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Can alternative medicine treat high cholesterol?

 First of all, I think the importance of cholesterol in health has been completely over-stated.

While some studies show that high levels of cholesterol appear to be linked with a higher risk of heart disease, others show quite the reverse. Plus, even if cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, it needs to be taken in the context of any other risk factors.

There is some evidence, for instance, the high cholesterol that is 'inherited' may not be a problem. The fact that your parents have no heart disease tends to bear this out.

Also, if you are not overweight, have normal blood pressure, do not suffer from diabetes, do not smoke and are physically active, then your raised cholesterol is not likely to be so much of a concern.

Although people who are found to have a raised cholesterol level are often advised to go on a diet low in saturated fat, such a diet has never been shown to help reduce overall mortality.

Personally, I believe saturated fat to be a pretty natural constituent of the human diet, which is perhaps why reducing it in the diet does not appear to do much good.

Plus, people who eat less fat, tend to eat more carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, rice, and potato. These can cause quite brisk rises in blood sugar which stimulate the secretion of relatively large quantities of insulin.

One of the effects of insulin is to increase the production of cholesterol in the liver. This might be the mechanism your husband is referring to. It sounds to me as though you are not eating to much in the way of sugar and starch, and this is likely to be a good thing.

My advice would be to emphasise in the diet foods that have been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease such as oily fish (e.g. salmon, trout, mackerel, herring and sardines), extra virgin olive oil, soya, nuts and seeds, beans and pulses, avocado and garlic.

Drink plenty of water too, as a recent study suggested that this might reduce risk of heart disease by about half! It seems to me you are already eating a diet which is heart-healthy.

I have not had much experience with individuals suffering from a low platelet count. However, there is a report in the scientific literature of vitamin C helping with this problem.

Nine out of 11 people with low platelets responded to 2g a day of vitamin C. This is certainly worth a try, though it may take some weeks for benefits to be seen.