Controlling Your Cholesterol Levels Naturally, I Did!

   I went from taking Statins a drug that helps control your levels of triglycerides and cholesterol (a poison to your body) to using vitamins and natural things to control my levels. But Why? Because the side effects of statins are horrible, accentually they are deadly! I personally was having lots of side effects. Mine side effects were hurting joints and muscle, to the point I could hardly get out of my chair and when I did it felt like I was carrying a 300lb man on my shoulders. I was having trouble with my mind, hard to remember things and focus on things. My body just didn't feel right! Think about what  statins are supposed to do, remove fats and cholesterol from your body, WELL, that’s what your brain is made of so first of all you're destroying your brain! So that should be enough for you to try to find an alternate way to lower your lowering LDL cholesterol levels and your cholesterol levels. But the main thing to know about stain drugs is that they are POISON for your body! Look I tried to use them for a well. 
The most common statin side effects include: Headache, Difficulty sleeping, Flushing of the skin, Muscle aches, tenderness, or weakness (myalgia) Drowsiness, Dizziness, Nausea and/or vomiting, Abdominal cramping and/or pain, Bloating and/or gas, Diarrhea, Constipation, Rash. Statins also carry warnings that memory loss, mental confusion, high blood sugar, and type 2 diabetes are possible side effects. It's important to remember that statins may also interact with other medications you take. So do you really want to chance destroying your body!

   Enough about Statins what about how I switched but first what were my beginning numbers?

   My Triglycerides numbers were in the 900 range, my bad cholesterol was so high they could not calculate it and my good cholesterol number was 17! I had molasses for blood, lol!

Ranges:

  All my levels now are good. My Doctor said when I went for a checkup yesterday “I was skeptical about you being able to control your levels without using Statins and using vitamins and natural supplements” but she said, “keep it up because its working and to help you with your cost I’m gonna give you a prescription of Niacin 1000mgs”, she went on to say “you are starting to make me a believer of using the natural stuff”!   So how have I lowered my levels to acceptable levels?

Here is my regimen: and remember I'm not a Dr. but I have stayed at a lot of Holiday Inn Express’, lol!

• Niacin: (flushing) 2000 mg’s daily, (1000 over the counter in the morning and 1000 Dr. prescribed at night). My Pharmacists and Dr. says that the non-flushing does not work, so don't waste your money.    
• Red Yeast Rice: 1200 mg’s in the morning                                                                                     
• Omega 3,6,9: 2 g’s you can’t take or eat too much Omega’s and the most crucial is the Omega 3’s. My Pharmacists says to look for a higher percentage of Omega 3’s on your fish oils rather than a high parentage of fish oils.                                                                                                                        
• CoQ10: 100 mg’s daily                                                                                                                  
• D3: 2000 IU or higher daily                                                                                                         
• L-Arininie: 1000 mg’s daily                                                                                             
• Magnesium: 250 mg’s                                                                                                                   
•  Diatomaceous Earth   (food grade) 1 tablespoon daily                                                              
•  Lecithin: Non-GMO 1200 mg’s

   Now, not all vitamins are created equally so do your home work. Tested and Pharmaceutical grades are the best! I use SwansonVitamins, via mail order.

   Know I have also cut out all white starchy foods like potatoes, pasta, breads, ect. Also I mostly drink water; I cut out pop and other sugary drinks. That helps as well. Well that’s how I did it and you can to if you really try. I do hope it helps because stains are very very bad and poison for your body. Just do some research on the side effects of them. But please talk to your doctor first. 

"Berdine's" America's Oldest Five and Dime Store

  I know this has nothing to do with gardening but I have to tell you about a place that is in the town that I grew up close to and visited this store weekly! It has been in many national magazines and the next time your are in this area., you need to step back in time and visit this Old five and dime! We take our kids there from time to time to share the experience and that's exactly what it is an experience! It opened in 1908 and today it's like stepping back in time to go shopping!
 Her is the link to Berdine's Five and Dime; and its located in Harrisville, West Virginia, just a few miles from North Bend State Park (my grandpa was the Master Carpenter that help build their lodge and my mom and brother used to work here)! Here are a few pictures I took on our last visit!

The Redeemed Gardener

The Redeemed Gardener

The Redeemed Gardener

  Well I hope you get to stop in and enjoy!

More Articles on Berdine's:

 WVLiving

"History is a story written by the finger of God." ~ C.S. Lewis

Lets ALL do our part for America's Laws and Squeak!

   I know this has NOTHING to do with gardening but there are a lot of big issues in the country right now. So many people are taking to the social media to try to change the minds of friends, family and acquaintances on subjects that effect our daily lives. Subjects such as Civil Right, Taxes, Gun Control, Human rights, Federal debt, just to name a few! But is using such things such as facebook, Twitter, ect really the way to go about it. Maybe? But why not contact your State Government, Your State Senator and Congressman, the White House and let them know where you stand on the topics important to you. I have and, now I leave you links to make it easy for you to find your person to make known you view. "But will my one voice be heard Clint?" Not if you don't contact them! My dad always said, "The squeakiest wheel always gets the oil first!" You have many rights as a U.S. Citizen, the right to vote and the right to tell the law makers in office your opinion are two of the easiest and most overlooked! Make your voice heard and contact them, contact them often and as you do it, be prayerful about it, God will always help you with the right things to say.
  Helpful Hint: Right your letter in Microsoft Word or an e-mail and save it to file. Then all you have to do is copy and paste, as many times as you want! Squeak,  Squeak!
Also Know your Constitutional Rights and Amendments, Read Your U.S. Constitution here. Read The Proclaimed Bill of Rights here.

squeak v. squeaked, squeak·ing, squeaks

1. To give forth a short, shrill cry or sound.

2. Slang To turn informer. To utter in a thin, shrill voice.

Links To Your Government Contacts:

The White House/President 

The White House/Vice President

U.S. Senators Home

U.S. House of Representatives, Congress

Find Your Governor 

State Legislators

Contact Your Government, by Agency

Contact Your Government, by Topic

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”John 4:24

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"Roof Maintenance isn't fun but Nessesary"

 Maintenance on your house or garden shed roof isn't fun but necessary, if you want your roof to last for a long time. Its part of "Fall Garden maintenance"! There are just a hand full of things to do but I think the must important one is cleaning the debris of so as it won't lay there and rot and must of it makes great compost anyway! Probably the second most important is cleaning out the gutters. If you don't do this the water tends to work its way back under the shingles and cause the roof boards to rot and at extreme, water can leak into the building and cause major damage on the inside!
  So here are the tools you need: 1) Ladder 2)Small hand shovel 3) A Broom 4) Hammer 5) A tube of black tar and caulk gun and 6) Gutter guards if you choose.

Debris on roof!

Very full Gutters!

  As you can tell by the pictures my workshop/garden shed set under trees. So I needed to climb up on the roof and clean, so why not do the other maintenance while up there? Lets face it a roof is something you want to last for a long time!
  1) Use the broom to sweep off all debris. As you do this look for roofing nail heads that may have worked up. When you see this situation, lift up the shingle to expose nail head, put a little tar under the head and drive it down with the hammer. The tar will seal any leak that may have been there. Also look for any damaged shingles, you may have to replace those as well.
  2) Use the little hand shovel to clean out the gutters. As you go give the gutter nails a little tap with the hammer, the nails tend to work out over time.
  3) To make life simpler next time you could do like I did and put gutter guards on. There are many to choose from, you just pick what you think is best!

Gutter Guards

  Like I said its not fun work and must people won't even know you did it but it is very necessary to the long life of a roof, especially if you have trees around. The work of a gardener is never done! 

Matthew 8:8  The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed."

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Antibacterial Sanitizer's can weaken muscle contraction

  This was an interesting article that came out the other day on Good Morning America! It seems the ingredient "triclosan", an ingredient found in "anti bacterial" products has been found by scientists to not be so good for you!  Used in antiseptic hand soaps, shaving gel, toothpaste, deodorant and other hygiene products, a new study has found the chemical can weaken muscle contraction including your heart. Here is the article from Good Morning America!  It doesn't sound to good to me!
  Here is what the FDA says about the situation, "FDA Article". They are having study's done of their own to see if there is any truth to it! I myself have always said that we in the USA have used so many antibacterial products that we have killed of good bacterias as well, making us more likely to get sick, when we are exposed to germs and bugs! Sure we should wash our hands and keep a clean house but come on. I have been around people that are afraid to touch a door knob without putting antibacterial sanitizer on their hands! I ate dirt growing up and yes, even stuck a few penny's in my mouth and I turned out just fine, lol!
     Here are a couple articles on the health benefits of "Good Bacteria" and what happens if you kill it off!
A List of Good Bacteria
"What Are good bacteria?"
"Bacteria Keeps the immune system primed to fight infection"

"Blue Ribbon at the West Virginia State Fair"

   I am so proud of my wife and her accomplishments! This year she entered one of her cross stitches into the West Virginia State Fair, thinking all she would do would be displaying her work for all to see. But that wasn't the case, SHE WON a first place blue ribbon! I will link her blog here so you can read in detail and see her progress as she stitched this beautiful cross stitch. "Maple Cottage Stitcher" is the name of her blog for those of you that don't know! She worked almost a whole year on this.

  Here is a link the the song that she partially stitched on her sampler Hymn and History of "It is Well With My Soul". It is a wonderful but heartbreaking story if you have never heard the story on when, where and why Horatio Gates Spafford wrote this wonderful song!

   So again Congratulations and I can't wait to see the next one! Again I am so proud of her and her work!

Psalm 107:29"He calms the storm, So that its waves are still."

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Red Velvet Cake, After 20 years!

  After 20 years, my wonderful wife finally baked me my favorite cake "Red Velvet"! YUMMY, was it ever good! I will tell you it was well worth the wait. It was the BEST, I have ever eaten. My Grammy used to make use one every birthday but this one "takes the cake". Well I am off to spend the evening with the family. I just wanted to show you this wonderful cake and make your mouth water.

  P.S. She won't give up the recipe, lol!

Greetings From The Redeemed Gardeners Wife

I have recruited someone wonderful to put in her two cents worth from time to time. Hopefully once a week if possible! So I am gonna let her introduce herself and please you all make her feel very welcome!

Hello everyone seems the Redeemed Gardener is a bit busy these days since he has returned to work.  Guess someone has to go earn a paycheck.  He was very discouraged that he wouldn’t have as much time to garden and blog so he has asked me to help him out.  While I can’t help him much in the gardening department, unless he would like everything to die, I can however write about various other things. 

I guess I should start by telling you who I am, my name is Dana and I am the Redeemed gardener’s wife.  I am going to do my very best to check in once a week here on The Redeemed Gardener blog, hopefully I am up to the task.  You can also find me at www.Maplecottagestitcher.blogspot.com where I talk about my needlework projects and what not.  I love needlework; it is my favorite thing to do.  I also love to decorate my little cottage, read and I love to eat so therefore I cook not because I like to but because I like to eat.  So I will share some recipes with you all from time to time so you can use up those wonderful veggies that our gardens are going to produce very soon!  I for one am looking forward to fried squash, let’s hope the gardener has plans to plant some!

This is me @ my favorite place, OBX!

Speaking of recipes, decorating, gardening and such I am a new Pinterest convert.  I have a love hate relationship with this site.  I love all the ideas, they really get my creative juices flowing but too much of a good thing is not so good.  It is a real time killer.  I have tried some tips and recipes I have found on Pinterest and today I will share a few.

I found a recipe for Honey Baked Ham from Pam Martin-Allen that we tried on Easter Sunday and it was out of this world, smack your mamma good (just kidding I would never do that I would lose my teeth).  Anyway it was so good, I normally just rub my ham down with brown sugar and good honey (not the kind at the grocery), and cook it for a few hours.  But this recipe called for making a glaze of honey, brown sugar, Dijon mustard and cinnamon and pouring it over the ham the last 45 minutes of cooking time.  This is definitely a keeper and the next time you cook a ham try it out.  Ours is almost completely gone after two days.  You can go here for the recipe. 

Picture obtained from justapinch.com Pam Martin-Allen

The next pin I am going to share with you is a tip for cleaning the glass shower door in your bathroom.  I tried it on the tub and surround and it failed miserably.  This may work very well for the shower door but I don’t advise trying it on your tub and surround like I did.  The recipe can be found here and it calls for hot vinegar and blue dawn dish liquid in a spray bottle, spray on and leave for 30 minutes and come back and wipe off with a sponge and water.   Well it took me over 30 minutes to get it off the shower walls and probably 50 gallons of water, it was a disaster and I had water everywhere but boy was my tub and surround shiny. So I guess it worked but there are easier less expensive ways to clean a tub. Needless to say I won’t try it again.

 

                                                                   

          

Well I must sign off and get back to my daily duties before the gardener gets home and thinks I have done nothing but sit on the computer all day.  Shhh, don’t tell!!

Dana Baker


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