Some heart surgery patients skip statin therapy

April 24, 2011 · Posted in cholesterol foods · Comment 

By Amy Norton NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Heart disease patients who undergo surgery may be less likely to stick with their cholesterol medication than those treated with drugs alone, a new study …

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Portland family loses 518 pounds, led by son

February 17, 2011 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

PORTLAND — In April of 2009 Dave Boring knew he needed to make a change.

At 47, the married father of three weighed more than 300 pounds, relied on several prescription medications and his family’s health history was not good.

“I hadn’t developed diabetes yet, but I was on cholesterol medication and high blood pressure medication.” He decided once and for all to lose weight. “I just needed to get healthy.”

Nearly two years later he’s nearly reached his goals.

“I’ve lost 108 pounds so far and I’m not done yet.”

He’s no longer on medications. He says he did it by eating less and working out more. That’s an abbreviated version of the story, of course.

It really took a lot of dedication and effort to change a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits.

He started by changing his diet. He ate six small meals a day. He incorporated cardiovascular exercise six days a week, then slowly added weight training.

Along the way people close to him started noticing. His parents, siblings, wife and his college-aged kids wanted to experience the same health benefits. To date, eleven in the the group have together lost a whopping 518 pounds.

His parents, Lorna and Erwin Boring, are in their 70′s and enjoying new energy. They consulted their doctor, followed their son’s weight-loss model and together they’ve lost 150 pounds.

They’ve also lost the need for a host of medications and machines to help them breathe in as they sleep.

Lorna Boring says “it makes me thrilled because our family history is not good.”

That family history includes stroke, hearth disease and diabetes. Erwin Boring says “(we) lost the C-pap machine for breathing at night … so that’s really great.”

Dave Boring says the key to his success has been access to a high-tech tool used in research facilities and on NBC’s television show “The Biggest Loser” called the Bod Pod.

You sit in the egg shaped capsule for a couple of minutes and it determines your body composition of fat and lean muscle mass. It also determines your resting metabolic rate so you know how many calories you need, or need to cut.

He says he had access to one of the only pods in Portland when he started his weight-loss journey in 2009. It helped him stay on course.

He wanted to make the technology more widely available so he formed the business Vitela Health and purchased several pods.

“I started losing weight … we wanted to document how people were losing fat, not lean muscle, and we found a way to do that.”

The Bod Pods are now in high demand when he takes them to Portland-Vancouver Metro area gyms for testing.

In nearly two years Boring lost more than 100 pounds, inspired his family lose more than 500 pounds and he’s started a local business. He says it’s all about living a healthy life.

More information: Dave at daveboring@vitelahealth.com

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Pfizer recalling more Lipitor bottles

December 21, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

NEW YORK, Dec. 21 (UPI) — Drug maker Pfizer says it is recalling another 19,000 bottles of its Lipitor cholesterol medication following reports of musty odors from the bottles.

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What You Need To Know About Cholesterol Drugs And Medications

May 26, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

It is extremely important to educate ourselves before using any kinds of drugs or medications for any kind of illness or medical problems, especially if it something as serious as high cholesterol. This is because it can turn out to be fatal if neglected. That is why we should learn more about drugs and medications used to treat high cholesterol.


Cholesterol is a waxy, fat like substance which is found in our cells and blood stream. Cholesterol is important for our body because it produces hormones and cell membranes. Our body needs some cholesterol to function. However, too much cholesterol will clog our arteries and cause coronary heart disease. This can in turn lead to a heart attack.


Although our body produces the cholesterol it needs, we also accumulate it through our intake of food products which contains it such as: egg yolks, poultry, butter, cheese and whole milk. There are two types of cholesterol which are: the LDL or low-density lipoprotein, which is the bad cholesterol and HDL or high-density cholesterol, which is the good cholesterol. When our bad cholesterol level is high, we must do everything we can to lower it, including the use of drugs and medications.


Choosing The Right Cholesterol Drug


Many cholesterol drugs are now available on the market. Although some of these drugs can be obtained over the counter, you need to consult your doctor before you purchase and start taking any cholesterol medication.


Some cholesterol drugs may have serious side effects which may do you more harm than good. Your doctor is the only person who can advise you which cholesterol drug is best for you since he is the only one who knows your medical history, your state of health and which cholesterol medicine is suitable for you.


One of the types of drugs your doctor prescribe for cholesterol medication could be the statin drug. This drug is known be effective in reducing cholesterol levels. Your doctor may also prescribe an enzyme supplement with the statin drugs because your body will need more of a certain type of enzyme when taking statin drugs.


Another type of drug your doctor may prescribe is a bile acid sequestrate. It will help control bile acids that are secreted in the liver and gall bladder. It will travel through the intestine and softens fatty material in food, helping it become absorbed in a better way through your system.


Non Medical Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol


Besides taking cholesterol medications, you can try other non medical ways to lower your cholesterol. You can lower your cholesterol levels by modifying your diet and start taking only low or no cholesterol foods. Avoid trans and saturated fats from your diet as they are the main causes that raise your bad cholesterol level.


Besides modifying your diet, you should also increase your physical activities. Remember to exercise regularly, as it will not only help you lose weight, but lower your cholesterol level too.


Taking The Right Cholesterol Medication


If your doctor has confirmed that you suffer from high cholesterol levels after a series of tests, he may prescribe a cholesterol medication to help you lower your cholesterol levels and achieve a normal and healthier cholesterol level. Your doctor may also suggest that you make some lifestyle changes, altering the way you live your life and modifying the food you eat to help you achieve normal cholesterol levels quickly. If you take the right medication and make the right lifestyle changes as your doctor advises you, you should be able to achieve a healthy cholesterol level within a short period of time.


You should also be aware that cholesterol medication can be quite expensive. Remember that it can have many side effects that may cause problems for you. That is why you should always consult a doctor before you take any kind of cholesterol medications.


Stop taking any cholesterol medication if you are concerned about a side effect that occurs after taking it. Always consult your doctor should this occur and inform him of the side effects so that he can advise you if you have to discontinue the medication. Also remember that it is important to follow all the instructions on the medication because improperly taking any medication can cause serious problems for you.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit Cholesterol Lowering Food to learn more about low cholesterol food and other high cholesterol diet.

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How to Fight High Cholesterol in 5 Seconds Or Less

December 2, 2009 · Posted in high cholesterol · Comment 

If you have high cholesterol, then you have probably been instructed by your doctor about a variety of ways to treat it. Some options include altering your diet and taking medicine to change the way your body interacts with foods and other stimuli to get a lower cholesterol measurement.

However, one of the most frustrating things about regulating cholesterol and fighting high cholesterol for many people is that it just plain takes too long. Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is a daily battle, but sometimes the results can take weeks or even months to manifest themselves. Often, people find that altering their diets is just too hard, and that adding in exercise when they have gone without it for years can be seriously tedious.

But what if you could do something in just about five seconds a day that could potentially lower your cholesterol dramatically in addition to potentially resolving a number of other health problems like migraines, arthritis, joint stiffness and macular degeneration? Now, before you get carried away, this does *not* mean that you can forego all of the other stuff that is hard and takes more time. But imagine if you also had one thing that you were doing that was easy, fast and relatively inexpensive. You would probably stay more motivated about the whole thing, wouldn’t you? Of course you would. And that is where omega fatty acids come in. Read more

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