looking for resources for my husband

mlinton_mesapark

Hi folks,

My husband went to our GP about reflux, and had some bloodwork done. He got the results back, and the doc wants to put him on an acid blocker (like Prilosec) and now statins, too, because his overall cholesterol number is 288. I don't have the HDL/LDL numbers or any other numbers at this point, but hope to see them soon.

Fortunately (I think) my hubby is very reluctant to go on these medications without trying to make changes on his own first. He knows I've been doing the low carb thing, and he occasionally eats like I do, but for the most part he does his own thing. I know he has sodas and crap at the office, probably drinks a little more beer than he should, has ice cream for dessert fairly often, etc. He's naturally slim, so he's probably never been on a diet. He resents the idea of having to change his habits; he thinks he eats well and doesn't overeat, but I think he's considering at least exercising regularly, if not making some diet changes.

I'm loaning him The Art and Science of Low-Carbohydrate Living via Kindle, so he can read it on the plane this weekend. (He doesn't travel much, but has a wedding to go to this weekend.) I don't know whether he'll read any of it, let alone all of it. I'm setting my mind not to harp on him, but provide resources, answer any questions he asks and let him manage it his way.

I'm asking you good folks: What LC resources have been most influential on you and people you know? What made the biggest, fastest impact on you?

I'm going to schedule a physical soon and see if I can get a lipid panel done this time. If the results are favorable, maybe that will help make my case for LCHF.

Any reflux resources would be welcome, too. He tried upping the acid in his stomach by drinking water with lemon juice and it seemed to help for a while, but the reflux is back with a vengeance.

Thanks so much, as always!

Mary

mlinton_mesapark

P. S. He's 38, and this is weighing heavily on him. He lost his mom to cancer when she was 70, and she had myriad health problems including bipolar disorder, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, and was on a lot of medication for years. This is behind some of his reluctance to take pills.

wabmester

I started low carb just to avoid the statins my doc was suggesting.

If his HDL is low and his TG is high, then low carb is the right approach.

If those two are normal, and just LDL is high, then low carb might not be the best approach.

mlinton_mesapark

Thanks @wabmester! His TG are high.

Here's what else I found:


CHOLESTEROL 288.0 Mg/DL
TRIGLYCERIDES 135.0 Mg/DL
HDL CHOLESTEROL 41.0 Mg/DL
CALCULATED LDL CHOL 220.0 Mg/DL
RISK RATIO LDL/HDL 5.370 Ratio

wabmester

Those levels of HDL and TG (triglycerides) are considered normal, but they are borderline. LC can improve those.

Is he overweight? If so, losing weight should help, and LC helps with that. Exercise will also increase HDL.

His main risk factor is high LDL, and that's why his doc is recommending statins.

LDL is controversial, especially on this forum. High LDL particle count is a pretty well-documented risk factor, and even the mechanism is sort of known.

The big question is whether high LDL is still a risk in the absence of inflammation and insulin resistance, and LC will help with both of those confounders.

A lot of people like this book:
Cholesterol Clarity

If you're a nerd, you'll like this better:
http://eatingacademy.com/cholesterol-2/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-part-ix

mlinton_mesapark

Thanks so much for these resources, @wabmester! I'll pass the links along. :-)

DianaElena76

Anecdotally, I used to have heartburn several times a week, and I have had it maybe 3-4 times since starting this WOE 7 months ago, and that was when I overdid it on the spicy foods.

mlinton_mesapark

Good to know, thanks @Mami1976D! Glad to hear LC has helped, or at least didn't hurt.

KenSmith108

I'm asking you good folks: What LC resources have been most influential on you and people you know? What made the biggest, fastest impact on you?

My eye doctor had the biggest influence on me about diet.
He couldn't recommend any diet but could tell me to change
my ways or else. I watched several youtube videos and found
LCHF looked promising. I'm very hopeful this vol will help with
my eyes not getting any worse.

OR

DittoDan

If you or your husband read "Cholesterol Clarity" you would throw those statins drugs away. Or burn them in a fire.

I am actively telling all my close friends to NOT take that drug. I took it for years. Memory loss was my side effect. But there are dozens of reasons why your doctor is prescribing that particular drug, and its not for health reasons.

I advise you read the book as soon as you can. Its on Kindle.

I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
Keto / Water Fasting / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program
110 pounds down, 14 to go.
It's Ketogenic or Bariatric Surgery! How I Found the Ketogenic Diet
Previous Discussions on the LCD & Keto Groups
Blog #10 Keto: Abbreviations, Acronyms & Terminology Used on the LCD & Keto Discussion Groups Updated

mlinton_mesapark

Thank you @DittoDan! I will add Cholesterol Clarity to my reading list.

Update on my husband: He has been doing the LCHF thing for about a month now (yay!) The GP tried to set up a stress test for him, but our medical insurance didn't approve it. So then, the GP sent my husband to a cardiologist. Now my husband is supposed to go get new bloodwork done, since he bloodwork done at the GPs office wasn't fasted.

My husband has lost 10 lbs or so, and wasn't overweight to begin with. This is big time allergy season here in Central TX, and our whole family is showing some symptoms, but neither my husband nor I have come down with the sinus infection that usually follows allergy symptoms for us.

I'll share the bloodwork numbers when they come back, but it won't be all that scientifically rigorous a comparison, given that I'll be comparing unfasted vs fasted numbers.

ndvoice

For the reflux - getting weight off does help. Especiasly for some that carry weight in the middle. Also not eating before bed.
Activated charcoal is a natural supplement (in capsule form) that can help with acid.
He also may find that reflux gets better just by eating low carb. When I cut out white foods & dairy, my reflux & IBS just seemed to stop. I suspect it was food sensitivities & inflammation. I have no advice on cholesterol sorry - mine was low. Good luck!

Keto_T

Mami1976D wrote: »

Anecdotally, I used to have heartburn several times a week, and I have had it maybe 3-4 times since starting this WOE 7 months ago, and that was when I overdid it on the spicy foods.

Ditto on the used to have heartburn. I had it almost every night and would end up sitting up so i didnt have that awful burning in my stomach and throat. It's rare that I have an episode since LC.

deksgrl

Mami1976D wrote: »

Anecdotally, I used to have heartburn several times a week, and I have had it maybe 3-4 times since starting this WOE 7 months ago, and that was when I overdid it on the spicy foods.

This. It started a number of years ago where I couldn't eat pepperoni or sausage at night. I would wake up in the night with terrible heartburn. Then it was getting to the point where things like just hamburger was doing that to me. And other things like tomato sauces. I can't remember what else. It seems like many nights I was getting up and hitting the milk jug or the tums just to try to get back to sleep.

Since changing my eating, I have NO heartburn at all. I can eat pepperoni or bacon or sausage at night or any of the things that used to bother me and there is no more heartburn.

KnitOrMiss

deksgrl wrote: »

Mami1976D wrote: »

Anecdotally, I used to have heartburn several times a week, and I have had it maybe 3-4 times since starting this WOE 7 months ago, and that was when I overdid it on the spicy foods.

This. It started a number of years ago where I couldn't eat pepperoni or sausage at night. I would wake up in the night with terrible heartburn. Then it was getting to the point where things like just hamburger was doing that to me. And other things like tomato sauces. I can't remember what else. It seems like many nights I was getting up and hitting the milk jug or the tums just to try to get back to sleep.

Since changing my eating, I have NO heartburn at all. I can eat pepperoni or bacon or sausage at night or any of the things that used to bother me and there is no more heartburn.

That was me prior to having my gallbladder out. I was dabbing the grease off my pizza with napkins, and lordy help me with tomato sauces! Bile burning the back of my throat. While I'm thrilled you don't have problems now, next checkup, might be worth adding on the general gallbladder check and such.