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1sweed

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Joined
Feb 4, 2013
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1,956
Reason
DX FIBRO
Diagnosis
01/1995
Country
US
State
PA
Recently my doctor went through the roof when my bloodwork came back and my cholesterol and LDL levels were high. He insisted I use a statin drug in a effort to reduce the levels. So I said only a very low dose and if my muscles start cramping I am quiting it.
So I am on Simvastatin 5mg, one a day.

So my question is has anyone here ever taken this type of medication and did it work for you or did you end up with the severe muscle cramps and pain?
I have tried all kinds before and usual never last more than a few days till the pain becomes unbearable.

I have heard that alternatives like Red Yeast Rice or coq-10, and using probiotics can help control cholesterol naturally. Along with diet changes of course. Any one know about this?

As you know we with fibro don't want to hurt our bodies more with treatments that add to the muscle pain and weakness, so tell me your thoughts and opinions on this subject. please. :)
 
Just to update my condition, I made it to four days on this medication and now today is the quiting day. I am in so much pain from taking this statin drug of 5mg a day. My legs are hurting and my arms and I have a headache and fatigue to boot. I need to find a natural way to lower LDL, that does not cause so much muscle pain.

Is there anyone at all on this forum that has heard of any alternative methods? I really could use some advice on this subject. I have already altered my diet to avoid as much satuated fat as possible, but need some more help. :(
 
Since no one seems to have a clue on how to help me with this problem I am attemping fixing it with an alternate diet plan. Some of my recipies are vegan and vegetrian, and some regular food. I have stopped adding sugar to my meals and using stevia and agava, in small amounts. Eating lots of good veggies and fruits, and some meat. Planning on eating organically raised wild game and bison, and fish. I use almond milk and earth balance instead of butter or margarine. I am going to try some meat alternatives but not all the time.

I have been watching video's and picking up many good recipies off the internet. Already I feel a bit more healthy, just by dropping out those spoonfuls of sugar. I am eating oatmeal for breakfast and having healthy sandwiches and salads, soups, and other foods during the day. I am drinking more water and less of juices loaded with sugar. So I guess I will let you all know how I make out in this quest to lower my LDL and CH, and still maintain some weight-loss without losing important vitamins and minerals.

Will update again later on. Anyone wanting to join in on this subject is most welcome. It is not easy to change ones diet, and support from caring friends makes one stronger and more encouraged in the attempt to do so. :)
 
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I'd like to suggest you read "Protein Power Life Plan'" by Dr's Mary Dan and Michael Eades. They have an entire chapter on Cholesterol, and you will probably have a better understanding of cholesterol after reading it than many health care practitioners. I know that following their plan has helped me bring my cholesterol to healthy levels without any drugs. Also, brought my blood sugars back to normal without drugs. I also find it helps with my fibromyalgia (I suspect for me cutting out grains has a great deal to do with that).

Your local library would probably have a copy.
 
IsisRose,
Thank you for your suggestion. I went on line and found some information about the book and diet plan. Would you like to share a bit about your experiences in the way you lowered your cholesterol in this way? You mentioned you did it without using drugs, which I need to do because of the muscle pain issues I experience in the use of these medications. Would like to hear a bit more if you would like to explain how you did it. :)
 
Hi 1sweed I too was put on a statin and lasted about one week before I said the heck with it due to increased pain. I am trying to watch my diet but otherwise have no answer. I go in early December to have my levels rechecked. My original levels were on the high end of normal but my Dr wanted me on meds because of risk factors but the increased pain is not worth it to me.
 
I don't have any advice as this is completely outside my experience but I think it's really great how you're standing up to the doctors- you know your body better than they do after all!- and looking for your own way of helping yourself. I hope you can find something that helps.
 
1sweed, cudos to you for such an undertaking I wish you the best of results.
 
Many thanks to Tuppence and Nascarmike, for your heartfelt replies. I learned a longtime ago not to take what my doctors always said as the complete final order, but to research everything and to listen to my body when it says no way and no more to any drug, that causes me more pain or major discomfort.

I also want to give Trellum, :) credit for mentioning green tea extract. I found the following info in one of my cookbooks. It said that green tea protects against heart disease and cancer, Alzheimer's and osteoporosis, and helps shift your fat-fighting metabolism into high gear. It is a antioxidant rich green tea. Suggests drinking at least 4 cups a day.

It goes on to say that having at leastr 2 cups of green tea daily helps keep cholesterol in check.

A study in Japan of over 1000 people found that of those people who drank 2 cups of green tea daily, did much better on a variety of tests of mental abilities including memory, :) and the more green tea they drank the better they performed. It says that the rates of dementia and Alzheimer's is lower in Japan, where green tea is commonly consumed.

So Trellum, your on to something in the use of the extract and might even benefit more from drinking the tea, Thanks for mentioning this so I could research it and pay attention to the articles in my cookbook. :)
 
1sweed thank for the info on green tea. Computer was down so it is good to be back online.
 
Your welcome nascarmike. I found a bit more about green tea. It is good for all the above mentioned diseases, but another book of my states not to drink over 7 cups of green tea in one day, do to the fact it can cause kidney problems if overly consumed. The book goes on to say while Japan has the smallest rates of heart disease, compared to the U.K. which has the highest, and then going down the list Canada, is 3rd and the U.S., is 5th, with Japan, being the lowest on the totempole at 11th, right under China at 10th.

But it is the foods they eat on a regular basis, not just drinking green tea. Their foods include lots of rice and different noodles, like wheat, mung beans, pea starch, and buckwheat. Meat is generally shredded or cut in small pieces and mixed into the noodles or rice. They use tofu and eat a lot of sea foods like shellfish and octopus, squid and mackerel, tuna and eel, and raw fish as well. And they use lots of sea vegetables as well.

So while we can include some of these things in our diets, I think our biggest problems range from portion control and avoiding things that do not agree with us, as in allergies and processed foods, and sugar.

What do you think? :)
 
1sweed,

Vitamin B3, the amino acids lysine and methionine, mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, and the saturated fat, stearic acid, can help to promote HDL cholesterol production and lower LDL. The production of HDL is likely as important as the reduction of LDL.

A recent Harvard study indicated that consuming nuts of almost any kind can help reduce cholesterol, among an extensive list of other health benefits. Peanuts were included in this study, but since they are somewhat inflammatory, I would look to others first. I would imagine avocados with their high unsaturated fat content would help here too. Many people focus on avoiding harmful fats like many processed saturated fats as well as the horrible trans fats, but don't realize that consuming adequate good fats is necessary. Saturated fats aren't as bad as most think either as long as they are naturally so. In fact, children need them for proper brain development and growth.

Also, don't worry too much about the high calorie content of nuts, the same study found that people that consumed them were typically slimmer than those who didn't.
 
Also, I've read an article that indicates that the true danger with high cholesterol actually stems from the inflammation of artery walls. It stated that if the artery walls were not inflamed, cholesterol would not collect in them but would rather move on through freely as intended. Inflammation causes scarring of the walls and the cholesterol collects in the scars. So anti-inflammatories would be high on my list as well.

As far as statin drugs go...If they worked, shouldn't the number of people dying from cholesterol-related problems like heart disease and heart attacks be on the decline? Instead more people will die of those things this year than ever before. Food for thought.

Edit: Stay away from agave nectar! Do a little research and you'll find it's worse than high fructose corn syrup. Even if the label says organic. Raw stevia is good though as well as unrefined raw cane sugar, as they do not play a role in unhealthy blood glucose levels. Raw, unheated honey and molasses are great natural sweeteners that carry health benefits of their own as well. Honey local to your area can even improve allergies common to where you live.
 
Three posts in a row is a bit ridiculous I know, but I was reading back through your posts and noticed you mentioned a butter substitute and meat substitutes.

If the meat substitute contains soy, it is not doing any favors. Soy is inflammatory and can damage the immune system. Most soy products are made with genetically modified soybeans as well (read potential cancer causer). GM foods are absolutely epidemic.

As far as butter goes, butter is better. Butter from grass-fed cows is best, but any real butter is better than a butter substitute. The body recognizes and metabolizes natural food, and those are far from it.
 
hi
also have high LDL and have suffered from muscle pain from statins. am taking 20mg of pravastatin without experiencing discomfit.
good luck!
 
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