TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Moving to Baja Full/Part Time

So my doctor wants me to go on Statins to lower my cholesterol, typical for unrested and stressed out firefighters, and he said red yeast rice was a good alternative since it naturally contains lovostatin along with other compounds that help mitigate side effects and accentuate the positive actions of it.
However, the FDA has clamped down on it and the red yeast rice sold in the US can no longer contain lovostatin or only very small amounts....looks like the drug companies win again in the ol' US.
However, I believe it is still sold damn near everywhere else in the world including Mexico. I am wondering if any of you expats have read or used this product down there.
My doctor did state that when I do retire I will probably be much more rested and significantly less stressed out and that may resolve me having to take meds at that point.
The ol' diet, exercise and rest thing......

Interesting - let me go check. Might even have to try that out myself...

" unrested and stressed out firefighters "

That sorta reminds me of the absinthe saga. Not available in the US for decades, until they produce a version that didn't contain the alleged hallucinogens.

I've been taking it for years. I buy it at this place. In fact I buy everything I use in the way of vitamins at this place.

Search - red yeast rice - iHerb.com


If you're interested in another product that will affect your cholesterol, research NIACIN. You can get that from I Herb as well.
If you do research the product, you'll be impressed.

Thanks Dennis. Which brand do you use?
What I have been reading is that without the Monacolin K(credit to the FDA which only has my best interests at heart), which is identical to Lovostatin, it has lost much of it's effectiveness.
What say you? That's why I am looking at what is for sale SOB. Not you, SOB, but rather South of Border.....please don't take that wrong.

I'm unschooled on the red yeast rice stuff, but I would caution anyone about niacin. A bit too much, and you'll go bonkers!

Originally Posted by soulpatch

Thanks Dennis. Which brand do you use?

SOB.....I remember a Seinfeld episode about an African distance runner...........oh well, another time.

I use Doctors Choice for no real reason. It's the amount of mgs in the capsule that drives up the price.
I have the type of system that makes excess amounts of LDL so I just treat it any way I can short of Statins. My methods seem to work as my numbers have been tolerable for a long time.
I couldn't begin to tell you if RYR works. All I know is something's working and that's all I need to know.
Also, I eat very little red meat. I'm not a vegetarian, but I convinced myself a long time ago that less is better. I'm not afraid of a greasy cheeseburger on occasion, but it's seldom. Gawwwdammm....a man has to live.

I also take good amounts of high quality Fish Oil.....Pharmaceutical Grade stuff. High EPA/DHA because that's what the stuff is all about. If it doesn't have high numbers of that, it's just fishy oil.

Don't worry about what Howard says up there. Get the non-flush Niacin to raise your HDL and study up on it. Lots of supportive literature from highly qualified researchers who have probably never been to India or Tibet.

Tell your doctor to stick those Statins up his butt unless your numbers are off the chart. Those things will kill you faster than drinking Cobra.

If you haven't researched HDL/LDL, you may not be aware that high LDL numbers arn't the only number to be concerned with. It's a ratio between HDL and LDL that's important. The numbers alone arn't the full story.
Good luck on your quest, Frank. One good thing about living down here is you can go to a lab and get a blood panel done for pocket change. Just make sure the lab has a good reputation. Just recently, a lab did my blood and when a cardiologist looked at the results, he said my blood-sugar was astronomical. Well...I didn't know that so I bought all the testing equipment and started testing.
My blood-sugar isn't a bit high. Never was. Never over 100 first thing in the AM. It was the lab that was high, so you have to be careful of that.

Thanks Dennis,
Yeah, when I mentioned ratios to my doctor it opened a new door that I don't think he expected to have to walk through.
Taking statins worries me...I don't currently take them nor am I inclined to. I don't eat red meat like crazy but I do eat a few of my chickens eggs every week. But those are as organic as you can get, for what that's worth.
I have been taking the fish oil lately, too, and I am actually eating some sardines packed in olive oil and some pita chips right now and I am about to have a glass of red wine!
I hate to say it but I no longer trust doctors in our country any more than I trust lawyers.....I have this thing about big pharm.... even the most well intentioned doctor gets plied constantly by drug sales persons....there are big benefits in pushing a certain amount of certain brands....paid symposiums/vacations....etc.

Frank....Buy this book. It may look simplistic, but buy it anyway. I've had it for years and it tells you how to figure ratios...about Niacin....lots of stuff.
There nothing wrong with being your own doctor as much as you are able.

the 8 week cholesterol cure - Book Search - BarnesÂ*&Â*Noble.com

Buy it. Send for it right now. Hurry.

K. I'm gonna do it.
Oh, by the way, did I mention my ratios are very close to being acceptable?

Can we go over to the other site and call each other reprehensible names for awhile just to get some panties bunched up?

Originally Posted by soulpatch

K. I'm gonna do it.
Can we go over to the other site and call each other reprehensible names for awhile just to get some panties bunched up?

Can I take a raincheck on that? I'm really tired. I might not be able to give my best effort and I have an image to consider.

A friend has very high cholesterol, over 300, and was taking statins. He was suffering from intense joint pain, and finally tried going off the statins to see of it helped the pain. He is now pain free, and his cholesterol is holding.

I'll tell him about the rice thingee.

I managed to combine slightly high cholesterol and type I diabetis. That limits my diet enough that I am walking a pretty fine line in my attempt to stay off medications for either. So far so good, I've lost 25 pounds since December, and have lowered both my blood sugar and cholesterol to acceptable levels. I am still hoping to take off another 20 pounds and then hold that line. That's the hard part for me, holding the line.

Good luck with your desire to stay off the drugs, I think that it's worth it.

My hubby has been taking red yeast rice for his cholesterol for about 6 years and it brought it down from 350 to under 200. He was having some issues lately we thought might be related to the red yeast rice so he stopped taking it for about a month, but it turned out to be something else he was eating.

He spoke to his doctor (who is in the top 10 internists in Las Vegas) who told him to go back on the red yeast rice because its doing such a good job of keeping his cholesterol in check.

I buy it at Costco, but I'm sure its cheaper at the pharmacia.