Check up 3 mos after stopping statins

[djo]

I was first given Advicor in August 2005, I took it only until late December when the side effects became to severe to continue. When I had blood work and and IMT (ultrasound) on my carotid arteries in August the results were not good. I was one point below the highest risk category in the ultrasound and my blood showed I have Small Dense LDL which means the bad cholesterol is very tiny and even more dangerous as it wedges it's way into the arteries easier. When I stopped taking Advicor in December I went on the supplement regiment listed on this web site, have been doing so faithfully until this day. I had the blood work and ultrasound repeated to see where I am now. My doctor was blown away, my arteries show only a few tiny spots of plaque now, so I went from very high risk to low risk. My good cholesterol is way up and the LDL has changed from the very tiny to a normal size and is in the normal range also. My doctor knows I prefer holistic treatments so of course he wanted to know what I had been doing, I told him about this site and the supplements that I have been using. He said, "Awesome, just keep doing it." He also said that he had patients before who had been helped by taking supplements but nothing as remarkable as the progress I had made. I feel like a person again, I have energy and life is good. This is a regiment I can stick with and live with. I feel very lucky that I only took the statin for 4 months and feel deeply for those who have been on them for years.

[sos_group_owner]

Hi DJO,

Is this the regime you are following?

Statin alternative(s) to reduce/prevent inflammation:
(IE: anti-oxidant, reduce platelet stickiness, controls homocysteine)

1) buffered aspirin - 81 mg
2) CoQ10 - 100 to 150 mg
3) folic acid - 400-800 mcg
B6 - 80-100mg
B12 - 200-250mcg
4) Omega 3 (fish oil or cod liver oil) [ There is no upper limit.]

These four items/categories have the same anti-inflammatory
affect as 20 mg's of Lipitor, without side effects.

Source: Statin Alternatives
http://www.spacedoc.net/statin_alternatives.htm

Fran

[djo]

It is what I am following except I take more aspirin as it helps with some soreness from a knee injury.

[sos_group_owner]

Thank you DJO for sharing your results & congrats on your improvement.

All my husband's inflammatory markers were excellent. His main levels of concern are the small sense LDL and elevated triglycerides. Trigs are historically elevated, but that's mainly due to his long term low fat (almost totally NO fat) - low cholesterol - diet which leads to a high carb diet (what else is left???). He replaced fat with foods containing sugar, thinking they were a healthier choice. Example: sorbet instead of IC.
We now eat whole, real foods.

When you start to research and discover that what we've been told for so long is really the cause of everything being out of whack, you really start to wonder about the medical profession and their advice.
A few examples:
* don't eat saturated fat (lack of sat fat causes HDL to go DOWN)
* don't eat egg yolks (the incredible edible egg is an excellent source of omega 3)

We've been concentrating on "inflammation", following Dr Graveline's recommendations that I mentioned. My husband's levels haven't been checked lately. I'm so tired of arguing with his doctors, because the only thing they want to do is lower his cholesterol and we've been there and done that. Results? mis-diagnosed with Alzheimer's, muscle atrophy, visual disturbances, muscle aches/pains, darkened skin pigment, just to name a few. Persistent memory loss is still an issue, but it's getting better.

Here's to your continued success.

Fran