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This is what everyone wants to know, right? DID IT WORK??? I\u2019m going to be really honest with you about how it\u2019s gone. <\/strong><\/p>\n As of the publishing of this blog post, I\u2019ve been eating an anti-inflammatory diet for six weeks. <\/strong><\/p>\n Hand and Hip Pain Results:<\/strong> For me, eating this way unfortunately didn\u2019t help<\/span> my hand or hip pain. In fact, several weeks into eating anti-inflammatory, I was feeling discouraged by this, so I reached out to a physical therapist I\u2019ve seen in the past for something different. After an evaluation, he assured me that we could get to the bottom of the hand and hip pain. So far, I have had four sessions, and already, my hand and hip pain is vastly improved! I don\u2019t know why I didn\u2019t think to see a PT before! I am feeling very encouraged by this, which helps me feel less annoyed that my eating changes didn\u2019t affect my pain at all.<\/p>\n HOWEVER\u2026<\/strong>(keep reading for some encouraging results)\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n I have very high cholesterol (most of my siblings do, as well) and have for decades. I have resisted going on medication, but my numbers continue to go up year after year. My LDL is high (so is my HDL, which is a good thing). <\/p>\n Last week, I had bloodwork done and met with my doctor. Guess what??<\/span><\/strong> <\/p>\n My LDL cholesterol dropped from 183 to 121!!!<\/strong> I about fell off the exam table when my doctor showed me the bloodwork results! I could not believe it! Neither could my doctor. I\u2019ve tried to make other lifestyle and dietary changes in the past that had little to no effect on my cholesterol (granted, I was never as diligent as I have been with this new eating pattern). <\/p>\n I was so encouraged! <\/strong>I still have progress to make to get my LDL number below 100, but now I\u2019m hopeful it can happen! <\/p>\n Now, let me be super clear\u2026I\u2019m not saying that my anti-inflammatory diet was the sole reason for the cholesterol drop.<\/strong> I also have been on HRT for about a year, and there is a lot of evidence that estrogen can have a positive effect on cholesterol (although, I have had blood work every few months over the last year and my cholesterol hasn\u2019t dropped until now). <\/p>\n Additionally, I have lost a few pounds over the last few weeks eating this way. While that wasn\u2019t my goal (and I hesitate to even bring it up, because I detest talking about weight loss \u2013 I\u2019m a huge proponent of \u201cstrong over skinny\u201d and \u201cmy body is an instrument not an ornament\u201d) it does bear mentioning since weight loss can also have a positive effect on cholesterol. <\/p>\n My doctor seems to think that it was likely the increase in fiber that had a huge impact on my cholesterol numbers (rather than the anti-inflammatory diet as a whole, although that was definitely the vehicle for me to get so much fiber). As he explained, fiber, especially soluble fiber found in foods like oats, beans, avocados, etc, binds LDL cholesterol and removes it before it gets to the blood. <\/p>\n