If you're checking your temp orally .... make sure you take it no less than a half hour away from hot or cold food, as these will alter the temperature of the lining of the mouth and tongue. Make sure you haven't been talking a lot, or mouth-breathing (such as during strenuous exercise) ... as the air flowing over the tongue will also alter the temperature in the mouth. Don't laugh, it's true . That's why many hospitals have now switched to using the ear-thermometers, which are much more accurate and constant.

WARNING -- just to clarify ... do NOT use the long thermometers intended for oral use in the ear canal. You must use a specially designed thermometer for this purpose. Ya, I know you knew that, but I had to put the warning here anyway ..

So that's one thermometre, left ear....

Ok. No ear. I did have some water before the reading, hope that's part of the reason it was so low. I have noticed that I am no longer cold all the time (especially at night) like i used to be since starting LC.

thx Do.
N

Not really, no. Actually, I haven't been measuring the past week - I've been out at UBC every day and just not thinking about much but work. (Haven't been on the board much, either.) I'm just getting into a really busy period and expect to be working solidly through till Xmas.

But I measured daily between Oct. 13th and 16th (4 days), and my temps seem to have gone up a degree or so over the previous ones posted - hormonal variations maybe - 97.9 or so first thing in the morning, and closer to 'normal' by afternoon. But I've noticed that when I'm hungry, or right after exercise (they usually coincide!) my temperature drops again to the low 97's.

Rachel
PS Don't worry, Doreen, I won't stick it in my ear!!!

Well, I've decided to give this whole thing a rest for the next couple of months. I'm going to be working solidly, including weekends, pretty well up until Xmas, and I just don't have the time or mental energy to agonize over my health. I'm supposed to go in for my second blood test, but I've decided to wait till January. I'm more pissed off about the process of TESTING than I am about the RESULTS. It's the emotional turmoil I can't deal with.

In the meantime, I've introduced dietary changes that make me happy, regardless of whether or not I have high cholesterol (and regardless of whether that's a Bad Thing, which I'm not convinced of).

-less red meat and whole eggs
-more fish, chicken (sometimes skinless) and 'Breakfree' (egg substitute, made with less yolk, more white - tastes fine)
-more soy products, including tofu
-less butter, cheese, and saturated fat in general; found a great 'spread' made with organic cold-pressed oils, tastes yummy, and am experimenting with soy cheese (I have my doubts, but it's OK melted)
-more fibre in the form of psyllium and veggies, of course
-a few more supplements: soy lecithin, garlic, and antioxidant vitamins
-I bought a bottle of wine so I can have a glass daily, but I don't like wine much, so I haven't got to that yet. An unusual problem, eh?

I actually feel better eating this way than I do eating a lot of red meat and animal fat. It might be slightly carbier eating tofu and soy products instead of meat products, but probably not that much more, since I'm cutting down eggs and dairy at the same time.

I'm also collecting evidence to show my doctor should my second test come out unsatisfactory (whatever that is). Again, it's a slow process.

Rachel

... a few things I thought of while reading this

• red meat will still be ok if it's quite lean .. you can use olive oil for cooking/marinating to keep it from being dry. Or, your home-made jerky would be good .. it's so lean, what with any fat being blotted away during the drying process.
  
• beware the soy cheese. Many of these contain casein and other milk ingredients anyway, unless they say strictly vegan on the label. Otherwise they just boast "lactose-free". They aren't always lower in fat either, and some brands use hydrogenated soy oil products. I've found some of the "light" natural cheeses to be delicious, 40% lower in fat and consequently higher in protein. No-name light cheddar (from Superstore) has 5g fat/9g prot. per 30g ... as opposed to 9g fat/7g prot. for regular. (just so's ya know there are options )
  
• from back in the Group Study days, a favourite recipe I still make ... is a tofu/egg custard ... it could be considered a dairy-free version of the infamous Mock Danish ... ¼ pkg lite silken tofu (for some reason the lite has fewer carbs than the regular) and 1 egg (or substitute) .. blend till creamy, add vanilla, nutmeg, dot o' sweetener, lemon rind or other desired flavours ... pour in ramekin and nuke or I prefer to use a greased dish and bake in the toaster oven for 10 minutes on high. It puffs up nicely and has a yummy custardy taste and texture. Or, use savoury seasonings - a little onion powder, s & p, a portion of leftover cooked veggies, some canned mushrooms, chopped leftover cooked meat, a teensy bit o' grated lowfat cheese ... voilà, breakfast quiche-thingy, superfast to blast you out the door in the a.m.
  
• I posted a couple recipes for low-fat, dairy-free whipped cream and sour cream using lite silken tofu .. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...s=&threadid=470

You are wise to carry on and not get stressed out ... probably the stress itself is just as harmful, with the rise in serum cortisols ... and besides, a high cholesterol reading in an otherwise healthy person is not an indicator of disease. Which you already know ... but I hear ya on the "process" of going through the tests, and waiting ... and the doctor with prescription pad in hand. You are within your rights to say NO.

Take care, and grab those moments of R & R whenever they come your way!!

Doreen

Rachel,
Recent research has shown more of a correlation between high homocystien level and heart disease than high cholesterol levels and HD.
Our WOE can cause some people to not get enough B vitamins (including folic acid) which will cause high homocystien levels. Check how much B-complex you're getting and make sure you get enough Folic Acid.

This website has lots of information that you'll be interested in.
http://www.heartinfo.com
-----------------
Homocysteine and Folate: New Implications for Heart Attack Prevention

The observation that many heart attack victims have normal cholesterol levels underscores the need to identify other risk factors for atherosclerosis. Of several substances in the blood that are now thought to predict odds for vascular disease, the amino acid, homocysteine, is the one for which the case is strongest. The findings suggest a simple way to prevent heart attacks because homocysteine levels can be lowered by taking the B vitamin, folic acid. In a 1995 review of work exploring the relationships among homocysteine levels, folic acid and blood vessel disease (JAMA, vol. 274, pp.1049-1057), University of Washington researchers proposed that increasing folic acid intake might prevent as many as 50,000 heart attack deaths a year.

Homocysteine was first named as a suspect in vascular disease over 25 years ago by Dr.Kilmer McCully, then a Harvard pathologist. McCully, who observed severe atherosclerosis in two young children with rare diseases marked by very high homocysteine levels, speculated that minor elevations might account for atherosclerotic disease in adults. Despite early resistance to this startling new theory, subsequent investigations linked homocysteine to an estimated 15 percent of heart attacks.

Among 27 studies of homocysteine and vascular disease cited by the University of Washington review was a Harvard project involving 15,000 physicians (JAMA, vol. 268, pp.877 -81). The research, reported in 1992, showed that although relatively few of the doctors had coronaries, those in the five percent of the group with the highest homocysteine readings had a 3.4 fold increase in heart attack risk. Also cited was a 1995 Tufts University study of over 1,000 elderly men and women, which showed that high homocysteine levels raised odds for significant carotid artery obstruction. (New England Journal of Medicine, vol.332, pp.286-291). A carotid blockage is considered a warning sign of above-average risk for both stroke and coronary artery disease.

The Washington researchers concluded that a 5 u.mol/L increment in homocysteine level raises coronary artery disease risk as much as a 20 mg/dL rise in cholesterol. No one has yet proven how homocysteine causes atherosclerosis, but scientists suspect it may do its harm during one or more steps in the process that transforms a healthy blood vessel into the site of a heart attack. The arteries of animals injected with homocysteine showed changes that may lay the groundwork for the buildup of atherosclerotic plaques. There is also evidence suggesting that homocysteine stimulates proliferation of blood vessel cells that help form plaques and that it encourages clotting.

Folic acid is thought to protect against heart disease because it breaks down homocysteine and allows it to be cleared from the blood stream. The University of Washington review referred to 11 studies of folic acid's effects on homocysteine levels. Among these was the Tufts research, which showed for the first time that inadequate intake of the vitamin is the main determinant of the homocysteine-related increase in the risk of carotid blockage.

New studies suggesting a protective role for folic acid continue to appear. In 1996, Canadian investigators reported that among more than 5,000 men and women who participated in a national nutrition survey, those in the quarter of the group with the lowest folic acid levels were 69 percent more likely to die of a coronary problem than those in the quartile with the greatest stores of the vitamin (JAMA, vol.275,pp.1893-95). There is even evidence that high risk patients have the most to gain. In 1995, a University of Utah study compared over 160 men and women who had evidence of early familial coronary artery disease with a comparable group who did not have the disease. The patients, who had already had either a heart attack, bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty, showed "a considerably greater sensitivity" to the blood's concentration of the B vitamin, according to the researchers (Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology).

Growing evidence that folic acid may prevent heart attacks has led to recommendations that people consume 400 mcg. a day. This amount has been shown to maintain low homocysteine levels and also to prevent neural tube defects in the unborn. But, although 400 mcg. used to be the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for folic acid, the RDA was cut by half several years ago. According to data cited by the University of Washington review, an estimated 88 percent of Americans get less than 400 mcg., providing "ample scope for intervention," say the authors.

One way to insure adequate folic acid intake is to eat five daily servings of fruits and vegetables. People consuming this amount are unlikely to benefit from supplements, according to a JAMA editorial published in 1993 (JAMA, vol.270, pp. 2726 - 27). Among the best natural sources of folic acid are green leafy vegetables, beans and citrus fruits. Because of a government mandate to fortify grain products with the vitamin, as of 1998, it will also be available in foods like bread, pasta and cereal. According to the University of Washington researchers, fortification offers the greatest potential for reducing coronary artery disease. However, other researchers (JAMA, vol 275, pp. 1929 -30) point out that fortification is expected to increase intake of the vitamin by only 100 mcg. and may still leave about three quarters of the population getting less than the desired 400 mcg.

Whether or not to prescribe supplements continues to be debated. Several scientists have called for clinical trials to determine whether giving folic acid actually reduces heart attack risk. An editorial accompanying the Canadian study suggests including vitamins B6 and B12 in the trials, since these vitamins also influence homocysteine levels. An additional reason for giving vitamin B12 is that folic acid supplements can mask vitamin B12 deficiencies, which are not uncommon in the elderly and may cause neurologic damage if left untreated.

While some scientists argue against prescribing supplements before there is direct proof of their benefits, others say that delays may not be desirable for some patients. At a symposium on homocysteine and heart disease, sponsored by the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology, Meir Stampfer, M.D., Ph.D. of Harvard, pointed out that "public health considerations often require taking protective action even before all proof is in." The implications of the existing evidence about homocysteine and folate were stressed by the co-chair of the symposium, M.Rene Malinow, of the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center. "Scientists are on the threshhold of the most important extension of the diet/health hypothesis since the discovery of the relationship of cholesterol to heart disease," he said.

Best wishes,
Katherine

Thanks for the recipes, Doreen. I'll try them. It seems like the only way I can eat tofu is if it's whipped or blended beyond recognition. I've made some salad/veggie dressing thingies that are bearable, and the recipes you've just given me sound good too.

I also hear you on the soy cheese...I bought some that looked OK (it has cassein, but is unhydorogenated, low-fat and ultra-low-carb) but it tastes kinda yicky. It seems to be OK with eggs so far, and maybe in a few other recipes. One good thing is, I'm not tempted to munch it!

I'm still eating red meat, I've just cut down from three times a day to maybe once. I figure the jerky ought to be OK too, in fact I just made a new batch.

Kathryn, thanks for all the info on folic acid...I've printed it out...it's going to take a while to wade through it, in addition to the website. Lots o' reading there!

Now I'm going to totally laugh if I go back for my retest and it turns out to be perfectly normal! I still think that having a cholesterol test done right after an hour-long workout might not have been the greatest idea. Like I'm fat-burning, right? I think it makes sense that I'd have some extra in my bloodstream.

Duh!

Rachel

For more information on the failure of the cholesterol-heart-disease theory, see Dr. Kendrick's articles here.

It will change your whole way of thinking about this subject.

What's wrong with red meat and eggs?

Sheldon

Sheldon...

generally there's nothing wrong with red meat and eggs unless you have a sensitivity to arachidonic acid which is highest in those two items. According to the Eades' if you have a sensitivity to AA, it could cause your cholesterol readings to be elevated and generally not make you feel well. The "fix" that they suggest is to either cut out those items or take fish oil with any meal that contains them.