HDL supplements

[Paxiled]

Just wanted to let everyone know that I had a physical, and my measurement of cholesterol was 223.  Normally, that would be borderline high, but it was actually considered quite good by my doctor because my LDL was low, my triglycerides were low, but my HDL was so high it threw my whole cholesterol count to the high side, but on the good high side.  The reason I'm putting this on here is because I take Barleans Flax Oil caps (four a day, not very many), and Nordic Naturals Omega 3 caps (7 per day).  The high HDL would seem to indicate these are being assimilated, which is the hardest part of taking supplements -- finding a brand that actually is absorbed well.  So just wanted to let everyone know.  Also wanted to comment on PSA testing, or Prostate Specific Antigen.  This is a test used to determine if a person might have prostate cancer brewing.  Mine was a bit high, 2.1, which is to be expected since I have an enlarged prostate, but far too low to require any invasive search for cancer.  The interesting part was the physician asked me first if I wanted the test.  Because of a family history of prostate cancer, I said yes, but the reason he asked was new guidelines that question the value of some of these basic diagnostic tests, including mammography.  The question is, given that most positives are false positives, is it worse in terms of anxiety and unnecessary biopsies to do these tests at all?  I don't know the answer to this question, particularly relating to mammography which can be much faster growing than prostate cancer, but I found it interesting to be asked.  Just thought I'd share this.

[allmymarbles]

I read something recently, and I can't remember where, connecting heart attacks with statins. With any medication one should check to see if the medicine is worse than the disease. There was only one time I did not follow this rule and I suffered for it.

By the way, my alternative medicine doctor says we need cholesterol. He never prescribes statins.

[Paxiled]

Yeah, I agree with you.  It's the oxidation of cholesterol that's the problem, not the cholesterol.  I was really more just trying to let people know that those particular supplements appear to have been well absorbed.  Gymdandee and I both agree, I think, that statins might actually increase stroke and heart disease by interfering with the absorption of fat soluble nutrients.  We have cholesterol for a reason.

[allmymarbles]

Just for the record, there appears to be little correlation between high blood cholesterol and arteriosclerosis. Half of those who die of heart attacks have normal or low cholesterol. DeBakey never saw cholesterol as an issue. It would seem that the depositing of cholesterol in the blood vessels is more genetic than dietary. The pharmaceutical companies that make statins would not agree. Are you surprised? I'm not.

I have somewhat high cholesterol and have little or no plaque, even though I am 80. My family does not suffer heart attacks or strokes. My husband has low cholesterol, and has had heart attacks. Just about everyone in his family dies of them. Granted that is a small sample, but it illustrates the above.

[gymdandee]

Studies have shown that drinking hibiscus tea can effectively lower high blood pressure and reduce high cholesterol levels in many individuals!  Read an article about it in the February 1, 2009 issue of Internal Medicine News.

http://nilevalleyherbs.com/HIBISCUS.pdf