This Week In The HSI Healthier Talk Community
Will there ever be an end to the discussion about cholesterol? Probably not. The medical mainstream has convinced millions that cholesterol level is the one window from which to get an accurate view of heart health. But this notion is off the mark, as we now know.
Even so, a high ratio between LDL and HDL is a tip that something is not quite right. But this imbalance can usually be corrected with exercise, dietary changes and the use of supplements such as niacin – also known as vitamin B-3. In a thread titled “The benefits of taking niacin” which appears in the “Heart (cholesterol, CRP, angina, etc.)” forum in the HSI Healthier Talk community, a member who goes by cheetah6923 tells about his success with niacin:
“After 5 bypass open heart surgery I still had fairly high cholesterol reading and a somewhat high blood pressure reading. My family doctor, bless his heart, put me on 2,000 mgs of non-flushing niacin daily, and over the past year, my BP has gone from 148/96 to 105/52! As well, my cholesterol is in very favorable range. I find it hard to believe that just taking niacin has made such a difference in my readings, but its true.”
In response to cheetah’s posting, a member named Vi asks, “How do you take the niacin? Spread out over the day or all in one setting? Sounds like a very high dosage. 100 mg of the regular really gives me a fit. I turn bright red and get almost sick.”
Higher doses of niacin can trigger a flush – a sunburn-like redness, sometimes accompanied by itching – which usually passes after 20 minutes or so. This may cause problems for asthma patients and people with peptic ulcer disease. Prolonged doses at high levels may also prompt toxicity to the liver. So anyone who puts niacin supplements to use at higher than normal dosages should consult with a doctor, naturopath or nutritionist.
A member named Dpherwaldt uses niacin to address high LDL cholesterol, and he offers this insight about the niacin flush: “Those who are troubled by flushing are probably not taking the best form of niacin (there are several forms of the vitamin). I am taking 2,000 mg daily – divided into two doses – of inositol hexaniacinate and have had no flushing whatsoever.”
Of course, niacin is by no means the only way to address cholesterol without prescription drugs. Here’s how a member named Brian describes his regimen: “What helped my cholesterol levels was restricting my use of cooking oils to only coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil. In one year’s time my overall reading only went from 224 to 220. But my LDL dropped from 152 to 125 and my HDL rose from 51 to 68. My ratio of total cholesterol to HDL is now only 3.2 which puts me in the highly protective range. I get niacin with my multivitamin, have restricted my intake of refined sugar, and take green tea extract. Aerobic exercise is also great for balancing cholesterol and blood pressure.”
And a member named Michaela has a detox suggestion: “If lowering total high cholesterol (or correcting skewed ratios of good/bad cholesterol) is your goal, you will very likely get dramatic results that will floor your doctor if you do a 4-6 week liver cleanse diet, along with taking liver cleansing supplements. A ‘fatty liver’ can lead to faulty cholesterol metabolism – a condition which can be easily corrected.”
Finally, anyone who’s considering using a statin drug will be interested in this story from a member named Tryllianne: “For lowering cholesterol, I am now a firm believer in oat bran and niacin. My cholesterol was 273 and my doctor put me on Lipitor. After only three days on the drug, I was acting drunk all the time. I went for a walk at lunch and couldn’t find my way back to work. I literally had to call work on my cell phone and ask for directions back. The experience terrified me and I swore I’d find another way to lower my cholesterol. I stopped eating fried food, ate more vegetables and fruit, and took 500 mg niacin a day. I also poured oat bran in my yogurt, on nonfat ice cream, etc. In three months my cholesterol was down to 203. That’s just about within the acceptable range.”
Other topics being discussed this week in the Healthier Talk community forums include:
- Vitamin Questions: Type of calcium
- Energy: How many calories are you burning?
- General Health Topics: CoQ10
- Auto-Immune Diseases: Who gets MS?
- Heart: Regarding CHF
- Vision: Natural treatment for ocular pressure?
To reach the HSI Healthier Talk community forums, just go to our web site at www.hsionline.com, choose “Forum,” and add your comments to the wide range of topics concerning health care and nutrition.
