I have had bad side effects from statins, I am watching what I eat, and taking fish oil also garlic. I will get a check next month and see how its going to work for me.
Sounds like your doing really good bringing it down.:)

I'd tried before to bring it down with no success. This time like yourself I took fish oil and garlic, and also policosanol (did read it takes a while to kick in) plus yoghurts containing plant steroids, and have really tried to stick to low fat diet. Can't say I've found it easy but good to see positive results. Hope you are successful also, have you stopped taking the statins lov12?

Folks? Garlic doesnt Help thats an ole Myth .. Fish oil helps 80% as i take 2000 mgs per day of the Res-Q 1250 each day but Cheeerioes helps more then Garlic !! self note that !!

ooops RAW Onions Help (Red )

I take Lovastatin 40 but last time it was checked it was 25?, I got it checked again and even with the fish oil it was only down to 243 I been careful on what I ate, now she put me on Niaspan 500, I have only taken 7 so I don\'t know what side effects, or if I will have any? Only time will tell.
Dad passed it down to me :(

HI everyone,
I'm new to the board. I have high cholesterol (247). I can't take any statins and I've been drinking garlic water and trying to watch my diet. I was looking at Barr62 and I have never heard of Res-Q 1250. Also, doesn't taking the fish oil have reactions with other drugs like Welchol. Thanx everyone for your positive responses.

I can't take statins, so have homed in on diet and last result showed big drop in cholesterol which I attribute to taking garlic, omega 3 oils, policosanol (herbal remedy) eat oats, plant steroid products, seems to be working but early days and still monitoring.

That sound very encouraging in terms of diet. Typically, what does your diet look like. Is it rich in greens and fish. I'm an avid tea drinker, but I've switched to decaf tea. I have a guilty pleasure of tea with condensed milk and I"m a huge rice lover. Is there white rice in your diet? Are you steaming as opposed to sauteing (sp?). I'd love to just learn more.

I do like white fish and greens so eat quite a lot of that, but other foods that I include more because I hope it helps cholesterol than because I like it are: oats usually in porridge, fish oils, usually in capsule form, wholegrain bread, I always look for yoghurts/spreads/milk containing plant steroids which are quite easy to get in the UK, I tend to overcompensate with the onions and garlic when cooking as heard they are good for lowering cholesterol, and just generally try and stick to a low fat diet. But it is a battle to cut down on the chocolate and wine, I'm just waiting for some study to say its good for you. Although I have read that red wine in moderation can be good, maybe not for other conditions 'though. Good luck let us know how you get on.

Janicecre:

Congratulations, nice drop in cholesterol! I bet it wasnt easy to figure out what worked and what didnt.

You are doing well with your diet, and I agree 100% that the diet route is preferred when it works; and it does for most. Unfortunately, little dietary information is available; food labels help if you know what to look for. Basically, we need to eat foods low in saturated fats and dietary cholesterol and high in soluble fiber, phytosterols and monounsaturated fats.

If you want to find out which foods you are eating will decrease or increase your cholesterol go to my website at http://www.personalityfinesse.com/pdfshow.php?pdf=8 (ignore the ad). There is a table there with most of the usual foods. Just look up what you usually eat and calculate how much your diet increases or decreases your total cholesterol. Then start eating more foods that reduce cholesterol and fewer foods that increase it.

I hope that this helps,

Dean