Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

homestead - Re: [Homestead] The starting point,,,lab results

homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Homestead mailing list

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Wendy" <crazygardens AT verizon.net>
  • To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] The starting point,,,lab results
  • Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:28:57 -0500

Bev,
What liver abnormalities are you experiencing? A triglyceride drop from 700+ to 274 is very good. But if this was a sudden drop, unexpected, I would also raise an eyebrow. Something has changed, or there were extenuating circumstances that gave you that 700 number. If you want to lower your cholesterol numbers, let me give you some dietary suggestions.

Avoid red meat and pork. Steak, hamburger and chops are your enemy. If you want meats, eat fish and occasionally poultry.
Think high-fiber. Toss refined grains out the window. Eat whole grains.
Eat fruit and veggies. As many raw as you desire.
Take a good multi-vitamin with an additional 500mg C and 400mg E. The additional V's can be varied depending on your diet. Note: for those who smoke, always take a 500mg tablet of C daily. It takes about 500mg to metabolize the nicotine in a pack of cigarettes. Without the additional C, your veins and arteries will be suffer from lack of C because nutrients are used first to metabolize what is coming in before doing maintenance work.
Take 500mg of TMG, trimethylglycine daily. I buy TMG from thevitaminshoppe.com in 1g tablets and chop them in half. This is the best source of TMG I have found. Crush the tablet. TMG is taken up in the upper GI tract, so if you allow it to pass the lower tract in tablet form, it will do little good. Depending on your liver abnormalities, I would also suggest a wine cooler or beer taken with it about twice a week. BTW, if your imbibe in the foul poteen, TMG will prevent fatty liver build-up and cirrhosis. TMG is required by our bodies to metabolize ethanol. Without it, your liver turns ethanol into a special fat and stores it waiting for TMG to finish the reaction. In a high fiber diet, our bodies naturally make more ethanol, hence the added TMG. Natural sources are dark green veggies and red beets, however, these must be eaten RAW. TMG is destroyed by cooking. The end product of ethanol and TMG is Sam-e (along with many other good stuff) which is the chemical our bodies use to tear down old and damaged cells so that we can make new ones. Essential in healing and may ease the effects of aging.
Oh, and don't worry too much about dairy fat as long as it is not in excess.

Good luck,
Wendy
(who studied metabolic chemistry as a hobby...Oh, gawd! What a geek! lol)


I have the lab results: My cholesterol and triglycerides are high. Big
surprise there. :)
My results fit the American mold, nothing unusual about them, really,
except that I personally feel that the conclusions drawn about my health
from the results might be a bit different than Joe Six Pack who might
have the same numbers as me.
I'm giving my caveats first:
1. I had not fasted..bloodwork was taken 4.5 hours after a meal. This
should not affect HDL numbers but like Wendy noted, will affect
triglycerides and LDL, etc. PCP warned of high numbers, but I wanted to
do it that day so I would not have to make another trip on another
day. Also, these are 'holiday' numbers-I admit that I eat more fat
during the holidays than normally.
2. I was taking a round of oral prednisone after receiving 2 injections
of IV steroids in the ER 3 days prior to the blood draw. Steroids
increase triglyceride levels
3. Even though my thyroid hormones are now within normal limits, I have
historically had high triglyceride levels (even with 180 cholesterol
numbers)...super high levels in fact.(700+) This was my lowest ever
test result. I consider this part of my liver abnormalities. Strange
stuff.
4. I do not eat very much fried food, but I get a lot of dietary fat
from dairy-need to work on substitutions there..

Total cholesterol 251 This is a personal record(normally 180-205)
HDL 38 should be above 40
LDL 164 should be very low
Triglycerides 274 should be even low (my lowest result ever)


These numbers are "bad" according to standard medical thinking. I don't
have the full report (it's in the mail), but the RN told me that the doc
wrote on my chart that I was probably genetically predisposed to high
triglycerides and that he wanted to discuss statins with me. After
reading Wendy's post, I kind of freaked a bit, and called back and spoke
to him directly. He has agreed that I can try diet and exercise, and
have given me until the end of April to make a difference in the
numbers. At that time, if the numbers aren't good, we have to discuss
statins again. So basically I am off to the races on lowering my
cholesterol and triglycerides. We did not discuss the effect of statins
on my already stressed liver, I just told him that I really was trying
to get OFF the meds, and adding another one would be admitting defeat
that I couldn't do it. I just told him that since I was able to quit
smoking, I feel very empowered that I can do anything, and I wanted him
to give me a chance, and of course, he was all for that.
I honestly feel like I can do it. Once I start exercising daily again,
I can pull the HDL up into the 40's or better, I'm sure.
With a few dietary substitutions, like avocados for sour cream and mayo,
I should be able to pull the numbers into spec, or at least show enough
of a change to keep that statin discussion off in the distance. :)

Bev





--
"The world is my country, all mankind are my
brethren, and to do good is my religion."
Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809)




_______________________________________________
Homestead list and subscription:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead
Change your homestead list member options:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/homestead/crazygardens%40verizon.net
View the archives at:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead










Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page