Ray Sachs
Legend
- Location
- Not too far from Philly
- Name
- you should be able to figure it out...
My triglycerides were up to 270, and the first thing my doctor said, without ever addressing life style issues, was that I needed to go on a statin. I said, No, I want to at least try changing things (I'd spent a depressed winter sitting on my butt and eating sweets) through diet and exercise. Four months later my triglycerides had gone down to 126. Pills should be a last resort, not the first suggestion that pops out of the doctor's mouth..
I know I'm lucky, and that many people's numbers won't budge with the same life style changes, but doctors really ought to mention them, The "pharmaceuticals first" mentality is unhelpful.
I'm not talking about Sue, but only the generalized tendency of doctors to push pills.
Agreed. But I had total cholesterol of 376 when I was riding 5000 miles per year on my bike and was in peak physical condition. The only time I got it significantly down was when I went on a high fat, high protein, low carb diet for about a year, but it was still very very high, just lower than it had been. With some people, it's just heredity... I've had doctors basically tell me that any changes I make through diet and exercise are just background noise. I still try to eat a healthy diet (mainly just by avoiding junk and processed food) and exercise as much as I can anymore (NOT 5000 miles a year on my bike, I'm afraid), but just because it's better for my overall health, not because it's gonna bring my cholesterol down notably... Of course, there's plenty of controversy about statins regardless, but that's a whole other thread for a whole other forum.
-Ray