I was wrong about the margine its not promise its smart balance that I use but promise is ok also. Also I wanted to ask what form do the Goji berries come in. I am going out today and might look for them.
I was reading your post and I have some comments on the hormone replacement therapy. Back in early 2004 I went to a doctor and he said their was a big scare a hormone replace therapy also know as HRT therapy. At that time the didn't want to put anyone on hrt therapy. I just read now that they think it may be a good idea except for women with high lipid panels. That is the theory. I talked to the female doctor I saw this week about it and she said because of my high lipid panels which means underlying heart disease for me, that she could not put me on hrt therapy. That it could cause more harm than good. She started me on a low of vagifem which is estrogen only short term and it can still raise my triglyceride levels and my bp. I was upset about the rx dose being higher than the samples because the higher dose my actually cause me harm. I am waiting for a call from her on Tuesday. Plus a side effect of the med. is severe depression. Which for me could be deadly. She asked me about the xanax and I told it her I take it if I can sleep but rarely. I also asked her if menopause caused anxiety or made it worse. She didn't answer the question and told me I could talk to my primary doctor about any other health issues I have. Anyway I missed the boat on the treatment with estrogen and progesterone and don't have a answer about the anxiety. I am hoping I will have a better rappore with the other new doctor I will be seeing on the 16th.
Anyway on a more positive note I do think eating fruits and vegetables may help release some of the stored fat because I am losing weight now that I have changed my diet and that is without doing any extra exercise. I also find that I am more attracted to eating the fruits and vegetables now as I have aged and really prefer eating this way. I also now longer eat white bread or white flour. I am eating whole grains only and using olive oil to cook and using promise margarine. All the good fats. Plus walnuts,almond,patashioes avocados are all good fats and mozzarella cheese is ok in moderation. Vege omelets cooked in olive oil are very healthy. I also add one piece of bacon to it as a treat, moderation is the key. We got to keep eating our vegatables thats for sure. I really believe in treating the whole person, body and mind. Thats the Key. What do you think?
I am happy to see you are doing some thing holistic but still not ruling out meds as a last resort. An interesting fact is that BP goes up in some women post menopause. The ones I know that are taking an Ace inhibitor are doing it because they can not or will not take the hormone replacement.
You have heard that it takes money to make money, and you know it takes panic to get rid of panic, but did you know it takes fat to get rid of fat. A person is supposed to derive most of there energy from fat. Burning fat for energy is easier to do than having your liver take it out of storage. Also your liver will convert excess protein and starches to fat just because that is it's job. But it is stingy about letting them go again after all this is a survival thing. It is conditioned to not use this fat till it has too. This is why bread is more fattening than the butter you put on it. The butter gets used for energy and the bread and jam gets stored. Fruit and vegetables have little protein to store as fat and there sugars are released slower. The fibre also sees to it that they and anything eaten with them is eliminated before our bodies can scavenge every calorie and store it.
I am not vegetarian but I do tend towards it more as I age and slow down. I also have a very efficient liver so I can convert almost any thing to fat and store it. I could be wrong but I feel eating fruit and vegetables causes the liver to release some of that stored fat. Any ideas on this?
I was just reading your post and found it very interesting. I defiantly belief in the holistic approach to medicine. I have changed my diet and am eating mostly vegetables, fruit, beans and nuts now and very little meat. I have lost five pounds in the last 3 weeks. Which has helped with my cholesterol, my biggest problem is my triglyceride levels being 259 which is high but not as high as they were at 469 so it is getting better. I may have to go on meds again if it doesn't improve but that is a last resort. I do not have hot flashes anymore I am post menopausal, post meaning after. The high blood pressure and high lipid panel levels which is a combination of Cholesterol levels good bad and triglyceride started after becoming post menopausal 7 years ago plus my family history of heart disease. So changing my diet and losing weight which is hard for a women to do after these changes is the best thing I can do for myself at this time. It will make it easier on my heart and my underlining heart disease and ward off it turning into full blown heart disease. I take a multi vitamin/ mineral daily centrum silver which gets rid of the charlie horses, fish oil for my arteries and sublingual b-12. I am going to try the pumpkin seeds and the Goji berries to lower my blood pressure that you mentioned after I see my new Dr. on the 16th of this month. Let me know how the turmeric and Goji berries work if you try them. I would be interested in knowing how you made out. Anyway I think I am getting a better handle on my health issues with the changes I have made in my diet. Thanks for the info Davit I really do appreciate it. I know doing the research takes a lot of time and effort.
On the dietary side of cholesterol lowering so far I have found that the amount of oat bran needed is prohibitive but doesn't hurt to use it. Pumpkin seeds have a chemical in them purported to reduce cholesterol, worth looking up and reading. Psyllium is supposed to reduce cholesterol also. And for people who get hot flashes Rhubarb is supposed to stop them. For me I'm going to try Goji berries to lower my blood pressure, and turmeric to relieve Arthritis pain. I'm finding some interesting sites that Karin left on my computer. She was health conscious. A person can only try, keeping in mind that you can overdose on these things also and do harm. The other thing I am going to try is Guinoa, a cereal that has all eight amino acids in it and is very high in minerals.
Me too. I feel I need to stay informed so that I can make the best choices about my care. I think doctors feel threatened by this. I also think you need to be as informed as possible when dealing with them. Even if the don't like. I just can't take what they say as gospel.
I am an information junky and some times I get overload and some times I get misinformation. I find it easier to deal with a Doctor if I have some information but I have found some do not like it if you got it from the internet, even if it came from the Mayo clinic site. I hope what Bob said is accurate, up to date and of some relevance to you. It only stands to reason that there must be more than one way to treat this. I will keep digging.
I see my new Dr. on the 16th and will ask him. I didn't know there were more meds you can take now. Thanks for the info!It is greatly appreciated. I decided to have my cholesterol tested today at the pharmacy while I was there. I didn't want to wait till the Dr appt to have it tested and then have to go back for a follow up visit and pay for that. My lipid panel wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Its still too high by doctors standards but it was better than I expected. So now I can go to my appointment with my lab result in hand and will not have to go for a follow up visit to get meds if I need them. This way I already know my results and will not have to worry about not being able to leave my house because of the agoraphobia to go to a additional Dr. appt.to get meds. I hope? So I am feeling good about it so far. I think I can do this as long as they don't tie me up with return visits for the next few months. Not to mention the money it costs. I think I am going to be ok now. It would be a lot easier without the agoraphobia to contend with. Thanks again for you help Davit! I will never forget your kindness.
I saw Bob the pharmacist today he said there are other cholesterol products, have you talked to your doctor. Bob is borderline and controls his with diet only. Karen is still on holidays. I will try to get more information from him. I thought there was only one type of medication, he says there are different types. I will keep asking, I know lots of nurses too they might have an idea.
I have been at the pharmacy all day and just came in and read your post. It was a hard day and it was so nice to read your post this evening. Thank you for your concern and for showing me such great compassion. It really means a lot to me. I look forward to hearing what your friends Karen and Bob have been doing to get their cholesterol down. Your the best!!
