The Experts Weigh In: Lowering Cholesterol the Natural Way!

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I was on the phone with my mother the other day when she shared some very impressive news with me. Because her story is a true testament to the quote 'Let food be thy medicine', I wanted her to come on the blog today and tell you about it. With no further ado...

BY: SHARON YARBROUGH, CONTRIBUTOR

I am here to testify that high cholesterol can be brought down without having to resort to drugs, statin drugs in particular. As you know from my previous post, I have always been a healthy eater and an avid exerciser. I am extremely health conscious, so you can imagine my shock when at my 55 year old checkup, I was told that my cholesterol was too high. In fact, I was so shocked that I was certain it was a mistake (perhaps a mix up in the lab?), but the nurse assured me that the report was mine and kindly explained that as one gets older, cholesterol tends to rise.

I am now 58 and subsequently, every lab work since then has shown my cholesterol to be high. At my most recent visit, my doctor encouraged me to start taking statin drugs and even went so far as to write me a prescription. I just stared and stared at the prescription in my hands thinking, "No way, Jose!". If you're not familiar with statin drugs (Lipitor being the most popular), you may not know that they have many side effects, including muscle pain and weakness, neuropathy, congestive heart failure, cognitive impairment, pancreatitis, depression and possibly the potential to cause cancer.

You can understand my fear of taking them.

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The next morning as I was praying about what I should do, I turned on the TV and found Dr. Stephen Sinatra, a renowned cardiologist, discussing cholesterol. He shared that cholesterol is not the whole problem, but that instead, there are many other factors that lead to heart disease. Inspired by his knowledge, I immediately bought the book he co-authored with Dr. Jonny Bowden, The Great Cholesterol Myth. After reading it cover to cover, I decided that I would try to lower my cholesterol without statin drugs... naturally.

Just recently, I had a check up and I am so thrilled to report that I have succeeded in lowering my cholesterol by 52 points - from 238 down to 186 (over 200 is considered the 'danger zone') - in just 3 months! Today, I'd like to share my dietary secrets with you so that you too can heal yourself through diet alone and avoid the harmful side effects of these popular drugs.

For breakfast, I eat a quinoa porridge sprinkled with chia seeds, flax seeds, honey, sliced almonds and fruit. Because of its recent popularity, you can find quinoa almost anywhere now in the grains aisle. Just cook the quinoa according to package directions and top with whatever ingredients you prefer. I always add chia and flax seeds because of their antioxidant and omega-3 fatty acids. Quinoa stores very well in the refrigerator, so I suggest making enough at one time for the whole week.

Then, for lunch or an afternoon 'pick-me-up', I make a green smoothie. You can use any kind of greens (spinach, kale, swiss chard, etc.). I usually buy my greens mixed in a pre-washed bag. In the blender or Nutribullet, I add 2-3 baby carrots, a sprinkle of flax or chia seeds, some honey and frozen tropical fruit (I like the pineapple, mango, strawberry mix).

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In addition to these two things, I also added Jarrow brand Red Yeast Rice capsules to my diet. I take 2 capsules a day to help support my cardiovascular health. Not only did these changes lower my cholesterol, but they also succeeded in lowering my glucose levels from 99 to 83.

These minor modifications to my diet have given me much more energy and a better quality of sleep. Even my husband (who sometimes eats junk food) has commented on how much more energy he has since he's started following my lead. He just feels better overall.

I realize that not all of you have a problem with cholesterol (and may never have a problem), but I am sure that there are people in your life who could benefit from this information. Even if your cholesterol is fine, I can guarantee that working these modifications into your diet will improve your general health and well-being. I'm a believer because my results speak for themselves. Food can indeed be medicine.

Statin drugs and the side effects that come with them? No way, Jose!

Sharon Yarbrough is the best mother on earth - well, at least according to me. In addition to raising me and my brother Cale, Sharona (as we fondly call her) is an ACE-certified personal trainer and a sales rep for Juice Plus, a whole foods supplement (visit her site here). She has always been extremely active. She was a state-ranked swimmer in Georgia growing up, was on the very first University of Georgia women's swim team and continues to swim to this day. I have my mother to thank for instilling in me a desire to take care of myself through diet and exercise, and I tend to think that IF blogging had been around in her day, she would have beat me to the punch on this whole wellness blog thing.

The Experts Weigh In: Living With Long-Term Illness

BY: RACHEL BOYD, CONTRIBUTOR

I used to believe I had a super immune system.  I lived with two girls in college and beyond who caught every disease under the sun, but I never seemed to get sick.  For a long time, I believed my body was just better than the average person’s.  I could go outside in the cold with wet hair, let my dog lick my face, eat undercooked meat… nothing bothered me.  Here's the proof - I took one sick day in October 2006 and that was my last one for five years.

But in November 2011, I was suddenly hit with what felt like the flu.  Night sweats, nausea, aches all over my body, no appetite.  I just figured my body was finally cashing in on some illness time.  The problem was that my symptoms didn’t go away no matter what I did.  Doctors’ visits, holistic medicines, hot showers, witch doctors (one of those might be false) - I just couldn’t shake the funk.  Finally in January, my friend and co-worker ordered me to my dad’s doctor, where they finally took chest X-rays and found what I refer to now as "The Shadow". I was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Fast forward 10 months.  I spent the year going through six rounds of very intense chemotherapy and 28 days of radiation, in which my muscles atrophied, my hair fell out and my innards basically got microwaved.  The treatments ended in August, but it’s taken a while for my body to feel normal again.  I won’t lie to you - it still doesn’t feel normal - but I will share a few thoughts on what’s working for me to rebuild my strength, and what may help you out after going through any sort of long-term illness.

GET MOVING

As you can imagine, eight months of minimal activity (plus four years of smoking) took their toll on my endurance.  Luckily, I quit smoking cold turkey in January and that hasn’t been a problem since, but my lungs still needed to be rebuilt.  I have an extreme lack of “get up and go” when it comes to exercise.  My dad gets up at 5 a.m. six days a week to work out.  I believe that’s foolishness.  However, my oncologist told me I had to exercise more, no excuses, so I hired an amazing trainer who puts me through boot camp paces twice a week.  After the first class, I wanted to die.  Actually after my most recent class this past Monday, I still wanted to die.  But I can now actually get through an entire class without resting, and my body is starting to do things it wasn’t able to do before I got cancer, which feels pretty epic.

EAT MORE, DRINK MORE

I’ve spent most of 2012 not having an appetite worth talking about.  It’s a shame too because the doctor gave me carte blanche to eat whatever I wanted as long as I was eating.  Too bad I didn’t care.  The only thing I craved was hard candy because I had "Chemo Sweet Tooth".  Now, I’m having to retrain my body to want food that is good for me and to want it on a regular schedule.  Easier said than done. 

The best things I’ve found (that I can tolerate) are soups and stews.  They’re the food equivalent of a fuzzy puppy, fairly easy to make, and easy to add extra veggies to.  I’m including my current favorite from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for Chicken and Cornmeal Dumplings.  I’m also no good at eating my required nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  In an effort to remedy this, I (a self-professed infomercial junkie) bought a NutriBullet to replace my Power Juicer.  Space-wise and cleaning-wise, the NutriBullet is light years beyond most juicers.  However, most of my favorite juices can be made in any type of juicer.  For nausea or a sweet tooth, I enjoy a blend of red apples (preferably Gala), carrots, and fresh ginger blended together.  This is full of fiber and vitamin A, plus the ginger will soothe any stomach maladies you’re having.  I’ve also stumbled upon a blend of kale, frozen raspberries and pineapples that’s quite good.  For both of these, if you’re using the Bullet, add some water; in a regular juicer, just do what you’d normally do.

ACTUALLY, DRINK LESS…

I try not to get bogged down by the fear of relapsing and having my tumor come back. At the end of the day, I can’t do anything but try to live the best life possible.  That (unfortunately) means renouncing my party girl ways and cutting waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back on the alcohol.  Not only can the alcohol interfere with the plethora of medications I’m currently on, resulting in some nasty mood swings and temper tantrums, it has a ton of sugar.  Sugar is like…well, candy for a tumor.  Tumors thrive on excesses of sugar, which gives them energy to grow into all manners of nastiness.  Plus drinking too much in general is going to make me regain all my pre-cancer break-up weight, which is slightly less than awesome.

TALK TO SOMEBODY… ANYBODY

I keep a pretty small network of super-close friends as a general rule. They are people I can talk to about anything.  And it’s been healthy for me to vent about my fears regarding my health and my future, rather than keeping everything bottled up inside.  To anyone going through a chronic or long-term illness: you’re going through something real and it’s okay to be upset and to not bounce back from it right away.  I’m finding a lot of comfort meeting with a psychologist once a month just to check in and fine-tune things here and there.  It’s always worth knowing your feelings are valid and you’re not just crazy.  And in a pinch, I enjoy talking to my dog.  He’s not much on responses per se, but he’s a great snuggle buddy and reminds me that I’m never alone.


If you or someone you love is dealing with a long-term illness, please feel free to check out my blog 'Lymph to Victory' for support (and a few laughs). Click here to view.

Rachel Boyd is from the great city of Hot'lanta and attended the University of Georgia, where she received a degree in English before completing her Master's at Kennesaw State University. But enough with the formalities, Rachel is a competitive skeeball player AND touts that, as a child, she was the best pogo stick jumper around. Her favorite past times include puttering around book stores looking for trashy novels or Southern non-fiction, watching marathons of America's Next Top Model, or taking her pup on doggie dates around town. When asked what her favorite part about living in Atlanta is, Rachel replied "You can go to the opera or a corn maze within 40 minutes of each other. That's a well-rounded city." To learn more about Rachel, visit her blog Lymph to Victory by clicking here!