Hubby just got a report back from the doctor after 3 months on Omega 3's [be sure to get 1000mg of the EPA and DHA] and Red Yeast Rice [600mg].
<<<< You must make sure the total of the EPA and DHA is 1000mg .. there are products out there with lesser quantities even though it may say "1000mg" of Omega 3's. >>>>
His cholesterol went from 287 to 182!!! I kid you NOT!
His HDL went way up too, but I don't have the original blood test and don't remember what his HDL was before the second test.
Amazing what can happen when you have a smart doctor!
PS... just to be clear,
He's taking 600mg of RYR twice a day. 2000mg of Omega 3's twice a day.
Did he make other changes too, like diet and exercise?
I'm very interested, since we just found out my daughter has high cholesterol, and of course the conventional doctors aren't going to know about these supplements.
How wonderful for your husband!
Viva
Posts: 532 | From southeast US | Registered: Oct 2005
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posted
Thank you, thank you, Tutu, for sharing this advice.
I am going to try it. Currently, I'm on 2 Niaspan each AM, and that is only working a little, even with changes in diet.
I did not want to start yet another pill...statin.
So, I'm thrilled to hear your hubby's success.
Hugs,
lifeline
[ 18. January 2009, 11:49 AM: Message edited by: lifeline ]
Posts: 983 | From FL | Registered: Dec 2002
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disturbedme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12346
posted
This is great to hear. My doc put me on RYR as well for very high cholesterol, like 250 high (and I'm only 25!!!!!!!! )
Anyway, I'm really hoping the red yeast rice helps!!! Nothing else has helped. And I don't even consume animal products so I don't even take in any cholesterol with what I eat.
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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posted
I looked up Red Yeast Rice, since I'm not too familiar with it, and on About.com., it stated that RYR used to be combined with a statin and that it why it lowered cholesterol.
It also stated that the FDA made companies take the statin out and that very much lowered the cholesterol lowering abilities of RYR.
disturbedme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12346
posted
lifeline - RYR is obviously still working for people. I've heard of others doing well on it and it lowering their cholesterol.
I am hoping it lowered mine as I've been taking it now for a while. I will know in a couple of weeks.
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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klutzo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5701
posted
Red Yeast Rice caused the same horrible muscle pain and fatigue that I had with statins, so I had to stop it. I understand it is biologically identical to Mevacor, which is why the FDA was trying to have it removed from the market.
I had wondered why I always got so sick and had so much pain after I ate my favorite pork and snow peas at a Chinese restaurant, and now I know why. The red color around the edges of the pork is RYR. This is one reason why the average Chinese has a total cholesterol level of 128.
Neither Policosanol nor oxycosanol did anything for my numbers. I am glad they worked for someone.
Just 100 mgs. of regular Niacin made my skin burn so badly that I ran outside with no coat in the winter, screaming in pain for twenty minutes and swore I'd never take it again. The effective dose is 3,000 mgs. No way!
I use Neptune Krill Oil, which is safer than fish oil (no mercury issues), and far better absorbed. It also does not cause gastric reflux or belching. For more info, mercola.com has a lot on krill oil.
One third of people who take fish oil have a paradoxical response, where their bad numbers go up instead of down, and I was one of them. That does not happen with krill oil.
I take 4 gelcaps of Source Naturals neptune krill oil daily, which is double the dose on the bottle, on the advice of my cardiologist.
It lowered my total cholesterol from 279 to 192. It lowered my triglycerides from 489 to 125. It lowered my LDL from 261 to 131.
Unfortunately, it did not raise my low HDL nearly enough, which went from 32 to 37. The only thing I've ever found that raised my HDL was to eat a lot of walnuts or almonds, at least 20 per day, and that piles the weight on. Yes, I do exercise six days per week...it hasn't helped.
Krill oil may be worth trying for those of you who can't tolerate statins. Not to mention that statins deplete the body of COQ10, eventually causing congestive heart failure.
klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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Jill E.
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Member # 9121
posted
My mom's cholesterol dropped dramatically on even small amounts of red yeast rice. She can't tolerate the statins due to crippling muscle pain.
Unfortunately, she then developed the muscle pain from the red yeast rice and had to abandon it.
Like Klutzo posted, I've been taking krill oil recently (in addition to fish oil) and it doesn't have the "fish burps" or aftertaste of so many fish oils.
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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Did he make other changes too, like diet and exercise?
VERY little. He was actually walking less the last 2 months of the 3 mo .. and still was eating pretty much what he wanted. He did cut back on the pizza!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Of course they want to outlaw RYR, it cuts into their profits with the statins. Big Pharma rules.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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GiGi
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 259
posted
Cholesterol rises and falls for certain reasons. There are several threads here that you can read. Dr. K. always warns - going below 180 - dangerous. But read here. If you do a search, there are several more threads besides this one that discuss this subject.
So there is a big difference, but they are still in the high range - probably because my cholesterol was SUPER high before - 325 and I'm only 25 years old and vegan even!!! My doc wants me to taking 3 caps of RYR now instead of just the two to see if that helps lower it even more.
I never had a problem with my triglycerides or HDL. They are always in good ranges.
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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