My Decision Not To Take Meds

I went for my annual physical in February 2018. Thankfully I am pretty healthy and normally the doctor and I just talk about hiking – he must have a note in the file that I like to hike because I know he doesn't remember me. 

This year however was a little different. My cholesterol was higher than ever and he didn’t say it, but my weight was higher than ever. I admit it, I had been lazy and inactive over the winter months. I felt like I was eating fairly healthy (for someone who doesn’t like vegetables) but I knew some things needed to change. My numbers were high enough this time that the doctor wanted to put me on  a statin drug. I really struggled with this but I refused to take the prescription. So then I did what anyone with a computer would do, I started my online research and I began to make some life changes.

#1 Change – Exercise

I started taking two 15 minute breaks at work (not every day but most days) and I started walking. I call it my walk break! I then gained a walking partner and we started doing the full 30 minutes together five days a week.

#2 Change – Diet

Starting in April, Mike and I went Keto or in other words, low carb. We were all in. I cleaned out the pantry and started cooking in a whole new way. I gave up the things I love like pasta, bread, and potatoes. It wasn’t easy but it was life changing. We ate cage free eggs, grass fed beef, grass fed butter, and a lot of cheese. I started cooking with almond flour and coconut flour. I ate a lot of avocados and Mike ate a lot of tomatoes. I kept eating my greek yogurt (without granola), while Mike ate a lot of cottage cheese (hate that stuff), and everything we ate was little or no carb. We did this for two months.

#3 Change – Supplements

Instead of prescription drugs, I started researching vitamin supplements. I added Magnesium and 1500mg Niacin to the vitamins I had already been taking. I also started making my own supplement with lemongrass oil and sage oil, putting 2 drops of each into a capsule. Protein shakes with green stuff became part of my normal routine. 

#4 Change – Weight

Weight was never an issue for me but I was now at a place where I weighed more than I ever had. The number on the scale had been going up slowing each year and had reached the point that I was not happy with myself. With the Keto diet, I lost 20 pounds and 2 inches around my waist. Yay!

So after that physical in February, I had to go to the doctor in June for blood work (for something else). So of course I asked them to check my cholesterol.  My cholesterol results were very surprising. I’m just going to be transparent and share my results with you.

	February 2018	June 2018	Should be
Cholesterol	240	164	<200
Triglycerides	121	66	<150
HDL	53	45	>50
LDL	163	106	<130

Wow! Look at that number for my triglycerides! What happened? Was it all those avocados? Was it the Niacin? Was it the weight loss and change in diet? Was it the essential oil capsule? I think it was a combination of several things and now the challenge is to keep those numbers where they need to be. 

Unfortunately I had to stop the Keto diet but I learned that I don’t need all those carbs. Even though I cannot go full Keto, I can cut back on carbs. All this has taught me something I already knew -- diet and exercise are the key to healthy living. I believe I made the right decision not to take the statin drugs. I am still researching, still learning, and still just trying to do the best I can to take care of myself. As many of you know, I recently went to Florida to celebrate my Aunt Jewell's 100th birthday. She lived to be 100 and never took any long-term medications. She's my role model! 

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, the temple of God is holy and that is what you are. ~1 Cor. 3:16-17