Your doctor really is acting a little crazy. My doctor is the complete opposite. In fact most doctors I know would be happy with anyone taking control of their health, especially losing weight.

Hmm... Dr. Davis is a firm believer in fish oil and, like the article I linked, doesn't think plant based Omega-3's are much good.

You CAN test your D3 levels. Why did you think you can't? It is vit D3 aka cholecaliferol that you want to take. Dr. Davis says some of the preparations in tablet forms don't work. He also says it doesn't work if mixed into other formulations, like a multivitamin or in calcium. I'll see if I can find a brand or two, I know a lot of people use one called Bio-tech I think

I have a feeling your lack of sleeping and stress might be more than a little responsible for your poor HDL levels.

I've had good luck taking Seditol (made from Magnolia leaves) to help me get to sleep. Doesn't seem to be habit forming at all. I just take it when I'm having lots of stress.

I know!! Isn't she a little extreme. I have loved her for years but now that I think about it, I never had any problems before. She never thought my weight was an issue when it clearly was. I just saw her for normal stuff. I quit smoking, drinking, I'm exercising now, eating better (not to her because I will die if I eat anymore coconut oil) but that's some good stuff all in the last year, oh, and lost some weight too. I think she needs to be fired.

NancyLC,

You know, I think my doc is a little extreme and was making me that way until I went down there today and got copy of my blood tests. I think she is making a mountain out of a molehill. My HDL went up to 44 since last week's 36. So not perfect but in THEIR range. I am going to blow off the HDL-2 protective subset or what ever it is because I have found nothing on the internet except junk on the HDL-2. So I am going to blow off the vitamin D because I take a mega multi twice a day and I take calcium magnesium citrate and i have to take my psyllium at different times and I take COQ10, CLAs, (new) chromium picolinade, L-Carnitine, and my fish oil that I am still going to take. That has got to be enough stuff. I am taking pills left and right. But I never thought I had a deficiency of vitamin D. I just read that might up my HDL. I never had a test for it. I would think it would be in the mega multi vitamin so I am just going to settle with that. I did read about Dr. Davis not liking the plant based omega 3 fish oil. I am going to have to find out what kind i am taking now. I just started them up. Using my husband's now because I am done with the Lovaza since it didn't do the magic it's supposed to.

I am just going to take blood test in January and hopefully it is better, show my dr that my diet didn't kill me, then fire her. I need a doctor that will work with me, not at me.

Thanks for your help

Lisa

Well, it can't be plant based if it's fish oil.... Most likely the script she had you on was plant based, and since you stopped your OTC fish oil (reasonable) your HDL dropped. You weren't getting "usable" Omega 3..

I just hope she realizes the truth before she hurts herself or a patient.

If you're outside, you make vit D from the sunlight too. (From *drum roll please* cholesterol....) I sometimes wonder if the proliferation of statins in older people is contributing to alzheimers.. Your brain is like 60% cholesterol. 20% of the cholesterol in your body is in your brain.

Cute (true!) cartoon and an article
http://www.naturalnews.com/021714.html

I wonder if maybe she doesn't think you're a lost cause anymore since you've made so many steps in a positive direction and she's nervous (because of her training) that you'll ruin it. I still think she's crazy to criticize something that's sustainable for you, but it would explain the intense focus if she were feeling like she could "mold" your health and take credit for some part of it, eh? I'm so glad we've never had to put up with anything like this.

Janine

2Bthinner,

That sounded really good. I was off fish oil on Lovaza omega 3 and off OTC omega 3 fish oil until I just looked it up and Lovaza is made from natural fish oil. My doctor still can't understand why it didn't work on me to up my HDL. It does on everyone else, she says. I am an enigma. I think it has to be stress and only 3 months on the diet.

Lisa

Um, here's a forum that is drug reps... The language, wow. But, in one response one said that there's less EPA and DHA. (Post #10) Perhaps that is why it wasn't doing anything for you. You (probably most of us) need the natural ratio..

http://www.cafepharma.com/boards/sh...d.php?p=2364373

Lots of anger there. And if they're telling the truth, lots of money to be had if you convince the doctors to buy/prescribe. (22,000. a quarter.)

A thought on fish oil from something Ann Louise said in her book about Flax seed. It's more economical for the amounts you need to take to use the oil. For instance you take one tbs of flax seed oil by mouth, but to get the same amount from capsules, you would need to take nine capsules. I have to say though, I think I can get nine capsules of fish oil down easier than taking the oil... *shiver* *bleck*

Check this out, did you see this on the Lovaza site?

http://www.medscape.com/infosite/lovaza/article-3 It's the upper box on the right, you scroll down in it.
Italics and bolding mine...
Important Safety Information:

1. LOVAZA is contraindicated in patients who exhibit hypersensitivity to any component of this medication.
2. Before instituting LOVAZA therapy, it should be confirmed that TG levels are consistently abnormal.
3. LOVAZA should be used with caution in patients with known sensitivity or allergy to fish.
4. The patient’s TG, LDL-C and ALT levels should be monitored periodically during LOVAZA therapy. In some patients, LOVAZA increased LDL-C.(See, not everyone reacted the same) LOVAZA therapy should be withdrawn in patients who do not have an adequate response after 2 months of treatment.
5. Some studies with omega-3-acids demonstrated prolongation of bleeding time, which did not exceed normal limits and did not produce clinically significant bleeding episodes. Patients receiving treatment with both LOVAZA and anticoagulants should be monitored periodically.
6. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Use LOVAZA during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus; and use with caution when administering LOVAZA to breastfeeding women.
7. LOVAZA was well-tolerated in controlled studies. The most common adverse events reported were: eructation, infection, flu syndrome, dyspepsia, rash, taste perversion, and back pain.
8. Please see full prescribing information. (You have to be a member)

~~~~~~~~~~
Also, if you have been low carbing for 3 months and get your blood tested in three more months, going by the majority of people here, your results are going to BLOW her mind. They'll be outstanding!! (psst, take a camera! )

PS: Make use of Omega 3 eggs in the store too! Try to have eggs for breakfast, (or snack) and you can still have the sunflower thing for lunch.

PPS: Another thought on this, this drug is to lower triglycerides. It's not really been studied to "raise HDL". That may be a side effect that more people get, but not expected. I think it's sort of a good thing, your dr thinks outside the box, but I think she's in the wrong warehouse....

2Bthinner,

That first site was so funny. You are right, people are very mad. But I have to read it in more detail. I have an exam and should really be sleeping. Sprayed my melatonin under the tongue. You know where all the information is. Please don't tell me this new thing I found will kill me. LOL

I can't believe all that stuff about Lovaza. You know, I really just looked up a little something on it and asked a few people here but really MD just said it's just like what i take OTC omega 3 fish oil but like taking 16 of them. Your HDL will take off. I said I will try it but not really into prescriptions. We both agreed on 3 months and then take new blood test and she will prove it to me. I thought, no big deal. But then reading all that junk. I am glad to be off. I didn't have any of that stuff that i know of. When I got my blood taken, it stopped bleeding right away so I guess I was okay there. LOL

It would be cool if she was outside the box but then she would have told me her plan if that was a side effect for me to decide. I think she didn't know what she was talking about. she is on the stuff. Her LDL is at 160. She never even mentioned her trys.

I had a dr who put me on meds for other junk that had side effects of getting sleepy because I wouldn't go on sleeping pills so I am not against it if it makes sense and the other side effects aren't bad.

I think she should be locked in a warehouse!! LOL I hope I blow her away when I do the next blood test. Would it be mean to say the reason my test results are so good is because I decided low fat/high carb was the way to go and you were right after all. NOT, I eat more CO. Okay that would be bad.

Funny you should say that about the omega 3 in eggs. Just bought some and hard boiled a dozen. I used to eat them all the time but my DH has been making me these CO with sunflower seed oil. It's so easy to bring with me in the car. But hard boiled eggs are good even egg salad is good too. I do need to get more of that. I bought 3 dozen so i actually have many to eat.

I do hope I blow her away in January. It would be nice to see her face when she sees good results from my bad diet. Hey no one is perfect but she should have given me some credit for 3 months of this WOL that i don't want to change. i actually don't want fast food or cake or ice cream or anything like that. I don't want large quantities of food like I have in the past. Don't have to have popcorn and candy at the movies. I am a different person and I was pretty proud of that and she just tried to scare the Bleep out of me.

Have a good night and thanks for all the great information.

Lisa

My doctor told me to add up the actual amounts of the Omega-3's and Omega-9's listed on the label of the fish oil I take, and to make sure I get a minimum of 2100 mg/day.

Melatonin is fine. It won't hurt you. Now supposedly valerian, which I used to take pretty regular, Ann Louise Gittleman says can harm your liver. And it made my older DD break out in hives. (It's related to ragweed).

Another sleep aid is chamomile tea. Also St. John's Wort, but that has a warning about light sensitivity. I guess you can sunburn easier. I've never had a problem with it though. I used to take that pretty regular too, but I've cut out most except what The Fat Flush Plan recommends. I'm giving it a fair shot.

And go study. Your cholesterol is FINE!! (now, your doctor.... )

But, this one you may be able to tolerate. IF you are worried about it. I really think that taking the fish oil again, and taking a good multi (which is going to have pantethine), your results are going to blow her away.

Of course, mine should have blown my doctor away. He tried to tell me my ratios were bad. That was the day I quit explaining anything to him, and just got stubborn. It was obvious that he wasn't listening to me, and I was wasting my breath. I later got a print out. The only one the lab indicated was out of range was my GOOD cholesterol!!

Oooh, interesting. I know Dr. Davis was recommending 1,000 mg of EPA + DHA, but he's thinking of raising that. I'll have to see how much I'm taking. I'm using 6 pills a day right now.

You do but there's a lot of caveats with that. You make less as you get older. I think 40 is the age where it becomes substantially less. You make less if you're dark skinned and you make less if you're obese. Then again, it depends on the strength of the sun so the further away from the equator you are, the less you'll make.

I think the most sunshine I get is walking from the car to a building on my face and parts of my arms. I definitely need the supplements!


Good question. I've read a ton that Alz is sort of like a type 3 diabetes where the brain can't deal with glucose properly and it gums everything up by binding to proteins. Another product of our sugar/starch guzzling culture.

Lisa, I'm kind of puzzled too why your doctor thought Lovaza would raise your HDL. AFAIK fish oil is used to lower triglycerides. That's what Dr. Davis uses it for.

I also think it has a lot of uses than just lowering triglycerides. It's good for the brain and overall health. That's why I take it.

Saturated fat is supposed to be good for raising HDL, amongst the other things we've listed. Of course, that'd give your doctor fits, wouldn't it?

Also, regarding your Doctor's scorn for people who educate themselves off the Internet, Dr. Davis is a big supporter of it. He thinks patients need to get informed because their doctors aren't keeping up.

Here's some of the things he's written about it:
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2...ed-testing.html
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2...or-patient.html
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2...lf-testing.html

There's a lot more where he talks about the scorn that many doctors show patients who educate themselves.

Thyroid
Oh yeah, in that long list of articles I found for you. I asked about your Thyroid and provided an article about that. Do you have any notion of your thyroid status, other than "normal"?

I know you have a lot on your plate. But if you can, get a TSH test and GET THE RESULTS via a hard copy of the test. You don't want to accept a pronouncement of "normal" from your doctor. The normal range goes from .5 - 5.0 or higher and anything over a 1.0 has implications for your cholesterol tests (and chances of heart disease too).

Here's an article on that again, so you don't have to dig for it: http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2...h-too-high.html