Help! Got Any Suggestions?
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| Wed, 11-26-2008 - 3:49pm |
Hi Everyone,
Happy Thanksgiving! My name is CJ and I'm hoping to get some suggestions to my diabetic dilemma. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes 5 years ago. I also have metabolic syndrome, (High Cholesterol,High Blood Pressure, hypothyroid, Etc....) I have other conditions that effect my abilty to control my blood sugar. I was diagnose with several vestibular diseases. I have vertigo which makes it difficult to exercise. I struggle every day with my balance which takes a lot of energy. To say the lease my conditions depresses me.
I recently was taken off of my diabetic medication Byetta due to a high liver enzymes test. I'm also allergic to statin drugs so have dificuity lowering my high cholesterol. I'm worried my liver maybe damaged from the drugs or that I may have fatty liver diasese. My doctor told me to take Red Rice Yeast but when I looked it up it said it also could be damaging to my liver. I would love to hear from anyone who may have had the same problems or may have any suggestions to help.

CJ,
I hope my sister sees your message because she can give you a better scientific answer than I can. But your liver is one of the most forgiving organs that you have and it can heal itself given half a chance. You need to continue to be tested to see how it is repairing itself and hopefully your tests will improve quickly.
There are chair exercises that you can do if your vertigo makes you feel like you are going to fall. I bet Nancy will tell you about this because she had to go them when she was injured. I go to Curves and I started very slowly. I have worked my way up and I am doing quite well now. I don't your age but you might try exercises provided at a senior center as they are more user friendly. Nancy goes to the YMCA but there isn't one of those where I live. If you start walking, take a cane with you so you can steady yourself if you need to.
Since you can't exercise extensively, portion control is even more important for you and portion size is also important. It is hard to get your weight where it is supposed to be without exercise but it can be done. As you lose weight you also lessen the chance of developing fatty liver. Have you ever seen a dietitian for meal planning help? If your insurance company will cover this, it might be a big help to you.
I have heard of Red Rice Yeast but I know nothing about it. Sorry.
So please get back to me and let me know what you think. We are all here to help in anyway that we can.
Hypothyroid and type 2 here (plus overweight but slowly losing; fortunately blood pressure has always been good and cholesterol is now good). There really aren't a lot of ways to increase HDL without medicine or exercise. I agree that doing "senior" exercises such as seated activities or even water activities if a pool is available (and has a place for you to safely hold on). Balance isn't quite the same thing in water as on land and if you can swim, you're not even trying to stand vertically.
As far as reducing cholesterol, animal products are where external sources of cholesterol are found. Some cholesterol is produced inside you (it's necessary for hormone production and other things). You can't so much change the 'programmed' stuff inside you (I know someone with a genetic condition that even if he ate only lettuce leaves and drank water and exercised 24/7 he'd still have high cholesterol). But, you can reduce the amount of animal fats/cholesterol that goes in. If you aren't already, use low fat/non fat products as much as possible (skim milk or non-animal milk such as soy, almond, etc for example). Reduce the amount of red meat (eliminate it if you can). Add in small portions of whole grains such as oats (check around the board for the thread on low carb oatmeals). Yes, it can be tough to keep blood sugar controlled AND not rely on animal foods (since meat, cheese, etc are low carb options) but it is possible to reduce cholesterol AND keep blood sugar stable/good. I got my cholesterol down to where my LDL is at/near target (90something and 113 in the last 2 tests) without medication and my triglycerides and such are excellent (another component of that 'total cholesterol' number and a factor in metabolic syndrome) Add in heart healthy fish once or twice a week - things like salmon, etc.
Red rice yeast is a "natural" form of statin - it produces a similar chemical so yes, it would act similarly to statins without being the exact chemical that you react to (most likely, it's always possible that you could react to that too).
--Deb
Deb,
"Red rice yeast is a "natural" form of statin - it produces a similar chemical so yes, it would act similarly to statins without being the exact chemical that you react to (most likely, it's always possible that you could react to that too)."
I was in the pharmacy today waiting for a prescription and trying to find a vitamin D preparation that the dematologist said I need to take when I came upon "red rice yeast". I was really surprised at the warnings posted on the box. There can be real problems with this nutraceutical. I am not sure it is not exchanging one toxic for another. It can cause both kidney and liver failure. Plus it is contraindicated for women who can get pregnant or are nursing.
Unfortunately supplements that we assume are natural and therefore safe are not always so.
Exactly! It is a natural form of statin, just as foxglove is a "natural" form of digitalis - it's natural but it'll stop your heart. Quinine is a naturally occurring chemical that is also in tonic water - but it's also a potent medication for dealing with fever/inflammation (it's been used as a standard treatment for malaria, for example) and can be used as a heart medication (and my mom's allergic to it). I *never* said that using red rice yeast was a "better" choice nor that it was less toxic than taking a statin - it IS a statin. The OP wanted to know what it was - I responded, it is a naturally occurring statin.
--Deb
I wonder it the plant sterol type of supplement would help.
Don't forget that you can use fish oil capsules to help lower your cholesterol.