Definitely agree. I have hyperlipidemia type iia - and without meds my total levels are close to, if not at 400. i am happy if WITH meds my numbers are under 250!!!

I personally don't believe in numbers. I'd like to think doctors who prescribe drugs would take each patient's needa individually. And of course go thru every possible avenue to test & to prove the need for statins or other drugs as well.

MedLab thank you for all... I know, for myself, having doctors tell me I'm a walking time bomb is stress producing in itself. Becaue of your research I've erased lots of anxiety about not taking anything that makes me feel like I'm 91 and not 61.

so how do you convince medical doctors of this? and if so, is it a good idea to track a persons cholesterol levels to see if they are consistent? and are any of the tests necessarily medical worries? ie, HDL, triglycerides, etc,

Barney bear, many of doctors already know. We don't need to convince them. Its just that if they become naysayers they get the boot from the HMO or medical group they do business with. Their income is on the line if they speak up, so they keep their mouths shut.

The cholesterol theory is a $50 billion dollar per year business. If someone offered you a big chunk of that money to promote statins and look the other way when a patient complains of muscle problems, what would you do? Honest individuals would do the right thing. But we live in a world where money talks. Its amazing what money will do to a person's integrity.

Some medical doctors may be just brainwashed and really believe in the lie. Others just keep their mouths shut. Some really honest physicians have stepped forward with the truth, and when they do that, they risk everything.

Actually tracking a person's cholesterol level can be an indicator of certain metabolic problems. But highly elevated cholesterol levels are a symptom of a possible metabolic condition. It is not a disease in itself. 'hypercholesterolemia" is a made up disease to sell statin drugs.

What if someone has true elevated cholesterol.? True elevations like 500? Its a symptom. Now look for the reason. There are several reasons cholesterol may be elevated, but the most overlooked is low thyroid function. By the time females reach age 65, 17% are hypothyroid, and that number keeps growing.

Now, place yourself in the shoes of the Doctor. Female gets tested and has elevated cholesterol. Do you look for hypothyroidism and prescribe a $15 per month treatment, or do you just stop there and prescribe a $100 month Statin treatment from the Drug Reps that took you out to dinner last night? A very nice dinner.

I have a good friend that is a pathologist practicing for the last 25 years in conventional medicine. He himself has NEVER checked his own lipids, says he never will, and never believed in the cholesterol theory. He is a man of very high integrity.

so medlab, with all that said, is it safe to eat red meat? or do i need to continue to eat a heart healthy diet that excludes beef, pork, all fried foods, chips, desserts, colas, nuts, sugars, processed foods, mayo, butter, dairy products, etc, etc? or just what does a heart healthy diet include or exclude? or is this another topic for all us cholesterol battle weary soldiers?

Barneybear, your question does shift the topic from "cholesterol doesn't cause cardiovascular disease" to "Whats a healthy diet to prevent heart disease?"

I do advocate a healthy diet and staying away from junk food. But before I go any further, I want to point out that the experts will probably never agree on what comprises the perfect diet, but there is one aspect they do agree on; Get rid of all processed junk food, trans fats, sodas and sweets.

But we can look at diets of populations that have low rates of heart disease and examine their diet and Lifestyle. They vary. Here are some suggestions for you to Google cause its too much to type here:

"Rural Crete diet"
"Greenland inuit diet"
"French diet"

Those three have very low rates of heart disease and there are excellent articles on the web about it. You will have to come to your own conclusions as there are no absolutes here.

If you decide to imitate any of these diets, you might be challenged to find any Arctic Seal at your Grocery store, and you probably don't want to forage for wild greens, but you would probably love eating croissants like they do in France. Its an interesting study.

Let me know what you think.