and evil subversive plot going on here? As you say, Sick SELLS and they do. At the same time, our diets and supplements [some of us take to 'help' our systems, or we've systems that aren't working properly] can help and hinder us.
B-1 [thiamine], and B-12 in mega doses can help immensely, especially when, as shelley's done, you change your eating to the more SIMPLE things! My only mottoes are, vitamins that can't hurt you if you get too much in you [examples Iron and B-6, can be toxic and 'build up'] and with food-the fresher or fewer preservatives the better. Since I am one truly lazy cook, I am not talking difficult cooking here nor am I talking 'french cooking'!
I've found that there are lots and lots of simple recipies that can be done and easily...I've also 'evolved' a few to freeze and then micro-wave as needed. A good web site to find recipies is at http://www.dlife.com/dLife/do/recipe/RecipeMain - I've browsed them and they all look fairly straight out and could help meet your needs...now, getting hubby and kids to eat it all-that's a different story? The few of the many I've checked out, aren't really far off from my own tweaking of recipies...
I found that meds did absolutely ZIP for me in the cholesterol department. I've also found that my current meds [MANY?] tweak blood-work#'s up and down to the absolute point of beyond confusion...Hope this 'rambling' helps! - 's! - j

Is about $17.00 for a bottle of 30 at 1000mcg's. I am trying to be more careful in general on what I buy and whom I give my money to. I am reanalysing and reorganising myself bit by bit. I have never bought anything online,but I buy my supplies from a chemist warehouse. I get good prices. I just bought Niacin from GNC because I could not find it at the warehouse. Does anyone happen to know the daily dosage to bring down cholersterol?

Hi Aussie,

Sorry I checked out for a while tonight some bad news but I am more calm now.

3.5 months ago my cholesterol was 315 and I admit was eating horribly. See my avatar..I think cupcakes are Gods gift and should be their own food group. Plus the cupcake rage was sweeping Southern California.

Now I also have a thyroid problem and I understand that supplementation can help lower it. The good thing was my HDL was also high, the good cholesterol.

But like I said I got serious and saw a nutritionist twice and made some drastic changes. But no statins for me not with the neuro problems I have.

First I cut out all gluten, no wheat no oats. I wanted to see if it made any difference. It did. But I also tested high for yeast so lack of bread and yeast would make it better.

Then I cut out all sugar even fruit for 3 weeks.

This morning I got my latest cholesterol results.

HDL 58 (still good)
LDL 116
Total 207

I also dropped my cholesterol ratio from 3.9 to 3.6 ?? Good I think. And down 22 lbs. Just think how skinny I could be if I worked out.

Triglycerides still 165 but high doses of fish oil can raise it I think. Your Trigylcerides are good I think.

BUt in 3.5 months I dropped my cholesterol 108 points with no drugs but thryoid drugs which are wreaking their own havoc.

What did I eat?

breakfast egg whites

lunch brown rice and chicken and 2/3 veggies

small yogurt for mid afternoon snack or carrot sticks

sometimes no dinner but like snack like turkey slices. sometimes more brown rice and chicken and veggies.

No dessert.

Oh yeah and I cut down my love of cheese which was only outdown by my love for sugar. And I also cut out milk. Some of it was elimination to see if it was causing problems.

Trader Joes was my haven. They had microwaveable organic brown rice packets and fresh veggies in packets that you could microwave and steam in 3 minutes. Nutritionist said frozen veggies where good, canned had too much sodium. Funny now I crave the veggies.

Oh and I added in rose's B12 tabs.

And I watched my Ph and measured it every day. If your body is too acidic from a bad diet you cant lose weight. You need to get body in good ph range.

Now my PH balance is perfect and the pounds are dropping off.

IF I can do it you can do it. But it took me a long time to make the decision to be committed.

You can do it though I know you can

And we are here to help ya get there.

I am on a diet now, and I appreciate the support. I must admit I have been inspired by Alan and Mel for a long time now. I love a happy ending,and to see people commited to turning their lives around and getting fit really makes me want to work hard.

Shelley it's fantastic that you were able to bring down the cholesterol without statins. You're right we with PN don't need statins. I remember on my last neuro visit, their was a little blue haired old lady in with the neuro and they left door open. I could hear the entire conversation. The old lady has PN from her statin,and needed painkillers on a daily basis. The neuro called the GP,and I could hear the neuro trying to explain to the GP that statins can cause PN, and she needs to stop the statins.

Anyways, your numbers are great and 22 pounds is no small feat. I have switched to wholemeal bread and am really trying, so I am looking at loosing 10 kilos. If I lost that I would feel like a million dollars.

Again thank you for the vote of confidence, I appreciate that.

Hi Aussie, just curious, is that b12 " Natures own " Cynocobalamin " ? of course the methly is prefered but nothing wrong with cyno, it still does the job but takes a longer to build up a good supply in our bodies
There is a place in Kew, Victoria that actually makes Methylcobalmin, but not in supplement form , i believe they will only sell it to doctors or only send it to a doctors practice, must be a silly goverment rule of ours, at least we can have injections of Hydroxocobalamin, only about $ 12 for 2 shots and you don't need a script to buy it at a chemist.
all the best,
Brian

Yes it is Natures Own,and it's actually 60 tablets. Sometimes I can get it a wee bit cheaper, but with me it depends on where I am shopping,and it is generally around the $17 mark.

Yeah, thats what i pay too, we have a huge bulk pharmacy in Geelong and there only 14 bucks a bottle, but that's 37 klm away, so i get them when i am in the area.

do not predict well....

Your triglycerides are good (fish oil lowers them)

Your HDLs are good

but your LDLs would make my doctor blanche ..

But here is a new article about the "type" of LDL...and how some is not
dangerous at all:
from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/h...rol/index.html

There is just such a see-saw of articles/data etc... one has to wonder where
the useful truth lies in it all!

Thyroid hormone typically lowers cholesterol. One sign of hypothyroidism is
elevated cholesterol.

The trick is to NOT overmedicate...since thyroid also causes bone tear down...so keeping it at the right level is important! (may lead to osteopenia or frank osteoporosis if too high).

Gee Aussie, I was thinking B12 is a lot cheaper here, but then my husband has been picking it up for me, and I don't remember what he said it cost.

I wish I could get my dad to pay attention to some of the reports like the little old blue-haired lady in the neuro's office. This doctor, who is prescribing statins for him, is just deaf to his weakness. I think he believes my dad is weak from old age, but my dad has always been in such excellent shape, very athletic and his cholesterol was way on down there...

He told my dad that he would rather see my dad die from something they did not know what it was, rather than a heart attack...

Cathie