You need some cholesterol. It is produced by your body. Some cholesterol is necessary to produce healthy cells, vitamin D, important hormones and nerve insulation. However, too much cholesterol or the wrong type will contribute to atherosclerosis. This is the build of of plague in the arteries.
As a result, the plaque will narrow blood vessel walls. This, in turn, limits your blood flow to both your heart and your brain. This makes elevated cholesterol levels major risk factors for stroke and heart problems.
Something that you should stop and consider is that as the level of cholesterol rises, the risk in developing atherosclerosis and heart problems will increase significantly.
A significan statistic is that more than half of the adult population has elevated cholesterol levels. Also, it is not rare for high cholesterol to start in childhood.
There is a very good reason to learn how to lower your cholesterol naturally. Statin drugs, the ones prescribed by doctors, have harmful side effects.
Statin drugs are very effective and work in a relatively short period of time (about two months).
However, you pay a big price health wise by using these drugs.
Using statin drugs can cause serious liver damage.
Another side effect is that it causes muscle pain and disease, the breakdown of muscles, overall weakness and problems with walking.
3/ Loss of memory and clarity. Creates confusion and possibly amnesia. 4/ Sexual dysfunction.
5/ Irritability.
6/ It can cause nausea, diarrhea, constipation, fever, sleeplessness and headaches.
7/ Deplete essential nutrients necessary for the heart and brain.
On the other hand, it is very possible to lower your high cholesterol naturally. This can be done without harmful side effects.
a- Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. This can be extremely effective. A regular exercise program will help to increase the good cholesterol (HDL). It will reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL). Exercise naturally lowers the total cholesterol levels, all without harmful side effects.
b- Change your diet.
One should realize that having high cholesterol does not occur in a vacuum. Our diets and lack of activity are not contributing factors. The truth is that they are the only factors. The only heredity that is involved is the lifestyle that parents pass on to children.
It is essential to eat high fiber foods. A natural diet includes whole grains, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and fruit. Interestingly, the soluble fiber from the whole grains and beans will bind with the cholesterol and carry it out of your system.
c- Reduce or avoid bad sources of fat. This includes red meat and dairy products.
d- You can lower your cholesterol naturally with herbal supplements. Research has proven that natural herbal supplements will help to lower the bad cholesterol and increase the good cholesterol.
Chinese medicine incorporates the use of herbs and plants. Their traditional therapy produces remarkable results in the treatment of lowing cholesterol.
The thousands of years of Chinese medicine has developed herbal treatments that are all natural, mild, safe and effective.
There is a major difference between conventional medicine and the use of Chinese herbs. The Chinese herbs that are used to lower cholesterol are very mild. The plus side is that they do not produce any harmful side effects.
Conversely, because they are so mild, they may take months to work.
Please take note: they apparently take months to work. Actually, the herbs start to work immediately. However, these mild herbs do not shock or jar our bodies. The change that they produce is gradual and steady.
As an added benefit, Chinese herbs will actually improve liver function (unlike statin drugs that damage the liver). Improved liver function is detectable after a couple of months. You will find that a simple blood test will verify this.
Herbal treatments have been around for centuries. They are usually safe and effective. If you are under a doctor's care or taking medication, please consult with your doctor first.
Here is your step by step program to enable you to lower your cholesterol within a few weeks - without medication.
&bull get your physician to test your personal cholesterol levels - it is simply done with a blood test;
&bull when you get the results, discuss them in detail with your physician. There are two important readings - HDL and LDL levels. The LDL level is the one that can become high and threaten your wellbeing. Also important is the ratio between the two readings - a slightly higher LDL level may be compensated for by a very low HDL.
&bull if your HDL and/or LDL level readings need to be improved, ask your physician for advice. If the situation has become serious, it may be necessary to commence some medication to quickly stabilize the HDL and LDL levels. If however, the levels are just a little out of kilter, or even if you are told they are high but within the normal range for your age group, it should be possible for you to take control and, with some changes in your lifestyle - in the areas of food and activity - reduce your cholesterol to more satisfactory levels and to maintain them at those levels. This contributes significantly to your ongoing wellbeing and to your future prospects of maintaining good health as you age.
&bull what do I have to change about my eating habits to achieve this? You do not have to go on a strict diet. Merely ensuring that certain types of food are not, or at least not very often, included in your meals and making sure that other types of food that you may not at present eat much of, make up a larger part of your meals.
You should try to eat:
a. much of different kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables as possible;
b. lean cuts of meat and poultry [make sure the poultry is skinless];
c. lean fish and shellfish;
d. use low-fat dairy products - fortunately there is an abundance of them available now - it was not always so;
e. reduce the amount of salt and fat you use in your cooking;
f. use herbs and spices to add flavor to your food - not salt and fats;
g. grill, steam, poach, broil or bake your food - avoid frying it;
h. in other words, reduce the amount of fat you eat. Check the labels on the food you buy - it is not only the total amount of fat in the food that is of concern, but also the amount of saturated and trans-fats. These are the deadly, and I use that word advisedly, the deadly components of our fat intake;
i. prepare your own meals, AND serve smaller portions of them. It is better, not only for this program, but for your general health, to have smaller meals, and to have more of them during the day if you still feel the need for more food;
j. stay away from the fast-foods - no pickups or deliveries!
&bullwhat else do I have to do?
a. increase your activity levels - it may have been almost non-existent or you may already be reasonably active. Increasing the level will have a major impact your health. You do not have to over-exert yourself to gain the healthy benefits of exercise - just be consistent with what you do. Try to get regular exercise, every day if possible;
b. not only will increased levels of activity help any cholesterol problems you may have, but it will also allow you to get to achieve, and maintain, a healthy body weight;
c. if you are a smoker - STOP - enough said;
d. if your physician has prescribed medication to stabilize your cholesterol levels, follow the advice and treatment you were given precisely;
e. keep a journal of what you do - the changes you make to your lifestyle and the results you achieve. If you begin to struggle to stay on target, read back over what you have done - use the account of what you have done, and where you have come from and be proud of it. This will motivate you to stay on track.
Finally, learn as much as you can about cholesterol, about your health in general, and about how maintaining a healthy lifestyle not only brings you great benefits now - but will continue to do so into the future - into that longer lifetime you will surely enjoy as a result of your efforts now to take charge of your health - and your life.
Both Kathryn Soloff & John Vanse are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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