I am not a medical professional. I have a cardiologist and regularly see him since the, um... "incident" in 2006. Starting in 2006 my total cholesterol (TC) target was 150 and we managed the cholesterol level through the use of statins. Before beginning statins my TC had been measured over 260 and large doses of statins worked to get my TC down below or at least near the target level.
Then near the end of 2009 my TC was over target and my cardiologist wanted to add a second cholesterol medication to the mix. Not more statins because I was already taking the "maximum" level of statins but a second type of medication. Some of the side effects concerned me and I began looking at alternatives. I found the TED talk below and that led me on a journey where by April of 2011 my TC was under 130 with no statins or other cholesterol lowering medication.
Not only did I have my cardiologist's blessing for the approach I took including no more cholesterol medication (once the TC was low enough -- but not before!); he told me he wished all of his patient's would do what I did!
He even confided in me that he did the same thing himself to be heart healthy and to have low cholesterol! That actually pissed me off a bit since, if he knew about this, he should have told me (and all of his patients) about this.
Here is the TED talk that began a journey and changed my life and led me to my cardiologist's "secret" for lower cholesterol and a healthy heart.