Why I Hate Genetics

Do any of you remember the commercial that was out a while back regarding a cholesterol medicine that stated something to the effect that you get your Cholesterol from Uncle Ned or Fried Chicken…well they used cute rhymes that I can’t remember now. I am a great example of what genetics can do to someone even though it may not look like there is anything wrong from the outside. I have been battling rising cholesterol issues for some time and today was my D-Day to see where my levels were after a 3 month stint.

Now I am not saying that my levels are such that I should be taking medicine, at least not yet, but I have been concerned at the rising levels, even when I am eating healthy (rabbit food for lunch as J-Mom says) and a healthy breakfast. My meal with the most cholesterol of the day is dinner.

So where does this all come from? Well I hate to point fingers, but it comes from my mother’s side of the genetic tree. Again, you would never know it in looking at the very petite woman that my mother is, but she has the same issues as I and works hard to control it without medicine. I have been trying to do the same thing, as I really do not want to be on medicine for this.

So what have I been doing…well, I have been eating a healthy breakfast and lunch. My exercise routine has gone out the window unfortunately since Diva-PJ was born. The other new thing that I have been doing over the last 3 months was that I have been taking a new product from Nature Made called CholestOff.

This product uses plant stanols to limit the amount of Cholesterol that binds to your intestine walls (thus getting absorbed into your bloodstream). For optimal results you have to take 2 capsules 15-30 minutes prior to breakfast and dinner. The website for the product states that you can take them with your meal, but you will not have the same results.

I started to use this after my mother (who has higher levels than I) decided to try this so that she would not have to be medicated and at her next check her levels had substantially decreased…to the extent that her Physician stated “whatever you are doing, keep doing it.” Hearing this made me decide to try it myself and I am hoping (as you can guess) for similar results.

I have found this product to be easy enough to take and there is no unpleasant taste or aftertaste, and I have had no side effects (though I don’t think there should be any). The only problem that I sometimes had was remembering to take the medicine prior to the meal. You truly have to consciously think about taking the medicine and plan ahead of time when your meal actually will be so that you take it in enough time. Also, I will state that the product is not the cheapest, but the way I look at it, if I have to pay a bit more for a natural way to cut my cholesterol, so be it. Also, I have come to find that you can get this product at some of the drug store chains (Walgreens & CVS) for buy 1, get 1….so you can definitely stock up every now and again. Beyond this, once you start buying Nature Made vitamins/products, you can start collecting points that can be redeemed for coupons for money off, so the price altogether can be decreased.

I should have the results of my test within a few days so I will have to let everyone know if this experiment was successful or not, but I tend to be uber-optomist, so I am certain that the experiment was successful!

I thought I would leave this post today with a few additional links for your information on how you can manage your cholesterol:

Discovery Health

Keeping Cholesterol Under Control

Natural Ways to Lower Bad Cholesterol, Boost The Good, Improve Your HDL Factor and Get Healthy

Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally

Natural Ways to Reduce Your Cholesterol

So how else have you worked to control your cholestrol issues?

July 9, 2008 |

Comments

6 Comments so far

Bonnie, Sales/Marketing July 9, 2008 6:26 am
I have not had this issue but my husband has taken cholesterol lowering drugs. Not sure how much difference they have made, a think a marginal amount.

Exercise and eating reasonably are the best bets.
Looks like you have done lots of research. I’ll have to forward your info to my hubby.

My Genetics put me at a higher risk of Cancer. I can appreciate your dis-taste for the dark side of genetics.
MileHiDad, Dads July 9, 2008 7:29 am
Good luck man! Have made fitness a top priority in my life since my son was born, seeing him graduate and maybe have kids was a priority and a driving force for me. I had a reality wakeup call last winter in Feb and on a Friday when I went and got a Heart Scan done, seeing how coronary disease comes from my dad’s side and he just had one. Being 46 and still going on 19, I thought I better be proactive instead of waiting for it to find me. It was the longest weekend of my life not knowing if I was dying or not but Monday Morning the results were phoned to me. I have a healthy heart! I had to go out and have a Double Big Mac, supersized fries and diet Coke. NOT!!
Dad of Divas July 9, 2008 8:41 am
I think this is why I have been so concerned about my levels, as I want to be around for quite come time and would rather not have heart disease or other medical issue plague me if I can prevent it…
Half-Past Kissin' Time July 9, 2008 9:59 am
I’ve done very little to impact my high level of Cholesterol (thanks, Mom!). I developed my poor habits by being raised on food cooked by a Great Depression baby who loves her sugar and fats. Unfortunately, my biggest genetic defect is the dependency gene. Fortunately, I’ve got a handle on it myself (I think I’m actually allergic to alcohol), but I’m very conscious about educating my kids on their risks (we have alcoholism on both sides of the family). Education is the key; thanks for reminding me to Get Smart, DoD!
stewartallyn, Dads July 9, 2008 11:30 am
A kid on my son’s hockey team started taking Cholestoff last year. He was sixteen when the doctor tested/diagnosed his high cholesterol. It appears to run on his mom and his dads side. He’s had good results.

I’m on Lipitor and niacin to help control mine.

Update us on the test results.
Maureen, Painting/Drawing July 9, 2008 4:30 pm
Well, as someone who works in Cardiac Sciences, I say bravo! We should all pay more attention to this. Thanks for all the info and links!