“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.
Miriam 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, Miriam worried that 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. After a look, I 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 – cholesterol numbers that have you, your GP and me doing the happy dance about your heart health.”
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 Miriam’s elevated cholesterol and her weight gain. I also ordered an expanded cholesterol panel to understand the nuances of Miriam’s heart health.
The result?
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Too many small, dangerous LDL particles.
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Small LDL particles are the worst of the worst for heart health. Small cholesterol particles are like sticky ping pong balls. They accumulate on artery walls blocking blood flow.
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Big cholesterol particles are like beach balls and bounce off artery walls without causing any damage. These are the guys you want on your side.
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This test of “lipoprotein subfractions” is rarely performed in a standard annual exam and is important, actionable information.
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Two markers of inflammation, hsCRP and homocysteine, were very (very) high.
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Inflammation is hell on heart health! It is also hell on the waistline. When inflammation is high, metabolism slows down. When inflammation is high and LDL is high, the risk of a heart attack is greatly increased.
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While traditional MD’s recognize the negative impact of elevated inflammation, they do not have tools (aka medicines) to address chronically elevated inflammation. Consequently, these labs are rarely ordered during an annual exam.
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Next we gathered information on Miriam’s nutritional habits, exercise and sleep schedule – information that no lab test could provide me and factors essential in guiding Miriam towards heart health. Miriam diligently captured this information in a shared tracker, giving me the chance to review how she was eating, moving and sleeping between appointments.
Miriam considered herself a healthy eater with most of her food being homemade by her wife, Susan, an excellent cook. They rarely ordered in, but decades of this work has taught me “the devil is in the details.” And sure enough, nutrition was where we found meaningful, actionable information.
Our targeted plan…
I created a customized supplement protocol for Miriam – one designed with a few core objectives in mind:
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Lower her total LDL, “bad” cholesterol
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Fatten up her LDL particles
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Break the vicious cycle of inflammation
Nutritionally, we took it one step at a time. I guided Miriam on her nutritional points of leverage – the low hanging fruit that would produce “spiral-up” benefits. Miriam got into action making shifts to her nutritional habits that were sustainable. We found new food solutions that Miriam found easy, delicious and were aligned with the outcomes she was wholeheartedly committed to producing.
The results??
Six months later we repeated Miriam’s lab tests. Sure enough, her hard work had paid off! Her cholesterol panel looked superb. Homocysteine, one of the inflammatory markers, had dropped a whopping 5.0, an outstanding shift. The other inflammatory marker, hsCRP, hadn’t moved as we would have liked so we made a few tweaks to Miriam’s supplements, determined to break the inflammatory cycle.
And her weight? Miriam had lost 16 pounds, without feeling an ounce of deprivation!
Needless to say, Miriam, her GP and I were ecstatic. Her GP agreed, no statins needed. We all agreed to do another round of labs six months later – one year from her first round of labs – to confirm Miriam’s heart health and to check progress on the remaining stubborn inflammatory marker, hsCRP.
At her one year mark, Miriam’s cholesterol panel looked better than ever. The inflammatory marker hsCRP was now registering 50% lower than its previous levels. Her GP was impressed by Miriam’s sustained progress and added with amazement:
“Your weight is the lowest it has been since we started keeping medical records” – a great feather in Miriam’s cap!
To produce and sustain these outstanding outcomes, I had the pleasure of guiding Miriam in what I call the “Well Empowered approach”, marrying a trio of essentials required to master just about anything in life:
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Information
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Inspiration
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Strategy
But make no mistake, it was Miriam who produced these outcomes. Through her engagement, diligence and her coach-ability, she put one foot in front of the other to arrive where she is today.
Kudos to Miriam for her commitment to meaningfully impact her health and her life trajectory!
Wondering if you and your lovely heart would benefit from a data-driven Functional Medicine approach?
Schedule a complimentary virtual consultation today to explore working together!
