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Our parent's generation did not have statins and my father is a good example of the consequences. As he aged, atherosclerosis took a toll with a quad bypass, aortic aneurysm, clogged carotids, stroke, blindness and a list of issues that could have been greatly decreased with the use of statins.
Many of you have offered great advice on trying to find a healthy diet. That works for some and for virtually everyone will have some positive results. That does not mean it is a good idea to become your own doctors, give up statins and face the consequences of previous generations.
Physicians do not just arbitrarily decide on the use of statins. There are well researched consensus guidelines for evaluating lab results and a host of risk factors. Even with detailed guidelines some judgment is needed. There are also those who cannot tolerate statins or who need to try different formulations. Rather than become your own doctor, you would be better off to work with your doctor. For some, going off statins might be necessary. Weight loss, dietary changes and other steps to reduce risk can definitely help. In any case you need to work with your physician. If that is not working, you need to voice your concerns and possibly change physicians.
Yes to all this.
I had to go off statins about a year and a half ago. It scares me but I cant handle the side effects. My mom was on statins and ate almost no fat of any kind for about 40 years (gave her heartburn) ... still had strokes in the end. Oh, and she ate oatmeal every morning and no dairy (lactose intolerant).
I cannot do a plant-based diet. If I don't get my protein I begin to feel bad and lack energy. And I cannot tolerate the taste of most veggies ( I eat a limited amount of the few I can tolerate). Fruit gives me diarrhea. Beans taste awful to me and give me gas. I took a class once on the plant-based diet where they made some food every week for everyone to try. Most things made me gag.
My point is, some of us cannot eat the kind of diet that is supposedly good for us. And cannot tolerate the statins. I do eat whole, cook-at-home foods most of the time and take my BP and thyroid meds. I do what I can, and hope for the best on the rest.
Cholesterol is one of the few things I don’t worry about. Studies only show benefits for men with heart conditions.
Wrong! In fact you may find out you are dead wrong. Strokes and coronary disease affect both men and women. Elevated lipids, especially LDL, are known to be the major cause of both of those diseases and more.
I had to go off statins about a year and a half ago. It scares me but I cant handle the side effects. My mom was on statins and ate almost no fat of any kind for about 40 years (gave her heartburn) ... still had strokes in the end. Oh, and she ate oatmeal every morning and no dairy (lactose intolerant).
I cannot do a plant-based diet. If I don't get my protein I begin to feel bad and lack energy. And I cannot tolerate the taste of most veggies ( I eat a limited amount of the few I can tolerate). Fruit gives me diarrhea. Beans taste awful to me and give me gas. I took a class once on the plant-based diet where they made some food every week for everyone to try. Most things made me gag.
My point is, some of us cannot eat the kind of diet that is supposedly good for us. And cannot tolerate the statins. I do eat whole, cook-at-home foods most of the time and take my BP and thyroid meds. I do what I can, and hope for the best on the rest.
You are not at all unique. Few people can greatly modify their diets to reduce cholesterol and even if they do, a great many of us have bad genes and will still have elevated cholesterol. Cholesterol is not only a component of our diets but is produced by the liver.
I recommend going over the options with your doctor or a cardiologist. My cardiologist gave me sample packs of several different statins. There are some other options besides statins that your cardiologist may want you to try.
I've read that when someone has had a meat centric diet and switches veggies, fruit and beans that they can have digestive problems at first, but they clear up.
I can't imagine NOT eating those things.
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You are not at all unique. Few people can greatly modify their diets to reduce cholesterol and even if they do, a great many of us have bad genes and will still have elevated cholesterol. Cholesterol is not only a component of our diets but is produced by the liver.
I recommend going over the options with your doctor or a cardiologist. My cardiologist gave me sample packs of several different statins. There are some other options besides statins that your cardiologist may want you to try.
I have already tried at least 5 or 6 different statins. I saw a lipid specialist some time ago. She mentioned the injection-type cholesterol meds but wanted me to try more/different statins first to "prove" to the drug insurance company that statins didn't work for me and thus I needed these super expensive drugs. I researched Repatha - they expect you to take it WITH a statin. What good is that?
Also there has been some research saying the statins reduce inflammation and that is having a more beneficial effect for people than the reduction of cholesterol. It was awhile ago so I don't remember where I read that.
Well, we are talking about older people here. At an advanced age, I think it's okay to make decisions that may ultimately affect ones mortality.
I've always said that I would be good to live to age 75. After that age, I'm going to feel free to eat a cheeseburger or two. I'm not going to worry about levels as long as my quality of life is still relatively good.
I agree with you. There comes a point where all the meds and eating healthy won't make much difference anymore. But I think 75 is way too young for that. Maybe late 80s. (I am 71 now)
I have already tried at least 5 or 6 different statins. I saw a lipid specialist some time ago. She mentioned the injection-type cholesterol meds but wanted me to try more/different statins first to "prove" to the drug insurance company that statins didn't work for me and thus I needed these super expensive drugs. I researched Repatha - they expect you to take it WITH a statin. What good is that?
Also there has been some research saying the statins reduce inflammation and that is having a more beneficial effect for people than the reduction of cholesterol. It was awhile ago so I don't remember where I read that.
So I'm curious and asking everyone...is low inflammation a good thing in and of itself or is it merely a good indicator? What I mean is, if you have low C-reactive protein and decent cholesterol and low normal BP, and good blood sugar is there something else I need to worry about? Something even more "basic" than low inflammation?
So I'm curious and asking everyone...is low inflammation a good thing in and of itself or is it merely a good indicator? What I mean is, if you have low C-reactive protein and decent cholesterol and low normal BP, and good blood sugar is there something else I need to worry about? Something even more "basic" than low inflammation?
An anecdote about inflammation: I'm not an expert, but I am a 70 y/o with arthritis. There are many types of arthritis, mine is not rheumatoid arthritis; it's osteoarthritis (wear and tear). I have osteoarthritis in one joint in my foot (probably in other areas also) and have been receiving steroid shots in that one joint over the last couple years, about every 6 months. But the time has come for surgery on that joint. I had my last injection in March and will likely do the surgery this fall.
I eat a plant-based diet with fish, eggs and non-fat dairy. No meat. No refined sugar. So, in late February, Whole Foods had a sale on shrimp, big, pink, plump steamed (farmed) shrimp. Great price and it was really good. I haven't had fresh shrimp in years, just really don't think about it and I eat other fish. So, the sale went on for several weeks, so I kept buying and eating the cooked shrimp, probably a couple times of week for dinner over 3-4 weeks.
In mid-March, the joint on my foot with the osteoarthritis was suddenly incredibly inflamed and swelled up, to the point that I could barely walk or bend my toe. The inflammation happened over a few days and was incredible. I got in to see the Rheumatologist and he gave me a much needed cortisone shot. The doctor tested it for gout and that wasn't the case. The swelling went down within 24 hours after the shot, and the pain decreased to where it was before the surge of inflammation. (There is always some pain, which is why the surgery is coming in a few months.)
My point is that sometimes an inflammation flares up without any explanation, or might be related to something we are eating. I don't know if there is something that is used to process those shrimp at Whole Foods or not. The shrimp is farmed, as most shrimp is these days, unfortunately, so that may have been a factor. Farmed fish is not good news, even at Whole Foods, if you do some research online. I try to avoid it in general, but I set that aside in the case of these shrimp.
Maybe there is no connection whatsoever between the inflammation and the shrimp, but it's never happened before and hasn't happened since. Other fish I've eaten have not been a problem. But, maybe it was just a coincidence.
And, I have to add that I'm sitting here in Michigan feasting on fresh cherries from Washington State, and the arthritis pain in my foot (and elsewhere) is much better....LOL Probably not related to eating cherries, but some studies have suggested that sweet cherries have powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Other studies suggest the sour tart cherries (grown in northern Michigan) have a strong anti-inflammatory effect. In any case, it's cherry season!
I'm not an expert, but I would think that overall low inflammation is better for your body than high inflammation under normal circumstances. I think that acute inflammation in general is the immune system's response to injury and infection, but chronic inflammation can be a contributing factor in serious diseases, from what I've read.
I know with RA if you get sick,like a cold or something, that can cause RA to have flare. Not sure if its the same with OA.
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