pain that I was taken into hospital. Since I've stopped eating it and brown bread the pain has gone.
Now I'm living on vegetables salad and fruit ,I've cut my carb intake and sugar they won't test my cholesterol levels yet but what I do know is I've dropped from a size 14 to a size 8. I think my bmi says I'm underweight as I'm 5ft 7 and 8 stone . My clothes don't fit me and I'm picking up every illness and virus going. If I increase bread sugars and meat to gain the weight I need my cholesterol goes sky high.
The dreaded high LDL cholesterol!!
about me.... and my high cholesterol
Cholesterol numbers 2014
