Dr. Janet,
Your book Cholesterol Down has changed my life in many ways. My father discovered it years ago and it turned his life around completely. He bought copies for the entire family. I am now buying copies for my friends. Thank you. I am a licensed pharmacist and I have recommended your book every chance I get.
I am writing you because I would like to find a licensed and registered dietician in my area and I want to do it as efficiently as possible. Where do you recommend I start?
I am not concerned about it being covered on my health insurance. I just want the best I can get and I do not know where to begin.
Thank you for your life changing work.
Richard C
Janet,
I want to thank you for your book cholesterol down and what it has done for me. I am a 49 yr old male who has been working out since 1996 but always eating more then I should have.
In January, I had to have my appendix taken out and while doing the CT scan of my stomach they found a small amount of plaque in my arteries. I got a stress test and a cholesterol test done in July. I passed the stress test with flying colors but I failed my cholesterol test. Overall my cholesterol was 206, triglycerides was 455, LDL was 94. Not good.
So my doctor gave me lipitor but I knew I needed to do something different. I completely changed how I worked out and I bought your book from audible. I listened, followed it to a freaking T and retook my blood test on Monday. The results are freaking shocking ( to me ):
Cholesterol- July 205 Sept - 111
Triglycerides- July 455 Sept - 129
LDL- July - 94 Sept - 52
This was shocking to me, I was so overwhelmed by the difference that I cried like a baby ( in happiness). Thank you , thank you, thank you.
Your book helped turn my life around, I eat a boring diet but it came from your book and it works:
Breakfast - Steel Cut Oatmeal w banana and flaxseed
Snack - Quest bar / cantaloupe/ watermelon
Lunch - Bowl of kashi almond cereal with flaxseed with cashew milk.
Snack - Almonds and Quest bar
Dinner - Salmon or Chicken, green peas or beans
I also eat Greek yogurt twice a day.
On weekends, I eat guacamole and flaxseed blue corn chips.
I share the credit of this with you. Lol. My work and tour book really kicked ass and I want to thank you for putting out a great book. I wish I could say more but all that comes to mind is Thank you.
Toby M.
On 1/4/18 I had some routine bloodwork done at my doctor's office. When they got the results they called me in a bit of a panic. My total cholesterol was 274 and my LDL was 195 - I was very unhealthy and at risk. They recommend anyone with LDL over 190 start on statin drugs right away and said they would call in a prescription for me. I said I'm not going to take medication for something I can control with diet and exercise. They were pretty upset and called me back again insisting I start the statins, as diet and exercise "wouldn't work fast enough." I said this is my body and my life, I know I'm taking a risk but you have to give me time. If I can't get it under control by the next blood test, I'll take the statins.
I was very worried and scared and didn't know where to begin, but I was also angry at myself for being so unhealthy and determined to do better. I bought this book and made myself a spreadsheet of the "10 simple steps" and checked each of them off every day. Most days I couldn't manage all 10, but I consistently checked off at least 8. I drastically changed my diet, ordered the right supplements, started exercising.
The results are in. Bloodwork as of 3/30/18 - total cholesterol is 190 (considered normal), a drop of 84 points in less than three months. LDL is down to 113 (considered "near optimal"), a drop of 82 points. I've lost 17 lbs. and dropped a pants size. My doc wrote a personal note on the bloodwork results: "Keep up the good work!" It wasn't just one thing (like adding fish oil), it was the combination of things in this specific book that I believe saved me from having to take statins and may have saved my life. If you're already a healthy person and your cholesterol is high, it may be a genetic thing and this book may not help you as much as it has helped me. It's also risky to go against your doctor's advice. But if you know you can do better with diet and lifestyle and you want a clear, easy to understand strategy (it is well written), GET THIS BOOK as quickly as you can and start the plan immediately. It may save your life too.
By L. Jack
Amazing!
This was on my Christmas list. Had my blood work done Sept, 2013, results as followed:
Total Cholesterol-231
HDL-78
LDL-131
Triglycerides-108
Read the book, made a list of the 10 guidelines, taped it to the wall near the kitchen sink, tweaked it to my liking.
Ate steel cut oatmeal with chia or flaxseed, wheat germ, oat bran most mornings. (I made a week's supply at once and refrigerated, then reheated adding some kind of berries or bananas.)
Took 2 tabs of Cholest-off daily (phytosterols)
Took 2 tabs of organic Flaxseed oil daily
Ate almonds or an apple (or both) as a snack sometime during the day
Ate more spinach and mushrooms and garlic and veggies,(beets and cabbage clean the system)
Ate more beans (not so great with that)
Ate much less meat and dairy (which I had previously done, with little positive results)
Drank a soy latte or some kind of soy shake (non GMO)..delicious!!!(not every day)
Continued eating the dark chocolate I have always indulged in
Took a garlic supplement (not every day)
Took "Super Thisilyn" for 3 weeks (figured it would help my liver recover from whatever damage I have done).I added this little "secret weapon" of my own.
For the life of me, could not tolerate the psyllium husk
Continued to exercise, (either walk or zumba or pilates) about 3 times a week
Just received my new lab results, drawn March 2014 (6 months later), as followed:
Total Cholesterol-186
HDL-78
LDL-94
Triglycerides-69
My 60th birthday is in 2 months. I have a terrible family history. My father died from a stroke and early heart disease. My brother had a severe stroke at age 54. My mother has been on all the "Big Pharma" meds since she was 50 and tries to persuade me to "just take them".
My labs have NEVER been so good!!!
Thank you Dr. Janet Brill!! Thank you for taking the time to study and publish this information for our benefit...I believe your approach with recognizing the different mechanisms of our bodily functions is the ticket.
May be the best Christmas gift ever!!!
My best to anyone reading this...tweak it to your liking and you won't have to stress anymore over blood tests...Amazing!
By M. Bickhart
Cholesterol lowered by 102 points in 4 months! !
I had a medical checkup on April 13, 2018 and got these results: Cholesterol = 286, LDL = 202, Trig = 195, HDL=45. On July 30, 2018 (after 3 months and 3 weeks roughly after implementing the book's most steps on a daily basis) I retook the blood test and surprised to see the new results: Cholesterol = 184 (decreased by 102 points!), LDL = 123 (decreased by 79 points), Trig = 115 (this was already good as I rarely eat rice, bread, etc but still it got lowered by 80 points!), HDL=38 (it got lowered by 7 points, but I need possibly use more nuts and olive oil make sure it will exceed 40). Overall, my conclusion is that the plan outlined in the book certainly works. I stick to the book's diet and will update after another 3-4 months when I take another test.!
By Liz Lea
Changed my life!
I followed most of the steps in this book and brought my total cholesterol down from 239 to 188. My LDLs were at 139 and doctor wanted to put me on a statin. I read up on them and figured I'd be one of the folks who has side effects, so i opted for a more natural cure. Drinking psyllium husk every night was key. LDLs are now down to 86!
By A.J.
Thank you, Dr Brill!
In August 2016 my long overdue blood work indicated my overall cholesterol number was a frightening 243. My high blood pressure and high cholesterol substantially increased my risk of stroke, and I panicked over possibly being prescribed side effect riddled statin drugs. I searched on books for natural, medication-free ways to lower my cholesterol and found Dr Janet Bond Brill's 'Cholesterol Down.' I had just turned 60 so I will admit that I was skeptical that it was possible to erase with any plan years of unhealthy eating, weight gain, lack of exercise and family history of heart disease. What made me choose to try 'Cholesterol Down' was that the author set up simple-to-follow daily guidelines. The recommended foods, like apples, almonds, beans, etc and supplements were easy to add to my daily life. With nothing to lose, except my high cholesterol number, I purchased the book and began to follow the program.
And I am so glad I did! Cholesterol Down really worked for me! My total cholesterol number went from a high 243 down to 157!
Here is what I did over the course of five months beginning in August 2016. I ate oatmeal and added flax seed, oat bran and a tablespoon of organic granola for breakfast. Lunch was a large delicious apple and almonds. If I needed a snack to crunch on I went with additional organic raw almonds or cut vegetables. Dinner always included a large salad loaded with fresh vegetables, blueberries, strawberries, garbanzo beans, walnuts, almonds, and a drizzle of light balsamic vinaigrette. Salmon, lean chicken, and quinoa were added to my dinner diet. I substituted filling whole grain breads for less healthy bread options. I never felt hungry, and that is really saying something since menopause always made me want to snack! I began adding the supplements, especially the fiber, slowly as recommended by the author and drank lots of water, so I had no problems tolerating any recommended supplements. I did not use any soy products, since I have a breast cancer history. I cooked more with garlic but did not use the aged garlic supplement every day. I was not able to find any of the plant sterol juice or milk that the author recommended-they are discontinued by Smart Balance and Minute Maid-so I relied solely on Benacol for all plant sterol additions. And I walked 5-6 days a week, my 30 minutes bumping up to 60+ minutes. I lost 25 pounds, went from size 14 to size 8 and I feel great!
My doctor was so impressed with my numbers that she wrote down the name of the book to check it out herself. The best part for me is that I know I am healthier, both inside and outside, than I have been in a decade! My good cholesterol is up and my bad cholesterol is down! I plan to make Cholesterol Down a permanent lifestyle choice for me. I can not recommend this book enough!
