» Cholesterol

Alternative Medicine for Bad Cholesterol

policosanol — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:57:24 +0000

What exactly is this “Bad Cholesterol”?
Cholesterol is categorized under “Lipids” or “Fats”. They form part of the cell membranes and are very important in cellular functions. In the blood the fats are attached to proteins and they form groups of substances called lipoproteins.
*Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
*Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL)
*High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)
Chylomicrons
Of these Low Density Lipoproteins are called ” Bad Cholesterol”. If the blood level of this bad cholesterol increases, it gets deposited along the walls of the blood vessels blocking the flow of blood. If the blood flow to heart is blocked it causes angina and myocardial infarction. If the blood flow to the brain is blocked it results in stroke.
On the contrary, High Density Lipoprotein is called ” Good Cholesterol” and it has protective function.The Alternative Medicine
Though statins rule the roost when it comes to bring down and controlling the blood levels of bad cholesterol, the option of using alternative medicine is always there for its effectiveness, lesser cost and minimal side effects.
Before contemplating alternative medical treatment for decreasing cholesterol, one should know the optimum levels and high-risk levels of cholesterol.Total cholesterol:
*
240mg/dL is high risk level
LDL Cholesterol:
*
160 is high risk level
The goal in people with higher risk factors for heart disease is less than 130 mg/dL. In patients who already have heart disease, the goal is under 100 mg/dL, according to FDA guidelines. And also one should increase the HDL levels or the good cholestrol. So now if you want to avoid statins and take only alterative medicine, then you have to follow two steps.1. Avoid foods rich in fats2.Take natural supplementsFatty foods to be avoided:
The highest cholesterol content is found in meat, poultry, shellfish, and dairy products. As far as possible these food items should be avoided.Natural supplements to bring down cholesterol levels:
There are numerous natural supplements, which are found, be effective in bringing down the cholesterol levels and it has been proved by many studies. Some of them are
*Beta Sitosterol: It is a plant sterol which reduce cholesterol levels
*Niacin: It is Vitamin B3 which lowers LDL cholesterol by 20%
*Fish oils
*Green Tea
*Psyllium and Flax seeds: These contain fibers which reduce the cholesterol levels
*Mangosteen and sytrinol: These are fruit extracts which reduce cholesterol levels
*Policosanol: it is derived from sugar cane and it reduces LDL cholesterol by nearly 25%
*Cholestin: It is a processed form of red yeast fermented with rice. Cholestin lowers LDL cholesterol by 20-30%. It also raises HDL.
*Soy protein: The isoflavones in it brings down LDL cholesterol by 10%
* Garlic: It reduces LDL cholesterol by 12%
*Aphanizomenon flosaquae (AFA): It is blue green algae, which reduces LDL cholesterol by 20%.
*Gugulipid an extract of Commiphora mukul, the gum resin of the mukul myrrh tree and Aspalathus linearis (Rooibos), a medicinal herb of South Africa are also effective
In addition to these supplements, the other treatment options available are diet regimens including Vegetarian diet, Asian diet, and Low Glycemic diet. A regular exercise will add to the beneficial outcome.

Can I Lower My Cholesterol Without Drugs?

policosanol — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:50:58 +0000

It’s been 20 years since I completed the Ironman Triathlon. Now my Olympic dreams have given way to the nightmare of paying for my kids education. Still, I workout regularly, eat well and almost fit into the jeans I wore in the ’80s. So…
How Could I Possibly Have A Cholesterol Problem?
Since I’m your doctor, I’m a little embarrassed to reveal my cholesterol numbers. But if we’re going to beat it together-here they are:
My total cholesterol is 213 (not terrible, since the goal for total cholesterol is below 200).
My LDL (low density aka bad cholesterol) is 155. The ideal for bad cholesterol is below 130 (100 if you have heart problems). LDL, cholesterol’s evil step brother, got its bad reputation by filling your arteries with fat causing high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and dementia. The LDL may be the single most important number we measure.
My HDL (good cholesterol) is 55. HDL should stay over 45 for men and 55 for women. The higher the better since HDLs remove the fatty plaques from your arteries and brings them to the liver for elimination
The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL is important to measure. It tells us the amount of fatty material floating around in comparison to the amount being removed. The ideal ratio is 3.5 or less. So if my HDL is 55, to have an ideal cholesterol to HDL ratio of 3.5, my total cholesterol has to be 192 or less (your HDL x 3.5 = the highest total cholesterol you can have and still be ideal.) Try it out…plug in your HDL, multiply it by 3.5 and see if your cholesterol is out of balance.
All Men May Be Created Equal, But All Fats Aren’t
The leading causes of death in the U.S. are heart attacks, cancer and strokes. These diseases all have one thing in common; they are all related to the type of fat we eat. Notice that I didn’t say the amount of fat. That’s not nearly as important (although obesity is!).
Some fats actually improve our health. They correct our cholesterol balance, prevent heart attacks, reduce the chance of stroke and prevent inflammatory diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis.
You’ll spot the good fats. They’re liquid at room temperature and consist of:
Monounsaturated Oils like olive oil, canola oil, oils derived from nuts and avocados.
Polyunsaturated Oils like corn, soybean, and safflower oils and fish.
Some Fats Aren’t So Good. They’re solid in room temperature and are called:
Saturated Fats. They’re found in whole milk, red meat, chicken skin, butter, cheese, chocolate and even coconuts. Basically, milk products and meat contain saturated fats. They raise both good and bad cholesterols, but hurt the proper cholesterol/HDL ratio.
Some of us have to be more careful than others since 75% of our cholesterol is manufactured by the liver. In other words, if you’ve got the bad cholesterol genes and your liver continually pumps out cholesterol, you need to act on this newsletter. Others can just pass it on to those who aren’t so blessed.
The Most Evil Fat of All is:
Man made and prematurely ages and kills thousands of people every year.
Not safe in any amount to anyone (Institute of Medicine).
Responsible for Significantly Raising our Bad Cholesterol While Lowering Our Good Cholesterol.
So unhealthy that even bacteria and mold won’t grow on it.
They are called Trans Fats
These are fake, man made fats. They started as real oils but were heated then cooled until they became solid. This process is called hydrogenation (because it adds hydrogen). You know who they are; they’re the fried foods, fast foods, commercial packaged baked goods, margarine, vegetable shortening and all products that say “hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated” in the ingredients.
You’ll see them all over packaged foods because they never die or go bad. They nearly last forever, since mold and bacteria won’t even grow on them. Nothing will!
In fact, The Nurses’ Health Study found when they replaced only 30 calories of carbohydrates with 30 calories of trans fats the risk of heart disease nearly doubled. When they replaced 80 calories of carbohydrates with 80 calories of either polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats (the good fats), your chance of heart disease dropped by 30 to 40 percent. THAT’S A BIG HEALTH GAIN WITH LESS THAN 100 CALORIES OF DIET CHANGE!
Let’s put it another way…
By replacing that glob of margarine with olive oil, you’ll lower your chance of heart disease by one-third.
Is it worth it?
This is so important that in January 2006, a law requiring all food packaging to state whether it contains trans fats goes into effect.
To summarize, fats can be either liquid or solid at room temperature. Always choose liquids, they are the good fats. Fats that are solid at room temperature should be avoided. When cooking with oil, stir fry…don’t deep fry.
If you need to buy foods with trans fats, make sure they are listed as low as possible on the ingredient list. The higher on the list, the more in the food.
Is There Anything I Can Take, Naturally, To Balance My Cholesterol?
There appears to be three or four effective products worthy of a try, such as:
Garlic: While there is disagreement in the literature, the garlic that hasn’t had its odor removed (wild garlic) may lower your total cholesterol, bad cholesterol and triglycerides (circulating blood fat) about 10%.
Fish Oil: An abundant quantity of research seems to conclude that 1-2 grams of a fish oil supplement per day reduces your chance of a heart attack and stroke by preventing dangerous, irregular heart rhythms, thinning the blood, lowering triglycerides and preventing inflammation. In fact, one large trial found that by taking just 1 gram per day of fish oil over a 3.5 year period reduced the risk of dying from heart disease by 25 percent in those who already survived one heart attack. While it significantly lowered triglycerides, it seemed to slightly raise bad cholesterol.
Since women’s hearts are especially sensitive to high triglycerides. Those whose levels are high may benefit from taking 4 g/day of fish oil. Adding apple pectin (a type of fiber) to the fish oil seems to increase its triglyceride lowering ability even further. Flax seed oil, also an Omega 3 fatty acid (like fish oil), doesn’t seem to lower triglyceride levels.
So make sure it’s fish oil not just Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
Niacin: (Nicotinic acid) Lowers bad and total cholesterol and raises good cholesterol. It also can lower triglycerides. Unfortunately the dose needed for treatment is about 100 times more than the Recommended Daily Allowance and can potentially be toxic, especially to your liver. It should be considered a medication and taken only under your doctor’s directions if the other natural alternatives weren’t effective or appropriate.
Plant Sterols and Stanols: These plant products are added to some margarines and prevent the absorption of cholesterol in our intestines. In daily use, it has consistently lowered bad cholesterol about 10%.3,7 So far it does not appear to have long term negative effects. Life long use is predicted to result in a 20% decrease in coronary events.
But, The Best Is Saved For Last
Policosanol: A sugar cane derivative that lowers total cholesterol by 16% to 21%, bad cholesterol by 21% to 29% and raises good cholesterol by 8% to 15%. Although it’s triglyceride lowering effects have not been consistent, other cardiac benefits such as the prevention of clots and the dangerous oxidation of bad cholesterol have been demonstrated. Three year follow-ups have not shown negative side effects. 10-20 mg/day seems to be just as beneficial as higher doses.
Standard pharmaceutical treatments today include Statin Drugs, such as:
Mevacor
Zocor and
Pravachol
They work by interfering with the liver’s ability to produce cholesterol and increasing its ability to remove cholesterol from the blood. Although statins can lower LDL cholesterol by as much as 60 percent, they can also damage the liver and, in rare incidences, cause a serious or deadly illness.
But, there’s good news. The chances of dying from the three leading causes of death (coronary vascular, cancer and strokes) are largely under your control.
Don’t Tell Me These Three Steps Are Too Hard…
1. Test your cholesterol (good, bad and total) and triglycerides
2. Watch the type of fats you eat.
o Eat fats that are oils at room temperature
o Moderately limit meat and dairy fats
o Severely limit margarine, fried foods and packaged food with the word “hydrogenated” in the ingredients.
3. If your cholesterol or triglycerides are elevated or out of balance, talk to us about whether you are a candidate for natural treatments. They can be very effective and may prevent the need for medications. Sometimes medications are necessary but the supplements may allow you to take a lower dose.

The 2 Ways on How to Decrease Cholesterol Levels Naturally Without Side Effects

policosanol — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:12:43 +0000

For a person with high cholesterol levels, the danger is for real. It is due to the cholesterol build up in the arteries and the cause of heart attack and stroke.

In order to prevent the increase of levels, there have been many ways on how to decrease cholesterol naturally without side effects. The main ways that been discussed can be grouped into 2 main categories:

1. Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC).

2. Nutritional Supplements.First way on how to Decrease Levels Naturally – Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC).

Lifestyle changes are occasionally hard for some kind of people. It is hard to break peoples habits without determination. However, knowing what is needed to change is the major step towards that change.

* Watch your food and diet

* Reduce / stop smoking if you are a smoker and don’t smoke

* Exercise regularly and lose weight to normal balanceSecond way on how to Decrease Levels Naturally – Nutritional Supplements.

Chose one of the clinically proven supplements on how to decrease cholesterol naturally is the most important step towards the stages. You should always consider nutritional supplements with solid proof and science backing up the claims on how to decrease cholesterol naturally through supplements.

* Policosanol

* Guggulipid

* Fish oil supplements

* Garlic cholesterol

* Flax seed and cholesterol

* Red yeast rice

There’s other way to deal with levels besides the 2 main ways listed, but that’s not natural. Using of statin drugs is the most common but have adverse side effects on your health, such as damaging your liver and weakening muscle.

Supplements are the most recommended solution without side effects that produce results more or less same as drugs. The only difference between both of the ways would be time. It might take longer periods to decrease cholesterol levels naturally through supplements.

Lower Your Risk Of Heart Disease Without Drugs

policosanol — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:19:59 +0000

Today, I am going to tell you how to lower your heart disease risk using a comprehensive dietary and lifestyle approach.
==> Dietary Recommendations
The first step in preventing heart disease is to eat a healthy diet. First, eat more whole foods rich in phytonutrients, plant molecules that give your body the nutrients it needs.
Here are some tips:
1. To avoid blood sugar imbalances that increase heart-disease risk, eat protein with every meal, even at breakfast.
2. Use lean animal protein like fish, turkey, chicken, lamb, and vegetable protein like nuts, beans, and tofu.
3. Combine protein, fat, and carbohydrates in every meal.
4. Avoid white flour and sugar.
5. Eat at least 50 grams of fiber daily. Beans, whole grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruit all contain fiber.
6. Avoid processed junk food, including soda and juice.
7. Increase omega-3 fatty acids by eating wild salmon, sardines, herring, flaxseeds, and seaweed.
8. Reduce saturated fat and use more grass-fed or organic animal products, which contain less saturated fat.
9. Eliminate hydrogenated fat, found in margarine, shortening, processed oils, baked goods, and processed foods.
10. Use healthy oils, like olive, cold pressed sesame, and other nut oils.
11. Avoid alcohol, which increases triglycerides and fat in the liver and creates blood sugar imbalances.
12. Eat every three to four hours to keep your insulin and blood sugar normal.
13. Don’t eat three hours before bed.
14. Have a protein breakfast every day.
15. Eat two to four tablespoons of ground flaxseeds every day in salads or whole grain cereal. This can lower cholesterol by 18 percent.
16. Drink green tea.
17. Use soy foods, which can help lower cholesterol by 10 percent.
18. Eat at least eight to ten servings of colorful fruits and vegetables a day.
==> Supplements
Along with a healthy diet and exercise program, supplements can dramatically affect your risk of cardiovascular disease:
1. Take a good multivitamin/mineral, plus a purified fish oil supplement containing 1,000 to 2,000 grams a day of EPA/DHA.
2. Try policosanol (10 mg to 20 mg twice a day).
3. Red rice yeast (two 600-mg capsules twice a day).
4. Plant sterols (2 grams a day).
5. Soy protein isolate shakes.
6. Fiber supplements such as PGX (Konjac fiber) — 4 before each meal with a glass of water.
==> Lifestyle and Exercise
Get 30 to 45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at least six times a week.
You may try interval training (described in “UltraMetabolism”) if you are feeling stronger. I also encourage strength training to build muscle and reduce body fat composition.
==> Stress Reduction
Stress alone can cause a heart attack. It also contributes to heart disease by creating inflammation, raising your cholesterol and blood sugar, causing high blood pressure and increasing blood clotting. Reduce stress by doing regular relaxation exercises.
==> Medications
Many of my patients can lower their cholesterol over 100 points by following the comprehensive program I outline above. Occasionally I recommend medications if I feel that my patient is swimming upstream genetically, or if there is significant heart disease present already.
When I do need to use medications, here are the ones I have to choose from:
==> Statins
These block the production of cholesterol in the liver, lower inflammation, and may even reverse plaque in the arteries.
Statins deplete the body’s stores of the vital component Coenzyme Q10. If you’re on statins, take at least 100 mg of CoQ10 a day.
Statins can also cause muscle pain and aching and require regular liver function tests.
==> Niacin
Very high doses (1000 to 3000 mg a day) of niacin can raise good cholesterol (HDL) and lower high triglycerides.
The major side effect is flushing, which you can prevent by taking a baby aspirin (81 mg) half an hour before your take the niacin.
I usually recommend long-acting Niaspan and build up slowly over the course of 2 to 6 weeks to the desired dose of 1,500 to 2,000 mg daily.
==> Ezetimbe (Zetia)
Zetia prevents absorption of cholesterol from the intestine. It can interact with statins to increase the risk of liver toxicity.
==> Fibrates
These medications include fenofibrate (Tricor) and gemfibrozil (Lopid), which help to lower triglycerides and raise HDL.
The verdict is still out on their effectiveness and safety. I prefer to use niacin, which achieves the same results, at lower cost with less risk.
==> Bile Acid Binding Agents
Drugs like Questran and WellChol bind up bile in the gut and promote the elimination of cholesterol from the body. Bile is comprised of cholesterol among other things, and getting rid of bile helps lower your cholesterol.
==> Summary
Remember, cholesterol is only one of many factors that lead to cardiovascular disease.
Diet, supplements, exercise, and other lifestyle approaches can have dramatic effects on cholesterol, lowering it by 100 points or more within a few months of comprehensive therapy.
Medications are a last resort. I never start them without trying an integrated approach to cholesterol management.
If you are willing to make the changes in diet and lifestyle and take a few supplements, your numbers will change dramatically — and so will your life.

What you Should Know About Cholesterol Triglycerides?

policosanol — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:50:10 +0000

You know about cholesterol but do you know about cholesterol triglyceride? They are part of the cholesterol picture that is not talked about very much and are extremely dangerous for your health. And, they come from the fat that you eat every day.

You know about cholesterol but do you know about cholesterol triglyceride?

They are part of the cholesterol picture that is not talked about very much and are extremely dangerous for your health. And, they come from the fat that you eat every day.

Cholesterol triglyceride is a lipid, which is a type of fat. This fat is used by every body cell in its membrane structure and in your brain. When cholesterol triglyceride combines with protein a new chemical is created called “lipoproteins”, which flows through your blood.

As lipoproteins circulate in your arteries, they tend to deposit their fat on your artery walls. This process is always occurring, but the problem is when you have high cholesterol triglyceride you create high lipoproteins. The result is you deposit more fat on your artery walls than normal.

Clinical studies show that people with high cholesterol triglyceride are more prone to heart disease. So why don’t you hear about triglyceride instead of just HDL and LDL cholesterol. The reason is that there aren’t any drugs that can lower cholesterol triglyceride, so doctors don’t often discuss this part of the cholesterol picture.

So to reduce your susceptibility for heart disease, you need to reduce your cholesterol triglyceride. How do you know if yours is high? You need a blood test and need to talk with a doctor about your results.

Here is a list of some of the damage high cholesterol triglycerides can do:

At 200 ml/dl your risk for coronary artery disease doubles

At 200 ml/dl and HDL less than 40 mg/dl your risk for coronary artery disease is four times greater.

At 200 ml/dl women have a higher risk of artery disease than men

If you have diabetes, you are more prone to higher triglyceride levels

High triglyceride levels make you prone to kidney and pancreas diseases

Now, to have lower triglyceride levels, you can change some of your diet habits. I always recommend you change them gradually as you learn about good eating habits.

Here are two ways to control triglycerides:

Exercise regularly – the way you exercise makes a difference on your cholesterol triglyceride level. Instead of a straight 30 minutes brisk exercise do three 10 minutes brisk exercises during the day. By adding some resistive exercise, you gain more benefits for your heart and bones.

Diet – Eat a balanced diet that’s low in sugar, simple carbohydrates, and processed foods. Eat more fruits and vegetables to get the fiber. Fiber will help you keep your cholesterol triglycerides low. Fiber will trap excess cholesterol as it is released into the colon through your gallbladder and moved out in your stools. The less fiber there is in the colon the more cholesterol is reabsorbed back into the body through your colon walls.

Clinical studies have showed that by supplementing with Niacin, B3, you can lower triglycerides and raise HDL the good cholesterol.

And then, you have policosanol, a non-prescription cholesterol-lowering nutrient. It consists of fatty alcohols derived from waxes of sugar cane yams, and beeswax, but the main ingredient of policosanol is octanosol. Just search on Google and order your supply.

There you have it, concentrate your efforts on keeping your cholesterol triglycerides low by eating a cholesterol diet -eat less processed fats, less processed foods, exercising throughout the day, less carbohydrate, and eating more fiber.

Vitamins Help To Lower Cholesterol

policosanol — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:07:15 +0000

Darrell Miller asked:

Vitamins help to lower cholesterol are now a proven fact. This kind of over-the-counter supplement contains no chemicals of any type. It is a natural method in achieving lower cholesterol without negative side effects or prolonged issues. Doctors have been providing chemical medication for this condition for as long as possible. They are beginning to realize this type of cure is only hindering a person’s ability to actually maintain a healthy system. There are several kinds of vitamins that can greatly reduce cholesterol and be healthy as well. An individual may have been battling with this problem for many years without a solid solution. Each person’s body controls their issues differently. Some doctor prescribed medication may seem to be doing the trick. Nevertheless, the more chemicals that are placed in the body the more out of whack it may become. Every person desires to have an overall collective healthy immune system. They want to live longer and stay with their loved ones. With these vitamins help to lower cholesterol, an individual will be able to do that without worry on what the chemicals are doing to their body. There are several types of vitamins that a person can achieve that will assist them greatly in achieving lower cholesterol without damaging other parts of their body.

There are vitamins in pill format that a person can obtain and take daily to assist in an over-all more healthy body and immune system. Cholest-response is a vitamin designed to directly lower the cholesterol in one’s body. This can be found throughout the internet and at local health foods stores or supermarket. Niacin is another supplement that has been proven effectively to reduce the bad cholesterol in one’s system. This type of supplement is extraordinary for individual’s that do not wish to add unnatural chemicals into their body. Red Yeast Rice is a supplement that is designed to lower cholesterol safely and effectively. Every individual can find this type of vitamins throughout health food stores around the internet. There are various herbal medications that are safe and effective for this type of problem. It is vital to read all the information that is provided and talk to a person’s doctor before beginning this type of control.

Garlic is believed to be the cure-all vitamin of the century. This can be eating in large amounts on food and even taken in a vitamin pill format. Everyone enjoys garlic on their foods; however a person may not be receiving all the benefits from this alone. An individual will be able to find garlic supplements in their health foods stores or supermarkets. Almonds are a fantastic method in a lower cholesterol solution. They not only taste fantastic and go with every meal type from main course to deserts; they will also assist an individual in reducing unwanted issues from their systems. Oatmeal not only tastes fantastic, warms the body up on cold days and fills the stomach; this meal that everyone loves is filled with vitamins that can lower cholesterol. Various types of beans are proven to lower cholesterol without massive side-effects. If a person eats these 2 to 4 times a week, the body will show signs of improvement. Foods that have an abundance of vitamins B, C and E will assist a person in lower cholesterol that is unhealthy. These foods can included but are not limited to oranges, peppers, broccoli and strawberries.

There are various side-effects and issues that are associated with prescribed medication. These pills can begin to develop liver issues, stomach problems and immune system breakdown. It is vital to lower cholesterol for an over-all happy and healthy body. Vitamins can do with just as well if not better than all prescription drugs on the market. Every person can enjoy the vitamins inside the supplements or their favorite foods. An individual can located valuable information on the internet concerning the types of vitamins an individual needs to lower their cholesterol and to manage it for the future.