My Dr. gave me a sheet on supplements but I seemed to have misplaced it. I'll try to tell you what I remember. Some things work for some people and not others. Supplements are not regulated so it's hard to know (other than research) which brands and doses are best.

Fiber - You may find that adding more fiber will help. Some people use metamucil or similar products. I would get sugar free if I was you since carbs and sugars cause inflammation.

Plant Sterols: http://blog.doctoroz.com/is-this-right-for-you/plant-sterols-is-this-right-for-you

Fish Oil Capsules and other sources of Omega 3 including nuts (esp. walnuts), flaxseed and other items.

Niacin - like being on statins, your liver will have to be monitored.

Exercise

Avoid sugar and excess carbs

Eat good fats like found in avocados, nuts etc.

Avoid stress...that's a hard one for us all, but you can help manage it with meditation, yoga, etc.

Get your thyroid checked. Thyroid problems and other metabolic disorders can greatly affect our bodies and everything they do.

Increase antioxidants

There are others I can't remember but I am sure other people on this board can post things they know too.

Sometimes it is genetic too.

hi Pixie, I really like that list. I never had the sugar/lipid connection explained to me until I watched a show on Dr. Oz. What a difference cutting out sugar made on my lipid count.

Thanks pixie. Will give them a try

My husband always had an elevated cholesterol count. A few years ago he had pain in his leg when walking and was diagnosed with a totally blocked leg artery. He was put on statins, but he absolutely hated taking drugs. I found the McDougall diet on the internet. First I did not know if it was a scam or not, but he is supposed to be a legit doctor. -Dr. McDougall claims that if one goes on a high carb, vegan diet , they can lower their cholesterol a lot within 3 weeks. So we took him up on this claim. Both of us had bloodtest done -mine was 189 total, my husbands was 178 with the medication ( before it was 244). After 3 weeks we went back and had the bloodtests done again. Results-mine was 148 and my hubbies was 138 ! With that he was able to get of his statins. The vascular surgeon told him , he has 2 choices for his blocked artery. 1. get a stent but in. 2. stay on the diet and walk every day an hour or more, this was supposed to force new arteries do grow around the blockage. So he choose to the the walking and the diet. -Several weeks later the pain in his leg disappeared and he has had no problems since then. His foot has the normal coloring back, before he did not even a pulse at all in the foot.
I just want you to know I'm not associated with Dr. McDougall. We just tried out what he said and it works for us. As a pleasant side effect, I don't have any more arthritis pain , I was born with congenital hip dislocations and had been struggling with that all my life.
Just message me if you have any questions, I will be glad to answer them.

Thank you for your reply. What wonderful results you both have achieved. I have just been placed on a free program with a dietician as I also have chronic pancreatis. The dietician is going to give me a individual program for cholesterol / pancreatis.
So hopefully I will be on the right track to health.

the best of luck to you. Keep trying to find what works for youl

I quit my Livalo last week on my own. I have taken it for almost two years, and like all of the others I have taken, I have such horrible leg pains. I have arthritis and DDD, but no herniation so the doctor has no idea, even after doing MRIs that came back alright, why so much pain. He does not like the idea of me not taking statins, but we are following the Mediterranean Diet right now, and I am hoping that without being on statins that I can begin to exercise again and that the leg pain will soon subside. Right now I have days I can barely walk at all.

megsmom, I hope that you are still following this thread because I have some homework for you that you will find very revealing to say the least. Once learning the truth about statins, be prepared to be very mad that you have suffered needlessly for years, and secondly be prepared to fire your doctor.

1. Watch the two 30 minute TV shows at the link below. Although they were produced in Australia, nearly all the actual recording was filmed at cholesterterol ground zero: the USA. These two shows were broadcast by Australian TV, and really stirred up the drug pushers.

http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/the-cholesterol-drug-war-abc-australia-bans-documentary-exposing-statin-drug-scandal/

2. Then read a great book that was co-written by a famous cardio doctor (Stephen Sinatra) and a Phd Nutritionist, Dr. Jonny Bowden

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Cholesterol-Myth-Disease--Statin-Free-ebook/dp/B009PKIPOE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408381966&sr=1-1&keywords=the+great+cholesterol+myth

3. And finally to get a true understanding of diets in general, read "Death by Food Pyramid". It is not cholesterol specific by any means, but really helps explain how food studies are twisted to mean about anything, and a whole lot more.

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Food-Pyramid-Denise-Minger-ebook/dp/B00HFKX24Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408381993&sr=1-1&keywords=death+by+food+pyramid

Hi I,m new to this web site,there is a product over the counter called Cholestoff plus that is all natural my numbers were almost 300 I started taking it and 2 months later at my Dr,s appt my numbers were down 50 points my Dr was shocked and wanted to know what I had done to lower the numbers that much. I am still on it and I have a dr,s appt next week. There are no side affects at all. Hope this helps and works for you.

Thanks. I looked at the reviews of the books you recommended. Today my doctor called and said my numbers looked pretty good this time around. I told her I stopped my Livalo a week ago. She said "Well, I wish you hadn't, but if you are going to continue the Mediterranean Diet and exercise, then I will check again in three months to see what your numbers look like then"

So we will see. My leg pain is already getting a little better.

Listen to sptrout, She does a lot of research and knows what she speaks.
megsmom I think you will see even less of the pain off the statin.

Thank you missd for your kind comments. My wife thinks I read too much - LOL.

All of this cholesterol lowering pill stuff is really about sales and profits. In sales, consumer perception is EVERYTHING.

As long as consumers perceive lowering LDL will save them from heart disease or a heart attack, they will spend big money on cholesterol lowering pills.

Its the perfect sale. Buy this and save yourselves! Ka-ching goes the cash registers to the tune of $29 Billion per year in annual sales.

The product lowers cholesterol and does that well. But will it save you from heart disease or a heart attack? They say so. But just WHO are they?