“You look good,” said my cardiologist Dr. P as she entered the examining room for my annual check up today. ”You haven’t gained a pound since last year.” (That was because I took off my shoes when I went on the scale for my weigh in. I also dressed light knowing I would have to weigh in. The male nurse said he would deduct two pounds for my clothes. Likely he only took one pound off after he saw me put my shoes on the side of the scale before stepping on.)
The nurse took my blood pressure too. “Fine,” he said. “You’re due for an EKG,” he added as he rolled in the EKG machine. He put the stickers on my body and wired me up. “Fine,” he said as he rolled out the machine and left to see his next patient.
“Well, what do you want to do about the Zetia?” said Dr. P. “You know there are some reports that it really isn’t necessarily doing anything and there are still studies being done about the long-term side effects.
Ever since I was diagnosed with high cholesterol I have been taking Zetia. It’s been about four years now, shortly after going through menopause. I tried statin drugs, but they didn’t agree with me, so I went on Zetia. Dr. P had also prescribed daily fish oil capsules as well. My cholesterol seemed to be within a range of about 220 – 230, it never went back down to my pre-menopausal days when it was below 200. (Note that I only take Zetia. I do not take any other statin drug with Zetia, as most of the studies describe.)
What should I do? Hmm, hmm, hmm. Should I go off the Zetia and worry that my cholesterol will go up? Should I stay on the Zetia and worry about the potential long-term side effects, pending future studies? When Dr. P put it in my hands, it was tough to make a decision.
“Why don’t you go off the Zetia for two months, but keep taking your fish oil?” said Dr. P. “Then let’s check your blood work and see where things stand.” Whew, glad Dr. P made the first move. I agree. “It sounds like a good plan,” I said.
“I will try to do my best to watch my diet and increase my exercise the next few months too,” I promised.
Hmm, hmm, hmm…what should I eat to help lower my cholesterol? According to the Mayo Clinic, diet can play an important role in lowering cholesterol. Here are the five foods that Mayo says can lower cholesterol and protect my heart:
1. Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fiber foods. (I eat high-fiber cereal for breakfast most mornings. Kashi Heart to Heart is my favorite – so nutritious. Plus, I eat a lot of high-fiber fresh fruits and veggies each day. Check, check plus)
2. Fish and omega 3 fatty acids. (Already take my daily fish oil and I eat salmon and tuna often. Maybe I should add another serving of fish to my menu each week. Check, check.)
3. Walnuts, almonds and other nuts. (I will add a handful of almonds or walnuts to my salad. Or include an afternoon snack of nuts, unsalted nuts – to my daily diet. Check minus, but soon to be check plus.)
4. Olive oil. (I always cook with olive oil. My boyfriend L and I like to dip our bread in olive oil when we go out to dinner at the Italian restaurant. Mayo says only about 2 tablespoons of oil a day to cook with or for dipping. Check, check, check – maybe too much checking here – a few less dips might be in order.)
5. Foods with added plant sterols or stanols. (Ooh, supposedly there are margarines and orange juice products that are now available that are fortified with these substances in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol. Will have to do some research on these foods. No checks here yet.)
I will need to add more cardio workouts to my schedule. And I will continue to read labels for fat content.
Ooh, guess I need to watch my dark chocolate consumption too. One less Hershey Kisses for me. Okay, two less Hershey Kisses for me. Guess I will have to ask my boyfriend L to give me a few extra real kisses to make up for the chocolate ones. It’s all for a good cholesterol cause.
Cheers to good health!
This is an excellent article. Excellent. But sometimes I get tired that no one addresses the population (like myself) who are disabled. I fatigue easily. I am on medications that make losing weight nearly impossible. Yet I have terrible (he
Vent all you want, it's healthy and the women here will listen. I suggest that when things get overwhelming, grab a bed pillow, go into the bathroom and scream into the pillow, or beat the hell out of it. That should help with the frustration a bit
Thanks for your support - supporting caregivers and those with Alzheimer's is so important!
We have some similar issues, Judi. I’m awaiting my last blood test results and hoping all the fish oil pills, fiber, flax, walnuts too and exercise will pay off. It’s my LDL that brings me up over 200. Since I exercise at least four times a week and my HDL is so good, my doctor hasn’t put me on any drugs. I know diet can help but not in every case….genetics rule. I do hope your new regimen works for you. Wish me luck on my test results. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Judi, I got my blood test back. My total cholesterol was well below 200, dropped 25 points, first time in 4 to 5 years. I’m not gloating, just very excited. The only thing different between this year and last is the 4 Omega 3 (Lovaza to be specific) I take each day. I was convinced I was going to be one whose diet would not matter and I’d wind up on some medication ultimately. That might still happen at some point I guess but not without a good fight and my Omega 3′s. I just wanted to share that with you.
My cholesterol is below 200, but the ratio of my LDL to HDL is not good. I’ve been working at eating the right foods. I wanted to add that I have read where blueberries are also a cholesterol lowering food. I throw a few frozen blueberries in my oatmeal for breakfast. Also, I just read where black garlic and barley are good foods for lowering cholesterol. In that same article it said Chia and eddible seed is a good source of Omega 3.
I’ve been able to stay off statins, thank goodness. My HDL (good) cholersterol is very high and my LDL (lousy) cholesterol levels are going down. I eat a handful of blueberries and almonds every morning with a small amount of organic corn or spelt flakes. My HDL is high genetically because I rarely exercise. (Got lucky on that!) My doc says that the LDL is controlled by diet. I take plant steroids with fiber when I do indulge in a carb rich meal. No oatmeal for me and very limited grains since they are all carbs. Exercise to raise HDL and diet (lower the carbs, fats, sugars) to lower the LDL. A pure, high quality fish oil like Nordic naturals is a must. No flush niacin, taken at bedtime, is one thing I tried, but had horrible nightmares and had to stop. Nordic even makes a fish oil called LDL just for high levels of LDL. It contains red yeast rice, also. Same nightmares with the red yeast rice. Statins are supposed to be taken at bedtime and contain these properties, so I doubt I’d be able to take statins. Since I have depression also, I’m researching the benefits of a higher EPA to DHA ratio in fish oils to make sure the EPA x-tra fish oil I’m currently taking keeps the LDL levels down as well. Dang, you almost need a degree to figure all of this out! Doctors are not taught about fish oils, plant steroids, etc. in medical school. Some learn it on their own after graduating. So glad I enjoy my research!!
Nattokinase..with or without vitamin K..but you must be careful and not use ANY other form of blood thinner with it. I take it every other day for a few days a month only. My husband takes Kyolic 109 which has a small amount of Natto in it along with the garlic and cayenne.Red Yeast Rice is also very good. As long as there are natural supplements that lower cholesterol I much prefer those over statin drugs.