Many years ago, when i was first told i had high cholesterol, all i did was watch what i bought. Canned soup, looked for cholesterol amounts, etc. And I ate oatmeal every morning, as i heard it helps . I watched what i ate in regards to cholesterol, plus the oatmeal, and after 2 or 3 months, my cholesterol went down. But, then over the years, i sort of went back to eating every thing. the last few years, I decided to take a couple of supplements, One is Cholest MD, i get from amazon. It has Citrus Bergamot, plus i take additional citrus bergamot from HP Life Science., and also Berberine. Garlic really does not help., but, it still is good for the heart. when i take these every day, then my cholesterol levels drop, even when i eat limited amounts of ice cream. Also as we age, my primary care dr, along with many info on websites, state, that when you get older, i would ....assume.....over 60, not sure what age, you need a little more cholesterol. I will not let mine go below 200 total. And by taking high doses of vitamin C daily, my arteries are clear. Over 25 years, i have checked, with ultrasounds, how my arteries are. when i back off the vitamin C.........they get a mild build up. then i go back on aprx 4,000 mg a day, when i do another ultrasound, they are clear again. I used to think it was coincidence. but, i've had so many ultrasounds, when i reduced the C, then after increasing it for a few months, it is then always clear., so for me, that works. I'm not sure, but i think i read many years ago, that if you have kidney problems, not to take high doses of C. well, i have stage 3 kidney failure, which cold be from several uti's, and all the anitbiotics, But.....I still do C..because i wan to keep my arteries clear. I don't know of anyone else who does this, but, after many many ultrasounds, no one will be able to convince me, that it is just a fluke. and it is Not diet. I still eat junk food, tho i try not to go overboard. I am not suggesting anyone do what I do.......this is just an avenue to check out. A Naturopath Dr., would have better info on alternative treatments, then an MD. They study alternative solutions, MD., study drugs. Which we do need............but.........when one fails, you might want to seek out different solutions. PS, none of my dr.s even alternative, told me about the High C........i found it out from a magazine, from an alternative dr, who uses it in her clinic. I decided to try it, and am quite happy with the clear arteries. Even with cholesterol of 280, they are still clear. Never rush out to buy anything that works for one person. Someone could have other health problems where an herb or supplement could do harm, instead of help.