So gonna get these:
Red Yeast Rice (1.2g/pill) - ???? SHould i even get this since the active ingredient isnt even in it any more? :facepalm:
Niacin 500 mg (100 tabs) - 1g/day
Whole Psyllium Husk - 3g w/ each meal
Policosanol (20 mg/90 Vcaps)- ???
Grape Seed (100mg/100 vcaps)- ???
Thanks
My doc recommended a statin (Lipitor) as a result of high cholesterol and a family history of heart disease. I also wanted to avoid the prescription drug route, and after considerable research I opted for the following program instead:
- time release niacin (500 mg three times per day with meals for a total of 1,500 mg per day; the niacin must be nicotinic acid as the no flush kind does not work);
- phytosterols (450 mg before meals);
- Vitamin D (6,000 IUs daily; must be Vitamin D3, cholecalciferol, in gel cap form); and
- Fish Oil (1,500 mg daily).
I discussed all of this with my doc before starting, and he was initially skeptical that it would make much of a difference. He told me that we could give it a try, but he expected that I'd ultimately end up on Lipitor. After three months on the program, my cholesterol levels improved dramatically. My LDL (ie, bad cholesterol) decreased from 179 to 62 and my HDL (ie, good cholesterol) increased from 40 to 63. Various other markers for heart disease (eg, Lipoprotein(a), C reactive protein, etc.) also improved.
With respect to the niacin, I use Enduracin, which is sold by a company called Endurance Products (you can find their website by running a Google search). They also sell immediate release phytosterols. I considered Niaspan (my doc was willing to prescribe it and my insurance would pay for it), but based on my research Enduracin looked to be the better product.
Notwithstanding that you do not need a prescription for any of these products, I would not recommend following this sort of program unless you are doing so under the supervision of a doctor. In particular, high doses of niacin can cause liver damage and have a negative impact on blood sugar levels. I have blood tests run every three months
and have not had any problems, but one does have to be careful when taking doses this high.
There are a couple of good books on using niacin to treat cholesterol levels which you may want to read. They are (1) The New Eight Week Cholesterol Cure by Robert Kowalski and (2) Cholesterol Control Without Diet, The Niacin Solution by William Parsons. You can find both books on Amazon.
