Alternative Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol

January 28, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Cholesterol is a steroid normally found in all body cells and plasma. It is the most abundant steroid in the body. Gonadal and adrenal hormones are produced from cholesterol.

Do you know the function of cholesterol in your body?
What can you do to lower cholesterol naturally? Are we a society deficient in statin drugs?
Why is your cholesterol high in the first place?

If your cholesterol is too high (a total cholesterol over 230), the problem is not the cholesterol, as your body has raised its levels in order to play some type of ESSENTIAL role(s) for your survival.

The cause of high cholesterol is high starch carbohydrate, hydrogenated fats and low thyroid function. Emotional and physical stress can also influence cholesterol levels.

In general, cholesterol is increased in most endocrine or organ hypofunction and decreased in most endocrine and organ hyperfunction.

New research has revealed that LDL or “bad” cholesterol inhibits the breakdown of fat in adipocytes, or fat cells, suggesting that it is a regulator of fat stores. If a person has elevated cholesterol levels, it is a sign that their body, emotions or intellect are subject to excessive stress.

The majority of excess cholesterol is manufactured in times of psychological stress and dehydration. Elevated LDL can be caused from the body attempting to produce hormones as cholesterol is a precursor to hormone production. In addition, those with low thyroid suffer high cholesterol.

Remember that cholesterol is necessary and healthy because it is involved in cellular repair and reducing inflammation; it is oxidized cholesterol that is unhealthy.

Increased triglycerides, in conjunction with decreased HDL, is a more significant factor for coronary artery disease than elevated cholesterol by itself.

In 1990, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that normal cholesterol was considered around 200. Today normal is considered 160! Individuals with cholesterol levels below 160 cannot make sex hormones.

So much has been written concerning the evils of increased cholesterol, however very little has been reported concerning decreased cholesterol. Decreased cholesterol can be normal for a vegetarian and some people with a genetic predisposition to decreased cholesterol.

In addition, individuals with cholesterol levels below 160 are associated with compromised immune system, ‘ risk of depression, anxiety, respiratory illness, stroke and brain-related deaths such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s. Individuals with low adrenal or hypoadrenic (Addision’s disease) suffer low cholesterol. Low cholesterol is one of the signs of cancer (JAMA, Dec 1980).

Myths:

Cholesterol causes heart disease

Cholesterol is bad

Eating fat is unhealthy

High cholesterol is caused only from eating unhealthy foods

High cholesterol means you’re unhealthy

Lowering your cholesterol is healthy

Cholesterol Tips:

Every hormone in your body requires cholesterol as a precursor

Approximately 80-90% of all cholesterol is made inside your body and does NOT come from the foods you eat.

Elevated cholesterol may be caused from:
” Consumption of too many refined carbohydrates/sugars.
” Congested liver
” Excess amounts of stress either physical, emotional, chemical, electromagnetic, psychological
” Hormonal imbalances
” Inflammation

Cholesterol is vital for:

A precursor to sex hormones, vitamin D, and bile production

A repair substance – repair molecule

Cell membrane integrity helping maintain proper permeability

Child development in mother’s milk

Controlling free radical damage

Digesting the fats you eat

Female hormones. Women with higher cholesterol live longer.

Helping your cells receive serotonin

Side effects from statin drugs include:

Cataracts

Cognitive loss, dementia and memory loss

Deficiencies in fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K

Diarrhea, constipation, gas, nausea

Difficulty breathing or swallowing

Dizziness, fuzzy thinking

Elevation of liver enzymes – Liver damage

Headaches

Increased risk of cancer

Increased risk of suicide

Lack of energy

Muscle weakness

Pain and tenderness in muscles or joints

Rhabdomyolisis (serious degenerative muscle tissue breakdown)

Rashes, hives itching

Robs your body of CoQ10 enzyme which can increase your risk for heart disease

Suppressed immune system

What can you do to lower your cholesterol naturally?

Consume plenty of organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef and free-range poultry

Consider supplementing with:

o Biotics Beta-TCP to lower bile viscosity. This is one of the most important steps to take in high cholesterol.
o Biotics LipidSirt
o Omega-3 fish oil – Biotics EFA Sirt Supreme
o Pantethine, the coenzymatic form of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) and cysteamine
o Reservertrol, an antioxidant found in red wine
o Tocotrienols – Delta and gamma tocotrienol were found to possess the greatest ability to inhibit cholesterol synthesis
o Vitamins C and E
o Vitamin D – BioD Mulsion Forte

Decrease the amount of refined grains, sugar, dairy, fast food and alcohol. These increase inflammation in excess = ‘ triglycerides which = ‘ cholesterol.

To reduce inflammation: eliminate trans fats, sugars, grains, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, stress, overcooked foods, excessive cardiovascular exercise and excessive alcohol consumption

Drink plenty of water. Bodyweight x .7 = the number of daily ounces to be consumed.

Natural products such as plant sterols and green tea extract can be used to prevent the absorption of cholesterol from the intestinal tract. Green tea extracts have a cholesterol lowering effect.

Eat more good quality fats (raw butter, coconut oil, avocados, extra virgin olive oil and wild salmon).

Identify what you feel stressed about. Reduce the amount of stress in your life by adding in daily meditation and create time for yourself to relax every day even if it’s only 5 minutes.

Implement one change at a time. Gradual, consistent progress over time.

Lab testing to see where there may be hidden inflammation, specifically C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine. CRP is a protein that circulates in the blood, especially when there is inflammation in the body, including inflammation of the coronary arteries. CRP is a biomarker for systemic inflammation and a confirmed risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Homocysteine is an excellent predictor of cardiovascular disease. An elevated homocysteine level is also a risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease.

o Doctors are finding that CRP is a far more accurate indicator of a future problem with heart disease than cholesterol levels alone. The simplest way to lower the CRP level is to reduce inflammation in the body.

Turn the lights out by 10pm. Turn the television and computer off by 8pm. Get restful sleep.

Read more about cholesterol in my book, THE POWER OF 4 – Your Ultimate Guide Guaranteed to Change Your Body and Transform Your Life.

Copyright 2007 Paula Owens

Sources
Cholesterolmyths.com
naturalnews.com/025866.html
Westonaprice.org
Anderson RF, et al. Green tea catechins partially protect DNA from hyrdroxyl radical induced strand breaks and base damage through fast chemical repair of DNA radicals. Carcinogenesis, vol 22, no.8, pp 1189-1193, 2001
Skogsberg J, Dicker A, Rydn M, strm G, Nilsson R, et al. 2008 ApoB100-LDL Acts as a Metabolic Signal from Liver to Peripheral Fat Causing Inhibition of Lipolysis in Adipocytes. PLoS ONE. 2008;3(11): e3771 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003771

Author: Paula Owens
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The Dangers And Causes Of High Cholesterol

January 15, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

As most of us may have read about, cholesterol is the fatty, wax like substance present in our cells and blood steam. Cholesterol has an important part in our body. This is because it produces cell membrane and contributes to a number of hormones as well. However, cholesterol can be dangerous to us if it is present in large amounts in our body.

The Two Types of Cholesterol

There are two types of cholesterol, one is the good cholesterol known as HDL or high density cholesterol and the other is the bad cholesterol known as LDL or low density cholesterol. The good cholesterol HDL, should be in levels of minimum 40md/dL or more and the bad cholesterol should be less than 200mg/dL.

The bad cholesterol is the cholesterol responsible for causing dieses including clogged arteries and can provoke a coronary heart disease.

What Causes High Cholesterol In Your Body?

High cholesterol level in your body is primarily due to the food products you consume which contain trans fat, saturated fats and cholesterol. This is the major cause of raising cholesterol levels in the blood stream. However, there is more than one cause of high cholesterol. Besides the foods you consume, excess weight, genes, gender and age all can cause high cholesterol levels.

Obesity is one of the major cause of high cholesterol as it occurs when the body mass is mostly made up of fat. Fat in turn, contain cholesterol. That is why, it is important to keep an ideal weight at all times.

Family’s health history transmitted through the genes is also a cause of high cholesterol levels. So, if anyone in your family has suffered from high cholesterol, you may have a tendency to suffer from it too. High cholesterol caused by heredity can be controlled with medication under a doctor’s supervision.

Men are found to be more prone to high levels of cholesterol in their teens while women become more prone to high cholesterol after menopause. Both men and women can control their cholesterol levels and maintain a normal level of cholesterol with proper health care and diet and with the right medication.

How To Prevent High Cholesterol

As most of the causes of high cholesterol are our own negligence in our diet and physical activities, we could easily manage our cholesterol level by modifying our diet and daily activities. We should pay more attention to the food we consume everyday and the amount of exercise we do everyday. This will help prevent and improve the levels of bad cholesterol in our body and maintain it at the right level.

Another factor that causes high cholesterol levels is triglyceride, which is a form of fat. It comes from food and is also made in your body. People with high triglycerides will often have a high total cholesterol level too.

The Importance of Understanding Your Cholesterol Level

It is extremely important to know your cholesterol levels. This is because having untreated high cholesterol can make you very prone to heart attacks and strokes. Although obesity is one of the most obvious causes of high cholesterol, just because you have an ideal weight does not mean that you have the right cholesterol level.

Basically your level of cholesterol can be categorized in one of three categories of cholesterol levels, which are: desirable, borderline risk, or high risk. You are considered as being in the desirable category if your total cholesterol is less than 200mg/dL, and the risk of getting a heart attack is relatively low, unless if you have other risk factors for the condition.

If your cholesterol is between 200 and 239mg/dL, you are considered in the borderline risk category. About a third of all people are in this category. If you are in the borderline category, you should check your cholesterol level at least once a year, especially if your HDL is less than 40mg/dL and/or you don’t have other risk factors for heart disease.

Lastly, if your cholesterol level is at 240mg/dL or more, you are in the high risk category. This means your risk of heart attack and stroke is very high. You will also have twice the risk of other coronary problems. If you are in this category, you must be more careful and start taking steps to improve your condition.

The most important to remember is lower LDL cholesterol, means lower total cholesterol level. Take all of the possible measures to keep your LDL cholesterol as low as possible. If you still are not able to lower your cholesterol, you can ask your doctor to prescribe medications to assist you in this process.

Author: Cindy Heller
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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