Warren, Just read the above post about not taking even Cholest-Natural with the numbers stated. My numbers are similar except the total is higher. Total Cholesterol is 289, HDL is 65, TRG is 141, LDL is 195 and TC/HDL is 4.4. What is your opinion of what I should be taking. My doctor is suggesting a statin and I am trying to get my numbers to where I won't need one. I am taking Cholest-Natural (when I remember it 30 min. before the evening meal) and I am taking rice bran now, also. Thank you.

Sherry

There are some poor doctors but there are also many excellent doctors who are well-aware of the appropriate issues. More than a decade of intense study after high school tends to make the latter more common. Unfortunately, the good doctors rarely get the praise they deserve. Even the salaries are not that impressive considering the amount of study and the difficulty in becoming a doctor. An equally dedicated and intelligent business graduate or lawyer would probably earn more sooner. I realize that natural supplements are not always embraced by the medical profession but denigrating the many good people involved in it is not the way to make it happen.

This is not aimed at Warren or Xtend-Life, it's just a general observation on alternate health or dietary supplement sites. Instead of working with doctors and researchers to refine the science and even abandon unsupported products, many of these vendors paint an ugly US vs THEM war. Warren takes care not to be extreme like that and I appreciate his moderation. However, the same cannot be said for many others. They make it seem like seeing a doctor is a bad idea and instead, one should just rely on their products for everything (even serious but treatable diseases like TB). I'm sure that just as there are dogmatic fools who refuse treatment on religious grounds (preferring to pray), there are some that do the same based on some idea about how medicine and the body are supposed to work (despite having no medical expertise).

BTW: I know it's a bit off-topic, but it just reminded me of some other websites I've seen recently.

Check out the more current info on The New JUPITER Study on Statins (Nov 2008) which PROVES that Heart Disease is an Inflammatory Process.

You can see more on this at: http://www.laddmcnamara.com/

Actually your cholesterol figures are not as good as Emily and your triglycerides are quite a lot higher. Overall your figures are still better than many people but not exceptionally good which Emily's are.

If I were you I would continue with the Cholest-Natural for say 6 months, and have another blood test. At the same time you should defintely be taking Omega 3 DHA every day to help with your triglycerides. (If you are not already doing it) Preferably 3 or even 4 soft gels a day.

At the same time pay careful attention to the amount of refined foods that you eat including bakery goods. Although this will have minimal impact on your cholesterol it will help with your triglycerides.

If you could fit it within your budget try to add Total Balance, either version, or if this stretches things a bit to much add Multi-Xtra.

If you forget to take the Cholest-Natural it is OK to take it after dinner.

You are still not at a stage that you really need a statin and hopefully you never will be.

Hey Alex,

I 100% agree! There are some great Doctors out there who have open minds and spend time researching in their own time natural remedies that could benefit their patients.

But sadly for every Doctor who has an open mind there are a number of others who have closed minds to natural options...such as Emily's Doctor. These Doctors often either have no interest in learning about natural preventative options...or are restricted by the organization they work for.

There are also financial risks if they deviate from the accepted medical protocols.

Doctors usually join the profession with a genuine desire to help people. No question about that in my mind. Unfortunately because of a system that is controlled by big money they are never taught the principles of disease prevention.

They have to self educate if they are to be a good Doctor and really help their patients...but, even then they are unable to do so because of the system.

Take Emily's Doctor as an example. Maybe he/her is working a clinic which simply has a policy that instructs all Doctors to prescribe a statin drug for EVERYONE who has total cholesterol of 200 or more...irrespective of the ratios or triglyceride levels...so, they either go along with that policy or they are out of a job.

That is the dilemma.

And Alex...I also get annoyed with some people in our industry as well who have a closed mind about modern medicine. There is a place for both....but drugs etc should only be a last resort and in cases where there is immediate risk of death.

Thanks for your thoughts on this. We are basically in agreement. Prevention should always be the goal and serious drugs only an indication of failure. This is especially true if the drug is not meant to fix a problem, like eliminate a fungus overgrowth or bacterial infection but is instead a perpetual treatment. Drugs are still too imprecise and poorly understood to be free of side-effects so prolonged treatment may be two steps forward and one step backward. Unfortunately, there are still cases where the latter is necessary even not risking death today or a week from now.

Anyway, I'd go a step farther and support not just prevention but rejuvenation. The technology is starting to materialize and in the next couple of decades there may be ways to not just slow down decline but reverse it at least in a few aspects in specific tissues. Ending Aging by Aubrey De Grey makes a case for this.

However, I'd argue that medicine as is currently practiced and given the demands on the doctors is just not ready for either prevention or rejuvenation on a large scale. There are many people with clearly defined diagnoses who don't get the most effective treatment as it is. Whether it is too many patients, insufficient funds, lack of equipment or ignorance, the result is the same. Current patient care is just barely keeping up with the demands that are already and probably always will be in place due to a sick populace. Asking mainstream medicine to take all the necessary steps to fully evaluate patients' histories, genetics etc. and recommend an effective regime (physical, dietary w/personalized supplements, mental etc.) for preventing their most insidious potential problems is not realistic. It would save some in the future while killing people in the present. There are insufficient resources and there is insufficient time. This doesn't mean that doctors are not doing their jobs, although it's true that some don't, it just highlights the limitations of the system and the big elephant in the room... overpopulation.

Sorry for rambling a bit, it just got me thinking about many issues that I care about but haven't thought through completely. I should get my own blog instead of borrowing yours. :P