Cholesterol and other "poisons"

[vaneramos]

To my previous post, vaysha suggested elevated blood cholesterol can come as a symptom of hypothyroidism. I quickly made an appointment (Aug. 16) to look into it, and it has been on my mind all week. My father has experienced thyroid problems over the years, so it would make sense. It might explain my persistent problem with mental and physical fatigue. Here's hoping for another clue to help get through more of the days.

One thing I forgot to mention about the recent blood tests actually came as a relief: I have a vitamin B deficiency. pippasporch told me last year that it often accompanies gluten-intolerance and/or gluten-free diets, so I started taking a B complex. I thought it gave me more energy, but as with many things that cost money without the certainty of benefit, I neglected taking the vitamin after a few weeks. Not knowing doesn't help. I should have gone for a diagnostic test in the first place. Now I have. Now I know. I'm supposed to take 500 mg of vitamin B every day. I started this week.

To address the cholesterol problem, I have chosen three goals to work on over the next three months:

1. eat five servings of vegetables and three of fruits daily
2. supplement my intake of Omega 3s (need to do more research about whether to achieve this through fish oil, or actual foods such as fish, flax seed, chia seed and nuts, or a combination)
3. daily exercise alternating between vigorous walks and semi-aerobic workouts with light weights

I considered including the goal to cut down on foods containing saturated fats (such as beef and cheese, which I love), but three goals is enough to keep me busy. For now I will concentrate on including healthier foods I also love (salmon, all fruits) and see how that works. Psychologically it is easier to work with a positive than a negative. Hopefully eating more of the good stuff will make it easier to replace the things I should be eating less (which suggests real food will work better than a simple fish oil approach). So maybe it's still a goal, but maybe the best way is to trick myself without thinking about it much.

Tomorrow is moving day. I will start to address one of these goals next week.

Comments

[queenmomcat.livejournal.com]

Yeah, one thing at a time (in the sense of don't change everything at once, because that's setting yourself up to fail) Fish oil's certainly convenient, but then Real Food always struck me as the better choice whenever available.

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

I take a pretty hefty regimen of vitamins, and my rule with a new vitamin (I add stuff on a provisional basis a couple times a year, just to see) is to finish the bottle, and then see how I feel. So anything new I try, unless it's clearly a terrible idea like the magnesium was, I always finish the bottle. Just buy a bottle that's about three month's worth. Three months generally is a good baseline to know whether something is making you feel better or not.

[bixie.livejournal.com]

I find the fish oil to be a good option, especially the Spectrum variety that now includes vitamin D. We each try to take a double dose each day (2 g. of fish oil and 2000 IU of vitamin D) and it seems to help.

I was also going to tell you that I heartily recommend the American Heart Association's "TLC" booklet (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes). We have followed that program with Dana and have successfully managed his cholesterol with diet for 4 years now (when they wanted to put him on Lipitor right away). I will say that the most success comes when he eats essentially a vegan diet with fish; I am not sure we would be able to sustain that if we were also avoiding gluten. However, cutting out dairy made a big difference in his ability to slim down and in his energy levels.

Regarding the b12, if you have Celiac's you likely will have pernicious anemia, where the intestine does not absorb b12 properly in the gut because of the damage to the celia. My mother has this, and needs to get a shot once a month instead of taking a pill. In terms of not having to remember to take a pill, this actually works out quite well for her! Assuming you're not charged for nurse visits, I might consider asking about that option (especially in the context of trying to make so many other dietary and supplement-taking changes at once). Finally, if you suspect thyroid trouble I highly recommend avoiding soy. It's a thyroid inhibitor, most notably in people who already have some challenge with low thyroid function. I've felt much better (and have perceived my medication to work better) in the years since I cut out soy.

Good luck! (Can you tell these are "afflictions" with which I've had some personal challenge? ;> )

[bixie.livejournal.com]

Oh, I should add that the largest effect we see with the fish oil is lowering Dana's triglycerides. The LDLs don't go down except with the near elimination of saturated fats. (Although the profile can shift quite rapidly with a stark dietary change; it just requires a lot of effort to cook for yourself and remain enthusiastic when all the traditionally yummy things full of saturated fat and sugar are off the table.)