High Cholesterol?? WHAT??

[newyearspromise]

Hi all!!

I haven't been on too much this past week--my parents were visiting from out of state, so I didn't have much time.

All is still raw for me... :D

I have a major problem, though... I went to the Dr last week, and had some blood work done. Got my results back yesterday, and the doc called me to talk because she was so worried about me. My cholesterol is super high (LDL) and my HDL is low (only 30!!). My overall ratio was 5.5, which is pretty bad, especially since I am only 27.

My blood pressure was pretty bad, too... It was 155/95. I could not believe it. It has not gone down since I left the hospital in April after having my daughter. I went in for an emergency induction because toxemia/pre-ecclamsia had gotten it up to 200/110. When I left the hospital it had gone down to about what it is now...but never returned to my pre-pregnancy pressure of about 110/65 (that was the pressure at my first OB appt--I remember because the nurse was so impressed that it was so low...go figure...).

My doc started out by saying, "I think you just need to adjust your diet and exercise more..."

I was like, "Whoa, Nellie..."

I proceeded to let her in on the fact that I only eat raw fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds, walk 2-6 miles daily, and have been doing this for a month and a half with ZERO cheating.

She is pretty freaked out and is going to get back with me later this week after she researches possible effects from the toxemia. Her theory is that the elevated pressures late in my pregnancy might have done so much damage that they caused some real problems for me...

I am very concerned because I have NEVER had health problems before.

I feel wonderful and cannot believe that these numbers from the blood are so bad. I cannot believe that I am able to jog 2 miles in under 20 minutes with blood pressure that high without passing out...???????

I would love to hear thoughts and opinions... :confused:

[jenjenn]

I hope you don't get offended but I'm just trying to figure out the reason for this. there is someone else on this board who had the same thing happen to her and i can't figure out how in the world this could be possible

Has anyone else in your family had heart disese, or high blood pressure and high cholesterol

Are you overweight?

Do you drink Alcohol?

What do you think is the reason your test results came back the way they did?

Can you feel the difference when your blood pressure is high?

This perplexs me so I hope that you find out the ultimate reason these questions I just thought I'd ask you to find out more aobut your situation to try and help you.

Also I was checking out this site and maybe it will help
It was making me think that the reason it's so high is because of heredity and stress.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/why2.htm#stress

[rawfigure]

Promise...I posted about my Lipid Profile yesterday here...


http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2871


Stick to your diet. GIVE IT TIME !!

[newyearspromise]

I will be sticking to my diet. If this can be fixed by diet, well, I am beyond what doctors would even hope to get from their patients with healthy eating.

Plus, I cannot tell you how much eating raw has given me freedom and energy and on and on... Hope I am not getting too personal here, but after having the baby I had zero sex-drive, and now I am like a crazy woman. :D

Anyway, to answer some questions...

There is history of high blood pressure and heart disease and high cholesterol on both sides of my family. But no one had problems until they were in their 40s. I turned 27 a week ago, so I am a little young for this, based on what others in my family have experienced. Still, maybe it is in the genes?

I am still a little overweight, but only about 10 pounds. I actually asked my doc about that, and she said that could be doing it (I was not overweight when I got pregnant), but that usually being only 10 pounds over weight, esp. at my height (I am 5'8"), does not give people these major problems. I am not counting the weight factor out, though. As I slowly get thinner (weight loss has really slowed now to about 1 pound a week..) I will see what happens...I truly believe that weight/obesity in this country is a major factor in a broad spectrum of health problems. When I say I am only 10 pounds overweight, I mean on the normal, SAD health charts. Ideally, I would like to lose 30 more pounds. Not because of some kind of self-image issue...but because I know that when I weight 130-140 I feel the best. I look the best. Slightly thin looking, but the feeling is the best and I perform exercise-wise at my best at that weight, too...

I drink wine about once a month. (Is wine raw?? I don't even know...I guess I assumed it was...). I don't have alcohol problems, though, which is probably what you are asking. Once a month or so I will drink 1-2 glasses of wine. Merlot or white varieties. My hubby drinks Pinot Noir. I think it tastes like cough medicine and won't touch the stuff... ;)

I cannot tell the difference when the blood pressure is high...in that, I mean that right now, my pressures are high but I feel wonderful. I do have a very high-stress job. I am a military officer who runs two offices and am also a personal-assistant of sorts to a squadron commander. So I am go go go all day long. Then I come home to my 10-month old and all of the energy that being a wife and mother entail. Eating raw has been my savior. Seriously. I actually have the energy to play and dance with my daughter and exercise in the evenings and be romantic with my hubby now. At first he did not support me going raw. He is a true carnivore. But now that he sees that he is getting real benefits from it, he is my main supporter, after you at rawfoodtalk, of course. :)

I drink tons of water. I don't think I drink 2 gallons a day, though. I'll try upping it and see what happens... You never know, right?

I honestly don't know what the problem is...because I am eating a lot of the foods that are supposed to increase HDL!!! I eat raw nuts, tahini, and coconut oil, to name a few, on a daily basis. Not all in the same day, but each day some of each. Maybe I need to eat more avacodos. I don't dislike them...but I also don't crave them...

I am wondering if it isn't what Doe said...that my body is healing in its own way, and knows what is top priority right now, and will eventually move on to the cholesterol and blood pressure.

I plan to get tested again next month. We'll see what happens.....

:confused:

[Obe 1 Rawbe kanowbe]

newyearspromise,

I have been in the nutrional field since I was 19yars old and have found doctors do Die Young "book or tape": Dead doctors dont lie. I have been in heated battles with a couple doctors that say that you can not lower your cholesterol by eating properly and excercise. I guess they did not do their homework. Two years ago I found that My Cholesterol level was high,
Bad up and good down. I told my doctor that I would not take Lipatore or any other chemical substance. He argued that it is herritary and your family has it so you have it as well. I just told him that they have bad eating habits and did not exercise. He told me that I would have a heart attack if I did not get on some type of medicine. I told him to wait six month and if it did not go down I would agree to take what he suggested. I studied and found some herbs to take to lower my cholesterol and stayed away from certain foods for the time, especially milk. When I returned to the doctor for blood work six months later He was shocked to find that my Bad colesteral was down 100 points and wanted to know what I did. I said read my Book. Of coarse I did not have my book done yet and it is still not complete but it will get done.
I told him by the time I come back next year my cholesterol levels would be almost normal and he said I believe you. Last November when I went back I was only twenty points away from the normal standards. I started around 300 points. ;)
Get back with you soon I have to run.

[newyearspromise]

I am really interested in there herbs!!!

Would you be willing to share with me what they are?

[Obe 1 Rawbe kanowbe]

;) I will get my list out for you, If you will write down what you eat on a daily basis. I have been training people for 18 years and the hardest thing I find is discipline. I want to find out from my clients if they are serious first before I help them. Usally I ask for two weeks of what they eat so, I can analize what needs to be done . Even Raw people get sick and have problems so we need to analize what we are taking or what we are not getting in our daily intakes. Diet is a living habit. One of My quotes that is in my book that I am writing is this "Are you eating to live or are you living to eat?

I love helping people achieve happiness through wait loss and body sculpting.
"You are what you eat so eat what you are" "Your apart of this earth so eat the earth." If you want an example ask Path301 that is on this sight he has lost over 200lbs with a little of my help but he was disciplined enough to listen and act upon my words. "Faith(Truth) comes by hearing and hearing by the word of god" :rolleyes:

Get me a list of what you eat and I will help you.

[leeleelocs]

Hi, I had a high cholestrol problem before I went raw. My total was 260.I did take their pills for 3 months and after trying several different types but they made me sick so I stopped. my MD said I would have a heart attack or stroke and because all of this runs in my family, I was real afraid. I am over 50. I ate oatmeal and increase my fruits and vegs that helped a little after 3 months of trying diet and exercise which only dropped it a few points, I went to the health food, she gave me red yeast rice capsuls but she also stated "most people don't take this unless their cholestrol is over 300 because it is real strong" The very next month my total cholestrol was 145 wow and I did wean my self off these capsuls and it has stayed down.

This my not apply to you and I don't want to make you afraid but here is the story. I had a friend who had a baby and her tubes tied, right after giving birth. She felt real bad and her blood pressure was found to be elevated. her doctor told her it was just the stress of being a new mother, she went back and back again and again with these vague symptoms of not feeling good, elevated blood pressue again her doctor just gave her pills to help her "relax". she did not take them because she did not agree with his diagnosis. She was a dialysis nurse so she talked with one of the attending doctors at the clinic about all her probems and he immediately sent her to the hospital. When she had her tubal ligation they tied off her kidney tube not her ovary tube. This caused her high blood pressure and her other symptoms. Thankfully it did not do to much damage. Her blood pressure did return to normal.

Also there is a free e-book on the internet I think it is call dying to live. About a woman who started having all kinds of health problems because of chemicals in her birth control. I don't know if that is any of your problem but you might consister everything.