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Natural Ways To Lower cholesterol levels - 5 Natural Treatment Ideas to Lower cholesterol levels Quickly
How long does it decide to try lower cholesterol levels? That's a question that seems to plague almost anyone who suffers from high cholesterol. If you're suffering from high cholesterol, cutting your cholesterol level can't ever be fast enough; whether you're seeking a natural way to lower cholesterol or via another alternative healthcare. According to articles by CNN in November 2006, "more than 70 million Americans live everyday with a few type of heart disease." And the number is expected to increase steadily within the next Ten years.
Heart disease is America's number one killer and in all likelihood, the main killer in the industrialized world. The myth being perpetuated that cholesterol isn't high before the age 40 is precisely that - a myth. Don't think a thing from it.
The reality necessitate a quick guide to cutting your cholesterol quickly - preferably opting for an all natural and alternative healthcare for top cholesterol.
But first ... for some great news. Cholesterol ... contrary to public opinion ... is not the reason for heart disease. The soreness of arteries does that. Heart attacks exist in individuals with normal levels of cholesterol. You heard right. There's lots of misinformation being passed around that cholesterol is bad - that cholesterol may be the reason for heart disease. That's so far in the truth. In fact, your system needs cholesterol to stay healthy. The body uses cholesterol to create hormones, vitamin D and bile acids to digest fat. And also the fact is - your body requires only a little bit of cholesterol in the blood to satisfy these needs.
Why in the event you worry about cutting your cholesterol levels and looking after it preferably below 200mg./dl.? Because failure in doing so can lead to the soreness of your arteries ... and that is when cardiovascular events like heart attacks will occur. It's only when you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream (referred to as hypercholesterolemia) that problems start to arise. Which is where you have to pay attention. Just because a high cholesterol level ... let's say ... north of 250, can and will lead to problems such as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis clogs arteries as well as your coronary arteries (arteries that feed the heart) and when left unchecked overtime, will lead to cardiovascular disease like angina and heart attack.
For this reason you have to lower your cholesterol level and why it is so important to keep those levels under control. Statins such as Zocor and Lipitor may be powerful, cholesterol-lowering drugs and helps to some extent, but ... whether you think it or otherwise ... these may cause more damage (liver toxicity is a common side-effect) than good for your body over time. You do not need these ill-effects creeping to you just as you're about to relax and revel in your retirement.
Don't misunderstand me ... I'm all for taking prescriptions drugs under doctor's orders if no other alternatives are created available. You will agree with that.
But I'm about to show you 5 tips you can start cutting your unhealthy cholesterol levels without drugs right now - and fast!
Here's how you can decrease your cholesterol the natural way:
Consume more "healthy" fats
You must have heard of monounsaturated fats. Usually present in some types of nuts like almonds and walnuts, olive oil, canola oils and avocados. These "healthy" fats lower "bad" cholesterol (LDLs - Low-Density Lipoproteins) but simultaneously, help maintain the "good" cholesterol (HDLs - High-Density Lipoproteins).
Your physician can attest to the fact that consuming monounsaturated fat instead of saturated fat can decrease your cholesterol levels quite drastically. You would likely have come across health advice about lowering cholesterol such as, "Replace whole milk with skim milk," "Cut down on that refined sugar," or "Dump butter for margarine." The majority of that details are true except for dumping butter for margarine. Margarine increases the bad cholesterol as well as worse, lowers the great cholesterol - almost tripling the chance of a heart disease.
Don't think the television ads and stay from margarine. Dr. Allan Spreen calls margarine, "plastic butter." And that he includes a point. Why? Because being hydrogenated, margarine is actually one molecule away from actually being plastic - no kidding! To put it mildly, you're actually about one molecule away from eating Tupperware. You're more than welcome to carry out a simple test to prove this. All you have to do is leave a container of butter along with a container of margarine out for a while watching. It'll only be a matter of time if you notice flies hovering your container of butter - avoiding the margarine altogether. If it's not good enough for flies, you know you are in trouble!
Decrease your consumption of "bad" fat
Lowering cholesterol without drugs begins with this extremely important step - simply limit your use of saturated fat. Saturated fats has been said to stimulate your liver to produce LDLs - or bad cholesterol that would simply block your arteries. According to Dr William Castelli, co-author of Good Fat, Bad Fat, he recommended that the smart diet to help lower cholesterol would take into consideration the quantity of "bad" fat consumed per day - ideally being 20 grams each day. And that's only for those who are healthy.
Advisable would be to simply check your food labels when food shopping to obtain a sense of just how much fat grams is going to be starting your body at a day. Make this a habit just because a simple precautionary measure like this often means a lot to your long-term health.
Also, take note of trans-fatty acids. The name probably already provides it with away - it is another bad fat. Trans-fatty acids are chemically processed and won't only raise your total levels of cholesterol but can also lower your HDLs. These acids are often present in deep-fried fast foods, biscuits, shortenings and packaged pastries. They're not usually indicated on food labels so be extra prudent about your diet.
Get a blood test
You will want to get a blood test if you find yourself putting on the weight, losing hair, feeling depressed, feeling more tired than normal, more sensitive to cold than normal and sudden stiffening of the joints. These could be the signs of an underactive thyroid - medically termed as hypothyroidism. Diagnosing this condition having a blood test could nip the problem in the bud and help you save from the rising cholesterol level.
While you're at it, ask your doctor to check your homocysteine level as well. Recent reports are pointing towards homocysteine like a better predictor of cardiovascular events. And there is a connection between hypothyroidism, homocysteine and heart disease. If you have an underactive thyroid, jetski from the absorption of B vitamins - causing homocysteine levels to shoot up. The result is a 300 percent risk of a heart attack.
A great homocysteine level is under 8. Anything above might your doctor should be able to prescribe you some supplements. These supplements would usually focus on vitamins B2, B6, B12 and folate.
Can I have my eggs back?
Yes, you definitely can. Based on the British Nutrition Foundation's Nutrition Bulletin, dietary cholesterol in eggs "has no clinically significant impact" on cardiovascular disease. In fact, eggs are this type of rich source of nutrients that avoiding them might cause more damage than good to your health.
I pointed out homocysteine. Well, according to research from Harvard Medical School, choline may be effective in managing homocysteine. And where is choline found? You got it right. Eggs. Actually the best source of choline is egg yolks. But when you're someone with elevated cholesterol or heart disease, you should check with your doctor about the number of eggs you can consume each week. Such cases are usually limited to two eggs per week.
Quit smoking and obtain moving!
Those are two obvious actions to take to keep your body in good working order. If you are overweight, you can be sure that the HDL readings is going to be low. Shed the load watching your HDLs rise. It's quite difficult to raise HDLs by dieting alone. You will need the combination of regular exercising and watching your food intake. Exercising helps in cutting your triglycerides (a blood fat associated with cardiovascular disease) too. If you are serious about cutting your levels of cholesterol, focus on triglycerides. Because apart from clogging up your coronary arteries, high triglycerides can lead to kidney disease and pancreatitis.
There is not much to become said about smoking that has not been postulated already. It's just bad. Smoking depresses HDLs considerably. It is a reason for heart and blood-vessel disease and basically causes irreversible harm to your state of health. There are no two ways about this. Smoking kills.
Here is a rough checklist to monitor your cholesterol levels and as always, consult with your doctor.
LDLs
Keep it less than 130mg./dl. Anything above 160mg./dl. is high.
HDLS
The larger the better. 35mg./dl. or less increases the risk of heart-disease.
Triglycerides
Ensure that it stays under 150mg./dl. Anything above 200mg./dl. is high.
Total cholesterol
This is actually the combined way of measuring all blood cholesterols. Keep this under 200mg./dl. Anything above 240mg./dl. is high.
