“Could a data-driven Functional Medicine approach solve my cholesterol problems? Can a targeted natural approach really replace a prescription for cholesterol medication?”

These were the questions Miriam asked during her complimentary consultation. Miriam decided to explore working together after receiving a concerning report from her GP on her cholesterol. With Miriam’s heart health top of mind, her doctor wanted to prescribe statins, the medication commonly used to lower cholesterol.

At 60 years old, this was a real wakeup call for Miriam. She knew she had gained some weight in the last year, but never before had she considered her heart health could be at risk.

Miriam wasn’t “anti-medication”, but she was concerned that statins would be a band-aid solution. Without addressing the root cause of her high cholesterol, she worried statins would be the start of a growing medicine cabinet. She wondered if a data-driven Functional Medicine approach could shift the inertia of her health.

I reviewed Miriam’s recently completed cholesterol panel and reported back: “Absolutely, from what I see in your cholesterol panel, I am confident we can get you to a place where you don’t have a need for cholesterol medication – and fairly quickly. I think we’ll be able to send you back to your GP in 6 months with new and beautiful lab results.”

We began working together. Our first stop? More information…

There was missing data I needed to guide Miriam in a customized, outcome-oriented manner. I ordered additional labs to better understand what was causing her elevated cholesterol and weight gain, plus an expanded cholesterol panel to understand the nuances of her heart health.

The result?

Too many small, dangerous LDL particles. Small LDL particles are the worst of the worst for heart health – like sticky ping pong balls that accumulate on artery walls blocking blood flow – while big particles bounce off like beach balls. This test of “lipoprotein subfractions” is rarely performed in a standard annual exam.

Two markers of inflammation, hsCRP and homocysteine, were very (very) high. Inflammation is hell on heart health and the waistline; when inflammation is high, metabolism slows and the risk of a heart attack greatly increases. Traditional MDs recognize this but lack tools to address chronically elevated inflammation, so these labs are rarely ordered.

Next we gathered information on Miriam’s nutritional habits, exercise and sleep, captured in a shared tracker. Miriam considered herself a healthy eater – most of her food homemade by her wife Susan, an excellent cook – but “the devil is in the details,” and nutrition was where we found meaningful, actionable information.

Our targeted plan…

I created a customized supplement protocol designed to lower her total LDL “bad” cholesterol, fatten up her LDL particles, and break the vicious cycle of inflammation. Nutritionally, we took it one step at a time, focusing on her points of leverage – the low hanging fruit that would produce “spiral-up” benefits – with sustainable, delicious food solutions.

The results??

Six months later we repeated Miriam’s labs. Her cholesterol panel looked superb. Homocysteine dropped a whopping 5.0, and her weight was down 16 pounds without an ounce of deprivation. Her GP agreed – no statins needed. At her one-year mark, her cholesterol panel looked better than ever and hsCRP was registering 50% lower than its previous levels. Her GP added with amazement: “Your weight is the lowest it has been since we started keeping medical records.”