"What studies exist on gynostemma all seem to have looked at effects in cell cultures and on rodents (i.e. rats and guinea pigs). No human trials. Given the problems that have surfaced on closer examination of some "traditional Chinese medicines", I'm not sure I'd want to be a human guinea pig for gynostemma." On the contrary, the Chinese have done all the field trials you could want on this. Jiaogulan tea is quite popular in the areas of China where people have enjoyed extreme longevity (100+) for centuries. Now, while that doesn't PROVE Jiagulan is good for you, if it was toxic it's unlikely regular users would live LONGER than average. Remember that most clinical trials in the USA are done for profit, pure and simple. Come up with a new cholesterol drug you can patent, and you'll get your study. But imagine this: someone decides to do a clinical trial to prove that drinking distilled water is good for you. They spend 50 Million dollars proving this. Now, they publish their results. How do they make their money back? The water market is already saturated, so to speak. Making money selling water usually requires fringe science claims that the water has been 'de-polarized' by spinning in a centrifuge for ten hours. Not kidding, BTW. So, the only studies you'll see on "wellness" items are going to be smaller, University studies. It's surprising even ginseng attracted enough attention to be studied, much less exotics like Jiaogulan.

OK, got where you're coming from. Funny thing is that I haven't been on this forum for a long time due to the madness of a poster who is no longer around, but I realize I've come back in a definitely defensive mood because of them (won't ID who they are now), so was already to get into it with you, but it's so nice not going there, being able to have an exchange of ideas without a flame war! PS - don't know how long you've been retired, but we're a lot closer in age obviously than I think you think, and in fact I remember diets that you've forgotten :-). I do know that for me, high cholesterol and all, the Atkins/protein thing works fast and well (though it's almost impossible to avoid some carbs after all), compared to others (though I'm not a 'dieter', never needed to be one until a lot more recently than otherwise). Metabolic syndrome is a consequence of our society, and how sad is it that we want to chop pieces off ourselves to 'fix' it! I do have a pretty good take on what foods are made up of though, for the record, e.g. starch is sugar is fat is... so can we KAMU? We're probably going to agree on it all anyhow :-).

I've used the parafin based niacin; I think it's also called nicotinic acid. The therapeutic effect takes place between 1500mg to 3000mg/day. With me, 2500mg works. I use the Enduracin product. Must take it with food. I take 1000 @ breakfast, 1000@lunch & 500@ dinner. I had to build up to it: 250 1st wk, 500 2nd & 3rd wk, 1000 2nd month, etc. The oatbran book by Kowalski mentioned it and that's how I learned of it. Been on it since the early 1980's. The great thing about it is it raises the HDL (good chol), reverses blockages & lowers total chol & the bad LDL. Diet does not solve the problem, because with most of us, our body produces it no matter what we eat. I was disappointed in first 6 months: my chol. dramatically increased....but that was because the chol was being released from the tissues into the bloodstream, for destruction by the liver. I think the niacin uses up the bile, and the liver pulls in cholesterol to make more bile. Not sure why it works. When started, my total chol was over 400, the HDL was 11, and LDL was up off the charts. After 9 months, and to the present time, my tot chol is 104, HDL 50+ & LDL less than 40. It's a nuissance, but it works. REMEMBER, regular blood tests & consult with your MD.

(((Chubby_rat))) Okay...I'm coming public here -- I had lap band surgery 2.5 years ago. I'm about halfway to goal, not a poster child. And I'm now trying to get my butt in gear again. There are additional reasons that weight loss is recommended before lapband surgery -- a lot of fat settles around the liver and stomach area, and a good weight loss directly prior to surgery can make it easier for the surgeon to get in there, and also easier healing for you. After all, with laparoscopy, there's not a whole lot of room to maneuver. Your insurance will come through -- it's your doctor who is taking the cautious path. BTW, there are other doctors who are not as stringent about the pre-surgery weight loss. The nutritional visits are critical since your consumption will be so much less and it will be hard to get all the protein and vegetables in. The best part is that the lap band really, really does curtail hunger. But it's also not a panacea -- bad habits will return unless you're vigilant. And exercise is paramount. Again, I'm no poster child, but I know many bandsters who are. The band can be a PITA due to the saline fills required. Have you asked your doctor about other alternatives -- there are a couple of new ones available -- if the vertical sleeve had been available at the time I might have gotten that instead. If you'd like to email me offline, I'd be happy to share more information about the journey.