I decided to give up my cholesterol lowering medication - Vytorin - after hearing the bad news about it. I researched natural ways to lower cholesterol and everything pointed to high fiber, low saturated fat, no processed foods and exercise. Luckily I love fruits, veggies and oatmeal so I love this way of eating. I've been on this plan for about 6 weeks and I'm getting my cholesterol checked next week. I can't wait to see the difference.

Well, I had my cholesterol and blood pressure checked yesterday and my total cholesterol was 234 and blood pressure was 139/88, both are borderline high. So I've got to kick up my eating and fitness plan a notch. I am determined to not go on any medication for these two things.

Besides the whole foods way of eating, I'm going to really watch my salt intake and see if that brings my blood pressure down. Exercise is also going to be my new best friend!

Sunshine...My DH's experience may be helpful to you. About a year ago his cholestrol was about the same as yours, and we were both put off by the side effects of statin drugs, so he decided to consult a naturopath first to see if he could make lifestyle changes.

She put him on some supplements, not all of which I can remember off the top of my head, but theres COQ10, red yeast rice, vit.c, calcium, fish oils, and some others. She also said that he needed to cut his sugars out, with the exception of a weekly treat. So no more coke, no more HFCS, and he watches the sugar grams of everything he consumes like a hawk. He also increased his exercise to 45 minutes of cardio, 5 times a week. In about 8 weeks he had his cholestrol down to 180. However, later in the year, he backed off on the exercise and it went back up to 210. He recommitted to exercise, and his last reading was at 170.

My feelings on the subject: He had thought for years that he needed to watch his saturated fat, but he paid no attention to sugar and it turns out that was the big culprit for him. He needed to watch both. The supplements have certainly helped him, but they don't do the job completely - he really has to eat well AND exercise. I hope his story helps.... we both firmly believe now that cholestrol can be controlled without statin drugs. It's hard, but it's worth it.

I do not want to stir up a hornet's nest, but I am currently reading Gary Taubes' "Good Caloies, Bad Calories", a detailed review of the science behind the high cholesterol-heart disease link. I'm really surprised at how shakey the research is for such a widely accepted theory. The drug trials do show that statins like Lipotor do decrease heart disease risk is certain populations, but other cholesterol lowering drugs do not. So, do the statins have a different effect on heart disease that is not related to their cholesterol lowering properties (most drugs cause multiple effects in the body, we just call the unwanted ones "side effects")? Just something for those considering cholesterol lowering medications to explore, and speak to their doctors about.

rosiekate - thanks for sharing your DH's experience. It was inspiring and I think I've made every change necessary in my diet. It's the exercise that I have to be more consistent with and I need to get my weight down.

circebee - when I was on vytorin, my doctor said the side effects were worth it. He said if I went off the drug, my cholesterol would go right back up. Of course, he never told me how diet and exercise would naturally bring it down. I had to research that myself. I'm will get my cholesterol down to a normal range.

I understand soluble fiber in particular is effective for reducing cholesterol. So many kinds of beans, barley and oat bran would seem like good food choices. And of course the positive effects of regular exercise can't be overlooked!

http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/cho...a/raiseHDL.htm

here is a link for answers on how to raise your good cholesterol