First, I wish there were home blood tests for cholesterol- I'm sick of going to the lab for these and having to pay a big share of the cost.

Aren't there home tests?

Diet: I need to print and read and memorize the lists for all the good and all the bad fats and oils.

I know fish oil is good but be careful about which fish you eat because some have higher contaminant levels than others.

And I know deep fried is bad, processed oils are bad, olive oil and avocado fat is good.

Anyway, I'll bet if you and I really internalized the good and bad lists and let that guide our selections, we wouldn't need meds at all!

My understanding is to try to steer clear of animals except for fish. I have to get it down or I'm in serious trouble. Best wishes to you NYC!

Not one to workout, I do like to walk and don't even mind a treadmill with an iPad and music or TV.

I won a fitbit at a conference last December, didn't even know what it was but have used it daily to make sure I get 5 miles or 10,000 steps in.

Funny at Stanford when they were checking me in and I was lying there, I gave up my fitbit and the nurse said, "I don't think you'll be getting your steps in for a while."

Happy Christmas to you!

Mr. Dixie lowered his cholesterol by over 30 points simply by eating one cup of cooked oatmeal 3 times a week and snacking on apples a few times a week.
did not change anything else.
30 points in 6 mos, I have copies of his lab tests.

The kicker...his dr., who was pushing statins, did not even comment on the change. Mr. dixie had to point it out to him.

Oatmeal breakfasts continue, apple and celery snacks too.

I've been playing with mixing steel cut oats with quaker minute oats half and half, they say the former are better for you.

And none of the flavored stuff for me, I like unflavored oats and then put a handful of frozen blueberries into the bowl.

Yum!

I haven't had my blood panel done lately, but I should.

and it was really delicious. Blew me away.
But it was what I had made. He tried to do the same thing with Musselman's applesauce, said it tasted like hell.
So, now, I am making applesauce a couple times a week.
He has also been experimenting with dried fruit....cuts up dried apples or peaches, simmers them with the oatmeal water.

We have chicken, so get to feast on scrumptious eggs a couple times a week.

I put those in my oatmeal & nothing else.

My wife makes up a Müssli for me every morning. Untreated oat flakes, wheat germ, crushed flax seed, and dried fruit with skim milk. Do NOT get the pre-mixed stuff, since it is usually full of added sugar.

I have to take statins, too, plus baby aspirin once a day. I have VERY serious cholesterol issues, too. But a combination of pills and my wife's seriously healthy (but tasty) cooking got my cholesterol down to where the cardiologists are happy. LDL around 82, HDL about 42. The food is important. She has ditched butter, cheese, eggs, red meat and cream from her cooking, and still makes fabulous fish and poultry dishes like a world class chef.

I actually took a statin years ago and it did reduce my numbers below 200, so my doctor and I were happy about that. However, back then I was feeling more "immortal" than I do today, so I declined to commute to see my doctor to get refills (I lived 60 miles away due to my son).

I'm a serious steak lover, so I have to really cut back on that, as well as other meat, unless it's very lean. At any rate, I'm happy your wife is an excellent healthy cook and that your health is good! Happy holidays and best wishes to your family!

You just have to ditch them. It can be done. You just have to turn it into a spectator sport.

If it's any consolation, buffalo meat is supposed to be far lower in cholesterol, and tastes somewhat similar. Time to ditch butter and cheese altogether, though. Olive oil becomes your new butter. Ain't NONE of us immortal, my friend. It's not a good idea to play "Beat The Reaper" in real life.

throw some walnuts or almonds in it as well. Or just snack on nuts. Nuts are another heart wonder food.

Fiber, good healthy fruit and veggie-intensive food, and exercise...

Now, to do it!!!

Given my dad's cardiac history, I'm going to err on the side of safety with simvastatin. I just read up on all its good and bad, and I had no idea you could not drink grapefruit juice or cranberry juice. Glad I read up.

I was never a fan of it, overmuch or even the grapefruit halves that were popular way back when. Back in the dark ages when I was a small child it used to be part of the breakfast routine occasionally, and since it wasn't sweet my childish palate didn't care for it.

I too have been eating oatmeal for a couple years now because of cholesterol. I mix mine up. Sometimes I add honey, sometimes agave nectar, sometimes both with cinnamon powder, sometimes a bit of peanut butter. Mine did go down some, but I think my good is still too low.

Peace

My bad cholesterol was deemed too low and my good cholesterol too high by my doc. By sheer coincidence, she had some overpriced herbal thing to sell me that would correct that.

That was the final straw that made me switch docs. I got tired of feeling like every visit was going to lead to another blood test and another round of trying to sell me on some herbal remedies and wouldn't you like to visit our nutritionist as well, because you eat too many carbs?

Fortunately I'm already bald as she often made me want to rip my hair out.

We know now that it is not cholesterol that causes heart disease, but inflammation. An anti-inflammatory diet, omega 3 supplement, other measures will serve your body well.

I'll certainly do the anti-inflammatory diet and omega3, but I'm afraid I will have to take the statin drug (Simvastatin). I'm exercising daily too, and don't smoke.

My dad had two heart attacks (both over age 65) and a massive stroke that took away his intelligible speech. So, yes, I take this very seriously.

I learn something new every day on DU.

....and you will find a multitude of articles both scholarly and general regarding the current enlightenment of the medical community on this matter. Studies (including Harvard) show that inflammation is more important to control than cholesterol to prevent CVD. And statins provide no effect. Cholesterol does not cause CVD. Inflammation does.

Here's an article for laymen that sets out the "new cardiology".

http://seniorlifenewspapers.com/news/2014/sep/25/inflammation-and-heart-disease/

Statins reportedly only help older men who have already suffered a heart attack. The medical community has been wrong for decades, just as they were wrong about pushing a low-fat diet which led to a proliferation of carb consumption and the epidemic of type 2 diabetes.

....any profit driven purveyor of bogus.

Believe them at your own risk.

Unless he is a different Wendell Fowler that doesn't show up in the search.

Here is yet another good article on the subject.

from CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/10/16/healthmag.cholesterol.inflammation/index.html?iref=24hours

Just one of a huge number of articles on integrative and metabolic cardiology and inflammation as the critical factor in CVD.

I'm not going to argue this with you. And you certainly won't convince me of anything. Your mileage may vary.

My mom's doctor told her to take 500 mg of time-released niacin twice a day. There's also an OTC citrus fiber powder you mix with water or juice called Profibe that she takes that's clinically proven to reduce bad cholesterol.

http://www.profibe.com/

I was taking it for a couple of years, a big study said that it didn't reduce the incidence of heart attacks in any way.

but my mom's doc is an internist and swears by it. The Mayo clinic on its website says it can reduce bad cholesterol by up to 30%. I don't know if the effectiveness is measured by how many fewer heart attacks you get, but if the criteria is the reduction of LDL cholesterol and the raising of HDL cholesterol, I think many sources say that it works. It has to be time-released, however, and not niacinamide which is the non-flushing type.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/niacin/art-20046208

"...What impact does niacin have on cholesterol?

Niacin can raise HDL cholesterol by more than 30 percent. HDL, the "good" cholesterol, picks up excess bad cholesterol in your blood and takes it back to your liver for disposal...."

My cardiologist was neutral on it, but knew my interest in it and prescribed it for me.

Now he no longer prescribes it.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryhusten/2014/07/16/new-evidence-fuels-concerns-about-the-safety-of-niacin

Worked for me at least. I don't know if it's even marketed as a heart attack preventative.

in my previous answer in this thread.

Not Cannabis oil

but the Hemp oil. My sister and I get a gallon and keep it in the fridge. We each take 2 tablespoons a day and it has been fantastic!

We get our oil from Nutiva in California.

Please look into it. Might be a cheaper and better tasting alternative to the fish oil.

I take my fish oil in pills, and so far no one's called me fish breath

Thanks for the suggestion! Will have to check it out.

7g Omega-6 LA
2.5g Omega-3 ALA
2g Omega-9
500mg Omega-6 GLA
250mg Omega-3 SDA

per tablespoon

Thanks, you ROCK

Good luck!

Here's to your health!

Not strong at all and no nasty after taste. I just take it straight.

Also important to remember that it is like olive oil and not good if over heated when using it with cooking.

and they are only $38.99 with free shipping. I would only recommend that if you are going to share it with someone and keep it nice and cold in the fridge.

2 tablespoons a day (1 in the morn and 1 before bed) between 2 people and it stays pretty fresh by the time we run out.

I had my heart attack.

How is your blood pressure? I've always had low blood pressure, myself.

Diet can be quite effective in reducing cholesterol, as well as statins. With the combo, when I am disciplined about it, I've been able to bring my total cholesterol down to 85.

Also, develop a strong exercise program under medical supervision. This also helps to bring the different numbers down.

Additional advice:

Educate yourself as much as you can on reputable medical web sites.

The American Heart Association, NIH, the Mayo Clinic, WebMD, and the Cleveland Clinic are some of the good ones for information on heart disease.

There is much wacky and contrarian information on the Internets as well, and you will here some of those very unscientific theories here on DU.

Good advice, thanks!

Get the nuclear stress test, too, through your doctor. Short of catheterization, which is really the only way to know what is going on in your arteries, the stress test gives the doctor a lot of information.

That stuff is just nasty and usually a sign of processed food. I have been reading labels now since Labor Day and I've also been losing some serious weight to boot. One of the biggest things that has helped is reading the labels and avoiding processed food like the plague.

To be honest, a diet high in any sugar is bad but the High Fructose Corn Syrup is even worse. There is no nutritional value whatsoever to this product other than a cheap way to oversweeten food. Read your labels and skip foods that use it.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3200248/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/02/highfructose-corn-syrup-alters-human-metabolism.aspx

http://www.rodalenews.com/high-fructose-corn-syrup-and-sugar

I bought some of those Oatmeal cups you can add water for at my office space. They have probably been in there now for about 5 months or so. About two weeks ago I pulled one out to enjoy but first I read the label. 3rd ingrediate in - High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Tossed it in the Trash.

I don't care how healthy Oatmeal is. Toss in HFCS it's garbage.

here's an easy, healthy oatmeal you can take to work.

The night before, mix equal parts of old fashioned oats and liquid in a bowl. Throw in some fruit, or nuts if you like, and put it in the fridge. By morning, it's ready to eat, no cooking necessary. Just bring it to work, stir and eat. If you prefer it warm, you can microwave it for 15-20 seconds.

I eat my oatmeal this way every morning. Trust me, it's delicious and so easy.

My husband has managed to stay off cholesterol pills because of these pills. He also watches his diet and exercises. After the last checkup, his cholesterol is no lower than mine, and I'm under 200. So now I'll start taking them too.

Pricey, but well worth it.

Not to depress you too much; I used to take these, too. Since my father died of aggressive prostate cancer a couple years ago, and I am at risk for that .....

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fish-oil-friend-or-foe-201307126467

The safest course is to not smoke, eat a healthy low fat low cholesterol diet, and exercise regularly. I'm good at two of those, and working on my diet. Unfortunately all the things that are bad for me, I like. Ugh.

Alexander Woollcott, 1933.

the other six, eat smart. You have to allow for some enjoyment, Steve.

Exercise is really a huge part as well. Walk the 10,000 steps per day like NYC_SKP suggested.

God this sucks. Hopefully the simvastatin will cooperate with my body and will help me get things under control. In addition to diet, exercise, losing a few pounds, not smoking.

It won't happen overnight, but you can do it.

Basically, if it's not a real food, found in nature, don't eat it.

Stick with your oatmeal for breakfast, eggs are fine too, but limit them to poached or scrambled. Soft boiled are great too, but many don't like them. Avoid white bread. Try to choose whole grain. Use real butter, no margarine.

Don't use artificial sweeteners, use real sugar. Don't use artificial creamers for your coffee, use real cream or milk.

For lunch, try tuna, peanut butter (peanut butter and banana is a great sandwich, btw), even egg salad is fine. Use real mayonnaise, like Hellman's, no miracle whip or other crap. Cold cuts only from the deli, try to avoid bologna and any packaged coldcut, and add lettuce, tomato and onion to them. No chips. Pickles are fine. If you want something to crunch on, choose nuts, sunflower seeds or kernels or fresh cut veggies. Pasta is fine too, but try to choose whole grain, not white.

For dinner, prepare it yourself. Completely avoid any prepared meals. Have your meat, but have an extra portion of veggies. If you don't prepare fresh veggies, get frozen, they're better than canned. And limit your white potato and white rice. It's ok to have it, just smaller portions. Try to eat sweet potatoes and brown rice more often.

For snacks, again, nuts, air popped popcorn, (if you need to flavor it, use real butter, not margarine) fresh cut veggies, cheese.

Limit soda as well, and try to drink more water.

And then exercise. That's the most important.

It won't happen overnight, but you will see results quickly if you just stick with real food and exercise.

Thanks!