Does any body know of Alternative remedies for high cholesterol? I really don't want to have to take Lipitor

Question

I am a firm beliver in natural remidies.I have heard a lot of bad things about lipitor like muscle problems ect. I need to lower my cholesterol but don't want to damage my body to do it.

Answer 1

Diseases associated with high cholesterol (and fats) are the number one killer. Fats also play a key role in the incidence of cancers and many other degenerative diseases. Cholesterol exists only in animal tissues, therefore, one's diet is an important first step in its control. For some people, however, limiting fat and cholesterol intake alone is not enough to reduce serum cholesterol to safe levels because of their own liver's production of excess cholesterol. The use of supplements to augment dietary modification can help reduce cholesterol without the side effects of many drugs.

The effectiveness of any cholesterol-reduction therapy varies considerably between individuals. The nutrients we recommend have not only been shown to lower cholesterol, but also protect against cardiovascular disease by other mechanisms such as inhibition of cholesterol-oxidizing free radicals and abnormal blood clots inside arteries (thrombosis).

The following nutritional supplements offer synergistic benefits to assist dietary modification to reduce total serum cholesterol and elevate HDL cholesterol:

Policosanol, take one tablet twice per day with meals: one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Or Sytrinol, one capsule twice daily. Note:Do not take if it causes your cholesterol to drop below 180 mg/dL

Fiber, 4 to 6 grams before any high-fat meal.

Chitosan, three to six 500-mg chitosan capsules and one 1000 mg ascorbic acid capsule right before a high-fat meal.

Niacin, 1500 to 3000 mg a day (if tolerable). Consider flush-free niacin (inositol hexanicotinate) to avoid a "red face."

Artichoke extract, 300 mg, 3 times a day.

Garlic, 600 to 48000 mg a day.

Curcumin, 900 to 1800 mg a day.

Gugulipid, 140 mg 1 to 2 times a day.

Green tea, 750 mg a day of green tea, 93% polyphenol extract.

Perilla oil, 6000 mg a day. We suggest taking six 1000-mg gel caps daily. If triglycerides are high, consider taking 4-8 softgels of fish oil (EPA/DHA).

Vitamin E, 400 to 800 IU daily

Soy protein extract, 2 heaping teaspoons (5 to 6 grams) of soy powder daily. Soy powder can be easily dispersed and has a light peanut butter taste. For those who want to avoid powders, consider taking one-five capsules of the Ultra Soy Extract (40% isoflavones) daily.

Selenium, 200 to 600 mcg daily.

Herbal Cardiovascular Formula, two-six capsules daily with food in divided doses.

Link to full protocol below.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

Natural remedies include oats, fish oil, garlic oil and many others that you can find in a web search for "high cholesterol" + "natural remedies".

Each natural remedy helps a bit and you may have to take several.

Answer 3

I have lowered my cholesterol from 200 to 175 through upping the fiber (as noted--it's the fiber that helps, not reducing cholesterol-lowering foods).  The fiber moves along in the system and more cholesterol is not absorbed.  Also, long cook oatmeal and beans really helps to lower the TC.  I also use Omega 3 oil and turmeric (both good for many things).  BTW red yeast rice is the natural form of what is in Lipitor.  You get a much lower dose, but it IS a statin.

Answer 4

Well, the best way to lower your cholesterol is to change your diet and to eat high fiber foods that will allow you to have several bowel movements a day to remove the cholesterol.

That said, if you can't lower your cholesterol with diet, exercise, and fiber, then you will be damaging your body by NOT taking the lipitor.

Answer 5

AS stated decrease of carbohydrates.  Low carb diet.  Get DR Atkin's book.

Answer 6

I have been taking lipitor and other sister medications for years, when diet and exercise did not help enough.  Now I also take Niaspan.  The damage to my body has been nil.  Better to take these drugs than the alternative.

Try diet and exercise first, but if they are ineffective, take the meds without hesitation.

Answer 7

Triglycerides are a form of fat in the bloodstream. People with high triglycerides often have a high total cholesterol, a high LDL (bad) cholesterol and a low HDL (good) cholesterol level.

Fortunately, elevated triglycerides is one of the easiest problems to correct with the appropriate diet. Simple restriction of all sugars and grains.

Sugars and grains and require insulin secretion, which is a potent stimulus to the liver to produce triglycerides, and sugars and grains must be reduced if you are looking to lower your triglycerides.

Answer 8

I had about 5 different prescriptions for high cholesterol and they all had bad side effects.I now take fish oil three times a day in addition to exercise and change of diet.The Doctor also recommended niacin which did not work

Answer 9

I have taken Lipitor for approximately four years and have had no ill effects.  I also like natural remedies; however, there are  instances when those do not work.  I had a friend who was taking garlic as a home remedy and she had a brain aneurysm and died suddenly.  So, do we take the chance or not?  Good luck on whatever choice you make.

Answer 10

Garlic and a good fish oil will do as much as Lipitor or other man made drugs.  Eat lots of good fiber like gluco manen as well.

  Those who don't believe in God's medicine,  What on earth are you doing in the Alternative Medicine category  anyway. ??

Answer 11

"You've made a good decision to avoid the Cholesterol drugs... there are too many potential side effects to worry about"

first thing on his list- red yeast rice, which does work well for a natural remedy because it naturally contains lovastatin (aka Mevacor, a sister drug to Lipitor)

LMAO!

statins are pretty safe in general, the muscle thing (rhabdomyolysis) only occurs in 1 per a few hundred people and if you get the signs like muscle aches, dark urine, etc. and stop the drug right away chances are it wont do any serious damage, its mostly the people that ignore the signs for months and months that end up with major kidney/liver damage. some natural meds and better diet/excercise can get you down to goal if youre just a little high but if you need to drop it more than 25% or so youll probably have to use  a drug to get to goal.

Answer 12

There are several supplements and herbs that are very beneficial for Cholesterol health, and Lemar hit on a couple of them (although a couple of his mentions don't help directly with Cholesterol). You've made a good decision to avoid the Cholesterol drugs... there are too many potential side effects to worry about (I can tell you more about that if you'd like).

Some of the most beneficial natural products for Cholesterol health are Red Yeast Rice, Policosanol, Beta Sitosterol, Omega 3 and 9 Fatty Acids (typically in Fish Oil, Flax Oil, and Olive Oil), Guggul, Niacin, Lecithin, Garlic, PhosphatidylCholine, and any good soluble fiber. Each of those help with different aspects of Cholesterol health, so you may need a variety of them... try one or two of them out. Aside from that, there's always the standard plan of diet and exercise, but that's normally just increasing soluble fiber (veggies, fruits, grains, etc) and decreasing bad foods (some sugars, certain fatty foods, etc). Good luck!

Answer 13

try fish oil pills that's what my doctor told me. also eat oatmeal for breakfast 2-3 times a week that is proven to lower it.

Answer 14

There are many things one can do naturally to lower their cholesterol- the most effective and healthiest of which are a vegetarian diet, regular exercise, and supplements of niacin and Vitamin C.  It is also important to consume plenty of fiber (fruits, vegetables and whole grains- not pills or powders!) and fresh juices.  Carrot juice has been seen to be very effective at lowering cholesterol.

Answer 15

to clear up cholesterol: Vitamin E, Pumpkin seed oil, Flax seed oils, Omega oils (3,6 and whatever else is available), Ginko Bilboa, Cayenne pepper herb (capsium), Gota Kola, L-Argine.