Where to start....

[ms_sally1974]

Ok, I'll try not to make this too long....

Back in 2013 I had a missed diagnosis of low Vitamin D. Back then it was 36, recent labs 37.... (30-100) I've recently been diagnosed with Low D and Low B-12.

In 2012 my Cholesterol looked like this...
Total 185
Tri 163
HDL 62
LDL 90
Ration 1.5

I followed a healthy, mostly vegetarian diet and exercised 5 days a week.

In 2013 I got these results
Total 201
Tri 114
HDL 69
LDL 109
Ratio 1.6

The only thing I was told at this point was to continue with the healthy diet/exercise and to STOP taking fishoil...

So skip ahead to 2015
Total 237
Tri 184
HDL 78
LDL 121
Ratio 1.6

I've been told to exercise and eat healthy and come back in 3 months... Since I already exercise and eat healthy. What can I take or do to help lower it.  I would like to stay off of medication, but I really don't know where to start.  I've been doing "all the right" things, or so I thought and I just keep going up.... If it makes any difference, I've been convinced that I have a thyroid issue, however my labs are normal, however, I've been unable to get antibody testing for Hashimoto's.  My doctor "inadvertently" tested me for Graves, which showed antibodies, but within range and she says the test was negative... I'm at my wits end, I've been through 4 doctors over the last 4 years and I'm no where closer to a diagnosis than I have been, in the meantime, I'm dealing with a slew of symptoms, some of which are from the B12 and D deficiencies but some that are not.  Any ideas...

[erijon]

I have to agree, Dr. Mecola is hardy an open minded source. He makes a living selling supplements from his website. He's a hack writer that says what he needs to sell his pills.

[gymdandee]

I don't buy his or any other product from Dr.

[gymdandee]

This new forum stinks! You press enter and it posts what you're writing!! As I was stating above I don't buy the products but I do listen to the topics and implement many that Mercola  or other doctors recommend and do the research on the alternative choices. I don't have high blood pressure, cholesterol. As my brother and sister has and my father had. So if diet,exercise and supplements are doing the trick then that's what i'll do. Many moons ago I did have high blood pressure. Not to say i'm perfect as I do have to genetic factors for blood clots and i'm on coumadin  (rat poison) for life.  

[gymdandee]

"Your body is incapable of producing the EFAs, known as linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, so it must derive them from food," explains Wahida Karmally DrPH, RD, professor of nutrition at Columbia Universityand director of nutrition at The Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

Fat carries vitamins A, D, E, and K (these are fat-soluble vitamins) into and around the body.  It's also very good for your skin, eyes and brain.
Body fat and dietary fat are two different things.
low fat diets 15% or 34 grams of fat in a 2,000-calorie diet -- may not reduce artery-clogging compounds in the bloodstream in everyone. Most people can't maintain a very low-fat diet long term.

http://video.pbs.org/widget/partnerplayer/2365202180/?start=0&end=0&chapterbar=false&endscreen=false&topbar=true&autoplay=false

[gymdandee]

http://healthimpactnews.com/2011/saturated-fats-help-build-hormones-and-tame-your-appetite/

[gymdandee]

Part # 2

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=129344&page=1

avocado consumption, particularly its benefits for cardiovascular disease, weight management, diabetes, and its ability to enhance your body's absorption of nutrients.

The first of these HAB-supported studies was published in November, 2012. The small UCLA-led pilot study found that eating one-half of a fresh medium Hass avocado with a hamburger (made with 90 percent lean beef) significantly inhibited the production of the inflammatory compound Interleukin-6 (IL-6), compared to eating a burger without fresh avocado.

According to lead author David Heber, MD, PhD, the findings offer "promising clues" about avocado's ability to benefit vascular function and heart health. As reported by Medical News Today:

"The researchers observed a significant peak (approximately a 70 percent increase), of IL-6 four hours after the plain burger was eaten, but less effect on IL-6 (approximately a 40 percent increase) over the same time period when fresh avocado was eaten with the burger.

Additionally, the study found that when fresh Hass avocado was eaten with the burger it did not increase triglyceride levels beyond what was observed after eating the burger alone, despite the extra calories and fat from the fresh avocado...

The pilot study also reported that the difference in peripheral arterial blood flow (the movement of blood to different parts of the body, as measured by PAT), a predictor of vascular health, after eating the hamburger meal compared to the hamburger-fresh avocado meal was approaching statistical significance.

PAT scores significantly decreased (signifying reduced blood flow) only after the plain burger was eaten (approximately a 27 percent drop, on average) compared to a burger with fresh avocado (approximately a 4 percent drop, on average, signifying less reduction in blood flow)."

Eliminating grain carbs is one of the best ways to support your health and maintain your weight, but when you cut down on carbs, you need to increase your intake of healthy fats. Avocados are an excellent source, along with organic raw butter, coconut oil, and organic pastured eggs, just to name a few.

Avocados, which are actually classified as a fruit, are rich in monounsaturated fat that is easily burned for energy. I eat an Avocado every dayThis increases my healthy fat and calorie intake without seriously increasing my protein or carbohydrate intake.  It is also very high in potassium and will help balance your vitally important potassium to sodium ratio.

There's also evidence suggesting that limiting your intake of protein can be helpful for long-term good health and the prevention of cancer. At the very least, most people are consuming far too much poor-quality protein, such as beef and animal products from livestock raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Here again, if you cut down on protein, you need to replace lost calories with healthy fats such as avocados, coconut oil, olives, olive oil, butter and nuts.

Overall, most people would do well to get upwards of 50-70 percent fat in their diet (along with high amounts of vegetable carbs, moderate-to-low amounts of high-quality protein, and very little, if any, carbs). According to the California Avocado Commission, a medium Hass avocado contains about 22.5 grams of fat, two-thirds of which is monounsaturated. They're also very low in fructose, which is yet another boon, and provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including: Fiber,
Potassium (more than twice the amount found in a banana), Vitamin E,
B-vitamins, Folic acid.

[gymdandee]

Part # 1

The concept of “good” and “bad” cholesterol is outdated. It is far more important to know whether you have a dominating pattern of small, dense, inflammatory cholesterol particles than to know your total amount of LDLs.

LDL cholesterol particles can be large and buoyant or small and dense, and they're not created equal. It's the small, dense LDL particles that can readily enter compromised arterial walls and fuel the inflammatory process. The large buoyant particles are less apt to act in that way. So it stands to reason that having a greater number of small LDL cholesterol particles puts you at higher risk for heart disease than if your LDL cholesterol is mostly the larger, more buoyant type.

High levels of small LDL cholesterol is of particular concern when the blood also contains a lot of Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a)—the most dangerous of the blood lipids. Lp(a)s are specific types of small LDL cholesterol particle that inflames the blood and makes it sticky—making it more prone to clotting.

All of this means that your basic total cholesterol reading really doesn‘t mean much unless it‘s exceptionally high. What truly informs you and your doctor of your risk is the types of cholesterol fraction patterns you have—large or small LDL, and high functioning or low functioning HDL.

But because standard blood lipid tests won‘t reveal this information, you need to ask your doctor to order one of the newer generation cholesterol tests, such as the Vertical Auto Profile (VAP) test or the Lipoprotein Particle Profile (LPP) test.

Fat does raise LDL cholesterol, but it increases the big, fluffy, harmless particles and reduces the small, dense inflammatory LDLs that actually contribute to heart disease.

The number one dietary contributor to heart disease is sugar, a far greater danger to your heart than fat. But the sugar industry has suppressed damaging reports for years, similar to the earlier behavior of Big Tobacco. The fact is that sugar contributes to inflammation in the artery walls. Reduce or eliminate sugar and processed carbs in your diet and you knock down triglycerides.High triglycerides are far more of a danger for heart disease than high cholesterol.

[ms_sally1974]

Thanks for the info.  When I mean I eat healthy, I count my calories, measure my food etc.  I eat mainly vegetarian, but some chicken and fish, red meat maybe once a week.  No "white" foods, lots of whole grain, low fat.  I will definitely look up those people and see what they say.

[Circa49]

Yes, take a look.  As I indicated they are all very similar when you look at there advice.  The only reason I single out one,  is because they have such a active discussion board with so many participants.

[Circa49]

I don't know about your B-12 level,  but your Vit D levels do not appear to be terrible at 37.
However it is very easy to take some D and B-12 to correct any low levels.
As to  your statement  " I already exercise and eat healthy",  that can mean so many different things to so many people.
There are some diets that "in some people" can greatly lower your total cholesterol and LDL levels.  
Everyone seems to indicate they "eat healthy".   You need to quantify it,  then depending on what it is,  experiment with alternative diets if you want to lower your cholesterol without taking a statin.
Some people get great results, while others eventually need to add in a low level statin as well.  Often you can see results in only a couple months.   Worth a try if you want to avoid any use of statin.   Or you might do both a more rigorous diet as well as a low level statin.
Names you might look up,  easily found on the internet.
Dean Ornish,  Dr John McDougall  (active and free web site),  Caldwell Esselstyn,  Joel Fuhrman,   Neal Barnard,....
All very similar message and each has followers who have gotten significant reductions in cholesterol..   However,  not all diets work the same for everyone.   The only way is to try it for a couple months and see how your next test is.
If you are fairly good at following their way of eating,  and still end up higher than you like,  you can then try a low dose statin to begin.
Its not one vs the other.  You can combine the two if needed.
Every individual is different and gets varying degrees of reduction.
For some it is dramatic and they avoid medication.  
Worth a try rather than just giving up...
Of course,  if you current diet is already what they suggest ....
But most people idea of "eating healthy"  is not very different than just normal eating.
Take a look.