Are My Numbers That Bad? - High Cholesterol Message Board

georgiehopper · 07-24-2004, 08:07 PM

I am in disagreement with my doctor over this. My numbers are as follows:

Total Cholesterol: 235
HDL: 61
LDL: 158
Triglycerides: 79

My doctor thinks these results are very high and wants me on medication immediately. He is not even entertaining the idea of diet and exercise because he knows that I exercise daily and have been dieting. But my diet was geared towards weightloss, not necessarily all low fat.

I want to go the homeopathic route before I start taking meds for this. I picked up some garlic capsules and it was also suggested that I take Flax.

I don't have high blood pressure or any other risk factors for heart disease, so I can't understand why the doctor doesnt want me to modify my diet before going on medication.

Any opinions please?

ARIZONA73 · 07-24-2004, 09:35 PM

Your numbers and ratios are reasonably good. I see no reason why you should have to be on drugs. This is all part of the so-called LDL hysteria that is sweeping the country as of late. Your doctor has evidently been reading too many pharmaceutical comic books.

georgiehopper · 07-25-2004, 06:12 AM

Thanks. My doctor said the new standards are for total cholesterol well below 200 and LDL at 70 or lower. I thought that was only for people with high risk factors.

well, he and I are going to go 'round & round' on this one.

Thanks again

ARIZONA73 · 07-25-2004, 06:23 AM

You're right. Those new guidelines are supposed to be geared toward high risk patients. But I knew something like this would probably happen as a result of these perplexing changes. Many doctors are going to undergo knee-jerk reactions, and end up prescribing drugs to people who are at much lower risk.

georgiehopper · 07-25-2004, 06:29 AM

I'm wondering then why he considers me "high risk".

I'm 46, 5'1", weigh 117, run 4 miles a day, and for the most part watch what I eat. My blood pressure is 117/63.

I figured my total cholesterol was borderline high. But he feels otherwise. He is taking the meds himself and said that pretty much everyone will have to take them sooner or later.