Keeping the numbers low

I paid my doctor a visit this past week. She is apprised of my experimentation, and is supportive so long as my blood pressure and cholesterol do not go too far out of wack. I was once a victim of high cholesterol and high blood pressure but am no longer. It is probably more accurate to say I was a victim of myself and my dietary habits which naturally gravitate to average American fare.

As recently as last year, I had a total cholesterol level of 280! (200 is considered to be borderline). I was obviously shocked, so before I let my doctor write me a prescription for something like Lipitor, I tried some natural remedies. Oat bran, flax seed oil and soy products like tofu all have LDL (bad cholesterol) lowering effects while at the same time promoting HDL cholesterol, which has a protective effect. I also reduced my consumption of red meat and tried Red Yeast Rice, which I was reading about on the net as an herbal remedy for reducing cholesterol. I got another blood test in two months and the results were nothing short of astounding: total cholesterol 180! My LDL had come down 100 points and HDL had gone up – exactly what you would want to happen.

So, to what single item do I attribute this? I do not know. It would be a good bet that it was the combination of all those dietary changes. My exercise level is generally moderate to non-existant when I am busy at school, unlike now in which it is more elevated.

That was all back last August. The results from the most recent visit show that I am holding steady at the good levels, in spite of slipping on the discipline and eating red meat as per this Paleolithic plan. One more experiment then. In order to determine how much of an effect the Red Yeast Rice is having, for the next four to five weeks or so, before school starts and the Paleolithic experiment ends, I am going to drop the red yeast rice. I will follow up with one more blood test and we shall see.

The walking is going well. Due to 21^st century life stuff, and staying abreast of the White House shenanigans, I skipped a few days. I made one trip to the archery range with my new archery equipment. Yes, Paleolithic man must keep hunting skills sharp. Ung!

Today I took a crazy little route from Glen Canyon Park up over Twin Peaks and Sutro hill and then wound my way down the hill into the sunset. Here is map of the route courtesy of Google Earth, not to be confused with Google maps. I could write a blog just about this new Google venture but I will not, and simply say that if you download it and begin playing with it, you will be calling in sick the next day just to play with it some more.

Here's some thumbnails of the walk today; click for the large version.