The Doctor Diaries

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Over the years I have always had my cholesterol checked. I'm usually between 200 and 220. I know it should be below 200, and many health experts even suggest it should be below 180 in order to minimize the risk of coronary artery disease. But, like every other person between 30 and 40 years of age, I didn't think of heart disease as a pressing issue. It wouldn't affect me for at least another 20 or 30 years.

I recently had my cholesterol checked as part of a life insurance policy health exam. Last year it was around 220, so I figured it would be somewhere close to that. A week after the test was done, my insurance agent called me, frantic. "Bob, your cholesterol is 257!" I wasn't sure if he was frantic because he thought I would have a heart attack any second, or because I didn't qualify for the lowest insurance premium.

257. Wow. I was stunned. I had even starved myself for 12 hours before the test in order to get a lower result (this is called a "fasting" level). I suddenly had visions of not being able to run around and play with my grandchildren, or to retire and write parenting books (not that my dad has left much for me to write). I didn't even bother checking the details of my HDL, LDL or triglycerides. A score of 257 is high no matter how you look at it.

The first thing I did was confirm this with our own little testing machine at the office. I checked a random level (not having fasted) and was shocked to see 287 show up on the screen. A second finger stick (and a second bandage) read 283. Wow. So it really was that high.

I wasn't afraid of having a heart attack right away, but I knew that if I didn't change a few things, a heart attack would eventually strike. So what did I do? I pulled out the "old man's" Family Nutrition Book. Previously, I had only read the parts that I thought applied most to my patients or me. In other words, I had skipped over the cholesterol chapter.

As I read through the cholesterol chapter, I was amazed at how easily I could lower my cholesterol. Here is what I did:

Enough of what I DIDN'T eat. Here is what I DID eat to help lower my cholesterol:

That's it. That's all I did. I didn't increase my exercise level. I didn't take any cholesterol-lowering medications (although psyllium tasted as bad as the worst medicine).

I did have to suffer through the Christmas season, however-two weeks of torture. Over the last several years, this had been my favorite time of year as parents drop off lots of goodies. I love fighting with the staff over the home-made fudge; trying to sneak a plate of home-made cookies without tipping off my brother, Dr. Jim; trying desperately to get at least one piece of chocolate before our beloved staff got to it. Well, imagine me sitting there at my desk, surrounded by piles of cookies and chocolate, and all I get to eat is my healthy, fiber-filled fruit smoothie. The first few days were unbearable, but then it started to get easier. I actually managed to stay away from 99% of it (I couldn't resist a bit of homemade fudge and a couple homemade chocolates).

So what happened? Two weeks after I started this diet I did a fasting cholesterol level in my office. It read 177. I was sure there had to be an error. No one reduces their cholesterol by 80 points in just 2 weeks. So I stuck myself again (that hurts) and it really was that low.

I was ecstatic. My first thought was "so I'm not going to have a heart attack in my 30s after all." My second thought was "Where is the rest of that home-made fudge!"

I spent the next couple weeks still watching what I ate. I wasn't perfect, but I kept most of the non-fat changes I had made to my diet. I checked my level again (someone REALLY needs to invent another way to do this besides jamming a sharp pin into your finger) and it was 204, fasting. Excellent. Even when I wasn't overly careful, it was staying around 200.

Lesson number one - get your cholesterol checked every year or two. You never know when it's going to jump up.

Lesson number two - it is VERY easy to lower your cholesterol, but it takes discipline to keep it down. You owe it to yourself, your kids and your grandkids to stay healthy.