Cholesterol

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   Pamela99posted 12 years ago

   Do you know your total cholesterol, your LDL (low density lipoprotein) and HDL (high density lipoprotein, plus the implications of each?

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      prettydarkhorseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Pam. The ans to your q is No, I will be glad to learn from this thread.

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      Deborah Brooksposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I did know it... i do know my cholesterol is too high.. I do not know any of the numbers.

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         Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         It might be a good idea to get your levels checked again. Doctors are most concerned with keeping the LDL (bad cholesterol) below 100, which is a more important than your total cholesterol reading.

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      BlissfulWriterposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      LDL is known as "the bad" cholesterol.  The lower this number is better.  HDL is known as the "good" cholesterol.   The higher this number the better.   LDL brings cholesterol to the cells that needs it.  HDL brings excess cholesterol from the cell back to the liver.
      
      The "total" cholesterol is not as accurate of an indication of risk for heart disease as the ratio of the the LDL and HDL value.   Cholesterol is a necessary component of our cells.  It is not cholesterol that causes heart disease.  It is inflammation of our blood vessel that causes LDL cholesterol to accumulate into plaque on our vessel walls which increases our risk for hearth disease.

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      cloverleaffarmposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Did you know that your body produces cholesterol, because it needs it for sex hormones and other bodily functions. Your body produces about 80% of it, and the rest of it comes from food. Foods that come from animals is what increases it. I am not promoting a vegetarian lifestyle. Or a vegan one either. But, you can lower your cholesterol by eating less animal products, and eating more herbs that lower it. I lowered mine by drinking my herbal blend Cholest Off. I have given many classes on this subject, and have shown people how to create food like egg salad, that is totally cholesterol free...and tasty too.
      You can lower your cholesterol with herbs and natural remedies. Yes, there is a genetic component. Does anyone realize that the medication for high cholesterol is as much to blame for heart attacks as the high cholesterol itself. It put's the liver out of balance.
      Number can be out of balance too. My LDL (bad) is always higher than my HDL (good), but my over all total is only about 150.

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         Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for adding some very good information. Niacin (B3) also will also help to reduce your cholesterol.

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            cloverleaffarmposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            That is true. Forgot about that one. That is what I get for getting up so early.

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   mollymeadowsposted 12 years ago

   No, I don't know these, though I should...

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   habeeposted 12 years ago

   Yep, I know what they mean, and I'll get my latest results in a day or two. Last time they were checked, my triglycerides and my LDL (bad) cholesterol had dropped, while my HDL (good) had risen. The improvement was due to diet and exercise.
   
   I quit taking my statin drug, so I'm anxious to see the effect.

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      Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Habee, It is good to hear from you. I'm glad you are on top of things and it will be great if you can stay off the drug. Triglycerides are also important, especially for diabetics.

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         creativelyccposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Hi Pamela99,
         I know my numbers are and what they are for. My LDL is always high no matter what I do. My doctor says it's genetics. I'm presently on Crestor. Hopefully my LDL will go down.

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            Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            There certainly is a big genetic component to high cholesterol. Thank goodness there are medications in addition to diet changes. You can help raise your HDL through exercise, but I don't think it reduces the bad cholesterol (LDL).

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   Stacie Lposted 12 years ago

   I perform the home test for my total cholesterol. If there's a problem then I get an appointment for the more thorough test.

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      Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I think it is great that you follow your cholesterol at home. I wondered whether you just get your total cholesterol, or the LDL, which is really the most important one.

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         Stacie Lposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         The home tests  can provide all or parts of your cholesterol reading.

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            Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

            That is good to know, so if someone is working hard to reduce their cholesterol they will have a way to keep track. I know the cholesterol doesn't go up and down quickly like blood sugars, but then again you wouldn't be checking it daily. Thanks for the information.

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      klarawieckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I didn't know you could do a cholesterol test at home.
      Mine is a little high even though I eat superhealthy. So, I'm trying to increase my exercise to see if I can lower it on my own without medication. I'd really hate having to take medication this early in life. I must wait until I hit at least 40! I refuse! I refuse! Same as my gray hairs... I refuse to dye my hair, so I pluck and I pluck some more. One day I'll be completely bald!

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         Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         The exercise should help. I thought you hair comment was funny as that is what I did until I reached the point of not return!

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         cloverleaffarmposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         There are also herbs you can use to lower it. I wrote a hub on it. I lowered mine in just 3 months using the herbal tea!

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   Tonipetposted 12 years ago

   Hello Pam. I actually haven't checked my cholesterol, not even once. But now that I am getting close to 50 I feel the need to. Thanks for starting this forum, you just opened my mind. I should've been more caring of my health to know if there's a problem. This forum is such a help. Thank you Pam.

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   BlossomSBposted 12 years ago

   Oh, dear! I used to keep a check on it and know what it was, but now I haven't a clue! Thanks for the reminder.

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      Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It would be a good idea to get your cholesterol numbers checked again just in case there is a problem.

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   CMCastroposted 12 years ago

   I had to stick to some pretty strict standards to lower my cholesterol. These are still being the most important things I do to keep it lower. And I am always listening to new suggestions in the media to keep it down. These methods I use to lower my cholesterol are: 1) Read all the labels on food.Avoid things with fat calories that are close to the actual calorie amount of food. Know to add the serving sizes up. If something says 2 servings on the label, and I am tempted to eat the entire food, that doubles the fat content.2)Avoid Butter, Margerine,Crisco oil, and Vegetable oil and Gravies/Sauces. Use olive oil sparingly, use grape seed oil, sunflower, or safflower oil instead if stirfrying.3) Eat fiber cereal Every morning.4)Eat plenty of raw vegetables and raw fruits.5) Drink plenty of water.6) Avoid All Fast Food Restaurants. 7)Enjoy exercise and Enjoy movement!

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      Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      These are excellent ways to reduce your cholesterol using good food choices instead of medicine. Good for you!

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   Rosemay50posted 12 years ago

   I'd never had a cholesterol until 5 years ago when my doctor wanted me to have one, he said it was the best he had ever seen. I got the same last August too. So I have never really bothered about the numbers and what they stand for.

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      Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You must be eating healthy!

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      Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You are getting it checked every few years, which is appropriate for someone who has had normal reading.

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   LawrenceSposted 12 years ago

   http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-manage … ng-numbers
   
   Here is a site that explains them pretty well. I have had high cholesterol for a couple of years now. Yeah, I know my numbers, I get a print out every time I go to the doctors.
   
   http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-manage … e-monitors
   
   Here is another site which lets you know whether home test are worth the investment.

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      Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      These 2 websites have very good information. Thank you.

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    habeeposted 12 years ago

    My mom always had high LDL and low HDL, even though she followed a pretty healthy diet and was on Lipitor for years. She lived to be 88, however.

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       Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       My mom is 88 now. The HDL is higher for females when we have more estrogen in our bodies, but it dwindles as we age.

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    melporposted 12 years ago

    My total cholesterol number is less than 200. Anything less than 200 is considered OK.

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    mts1098posted 12 years ago

    I do know my numbers and I am happy to say I recently lowered my bad cholesterol in all categories and raised my good cholesterol...I. get it checked every 6 months...cheers

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    prettydarkhorseposted 12 years ago

    How do you monitor cholesterol level at home, I am so dumb.

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       Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I believe you can probably purchase a cholesterol monitor at the drugstore.

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          prettydarkhorseposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Thanks Pam and I will get one for sure!

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    BlissfulWriterposted 12 years ago

    Instead of looking at total cholesterol, we should be looking at amount of HDL as a percentage of total cholesterol (higher is better).  And looking at the amount of triglycerides (lower is better).  And looking at the particle size of LDL (buoyant and fluffy is better).
    
    Chris Kresser has a video on YouTube (http://youtu.be/xoMNxfvRw00) on how to interpret cholesterol test results.  He has high cholesterol and he doesn't care.  Because he is more interested in the other numbers.

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    Xenonlitposted 12 years ago

    I have G6PD, so the legumes had to go from my diet. The problem was that most of my fiber came from beans, peas, and all the other tasty legumes!
    
    My cholesterol went off the charts, so I looked into it. Fiber is the sugar that does not get into the bloodstream to feed the cells. It works in the gut, where it grabs up the bad cholesterol and takes it with it when it goes.
    
    I hate oatmeal, which makes us chew on too much stuff that is NOT oatmeal! Yuck.
    
    My solution is to look for the max fiber in other foods, the most powerful fish oil, the leanest meats and trying to reduce stress. Grits, I found, is a great substitute.

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    Lisa HWposted 12 years ago

    Teenagers should get theirs checked too.  When my son was in high school he was fit and generally ate very healthy.  He got in a habit, though, of bringing his pal home every afternoon; and they'd polish off cheddar cheese.  They figured it wasn't "junk food", so they thought cheese was a better choice. (Kids)    He got his cholesterol up, and when he stopped eating the cheese it went right back down.

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       Pamela99posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I am glad you shared this. I know there was a study done of soldiers some years ago and a surprising number had high cholesterol.

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