@mayoconnectuser1,
I developed peripheral neuropathy, a documented side effect of statins, in my 30’s. I had terrible burning pain and numbness in my feet from the nerve damage that a neurologist diagnosed through testing. The pain went away after stopping statins, but numbness remained. My brother had the experience only worse neuropathy.

My primary doctor ordered a complete lipid profile called Cardio IQ from Cleveland Heart Lab. My overall lipid profile was not bad - high HDL, low ratio, pattern A, low lpa. I stopped statins and worked on lifestyle changes.

I gained weight after starting a consulting job in my 40s, and my cholesterol increased to 340, and my LDL skyrocketed to 200. I changed my diet to a vegetarian, organic, lower carb diet(< 100 grams of carbohydrate), no processed foods or seed oils, and switched to butter and organic olive oil. My BMI reduced to 25, but my cholesterol and LDL were still high. I listened to Dr Nadar Ali’s YouTube video that @gloaming links to in her post and decided not to worry about the high LDL.

In 2022 I traveled to Mayo for a complete cardiac evaluation, including an angiogram of my heart and abdomen, and it showed atherosclerosis in my LAD and aorta. My cholesterol was over 300 and I decided to try 10 mg of Rosuvastatin recommended by cardiology, but I worried about additional nerve damage.

My current diet - a 25-gram carbohydrate diet, no sugar, and following the cardiovascular guidelines in Dr. Li’s book “Eat to Beat Disease” has helped. I added organic ground flax seeds and organic chia seeds, which contain bioactive lignans to lower my cholesterol naturally.

My goal is to make lifestyle changes to improve my health naturally. Dr. Li’s book has the scientific information that helps me make good food choices.