Calling Roto Rooter

The other day I had a question about cholesterol and what to do for it.. There are many prescriptions that are called statins. In my line of work, I see many people suffering from muscle cramping and general pain that take statins. One of the first questions I ask when someone comes in complaining about leg pain and spasms is (are you taking Cholesterol medication?) 9 out of 10 times they are taking a statin..

So what should you do. Well you need to be informed on options. you need to understand what cholesterol means. You have LDL, HDL, Triglycerides and all have a different number that can determine high cholesterol. What is high LDL (bad cholesterol) 160-189 mg/dl is high and 190 mg/dl and over is very high; HDL (Good cholesterol) 60 mg/dl is high 40 mg/dl is low; Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dl is normal, 200-499 high, and 500 on up is very high.

What causes high cholesterol? Is it hereditary or diet? Well cholesterol is something that is produced by the liver and diet, exercise, and heredity can cause High cholesterol. There are many options that you have when facing cholesterol issues all of which depend on how high is high.

There are those strange things called vegetables that contain sterols or stanols that block the absorption of cholesterol. Reducing red meats, baked goods, butter, and full cream milk will all help to lower cholesterol. Many people have also heard of red yeast rice. Red yeast rice has been something that had been used since the Tang Dynasty in 800 A.D... My saying is that if it has been around that long then it must work. Well maybe not.... The reason that I say that is that there is much debate as to whether red yeast rice is a drug (and should be regulated by the FDA) or is it a dietary supplement. So in the USA, the active ingredient in red yeast rice has been removed. So the effects of lowering cholesterol with red yeast rice may not be as effective as it once was. There are some of my patients that still say it helps, but that might be that they also changed their diet and started exercising (but who knows)....

What I do know is that if you change your diet and start treating your body correctly your body will treat you better.. If you have any questions about cholesterol or another health issue please do not hesitate to call and schedule a consult to discuss your individual options.... Your partner in health Dr. Nathan