High Cholesterol

Q. I read in your column about a nondrug treatment for toenail fungus. Could you please send me the home remedy since I now have fungus myself? The prescription my doctor offered is way too expensive.A. Over the years we have collected lots of remedies for nail fungus. This infection can make nails thick, rough, yellowish-brown and crumbly. Our favorite approach is a vinegar soak -- 1 part vinegar to 2 parts warm water.Q. I took Zocor for high cholesterol and stopped because it caused me to have seizures.

These days, fewer people are dying from heart disease, yet it is still the No. 1 killer of both men and women. Although age, gender and genes are beyond our control, we can significantly reduce our risks through lifestyle choices. Loss of only 10 percent of body weight, regular aerobic exercise and quitting smoking lead the list. Food choices, of course, can make a significant difference.Nutritional factors that affect your cholesterol:Saturated fat is the single most important factor affecting blood cholesterol levels.

A cheap and painless set of tests developed in leading medical centers around the country promises to predict heart disease and stroke, and pinpoint the patients who really need aggressive therapy, far more accurately than do the traditional risk factors.The new method includes a simple measurement of the difference in blood pressure between arms and ankles, and a noninvasive acoustic test that measures narrowing of the carotid arteries that carry blood to the brain.Many patients with high cholesterol levels do not develop heart disease.

Brother and sisters, friends and neighbors, hear my witness. I have been to the Other Side and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that, indeed, there is life after fat, cholesterol, salt and caffeine.It is abundant, it is filling and it feels great.Like most Americans, I have been aware for some years that a healthful diet should be low in fat, especially saturated fat, to help avoid heart disease; that salt can exacerbate high blood pressure in the salt-sensitive; and that overweight people are more subject to hypertension and heart disease.

The fettuccine fascists have arrived!Recent laboratory analysis of Italian food done under the direction of Centers for Science in the Public Interest turned up some surprises, as well as some shockers that are not really surprising.What CSPI found is that pasta with red sauce is pretty low in fat, which is no big surprise. More surprising is that even when the red sauce carries meat balls or sausage, it still gets only about 30 percent of its calories from fat. In other words, it's healthier than we expected.

Q: I am taking medication for high cholesterol and wonder whether my 7-year-old son should have his cholesterol checked.A: Many pediatricians include a measurement of cholesterol as one of their standard blood tests. If the pediatrician hasn't already done so, have your son's cholesterol checked in the near future. There is about a 50 percent chance that your son also has high cholesterol, which can be inherited by half the offspring of an affected father or mother.You should be aware that the cholesterol value is considered abnormal at lower levels in children than in adults.

Patient, test thyself.The expanding world of home medical tests is making it easier for us to monitor and maintain our own bodies. Kits are available now over the counter that can check blood sugar, look for colon cancer, test blood pressure, detect urinary tract infections, determine cholesterol levels and discover pregnancy -- as well as the best time of month to make it happen.The benefits of home testing are clear, physicians say. An early awareness of pregnancy can translate into better prenatal care.

My wife is 42 and has a cholesterol level of 270 even though she follows a cholesterol-lowering diet with great care. I am concerned because her doctor is reluctant to treat her with a medication to lower her cholesterol. Would you recommend drug treatment for her?A: It is impossible to answer your specific question without more information, but some more general information on the treatment of a high cholesterol may be helpful.The decision as to whether to use drug therapy in people with a high cholesterol is based on two considerations: the level of the atherogenic low density lipoprotein (LDL)

LOS ANGELES -- For almost 52 million Americans with high cholesterol, the complex causes of heart disease were long ago reduced to a simple formula of good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. The higher the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, the greater the chances of staying healthy.Now experiments with genetically engineered mice show that some high-density lipoproteins -- the so-called good HDL cholesterol long thought to prevent heart disease -- may actively cause it.Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have demonstrated that mice with high levels of a common HDL are more likely to develop atherosclerosis than normal mice.

For those who love a fistful of french fries, loads of extra cheese and hamburgers with the works, the news seemed a gift from the gods.Some Baltimore diners welcomed reports yesterday of recent studies that say very low cholesterol levels may be as deadly as very high levels. A few health-conscious eaters, perhaps used to bragging about their low levels, reacted with mild disbelief."It's one less thing to worry about," said Vickie Bonovich of Owings Mills, 33, a systems analyst with a downtown brokerage firm.

NEW ORLEANS - In results from an eagerly anticipated study that could greatly change the treatment of cardiovascular disease, researchers have found that statin drugs - now given to millions of people with high cholesterol - can halve the risk of heart attack and stroke in seemingly healthy patients as well. The study of nearly 18,000 people with normal cholesterol found that the drugs lowered the risk of death from heart disease by 20 percent, suggesting that millions more people should be put on a daily regimen.

Keith Miller leads what doctors call a healthy, active lifestyle. The suburban Baltimore teenager has always loved sports and plays soccer competitively. He avoids eating pizza and junk food. But despite all that, Miller had cholesterol levels nearly five times his average peer and underwent a double bypass surgery to repair his heart two years ago when he was 15. Though open-heart surgery remains unusual in young patients, medical experts fear that cholesterol levels are rising at an alarming rate.

He's an office worker who runs at least 30 miles a week and has already logged marathons in 38 states. She's an artist who spends much of her day on her feet preparing for shows -- with breaks to walk the dog. They're slim and healthy 50- somethings. But, to their utter annoyance, they both have high cholesterol. Kelly Kietzke and Diane Getty of South Baltimore know they can't overcome their genes. They could re-evaluate their diets. But what to strip? What to add? Their meals already seemed pretty healthful.

I have just begun treatment for hypothyroidism, and for the first time in more than 20 years I feel like I am emerging from a fog. My mental clarity and concentration were terrible. Since starting on Synthroid, I feel like a new person. My question is about my daughter. She is 17 and has some of the same symptoms. Is she too young to have her thyroid tested? Thyroid problems can run in families, so it makes sense to have her thyroid function checked. Depression has many causes and is not always recognized as a symptom of insufficient thyroid hormone.

For years, doctors have turned the conventional wisdom about the dangers of high cholesterol on its head when it comes to the many thousands of people on dialysis. Despite the general acknowledgement that high cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease and strokes, data have suggested that dialysis patients with high cholesterol have lower death rates than others with supposedly "healthy" blood-lipid levels -- prompting many physicians to refrain from treating dialysis patients with drugs such as statins that can bring cholesterol down.

Q. I had been taking Saint-John's-wort for a few years when I was asked to participate in a double-blind study of Lipitor and Pravachol. I am now taking one of them or a placebo to see if these drugs can reverse the effects of high cholesterol. A few months ago, I read an article suggesting that Saint-John's-wort might reduce the effectiveness of these cholesterol-lowering drugs. The people conducting my study don't know anything about such interactions. Can you shed some light on this for me?

Q. I read in your column about a nondrug treatment for toenail fungus. Could you please send me the home remedy since I now have fungus myself? The prescription my doctor offered is way too expensive.A. Over the years we have collected lots of remedies for nail fungus. This infection can make nails thick, rough, yellowish-brown and crumbly. Our favorite approach is a vinegar soak -- 1 part vinegar to 2 parts warm water.Q. I took Zocor for high cholesterol and stopped because it caused me to have seizures.

These days, fewer people are dying from heart disease, yet it is still the No. 1 killer of both men and women. Although age, gender and genes are beyond our control, we can significantly reduce our risks through lifestyle choices. Loss of only 10 percent of body weight, regular aerobic exercise and quitting smoking lead the list. Food choices, of course, can make a significant difference.Nutritional factors that affect your cholesterol:Saturated fat is the single most important factor affecting blood cholesterol levels.

A cheap and painless set of tests developed in leading medical centers around the country promises to predict heart disease and stroke, and pinpoint the patients who really need aggressive therapy, far more accurately than do the traditional risk factors.The new method includes a simple measurement of the difference in blood pressure between arms and ankles, and a noninvasive acoustic test that measures narrowing of the carotid arteries that carry blood to the brain.Many patients with high cholesterol levels do not develop heart disease.

Brother and sisters, friends and neighbors, hear my witness. I have been to the Other Side and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that, indeed, there is life after fat, cholesterol, salt and caffeine.It is abundant, it is filling and it feels great.Like most Americans, I have been aware for some years that a healthful diet should be low in fat, especially saturated fat, to help avoid heart disease; that salt can exacerbate high blood pressure in the salt-sensitive; and that overweight people are more subject to hypertension and heart disease.