Natural alternative to lipitor for cholesterol

Lipitor is also being connected to Alzheimer.  Trigeek you need to read up on what natural doc's say about what your cholesterol level's should be.  They say anything lower than 230 is good but never lower than 170. To low is just a dangerous as to high.  We are one of the few countries that have 50 million people on cholesterol meds. They feel that insulin levels are more of a sign of problems.

I went to a class on this or I would point you to this info directly.  Most good health stores probably have this info available. I did change my diet and my high cholesterol went away and I had it for about ten years.

How are you doing these days?

Living in hope,

Flalady 

I've been eating ground flaxseed for breakfast for many months now.  It's supposed to keep cholesterol in check, but I've had a 220 and a 230 recently.  Since I already had my breakfast covered, I added oatmeal to my consumption via cookies.  I suspected my method was seriously flawed, and sure enough, my cholesterol went up in a month.  I also reduced my intake of meat, but probably increased intake of butter and cream. 

I do eat a lot of dairy, so I know that is my downfall.  Hate to think what it would be without the flaxseed.  I think it's helped some with hot flashes, and my hair is thicker, almost like it was before chemo.  I was hestitant at first to eat flaxseed because of phytoestrogens, and I'm er/pr+. 

I finally decided that I would not take any supplement that has phytoestrogens, but anything just from consuming food I will eat and believe that it's ok.  One theory says the plant esters are weaker than what our own body produces and we can benefit because the phytoestrgens bind to the receptors first before our own estrogen has a chance to bind with the receptors and feed a tumor.  I have to wonder how anyone can know this, but I'm eating flaxseed based on that theory anyway.  

rubytuesday, how do you manage the apple cider vinegar?  There was a discussion on it months ago.  I tried it mixed with water and gagged.  I tried downing it like a shot of tequila.  I can't remember if it stayed down or not, and it definitely made me feel like I was going to puke.   I'd like to partake from its benefits, but just the smell of it really turns my stomach. 

althea, I actually like the ACV....weird I know but it reminds me of a dry white wine (which I no longer drink).  I like sipping it on the rocks in water but you do have to watch the enamel on your teeth so tossing it down like a shot will work or using a small straw to avoid your teeth....I really do like it....can't imagine if I didn't.  I remember trying it once when my son was little.  I had a sinus problem and had read that it was good for that so I poured some up and was sitting at the kitchen table with my son who happened to have the flu at the time.  Welllllllllllllllllllllllllll one whiff of the ACV and yep, it turned his stomach.  He's 21 now and I still cringe when I take a glass past him and so does he!!!  LOL  I can totally understand your aversion to it.  Best wishes

Shirley,

I hate to end your celebration, but statin use doesn't seem to promote alzheimer's:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18199831?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Sorry

I just lost a post that took a while to type.  argh

I wanted to share a couple of things about cholesterol that just resurfaced in my memory.  It wasn't all that long ago that the dividing line between normal and high cholesterol was 230.  Or 220 maybe.  It was lowered to 200.  It makes me wonder, are we healthier if it's under 200?  Or do the drug companies want to sell more medicine?  Who funded the study that came up with conclusion that 200 is the new dividing line?  I don't know, but I'd bet doughnuts that the study was funded by a pharmaceutical.  

Second, elevated cholesterol can be an indicator of a thyroid out of balance.  I've been around and around on all things thyroid.  It seems to be the ugly stepchild of things that can malfunction.  Beyond some blood tests on my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), my mainstream providers are of NO help for my hypothyroid symptoms.  Can't even get them to address it really.  All they want to talk about is my cholesterol.  

trigeek, 220 doesn't seem like a high enough number to warrant medication.  Is your mom interested in lifestyle changes to achieve better health?   

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I always took Garlic prior to Femara (Femara and Garlic don't play well together) and my cholesterol was always 'normal'.  It also kept my blood pressure in the normal range.  It totally bummed me out when I found out that the femara/garlic combo was a NO-NO.  Just a word of warning:  Do NOT take garlic with Femara!

chemosabi, I've been reading a book called The Truth about Drug Companies.  It's no secret that the pharmaceuticals are a powerful group, but the scope and depth of their influence way beyond anything I imagined.  The bulk of research and development is conducted by the national institute of health, all on the public's dime. 

The drug companies typically conduct the final phase of research via clinical trials.  So they can tweak the study to cast their product in a favorable light.  What I found even more appalling than that was the FDA rules which require so little.  The companies simply must show that their drug is better than a placebo.  There's nothing to compell comparisons between new drugs and those already on the market.  Consequently, the drug companies purposely steer clear of drug-to-drug comparisons because heaven forbid their new drug might not stack up as well as something that's about to lose patent protection and go generic.  

Another tactic the companies have is to actually file lawsuits against the generic companies.  There's a proliferation of patents these days on any given drug.  The generics must navigate a virtual minefield of patents to bring a new generic to market.  If they misstep, they get sued and the pharmaceuticals automatically get another 30 months of patent protection.  The sheer greed of these companies is enough to cause cancer all by themselves.  It's truly sickening.   

This is not really a natural alternative, but I thought some of you might be interested anyway. I went to a lecture on supplements a while back, given by the head of the nutrition program at one of our universities. She mentioned a supplement named Cholestoff, said it has been proven to affect one type of cholesterol (apparently there are two). I showed the information to the oncology dietician at my hospital and she thought it would be worth a try since I don't want to take a prescription med. I haven't been taking it long enough yet to see if it makes a difference....

Minz 

I believe tamox increases cholestrol.  Mine was sky high and I was put on meds.

did a follow up a few months later and the doc was tickled pink at how my #'s had gone down.

Had to burst his bubble by telling him I'd discontinued tamox and that's why the #'s were back to normal.  I discontinued the cholestrol meds too

JMHO

Bit of interesting news....watched the 11:00 news last night and a segment was on water testing they had done at 11 water purification plants......all came back with traceable levels of cholesterol drugs! There are so many people on it it is now showing up in our drinking water! Does that mean I can now just skip the med since I'm getting it anyway?? LOL

It runs in my family and I have not decided if I will take the meds for it or not.....dragging my feet on it.

>>Funny how doctors will accept anecdotal and scientifically non-rigourus data when it comes from a drug company, but not when it refers to a non-conventional form of treatment, isn't it? <<

nativemainer, you're referring to the same information I wasn't able to recall more specifically last time I posted on this thread.  I suspect the drug companies acquire cooperation from the doctors and other medical professionals because that cooperation is purchased in a myriad of ways.  

What I find more surprising is the level of skepticism from people like us who are the recipients of our medical care system.  When I read things like iodine can prevent bc and even reverse stage 0 diagnoses, I *want* to believe it but feel skeptical.  When I read that cancer can be *cured* by mixing maple syrup with baking soda and taking a few spoonfuls each day, again, I want to believe but feel skeptical.  I think these claims are worthy of skepticism.  In view of how our pharmaceutical industry operates, I think the skepticism which people bestow on alternative medicine should be magnified by 10 and focused on mainstream medicine.   That's the source of information that is truly worthy of scrutiny.  jmo

Collecting the cholesterol levels of people in a hospital is a good way to find out what "normal" cholesterol levels for sick people are.  I'm continuing my ongoing search for a study that draws blood and measures the cholesterol levels of healthy people, then follows them over time monitoring for rates of heart attacks.  Was cholesterol even talked about in the 60's?  I graduated from nursing school in '81 and never heard about cholesterol until long after graduation--not until just before Lipitor came out. 

They were doing their studies as early as the 60's.  It was not  consider a factor of health until the big pharm. got hold of it in the 80's.  If it is such a key factor of health...how have so many people been living without these drug for so long??? 

Flalady