heart disease

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Lowering your cholesterol. Check out these handy and practical tips on reducing your cholesterol levels.


Lowering Cholesterol

Lowering Cholesterol

The newspapers, TV and internet are full of it.  It seems that you cannot turn anywhere without being given dire warnings about the dangers of having too high cholesterol.

And no wonder.

Recent studies suggest that people with high cholesterol (or hyperlipidemia as the boffins call it) are at much greater risk of strokes, heart attacks and heart disease in general.  So I think it can safely be said that it is something we should all be looking out for.

That being said, it does seem that getting good practical advice for those of us rushing around does not seem to be as easy as we would like.

So we at PatientTalk.Org have decided to put together a list of ideas which you can use on a daily basis.

a) Eat whole grain foods like brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.  You might want to experiment with things like quinoa or bulgur wheat.  Porridge or rolled oats for breakfast are a winner.

b) Lots of fruit and vegetables.  I mean lots.  My mother suggests leaving skins on vegetables whenever possible.  So you can still peel pumpkins.

c) Don’t eat animal or chicken skin and fat.  You might even think of becoming vegetarian for at least some of the time.

d) Exercise.  There are lots of possibilities and we have covered a fair few on this blog. https://patienttalk.org/exercise-for-people-with-chronic-pain/

e) Give junk food the body swerve.

f)   Use olive and other healthier oils in cooking and dressings but do so sparingly.

g) Cook for yourself  and do try to eliminate processed food.

h)  Take a packed lunch to work or school rather than buying something when you are there.

i)   Oh yes and give up smoking.  But you knew that, didn’t you?

If you have any other suggestions please feel free to share in the comments box below.

Our readers would love to hear your story!


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Chia Seeds – Find out more about this amazing Superfood


Chia seeds

Chia seeds

As many of you will know I’m rather partial to what are called superfoods.  While, it seems, there is no formal definition of Superfood the terms is, typically, used to describe foodstuffs which have a high nutrient value.  Therefore offering greater health benefits than the run of the mill stuff we often eat.

In fact superfoods are still a bone of contention in our house.  My wife claims I secretly grated broccoli, which she hates, on her food while she was pregnant with our first child.

For more background on superfoods please have a look at https://patienttalk.org/?p=276 .  It includes links to pro and anti superfoods discussions.

But to return to the point of the blog.  Last week my wife returned home brandishing a copy of a magazine which gave a recipe for a dish which included something called chia seeds.  Which, according to the article, were superfoods?  “What on earth are Chia seeds?” I exclaimed.   To which I received the traditional “search me” look.

So I decided it was my duty, as a healthcare blogger, to find out more about the health benefits of chia seeds.  Indeed in America the chia craze has been going for a few years but it seems that Europe is about to catch up.

Chia is a member of the mint family which grows in Latin America.   Apparently   it was  a staple of Aztec and Mayan cooking. However it is the seeds themselves which are of particular interest.  Chia seeds contain:-

a)      More Omega 3 fatty acids than salmon.

b)      A great source of antioxidants.  You can read up on antioxidants here https://patienttalk.org/?p=252

c)       Very high in dietary fibre

d)      A source of calcium and iron and a number of B vitamins

e)      May lower cholesterol and help prevent heart disease

Chai seeds are often used by athletes and a table spoon of the seeds has been described as the equivalent of a smoothie of salmon and spinach.

So how do you take it?  Well it is a common addition to smoothies and health drinks.  Have a look at https://patienttalk.org/?p=638 for more info.

The downside of chai seeds is the cost.  But if they take off we can only hope it will come down.

In fact today is going to be the first time I’ve tried chai seeds.  I’ll be using this recipe for BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH SUPER CHIA GARNISH for Stylist Magazine which can be found here http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/recipes/black-bean-soup-with-super-chia-garnish.  Once we have tried it I’ll give you an update.  Given that I love black beans I’m sure I’ll be a fan.

If you have used chia seeds it would be great if you can tell us how you found them using the comments box.  If you have any recipes then please share them as well

Many thanks in advance.


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Lowering Cholesterol: How do we go about lowering Cholesterol – diet or statins?

Animal Fats

Animal Fats

High cholesterol is one of those medical issues that has been associated with the massive leaps in the standard of living for many people in the Twentieth century.  With the changes in diet and the decline in manual labour more and more people suffer from high cholesterol.  According to the US government around 17% of Americans have higher cholesterol than is good for them.

While high cholesterol has no direct symptoms it does increase the risks of heart disease and strokes.

So what, in fact, is cholesterol?  Well it is a fat like substance that is vital to health.  Both too much and too little can be injurious to health. It has a number of different functions.  For example it helps build the membranes around your body cells.  It is also important as a way of helping your body absorb various vitamins.  For example vitamin D – for more information on the importance of vitamin D please have a look at this blog https://patienttalk.org/?p=300.

So how do we lower cholesterol?

If your doctor feels that you have a high cholesterol count, typically, they will recommend a change in diet and increasing the amount of exercise you do.

The sort of changes in diet normally recommended will be to reduce your consumption of foods which are high in saturated fat and cholesterol itself.  These can include fatty cuts of meat and many processed foods as well as dairy products such as cheese and cream so you might want to seek out soya based alternatives.  Doctors may also suggest you increase the amount of oily fish such as salmon and mackerel you consume.

Obviously if you do smoke now is the time to think about quitting.  This blog might use useful if you are considering nicotine replacement therapy – https://patienttalk.org/?p=495.

However in some cases your doctor may feel that a medication may be appropriate.  Typically these come in a number of forms:-

a)      Statins.  By far the most common type of medication as they block the production of cholesterol itself.

b)      Bile Acid Resins.  These stop bile (which is mainly cholesterol) from being absorbed into the body.


Other products such as fibrates and nicotinic acid can be used.

In very rare cases patient might go through a complex blood cleansing process.

One of the aims of this blog is to provide a forum for our readers to share their experiences of lowering cholesterol.  Please use the comments box below to share any ideas and experiences with your fellow readers.  Anything will be of interest but you may wish to think in terms of the following questions:-

a)      How did you find out that you had high cholesterol?  What was the testing process?

b)      What changes in lifestyle (e.g. diet or exercise) did you make to help lower your cholesterol?

c)       Have you used a cholesterol lowering medication?  How effective was it?

d)      What one piece of advice would you give to somebody who has just discovered that they have high cholesterol?

Thanks very much for all your help.  As we said please do you the comments box below to add you thoughts, opinions or any links you think may be of use to other readers of the blog.