The Cholesterol Roller-Coaster Ride
Posted on
A reporter from The Charlotte Observer, Karen Garloch, wrote an article about her ‘cholesterol roller-coaster ride’ and how difficult it is to figure out what to do and whether it will work.
Sound familiar? It sure did to me. In fact, her third paragraph really hit home:
“In the end, I realized that the “high” cholesterol levels I started out with in December may not really have been so alarming, given my own healthy diet and lifestyle.”
That is what I’m hoping happens for me – that even though my cholesterol is high and thus a statin is ‘recommended’ that I can lower it without Rx drugs. Or that I really don’t need to lower it all that much – that just because it’s high doesn’t mean it has to be treated if I’m not at risk for heart issues.
In her article, Ms. Garloch takes the reader along on her bumpy ride and explains what she learned – and it’s a great deal of useful info. Check it out, from the 8/31/10 issue of The Charlotte Observer, at “My Cholesterol Roller-Coaster Ride.”
Her updated information about Red Yeast Rice was especially compelling to me. Several friends have told me about Red Yeast Rice, and my doctor mentioned it too – but she also then cautioned that any herbal supplement that acts like a statin (like Red Yeast Rice) means you should check liver enzymes too.
But Ms. Garloch cites a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine that shows Red Yeast Rice doesn’t cause liver issues. And…BONUS… Red Yeast Rice does NOT cause the muscle issues many people have with statins like Lipitor.
That is some potentially very big news! I’ll do a little research on Red Yeast Rice, and get back to you.
PS – a shout out to my sister Kathy who emailed me this article. Thanks!
