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Metabolic syndrome can be described as a cluster of factors that put a person at risk for developing cardiovascular disease. The generally agreed upon factors are as follows:

Increased waist size – 40 inches for men; 35 inches for women.

High Blood Pressure – greater than or equal to 130 mm Hg systolic (top number) or greater than or equal to 85 mg Hg diastolic (lower number) or taking medication for high blood pressure.

High triglycerides greater than 150 mg/dL or taking medication for high triglycerides.

Low HDL good cholesterol – less than 40 mg/dL for men less than 50 mg/dL for women or taking medication for low HDL.

High blood sugar – greater than or equal to 100 mg/dL or taking medication for blood sugar.

A person is considered to have metabolic syndrome if he or she has three or more of these factors. If you have metabolic syndrome your chances of developing atherosclerosis (clogging and hardening of the arteries) are very good. In other words your risk of heart disease increases with the possibility of having a heart attack or a stroke or heart failure.

Also the chances of developing type 2 diabetes – diabetes mellitus – increase.

In the past two decades the number of persons having metabolic syndrome has increased dramatically. The suggested reasons are: the increased serving sizes (people eat more) and the expanded number of prepared foods high in salt, simple sugars, saturated fats. If you couple this with the sedentary life style of sitting before a big-screen television instead of getting out and exercising, you can explain the abdominal obesity and the consequent insulin resistance that leads to diabetes.

High cholesterol and high blood sugar are close relatives like two brothers or two sisters. Obesity and lack of exercise can lead to heart disease complications or diabetes or both.

So the way to prevent metabolic syndrome or get out of it, if you think you meet the factors presented above, is: eat less – get your eating under control; lose weight. Eat heart-friendly foods – lots of fruits and vegetables, and small 4-ounce portions of meat or fish. Avoid fatty, fast foods and sugary drinks.

Start an exercise program – 30 minutes a day for five or more days a week – do some aerobic exercises. But check with your medical doctor first before starting a regular exercise program.

This new, life-style plan, is basically the same as one would follow to lower his or her cholesterol. In a few months your cholesterol levels should improve, your waist size should shrink, and most of all you’ll be removed from the hazards attached to being in the metabolic syndrome.

Consider the metabolic syndrome as an accident waiting to happen and that accident could be a heart attack.

If you ignore your blood cholesterol levels and never take into consideration your doctor’s advice regarding a change in a lifestyle orientated towards re-discovering your eating habits and exercising, then you will be faced with the possibility of taking cholesterol reducing drugs. Those who have dangerously high cholesterol levels will get a medical prescription to aid them in lowering them. The only problem is that the drugs are totally inefficient if you are still not willing to change your lifestyle. In addition to this, all cholesterol reducing drugs have nasty side effects, and some can even pose a serious threat to your general health.

Furthermore, recent studies show that one of the most used drugs for reducing blood cholesterol can lead to cancer. The specific substance contained in drugs like Inegy should be taken with great care. Although further health inspections and thorough research have been carried out to check for links to cancer, results are still inconclusive. Regardless, health officials said that they are not even sure if the drug works – as all cholesterol reducing drugs are just ways to speed up reactions to certain foods, and cannot reduce levels alone.

Another cholesterol reducing drug called Simvastatin can cause severe sleep problems in some patients. Anterior studies revealed that in fact, some patients use statines to reduce cholesterol and that they often sleep uncomfortably and even commonly have nightmares. Drugs in this category all contain statines, some lipophilic and other hydrophilic.

These drugs get to the brain directly through the blood because they are soluble in lipids. Neuronal circuits in the brain can be affected if the lipid isolation around them, called myelin, stops working properly, and therefore permitting the electric signal from traveling properly or making it get weaker. Unfortunately, this is often the case in people with high cholesterol levels.

The results of a study conducted in relation to this proved that all participants who took drugs to reduce cholesterol reported serious sleep quality deterioration. And since sleep quality directly influences the quality of life and health, these drugs do more harm than good. Doctors still claim that not all people taking substances soluble in fats will necessarily experience sleep disorders, even if all those tested did, but this is a risk too high to take.

We all know that stress can also contribute to a significant increase in cholesterol levels, because it decreases metabolism and causes fat to be deposited in our blood. A poor sleep is the very basis of serious stress problems, not to mention the general mental state that a lack of sleep can create.

It is vital sometimes to reduce cholesterol levels in your blood, because if you fail to, you could be at great risk to various diseases. No one will be forcing you into taking medication that has many undesired side effects. Since all cholesterol medical drugs are trying to influence directly internal processes, it’s impossible not to experience side effects. And above this, these drugs are only efficient in a small way, and only if you start living a healthy life. Since it is your lifestyle that ultimately determines cholesterol levels, before deciding that medication is your last hope, it’s best to start improving your lifestyle straight away, with a balanced diet, omega 3 supplements and by practicing sports regularly.

Blood cholesterol levels have been proven to be a major, modifiable risk factor for the development of heart disease. A risk factor is a condition that increases your chance of getting a disease. The fact that high cholesterol is a modifiable risk factor is important. Unlike your gender or your age, the cholesterol level in your blood is something you have the ability to change. High cholesterol levels can be treated with lifestyle modifications, supplements and/or prescription medication. Treatment to change blood cholesterol levels have been shown to lower your risk of getting heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke.

Cholesterol builds up in the walls of your arteries. Over time, this buildup causes “hardening of the arteries” so that arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart is slowed down or blocked. You can imagine what that looks like if you think about the pipes under your kitchen sink. As they get clogged with food, grease and hair over time, the drainage of water slows and eventually stops completely. Since blood travels through these arteries, or pipes, to carry oxygen to your muscles, organs and tissues including your heart, a blockage could reduce enough blood and oxygen to your heart that you may suffer chest pain, called angina. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by a blockage, the result is a heart attack. If this blockage occurs in your brain, the result is a stroke.

High blood cholesterol itself does not cause symptoms; so there are a lot of people that are completely unaware that their cholesterol level is too high. It is important to find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of a heart attack or stroke. Even if you have already had a heart attack or stroke, lower cholesterol will reduce your chance of having second one. Cholesterol lowering is important for everyone–younger, middle age, and older adults; women and men; and people with or without heart disease.

There are different kinds of cholesterol in your blood that can measured through a simple blood test preformed at your doctor’s office. This blood test must be preformed fasting, which means you can not eat or drink anything but water or black coffee for 8-12 hours before your blood test for them to be accurate.

What is LDL?

LDL (bad) cholesterol is the main source of buildup and blockage in the arteries. The majority of LDL is created by your body in your liver. A smaller percentage of it is absorbed through your diet. An easy way for patients to remember LDL is the “bad cholesterol” is to think the L in LDL stands for Lousy cholesterol, or the one you want to Lower.With this form of cholesterol, studies have shown the lower the better. Babies are born with an LDL of 30-40, so it is hard to lower the LDL too much. Since physicians and various guidelines have different goals for different patients, ask your doctor what your personal goal is for LDL.

What is HDL?

HDL (good) cholesterol helps keep bad cholesterol from building up in the arteries. An easy way for patients to remember this is the good cholesterol is the H in HDL stands for Healthy cholesterol or the one you want to be Higher. Studies show that with this form of cholesterol, the higher the better. If your HDL is below 40, it becomes an additional risk factor for heart disease. If your HDL is above 60, it actually allows you to subtract one of your other risk factors.

What Is Triglicerides?

Triglycerides are another form of fat in your blood which is often high in patients with diabetes, but can be high in anyone. Some patients may only have high triglycerides while all other cholesterol values remain normal. If you have both high triglycerides and high cholesterol, the condition is called “mixed dyslipidemia”.

What Does Total Cholesterol To HDL Ratio Mean?

Another number that clinical studies have shown to be important in determining your risk of heart disease is the ratio of Total Cholesterol to HDL Cholesterol. In general, it should be less than 4.0. Ask your doctor what your value is, and what your specific goal should be. Again this is a number where the lower it is, the better.

The level of your LDL or “bad cholesterol ” along with the number of other risk factors that you may have for developing heart disease will help your doctor decide not only your individual cholesterol goals, but if necessary what your individual treatment will include.Other risk factors for heart disease include age, gender (males), cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, HDL levels below 40, and a family history of early heart disease. Even though physical activity (sedentary lifestyle) and obesity are not included on this list, these are conditions that need to be corrected as well.

There are several treatment options for patients depending on individual test results and goals. All treatments should include a diet designed to lower cholesterol intake and an exercise plan. Many treatment plans will include dietary supplements and/or prescription medication(s). There are a variety of prescription medications that can target your specific treatment needs, including but not limited to lowering the amount of LDL created by the liver, lowering the amount of LDL that is absorbed from your intestines, increasing levels of HDL or lowering levels of triglycerides.Your doctor may put you on one, or a variety of medications to meet your individual treatment goals.

Blood cholesterol levels have been proven to be a major, modifiable risk factor for the development of heart disease. A risk factor is a condition that increases your chance of getting a disease. A modifiable risk factor is something you have the ability to change. High cholesterol levels can be treated with lifestyle modifications, supplement and/or prescription medication. Treatment to change blood cholesterol levels have been shown to lower your risk of getting heart disease or having a heart attack or stroke.

There are many different types of cholesterol lowering medications that your doctor may prescribe, however these prescriptions can cause certain nutritional deficiencies that may increase your risk for side effects or diminish the risk reduction you would otherwise get from the cholesterol lowering medications. NutraMD Cholesterol Essential Nutrients® supplement was designed to work with your cholesterol lowering medications by replacing lost nutrients reducing the risk of dangerous side effects, and promote better health.

Medications for treatment of High Cholesterol:

The three main classes include statins, fibrates, and bile acid sequestrants.

Statins include the following medications: Lipitor (atorvastatin) Zocor (simvastatin) Pravachol (pravastatin). Mevacor (lovastatin) Crestor (rosuvastatin) Advicor (lovastatin + niacin). Caduet (atorvastatin + amlodipine).

The main function of statins is to reduce an individual¡¦s risk for cardiovascular disease (i.e., heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, and plaque development in arteries) by reducing the total and LDL cholesterol levels as well as by reducing certain plaque promoting factors and increasing artery dilating factors.Your doctor may prescribe a statin if you have high cholesterol or have had heart attack or stroke in the past. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure or diabetes but do not have high cholesterol, your doctor may still prescribe a statin to reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease. Statins help lower cholesterol by blocking it’s direct synthesis throughout the body but primarily in the liver, however the action of the medication also blocks the synthesis of Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and has a potential negative effect on the synthesis of vitamin D.

* CoQ10 deficiency has been linked to the following diseases and symptoms:

Congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, rhabdomyolysis (muscle break down), muscle and joint pain, and fatigue.

Therefore to achieve maximum benefit from the statin medication and minimize potential side effects of nutrient deficiencies, you should compliment your prescription medication by taking NutraMD Cholesterol Essential Nutrients® supplement. By doing this you will balance the risk/benefit ratio further in your favor.

Fibrates include the following medications:

Tricor, Antara, and Lofibra (fenofibrates) Lopid (gemfibrozil).

The main functions of fibrates are to lower triglycerides and raise HDL (good cholesterol). These medicines also have a mild lowering effect on LDL (bad cholesterol) and total cholesterol. Your doctor may prescribe fibrates in combination with a statin or bile acid sequestrants. The down side of fibrates is there ability to increase muscle pain and myalgia (including rhabdomyolysis).11-15 These medications also have the ability to raise homocysteine levels.11-15 Homocysteine is a chemical (amino acid metabolite) which when elevated is a risk factor for heart disease, atherosclerosis, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and osteoporosis. The only substances known to lower homocysteine levels are the B-vitamins (folate, riboflavin, cobalamin, and pyridoxine).Therefore to reduce the potential risks while taking fibrates, you should also be taking NutraMD Cholesterol Essential Nutrients® supplement.

Bile Acid Sequestrants include the following medications:

Questran or Questran Light (cholestyramine) Welchol (colesevelam HCl).

The main functions of bile acid sequestrants are to lower cholesterol by binding to it in the intestine and preventing its absorption thus allowing its excretion in the feces. Your doctor may prescribe this type of medicine in combination with fibrates and statins. Unfortunately, bile acid sequestrants will also bind to vitamins A, D, E, and K as well as essential fats in the intestine preventing their absorption into the blood stream thus leading to their deficiencies. A few of the problems which arise from deficiencies of vitamins A, D, E, K, and essential fatty acids include the following: Heart disease, high cholesterol, stroke, high triglycerides, cancer, thyroid disease, autoimmune disease, bone disease, arthritis, joint pain, muscle pain, cataracts, skin lesions, allergies, and many other.Therefore, to reduce potential side effects of nutrient deficiencies you should take NutraMD Cholesterol Essential Nutrients® supplement as long as you are on bile acid sequestrants.

In summary, cholesterol-lowering medications prescribed by your doctor are necessary to treat your condition; however, you should also be aware that the long term potential nutritional side effects can be just as big a risk factor for your condition as well as other conditions. Put the odds in your favor and maintain your health with NutraMD Cholesterol Essential Nutrients® supplement.

Here’s an interesting little fact. Studies show that statins, the class of drugs widely prescribed to lower cholesterol levels, have the effect of INCREASING vitamin d levels.

Now, there is plenty of evidence that Vitamin D decreases risk of heart problems and that the vast majority of people- including heart patients- are Vitamin D deficient . So, there are some researchers speculating that the small reduction in heart attack risk that has been shown with statins, could very well be simply from  improved Vitamin D status!

This is not idle speculation either. An interesting parallel between Vitamin D and statins is that both of them reduce C reactive protein (CRP) levels in the blood. C reactive protein is a marker for inflammation in the body. While it is a ‘general’ marker and not specific to heart disease, the vast majority of heart patients have elevated CRP levels and it is considered a risk factor for heart disease.

However, researchers STILL don’t know WHERE the inflammation is coming from in patients with heart disease.

Some experts speculate that one source could be periodontal disease. Periodontal disease is a well known risk factor for heart disease, and there is a strong link between Vitamin D deficiency and periodontal disease!

Are you seeing the connection?

In reality, it may be much cheaper and safer to prevent heart disease by taking Vitamin D and getting good dental care than taking statins.

Yet doctors are still not recommending EITHER of these simple approaches to prevent heart disease, instead they immediately recommend statin drugs that come with a whole HOST of problems of their own- diabetes, liver failure and muscle wasting among some of the more common.

Do your due diligence if your doctor asks that you take a statin drug. There ARE measures that you can take to reduce your risk of heart disease that don’t require taking pharmaceuticals. Ask your doctor if implementing some of the MANY lifestyle changes and dietary measures could eliminate your need for dangerous drugs.

Learning how to lower bad cholesterol without having to resort to cholesterol medication is one of the best things you can do to protect your long term health. You see, while medication can bring down unhealthy cholesterol readings quickly, in the long term these medications can actually damage the liver and kidneys.

One of the best things you can do to improve your cholesterol readings is to learn how to prepare a lower cholesterol meal using some of the extremely effective cholesterol-lowering foods that are available to you.

The first thing you will need to consider is the fact that the best meal you can consume is one that is low in saturated fats but high in fiber content. Fiber is critically important for lowering cholesterol because it:

1.) Helps eliminate cholesterol from the body before it is absorbed into the bloodstream, and
2.) Stimulates the liver into absorbing cholesterol from the bloodstream.

A lower cholesterol meal will contain many vegetables, fruits, whole grains as well as nuts. Many people are confused by the idea of having nuts as part of a diet, but they are high in fiber and the fat that they contain include the essential fatty acids that improve your health, not raise your cholesterol.

A very nutritious, lower cholesterol meal is a bowl of oatmeal meal with crushed walnuts mixed in. Both oats and walnuts are high nutrient, high fiber foods that will help bring down cholesterol readings quickly. Seek out creative ways to develop a high fiber diet that you enjoy.

Knowing how to lower bad cholesterol in this way will increase your energy level as well as improve your cognitive abilities, two claims that cannot be made by the manufacturers of cholesterol medication. I invite you to visit my website to learn more about the foods and meals that are the most effective for lowering cholesterol.

Has your doctor recently told you that you need to be working at lowering bad cholesterol? Have you learned that your LDL levels are too high? If so, you may have also heard some commonly accepted ideas about reducing cholesterol that simply are not true. Let’s take a look at a couple of them.

The first lie that you may have heard states that naturally lowering cholesterol does not work. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Here’s an irrefutable fact. A reduction in cholesterol levels is proportional to weight loss. In other words, a simple weight loss diet will reduce your cholesterol, even if it is not centered around natural substances that have been shown to lower cholesterol.

As a matter of fact the most effective way to lower your cholesterol is not by using medication, but rather by making changes in your diet so that it includes increased amounts of high fiber foods and fewer foods that contain high amounts of saturated fats.

Studies have shown over and over again that fiber is the most effective substance for cholesterol reduction. This is due to the fact that cholesterol attaches itself to fiber in the intestines so that it is eliminate it from the body before it has a chance to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Another misnomer that is out there has to do with cholesterol medications that are on the market today. Many people believe that they are safe (after all, would your doctor ever give you something that wasn’t). In reality, there are some extremely severe side effects associated with long-term use of statin medication

It is a known fact that they have the potential to cause permanent damage to the kidneys and liver. Because of this, and because of how effective naturally lowering cholesterol can be, medication should be used as a last resort, not the first option.

If you have high LDL readings, then you really do need to be working at lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) and raising your good cholesterol (HDL) levels. The most effective way to do this is by incorporating a high fiber diet that contains healthy fats such as those found in nuts, whole grains and fish.

Taking an approach of naturally lowering cholesterol will provide benefits for you for the long-term. You will have more energy, lose weight and perhaps even extend your lifespan. I invite you to visit my website where I provide more details about safe and effective ways to lower cholesterol without the use of medication.

Has your doctor recently informed you that it’s time for you to begin lowering bad cholesterol readings? If so, you will find the information in this article informative and interesting. You see, when your doctor informed you of your high cholesterol, he probably also suggested beginning a regimen of cholesterol lowering medication.

For some reason, you rarely hear from the established medical community that there are some very effective natural ways of reducing high LDL readings without having to resort to these medications and the associated side effects. I was shocked to hear that as many as 25% of individuals who use statin cholesterol medication experience muscle pain and spasms, often accompanied with muscle damage.

Here are three effective steps you can take to lowering bad cholesterol without having to resort to cholesterol medication:

1.) Greatly reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet. When first beginning, it is helpful to completely eliminate beef and pork. At the same time increase the amounts of skinless turkey and chicken in your diet. Fish is also very beneficial when you’re trying to balance out your lipid readings.

2.) List foods that help lower cholesterol and keep it on hand to refer to frequently. Foods such as vegetables, fruit, nuts and whole grains are all high fiber foods that should become a part of every meal. Fiber has been proven to be extremely effective in lowering bad cholesterol and should become a mainstay of your eating habits.

3.) If you’re in the habit of eating out frequently, the best thing you can do for lowering cholesterol levels is to break this habit. Avoid fast food. Prepare your own cholesterol lowering recipes at home. This is essential to restore healthy cholesterol levels.

Following these three steps will quickly put you on the road to lowering bad cholesterol raising good cholesterol and developing a healthier lifestyle.

I invite you to visit my website where I list foods that help lower cholesterol and describe the best things you can do to improve your lipid readings.

If you are dealing with high cholesterol then you will want to find the most effective ways of naturally lowering cholesterol in order to preserve your health. I emphasize “naturally” because the alternative, cholesterol medication, has many adverse side effects. While many in the health care profession would like you to believe that medication is the most effective way of supporting healthy cholesterol levels, in actuality a natural approach is just as effective and will leave you feeling healthier and more energetic.

There are two basic natural solutions to high cholesterol. The first, and the one I prefer, involves modifying your diet. The primary reason cholesterol has become such a problem in our society today is because of our diet. We have become addicted to low fiber, high cholesterol foods, such as beef and cheese.

Probably the most effective thing you can do to improve your cholesterol readings is to cut high cholesterol foods out of your diet completely. However, for most of us this is very difficult to do so I recommend eating only extra lean cuts of beef and low-fat cheeses. Limiting these two items to one or two meals a week really is essential in order to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

While cutting out sources of high saturated fats from your diet, it is also important to begin to consume more high fiber foods such as vegetables, fruits and nuts. Nuts are also high in fat, but they are a healthy fat and will not raise your cholesterol levels.

The second way of naturally lowering cholesterol is to use supplements that include plant sterols and stanols along with some of the other natural substances that have been shown to reduce cholesterol. Plant sterols are naturally occurring substances in plants that have been shown to lower cholesterol levels.

You will find conflicting information about ingredients such as gugglipid and fish oil. In the most recent studies these two ingredients have been shown ineffective for lowering cholesterol, although fish oils have been shown to help lower triglyceride levels.

In this article, Suzy Cohen shares her perspective on cholesterol lowering and diabetic medications. Suzy Cohen has been a pharmacist for over 20 years. She’s the author of “24-hour Pharmacist” and “Drug Muggers.”

Kevin: Jan asks, “How do you convince, say your parents, who are on statins,” her
parents are 82 years old she says, “and other drugs are not good and there are alternatives?” This is a big question too.

Suzy: Her parents are in their 80s. This is tough because they grew up with the mentality that the doctor is God complex, the doctor knows everything. So it’s hard for the daughter to convince them, especially because they changed her diapers. What does she know? Right? I had to battle this with my own parents so I totally get this. I think the best way to approach them is gently and with black and white information. If you appeal to them emotionally you’re not going to get anywhere. But if you appeal to them logically you may get somewhere. So maybe print out a study that is written in good language, or copy chapter four from my book, “Straight from the Heart,” where I talk about why cholesterol drugs can hasten your death. Why they can increase your risk of heart attack. And they can. Studies are now showing that statin drugs can increase your risk for cancer. These are studies that are out there. You can find these by Googling on the Internet.

Print that and show them and say, “I love you but I’ve got to tell you I just saw this article written by America’s Pharmacist,” or written by doctor so-and-so. “I love you and I’m concerned that you’re not going in a good direction with these medications because they can damage your liver, they can cause you to lose your memory, they can cause leg cramps and fatigue. Is any of this happening to you?” If the answer is yes then hand them the article and say, “I know why. It’s because these medications are lowering your cholesterol so much that they’re also lowering a heart-healthy nutrient. It’s not a good thing.”

A lot of people can be sustained and lower cholesterol naturally with things as simple as omega-3 fish oils. It’s very powerful. Co-enzyme Q10, this is very powerful. A lot of people use red yeast rice as well or polycosenol. You can also use things like gugulipid. There’s so many natural things.

Eating a high-fiber diet and cutting out meat is also important. Personally, I don’t think we need to just lower cholesterol to the numbers that they are suggesting to us right now. They want us to lower it so, so much because that way they can get as many people as possible on a statin drug. It’s just gotten crazy. How low do we need to go?

You don’t feel well with low cholesterol. You need cholesterol to feel well. If they can convince the American public that it needs to go below this number, below 200 total cholesterol or below 100 LDL, or whatever, then they can get eight year olds on statin drugs, beat that.

Kevin: Wow. So you’re saying that as they’re lowering the cholesterol people are staying on statin drugs.

Suzy: Yeah. They’re getting more and more people on them. Here’s the thing, lowering
cholesterol in someone with heart disease is like blowing the smoke out of a house that’s on fire. It doesn’t matter. You’ve got to stop the fire. You’ve got to blow the fire out. The fact that someone’s cholesterol is high is just basically telling you that their arteries, their veins, their capillaries, are cracked. There’s these microscopic lesions on them. The cholesterol goes there to patch it up. So if you have high cholesterol you’ve find that your arteries aren’t flexible any more. It’s a red flag. It’s something that you should go, “Uh-oh, I need to eat differently. I need to unclog my arteries.” Something like nattokinese would be helpful as well, blood thinner, very helpful for unclogging arteries, in my opinion. Those statements have not been approved by the FDA. [Laughs] My qualifying statement.

Kevin: I think it’s true, you have to.

Suzy: Yeah, but here’s the thing. I don’t care what somebody’s cholesterol is so much as I care what their LPA is. It’s another blood test. But you’re not going to hear about measuring your LPA because there isn’t a drug to lower it, there is only vitamins and amino acids and nutrients that lower it. So you’re not going to hear about LPA. But that’s a blood test that can measure how much gunky-junk is stuck in your arteries. It’s a far better predictor than measuring cholesterol. Measuring cholesterol is useless as far as I’m concerned. Again, it’s a red flag. It’s just saying your arteries need attention, that there’s a lot of cholesterol being made in order to rush to the site where there’s all these microscopic little cracks in the arteries.

Kevin: Can someone ask a doctor to get their LPA?

Suzy: Yes. If you want to know how well your heart and your circulation is doing, then there are tests that you need to ask your doctor for. You need to insist on these. One of them is measuring your LPA. Another one is high sensitivity C-reactive protein — that’s different than a regular C-reactive protein. You want a high sensitivity one.

Kevin: What’s the difference?

Suzy: This measures inflammation. Another thing you want to ask for is testing your fibrinogen level, and others. Again, that’s because I don’t really care so much what your cholesterol levels are. Do you know why? Because I don’t make any money or profit from the sale of statin drugs so it doesn’t matter to me what the cholesterol is. The people who care a lot about it are the ones who are making the drugs to lower it. They want that measured and they want that number down.

Kevin: It’s just singular. I think that’s one of the biggest challenges. There’s never a holistic approach when it comes to these medications.

Suzy: Well, some of the better doctors are talking about holistic approaches. I’m making some headway. I’ve been doing this for 11 years and I’m like a gnat in the press. The doctors were just scratching their heads trying to figure me out at first, this was eleven years ago going, “Who is she and why is she saying this?” Now I’m a trusted resource for them. They buy my books. They want to know more. They ask me questions about their patients and email and we correspond. I have doc friends all over the world. The smartest ones are the ones who already know this or if they don’t they’re willing to listen. You’d be surprised. Again, doctors care about their patients. They want them to do better. They’re not all just trying to get through the day harrowed and hurry up. A lot of them really, really care. They just don’t know. They believe what they read. They believe what they hear at their educational seminars. It’s almost like they’re indoctrinated. They don’t realize that the medication they’re prescribing can be harmful
to some of their patients. They’re not right for everybody.

Look at Avandia. Avandia is a popular drug that controls blood sugar, a blockbuster diabetic medicine. It’s been out for several years. What they found out about it is — it’s been under fire before — but in May of 2008 a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine that found more dangers, particularly heart problems, so blatantly obvious that the FDA forced the makers of Avandia to post a black-box warning. It doesn’t get any worse than a black-box warning, except if they pull the drug and take it off the market. Here’s the part where I fell out of my chair. The scientists ultimately concluded even after the studies about heart problems, they even concluded that it was inconclusive as to whether this drug contributed to these deaths. Are you kidding me?

I’m not a brain surgeon but Avandia is a drug mugger for many B vitamins like folate and B12, and co-Q10. We’ve already been talking long enough for you to realize that when you run out of your B vitamins and co-Q10, your muscles suffer. Your heart is the hardest working muscle of all. Your heart suffers. Is it any surprise to anybody that a drug mugger of co-Q10 and B vitamins is going to cause heart trouble? Duh.

People who have my book or who have been reading my columns do this. They know that diabetic medicines deplete the body of B12 , a lot of the Bs and also co-Q10. They supplement with those. So they get to enjoy the effects of their medication, if they need it, plus they have a much lower risk of heart disease, heart attack, heart failure and also cancer.

If you’ve just found out that your cholesterol levels are too high and need to come down, you basically have a choice of two paths to take. The first path involves cholesterol lowering foods that have been proven effective and will improve your health far beyond that of your cardiovascular system.

The second path is to use chemicals that have been produced in the laboratory to reduce cholesterol levels. Taking cholesterol medication comes with many potential side effects including muscle, kidney and liver damage. As many as 25% of individuals who use statin medication experience muscle aches and twitching.

It seems to me that the clear choice is using food for high cholesterol and leaving medication as a last resort. Cholesterol lowering foods are those which contain high amounts of fiber and plant sterols such as what is found in most vegetables. Brussels sprouts, spinach and broccoli are some of the best foods that combine high fiber content with a high level of plant sterols.

Sterols are natural substances that are found in all plants and have been proven to block the absorption of cholesterol into the body. This is due to the fact that plant sterols have a very similar molecular makeup to that of cholesterol. Scientists believe that the sterols actually compete with cholesterol for absorption, thereby preventing the absorption of much of the cholesterol found in the foods we eat.

Now don’t get the idea that this is a license for eating a high cholesterol foods. The most effective diet for lowering cholesterol will be one that contains reduced amounts of saturated fats combined with high fiber foods. In addition to vegetables, fruit, nuts and whole grains contain substantial amounts of fiber.

A bowl of oatmeal that has crushed walnuts mixed in is a great food for high cholesterol. Other sample diet for lowering cholesterol ideas include adding as much spinach and other vegetables as possible to the sandwiches you eat.

A wonderful cholesterol reducing dinner that I enjoy is salmon served over a bed of spinach. The combination of fiber and sterols found in the spinach added to the omega-3 fatty acids supplied by the salmon is extremely beneficial.

I invite you to visit my website where I discuss cholesterol lowering foods and other natural ways to bring down high cholesterol readings.