Alternative Cholesterol Control:

Cholesterol can be controlled without the use of statin drugs. Drug companies are establishing lower cholesterol numbers in order to sell more statin drugs. As an example, they may convince allopathic doctors to give statin drugs, to lower your cholesterol from 210 to 180. There may be nothing wrong with having a cholesterol, level between 220 and 240. I believe it depends on the HDL to LDL ratio. Check with your alternative doctor, about your safe cholesterol level.

Cholesterol is a fat like substance that circulates in the blood and is produced by the body from dietary cholesterol and saturated fats in food. Cholesterol is not harmful if kept within acceptable limits. It is used by the body to perform a variety of vital functions, including building and maintaining cell membranes, hormone synthesis, and the manufacture of Vitamin D. It is only when blood cholesterol levels become too high, that too much cholesterol can become a problem.

The body manufactures two types of cholesterol - LDL (which is seen as a 'bad' form of cholesterol) and HDL (which is seen as a 'good' form of cholesterol). When LDL levels are too high, this leads to a buildup of plaque in the arteries, with an increased risk of heart attack and atherosclerosis. Healthy levels of HDL will help to clean away cholesterol in the arteries before it has a chance to build up. In order to maintain healthy levels, we need to keep the LDL levels down and the HDL levels up.

Statin drugs have a one dimensional effect of reducing the body's ability to synthesize cholesterol. They do not, however, distinguish between the 'bad' cholesterol (LDL) and the 'good' cholesterol (HDL) and can also reduce levels of Co-enzyme Q10 and L-carnitine, two very important molecules which are involved in energy production and fat metabolism.

Myalgia and even stomach, lung and liver tumors have also been associated with the use of these drugs. It is very important that people who are taking prescription medication for high cholesterol be regularly monitored by their doctor.

Alternative doctors are able to lower your cholesterol with natural vitamins and supplements. You do not have to take drugs, to lower your cholesterol.

About 90% of our daily needs of cholesterol is made in the liver. The other 10% comes from food that we consume. The liver converts some cholesterol to testosterone and other hormones that protect our heart, all other organs, and bones.

Research is now under way to determine whether Calcium Phosphate helps to reduce cholesterol. For those that have a hard time trying to lower their cholesterol, this would be a good mineral to try.

New Research Debunks Cholesterol Myths And Implicates Statin Drug In Poor Brain Function.

Drugs that lower cholesterol levels are among the top sellers in the pharmaceutical industry, and yet for decades the research on them has clearly shown that their side effects often outweigh their benefits. And believe it or not, there has never been any definitive proof that high cholesterol levels are a cause heart attacks. The disease of high cholesterol was created around and for cholesterol lowering drugs. In truth, high cholesterol is a symptom of heart disease in much the same sense that a fever is a symptom of the flu. Lowering your fever might help you feel a little bit better, but it will not make the flu go away, nor will lowering cholesterol with a drug make your heart disease go away.

Heart disease isn't the only disease that causes high levels of blood cholesterol. Diabetes, hypothyroidism, kidney disease and liver disease can also significantly raise cholesterol levels.

The High Cholesterol Levels Cause Heart Attacks Myth

Cholesterol is a fat like material which is found in the brain, nerves, blood, bile and liver. It is the stuff from which your steroid hormones are made, and it is essential for good brain function. Another function of cholesterol is to stick to damaged places in the arteries as part of a repair process, and thats where it got its reputation for causing heart attacks. However, what actually causes the damaged arteries in the first place are factors such as excess sugar and refined carbohydrates in the diet, hydrogenated oils, obesity, stress and toxins.

The Saturated Fats Raise Cholesterol Levels Myth

The myths about cholesterol are closely tied into the myths about cholesterol-containing saturated fats, which were incorrectly pegged as a major cause of heart disease more than 40 years ago. Ironically, saturated fat probably became linked to heart disease because in studies it was lumped in with hydrogenated oils. In other words, in heart disease studies, consumption of hydrogenated oils was never separated out from consumption of other oils it was ignored or included with data on saturated fats. In all likelihood, it was the hydrogenated oils causing the damaged arteries, not the saturated fats.

It is also a myth that eating cholesterol-containing foods raises your cholesterol levels. This is only true for about 30 percent of the population. Your body manufactures about 75 percent of its own cholesterol from the breakdown products of foods we eat. The rest we get directly from what we eat. If we eat more cholesterol, the body makes less or it is broken down by the liver and excreted. People who eat extremely excessive amounts of cholesterol-containing foods so that the body is unable to keep up with the elimination process, or whose livers are not functioning properly, may have high cholesterol due to their eating habits, but this is an exception, not the rule.

A recent Harvard School of Public Health study published in the November 2004 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition examined the daily diets and coronary arteries of 235 menopausal women for three years. Three quarters of the women were overweight, and the majority of them were eating less fat overall than the average American. The researchers were surprised to find that the women who had eaten the highest amount of saturated fats had the least amount of additional plaque buildup in their arteries and better cholesterol profiles (lower LDL, higher HDL, lower transfatty acids). The women with the most plaque buildup were eating the most refined carbohydrates and exercising the least.

Statin Drugs Interfere With Brain Function

The most popular class of cholesterol-lowering drugs is the statins, also known as cholesterol blockers, which interfere with an enzyme needed for cholesterol production. The most common side effect of these drugs is liver damage. Other side effects include enlarged breasts in men, impotence, hair loss in women, insomnia and fatigue. The fatigue may have to do with the fact that statin drugs block the production of coenzyme Q10, a substance essential to a healthy heart and healthy muscles. About one in every 200 people who use statins has side effects of muscle pain and weakness. All indications are that the cause of these symptoms is a deficiency of CoQ10.

Now a new study published in the December 1, 2004 American Journal of Medicine points up another side effect of the drug simvastatin (Zocor), which is that it reduces cognitive function, in this case attention, working memory and overall mental efficiency. The same team at the University of Pittsburgh that did this study also found that statin drugs reduce blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids which are well documented to be essential for good brain function.

Back To Basics

A good cholesterol profile is a reflection of good overall health. The basics of maintaining a good cholesterol profile are avoiding sugar and refined carbohydrates, eating fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, beans and vegetables, and getting plenty of exercise.

For more details on how cholesterol really works in your body, read the booklet John R. Lee M.D. Commonsense Guide to a Healthy Heart, available on the website. www.johnleemd.com

If you would like to know more about saturated fat myths and research, as well as get a wonderful cookbook, read Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig.

Check With Your Alternative Doctor, To See Which Of The Following, Would Be Appropriate For You.

The Supplements Listed Below Will Lower LDL Or Raise HDL, And Some Will Do Both:
Raises HDL	Lowers LDL
Calcium	Policosinal
Carnatine	Beta Sitosteral
Beer	Red Yeast Rice
Wild Yam	SSKI
Vitamin B-5	Green Tea
Fish Oil	Garlic
Vitamin B-3	Vitamin C
Vitamin E	Olive Oil
Guggul	Cayenne Powder
Inositol	Beta Glucan
Raw Vegetables	Raw Vegetables
Chromium	Chromium
Wine	Octacosanal
Nuts	Nuts
CoQ10	CoQ10
Excercise	Excercise
Dark Chocolate	Dark Chocolate
Fenugreek	Nopal Cactus
Gymnema Sylvestre
Konjac Mannon