Have you tried the cholesterol lowering marg spreads, I found they
help, they are more expensive than the normal marg spreads.

on diet [from the ARC LEAFLET]

Is there a diet which will help my rheumatoid arthritis?

There is a lot of publicity for diets which claim to cure rheumatoid
arthritis. None do, although there is some scientific evidence that
diets may help the symptoms in some people. A few people notice that
individual foods tend to make their arthritis flare up. The foods
which do this vary from person to person. If you suspect that an
individual food causes your joints to flare up, then try avoiding it,
but do not give up anything because it makes someone else's joints
flare up remember, we are all different. (See arc booklet 'Diet and
Arthritis'.)

Do any diets help everyone?

Probably not, but the ones most likely to help are low in saturated
fats and high in unsaturated fats, especially fish oils. Supplements
of fish oils are likely to help. We recommend 3 grams of fish oil
(i.e. fish body oil, not fish liver oil) daily. You can achieve this
by eating oily fish, taking fish oil supplements, or a combination of
the two. There is some evidence that a very strict vegetarian diet can
help, although the reasons for this are not clear, and that there may
be a small increase in the risk of rheumatoid arthritis among people
who eat a lot of red meat. However, you should consult your doctor or
a dietitian before starting any strict diet as the disadvantages may
outweigh the advantages. There is some evidence that increasing your
intake of vitamin C may also help. It is a good idea to make sure you
keep your weight down. You put the equivalent of four times your body
weight through your joints when you are just walking, so keeping your
weight down will help reduce that stress. More information is given in
the arc booklet 'Diet and Arthritis'.

http://www.arc.org.uk/about_arth/booklets/6033/6033.htm

_________________________________________________

Happy Christmas

But had you eaten? You need a 12 hour fasting blood sample for an accurate
cholesterol level.

---
Joan

It is hard to know how significant the cholesterol reading was as we use a
different measure in the U.S.  I have no idea what a "6" means.  But, there
are two things to consider when looking at elevating cholesterol.

First, the medications we use can be hard on the liver.  The liver is one of
the primary mechanisms for controlling the amount of cholesterol in the
blood.  So, a slowly elevating cholesterol level can be an early indicator
of liver problems.

Second, while total cholesterol is important, the real issue is the level of
HDL and LDL cholesterol, and the ratio between them.  Whole oat cereals and
Omega-3 fatty acids help a little, but reducing saturated fat and exercising
are by far the more important behavioral treatments for high cholesterol.

Finally, cholesterol levels should be monitored regularly in any RA patient.
You should hammer your RD about that.

Go get a retest while fasting and tell them you want a complete lipid
profile, not just the total cholesterol.  Then you might actually know
something important.

Walt Hanks