When I solicited feedback from my readers the other day about what I should do regarding my doctor’s recommendation that I go back on a statin drug again, I knew there would be a response. Boy, was there ever!
I’ll get to those comments I received from so many of you which definitely run the gamut in another blog post. However, first let me tell you how my doctor’s appointment went on Friday afternoon. I definitely went to see my doctor resolute in my decision NOT to take another statin prescription no matter what he said. There’s just got to be a better way than drugs.
In reviewing my latest blood work numbers, my doctor said he is very “concerned” about my LDL being so high. He said ideally the LDL number should be under 100 mg/dL. I knew that was coming, but I retorted back to him with my HDL and triglyceride numbers.
“But what about my triglyceride/HDL cholesterol ratio, doc? Doesn’t that count for anything in a discussion of cholesterol health and my risk for cardiovascular disease?”
Without hesitation, he responded that while those numbers are good and my weight loss has been quite impressive, those are simply IRRELEVANT when you are talking about LDL as a separate measuring stick for the risk of heart disease. He acknowledged that most medical professionals give more weight to the LDL than they do HDL or triglycerides these days and that they want to see that LDL number go as low as possible regardless of what the other numbers are.
Seriously?! Is he kidding me? I’m not a doctor nor do I pretend to understand all the aspects of the cholesterol debate, but that seems just a bit shortsighted to me. Why even measure HDL or triglycerides if they aren’t as important as LDL, hmmm?
Rather than encouraging me with the incredible IMPROVEMENTS that I have seen in my HDL going up to 72 from the lower 20s it used to be before I started livin’ la vida low-carb and the steady and swift drop in my triglycerides from the 300s down to 42, my doctor dismisses these numbers and even ignores the total cholesterol/HDL ratio which at 3.5 is well within what is considered “safe” range.
But, noooooooooooooo! It’s all about the LDL and nothing else. Yikes! Has it really come to THIS in the practice of medicine these days that we live in such a cookie cutter society that everyone must be treated exactly the same? Was losing 180 pounds not enough for ya, doc? Sheeeez! Can you tell I’m just a wee bit perturbed by all of this?
Anywho, I told my doctor point blank, “I’m NOT going back on a statin drug again, so come up with something else that’s natural for me to get my LDL down.” To my surprise, he did! Well, sort of.
In a pamphlet from the Orlando, FL-based Florida Lipid Institute called “Drug-Free Cholesterol Lowering Plan,” Dr. Paul Ziajka developed a program in 2003 to help people like me get our cholesterol down without using prescription drugs. My doctor said he doesn’t think I’ll see much results from this, but I can try it for four months to see if it helps me get my LDL down. Gee, his confidence in this plan just overwhelms me (maybe he’s kicking himself for not making another statin “sale!”).
This pamphlet basically recommends a low-fat “lifestyle change” (NOT!) and said to avoid eating eggs, cheese, butter, and red meat while eating more tofu, baked chicken, low-fat cheese, 1% milk and margarine. Yucky poo!
Additionally, the plan calls for a three component plan for getting cholesterol down — plant stanols, soy, and soluble fiber.
1. Plant stanols, such as Benecol and Take-Control, help the body prevent the absorption of cholesterol.
2. Soy supposedly lowers cholesterol numbers, although that is now being called into question.
3. Soluble fiber, which I already take lots of, helps lower cholesterol in the GI tract.
In six weeks, doing all three of these steps has resulted in a 45% decrease in LDL and 35% decrease in total cholesterol according to Dr. Ziajka.
The last sentence of the pamphlet made me chuckle, though:
“Following our plan AND a low cholesterol, low fat lifestyle can cut your cholesterol level in half! Just remember, these are changes you are going to make the rest of your life.”
I don’t think so! I’ve done the low-fat diet before and it didn’t work for me. My low-carb lifestyle is doing just fine and dandy for me thank you very much. If I try to do this plan my doctor has given me, then I’ll have to abandon most of the lifestyle changes I have made over the last two years. That’s NOT gonna happen!
Before I left his office, I asked my doctor about the various kinds of LDL and that perhaps my LDL was of the good variety. He said the only way to know that for sure is to conduct the Berkeley HeartLab test, which costs about $1200 to conduct, the next time I get my cholesterol checked. I told him I DEFINITELY want that test done in August 2006.
So basically my doctor is giving me four months to get my LDL down. Since nothing else seems to matter to him, I guess I will take every necessary action I can to make it happen. But I WILL NOT stop livin’ la vida low-carb with the excellent results I have seen with getting my obesity under control, my triglycerides down and my HDL up, among other factors. I’m still not convinced these things just aren’t just as important as LDL.
In my next blog post I will highlight many of YOUR responses to my question regarding cholesterol and whether statin drugs are the answer. Of all the e-mails and comments sent to me, only ONE said I should get back on a statin drug again. The rest of you were either supportive of my current numbers or felt there were some natural remedies to help me get my LDL to drop. I think you’ll like what everyone said and that’s coming up next.
Now it’s tick-tock-tick-tock time for me to get to work on lowering my LDL. I KNOW it can happen with a few additional tweaks in my diet. I’m gonna do everything I can to make it happen and look forward to shocking the boo-boo out of my doctor in four months. Stay tuned…
4-02-2006 UPDATE: Okay, after listening to a LOT of recommendations and suggestions from my readers about how I can get my LDL cholesterol to come down, here is what I finally decided to do.
As you can see, I have a supply of red yeast rice, a plant stenol product, and garlic tablets to add to my low-carb lifestyle, daily vitamin supplementation which already includes a soluble fiber, and regular exercise. I bought a 4-month supply of products to coincide with my return to the doctor’s office in August. Wish me luck!
