-
Loose Your Bad Cholesterol
Many Americans suffer from high cholesterol. Many of those have been prescribed medications which are often expensive and have serious and potentially life threatening side effects.
According to the American Heart Association, optimal blood cholesterol levels are below 200, while counts above 240 are considered dangerously high. But even people with counts between 200 and 240 are considered borderline–high and are at an increased risk of developing heart disease. While it's standard practice to prescribe cholesterol–lowering drugs to people with total cholesterol 240 and over, it's becoming more common for patients with cholesterol in the 200 to 240 range to be prescribed medication.
The most popular prescription drugs for elevated cholesterol include Lipitor, Zocor, Lescol, Mevacor, Crestor and Pravochol, also known as "statin drugs", work by inhibiting a key liver enzyme from producing cholesterol. They have also been linked to a slew of serious harmful side effects including liver damage, muscle weakness and wasting, memory loss, kidney disease, immune system suppression and cancer. Lesser side effects may include constipation, rashes, itching and redness. Believe me there are safer and healthier alternatives.
Keep in mind that cholesterol is in fact essential to life itself and that our bodies will produce what it needs. Also remember that there are two types of cholesterol, the HDL (high density lipoproteins, i.e. the 'good' cholesterol and LDL -low density lipoproteins, i.e. the 'bad' cholesterol.)While the overall level of cholesterol is important, the ratio of HDL to LDL is also significant.
I was told by my primary physician that my cholesterol was high and that I needed pharmaceutical drugs to bring them down. My doctor gave me a prescription for a statin medication but before I filled it I decided to look into natural alternatives therapies that have been documented to lower cholesterol safely instead.
After reviewing a number of options I decided to give flax seeds a try. For the next 3 months I ate 1/4 cup of organic flax seeds daily that I ground myself. After 3 months I had my blood levels rechecked. When my doctor saw the results he was very impressed. Both my total cholesterol and C-reactive protein (a marker for dangerous inflammation) had gone down significantly!
When I confessed that I hadn't taken his prescribed medication but had eaten the flax seeds instead, boy, was he surprised!
What is it about this natural food that is so remarkably healthful? Two things are key. Flax seeds are high in fiber which is essential for healthy digestion and elimination and helps remove cholesterol from our body. Lack of fiber in the diet contributes to constipation and other intestinal problems.
More importantly, flax seeds are rich in two essential fatty acids: linoleic acid and linolenic acid. They are essential because our bodies cannot produce and therefore need to be consumed in the diet. It is these essential fatty acids that lower the harmful LDL's and boost the good HDL's. Unfortunately both linoleic and linolenic acid are rarely found in the average diet in adequate quantities.
Regrettably, most of the fats in the American diet are not only "non–essential" they are in fact unhealthy for us. When we eat fried foods or fats that have been processed (hydrogenated or 'trans fats') we are adding to the "bad cholesterol" load in our bodies. All the more reason to increase the healthy fats that reduce this damage.
The recommended dosage of flax seeds is 1/4 cup a day. These need to be ground (a coffee grinder works fine) and consumed as soon as possible. Flax seed oil is highly volatile which means it spoils rapidly which is why I prefer grinding my own seeds to purchasing the prepressed oil. The pressed oil also lacks the benefits of the fiber. I like to mix mine with applesauce and or pineapple chunks and some low fat cottage cheese for a tasty and satisfying breakfast.
If your blood cholesterol level is over 200, as it is for 57 million Americans, lifestyle changes such as increased exercise and modified diet can help to bring cholesterol under control, but if they are not be enough I recommend supplementing your diet with fresh ground flax seeds. Prove it to yourself. You have nothing to loose but your bad cholesterol.
© 2005 Larry Forsberg. All rights reserved.
Articles posted on this Web site are for personal use only and remain the property of Larry Forsberg, L.Ac.
Back to Article Topics
