an apple a day

I have been struggling with high cholesterol for years now.  My doctor blames every little problem I have on my high cholesterol and nags me on a regular basis to take a statin for it.  I politely decline.  I’ve done enough research that I’m not thoroughly convinced of the need for it without other risk factors.  Prior to taking thyroid meds, my total cholesterol level hovered around 250, and dropped to about 225 after being on thyroid meds.  I thought that might appease the doc, but I was wrong.  A few months ago, I read this article An Apple a Day Keeps Women’s Cholesterol at Bay and decided that I was going to do my own little experiment eating an apple a day.  So, for two months, that’s exactly what I did.  I might have missed a day here or there, but not many.  A few days I might have eaten two apples.  I didn’t change anything else about my diet or exercise.  My cholesterol dropped from 225 to 188 in those two months!  I’ve decided to continue with the experiment to see if it will keep dropping or if that’s as low as it’s going to go with one apple a day.  When it seems like it’s stabilized, I might go crazy and try two apples a day to see if that makes any difference.  Even if it doesn’t drop any more, I think I’m at a level that my doctor might accept, and I get to enjoy biting into a nice crunchy apple every day instead of swallowing a pill that might or might not be damaging my liver.

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