Cholesterol is our friend!  It is not evil or dangerous. In fact it is essential to life. This steroid compound produced is a vital part of many body functions – we need it!

On the other hand, when our cholesterol level becomes too high, trouble can be on the horizon – but not for the reasons we have been led to believe. Cholesterol itself is a rather benign substance but when levels become elevated, it indicates something else is going wrong. It means the liver is producing more cholesterol in response to a need somewhere else in the body. It is much more important to try to find out what those underlying causes are and deal with them rather than just take a pill to lower the cholesterol itself.

Don’t fall for the heart disease myth!

The belief that cholesterol causes atherosclerosis and subsequent heart disease is a fundamental precept of modern medicine. It’s a myth. What is being confused here is the difference between correlation and cause – even though high cholesterol levels are associated with heart disease risk, it is not the cause of heart disease.   Yes, high cholesterol has been correlated with heart attacks (albeit a weak correlation), but this does not mean it is the cholesterol that is causing the heart attacks. Certainly most would agree that grey hair is correlated with old age but no one would support the idea that grey hair causes the old age. Perhaps something else is causing both the gray hair and the heart attacks. What could that be?  In our comprehensive guide, Natural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs, we’ll teach you the real culprit behind high cholesterol.

You see, just lowering blood cholesterol levels alone will not change any of the true root causes of your heart disease risk.  As a result, getting the cholesterol numbers down via drugs may give a false sense of security that all is well when the risk is still raging on.

Determine your risk factors!

You are probably aware that there are two types of cholesterol:  LDL cholesterol called “bad” cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol called “good” cholesterol.  But, what you may not know is that there are actually “good” types of “bad” cholesterol.  Confusing, right?  In reality, LDL cholesterol is only dangerous when it becomes oxidized.  In order to test for high blood cholesterol, your physician may order a routine blood test called a lipid profile. This test measures total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides.  But, the test does not measure for the oxidized form of the LDL called Lp(a).  Lp(a) causes the formation of blood clots.  While a person could have a high LDL test, they may actually have a low Lp(a), meaning their risk of blood clots is relatively low.  A more advanced lipid test called the vertical auto profile (VAP) cholesterol blood test  measures Lp(a)  and other hidden cholesterol problems that can increase the risk of developing heart disease, even if your routine cholesterol tests are normal. In our comprehensive guide, Natural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs, we’ll teach you all about cholesterol testing and give you practical steps for working with your doctor.

Are the cholesterol-lowering statin drugs safe?

Since their arrival on the market in the 1980s, statins (Crestor®, Lipitor®, Mevacor®, Pavachol®, Vytorin®, Zocor®, etc.) have been among the most prescribed drugs in the U.S., with about 17 million users.  They primarily work by inhibiting a liver enzyme called HMG Co-A reductase, thus reducing the liver’s ability to make cholesterol.  However, the use of the so-called “wonder” drugs is now being questioned.  Why?  Statin drug use is associated with a plethora of side effects.  For example, let’s take a look at just one of these medications – Lipitor:

According to the warning in Lipitor’s own material, there are common side effects and serious side effects to taking Lipitor. Here they are:

Common Side Effects:

• Headache
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Gas
• Upset stomach and stomach pain
• Rash
• Muscle and joint pain

Serious Side Effects:

• Serious muscle problems which can lead to kidney problems including kidney failure
• Liver problems

The point is – why would you pop a statin pill when you can try alternative strategies that do not have these wide-ranging side effects?  If you truly have high cholesterol, there are impressive statistics supporting the use of natural therapies that you should consider before you automatically resort to the pharmaceutical alternatives.   Fortunately, when you choose to use natural healing steps to correct your excess cholesterol problem, you are working on the root causes of the very factors that prompted your body to produce too much cholesterol in the first place.

Natural healing strategies to lower cholesterol

Natural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs is our most thorough and complete resource on how to get your cholesterol levels in proper balance. You generally want to raise the good cholesterol (HDL) and lower the bad (LDL), and fortunately there are several effective ways to accomplish this using natural health strategies recommended by leading integrative physicians and research study groups. You will want to avoid if possible having to resort to the pharmaceutical meds – the statin drugs – because of their well-known potential side effects. The different natural healing strategies for doing so are presented in this guide, which will allow you to choose the route that seems best for you. This guide will give you details on supplement doses and other specifics you will need to know to effectively implement the strategies – all in one place.

1. Making a healthy diet a way of life

Diet should be a primary battleground for someone fighting high cholesterol. But scientists are learning we’ve been taking the wrong approach in the past because we’ve not understood critical facts of nutrition.  For example, it is not the amount of cholesterol contained in a food that makes it a healthy food or unhealthy one. In fact, the majority of cholesterol in your bloodstream comes from what your liver is manufacturing and distributing. The amount of cholesterol that one eats plays little role in determining your cholesterol levels. So this clears up the confusion about why, for instance, eating eggs in the past was considered so bad for your cholesterol levels and why now omega 3 free range eggs are considered one of the healthiest foods you can eat.  InNatural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs, we’ll tell you exactly which foods are healthy and which foods are not.  And, we give you practical tips so you can make a healthy diet a way of life – starting now.

2. The 6 essential steps for exercising

Exercise is the single most effective health habit you can adopt; it will benefit virtually any condition – including cholesterol control – plus prevent a host of others. It truly is the “magic bullet” of health. But it is challenging for most of us to do regularly. InNatural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs, we’ll give you six essential steps to get your exercise program started.

3. Lifestyle factors

We all know that smoking isn’t good for us.  But, you might not be aware that there are other daily stressors that can be just as harmful to your health.  In Natural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs, learn the lifestyle factors that contribute to high cholesterol.  You can’t change your habits if you don’t know they exist!

4. Fish oil

Fish oil supplementation should be a foundational component of a good cholesterol control program – and for most people – an essential part of their overall wellness program. Why? Research has confirmed its effectiveness in lowering triglycerides. But of much greater importance is the fact that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil have been irrefutably proven to substantially lower the risk of coronary heart disease. And that’s what you’re looking for anyway, isn’t it? In Natural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs, you’ll learn about the daily dosage of fish oil you should be taking daily as well as the warnings you should watch out for when choosing fish oil brands.

5. Niacin

Niacin is simply Vitamin B3. It is found in many foods and is manufactured by your body. But is it unique among natural cholesterol control options. It not only reduces triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, but research shows it also increases HDL (“good”) levels.  However, taking niacin can often result in a flushing reaction.  In Natural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs, we tell you exactly how to take the vitamin to avoid the “niacin flush”.

6. The top 5 vitamins and minerals for heart health

How can a person select the best multivitamin/multimineral supplement for their specific needs? The choices in any drug store or retail store or online supplier are overwhelming!  And be assured – not all nutritional supplements are created equal. In Natural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs, we’ll teach you the top 5 vitamins and minerals to support heart health and we’ll share some great advice on selecting the best mulitvitamin/mulitmineral supplements.

7. Tumeric – the miracle spice?

Turmeric, the Indian spice that gives curry its golden color may not be the first nutritional supplement that comes to mind when looking for cholesterol health – but it probably should be.  Curcumin, one of turmeric’s most medicinally active compounds, comes from the plant’s underground stem (rhizome).  It acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant. Therefore, any chronic condition that has inflammation or oxidation as one of its root causes will be benefited by turmeric intake – including high cholesterol. In Natural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs, you’ll learn how to buy and use this miracle spice.

8. The thyroid-cholesterol connection

Is your low functioning thyroid the cause for your high cholesterol score? It is very important for you to find out because of these observations:

• Low thyroid function is quite common – especially as we get older
• Thyroid and cholesterol levels are intricately connected – an underactive thyroid gland has been shown to cause elevated levels of  cholesterol
• Your best efforts to reduce your cholesterol without drugs may be futile if you do not first address your thyroid issue
• Even “subclinical hypothyroidism” – low thyroid function where your blood test for thyroid activity falls within the normal lab ranges – has been shown by scientific studies to increase risk factors for heart disease including elevated total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides

The good news is that high cholesterol caused by hypothyroidism is highly treatable and correcting your suboptimal thyroid function can improve your health in many other ways – including the possibility of enabling you to lose weight when it has seemed virtually impossible in the past.  Learn if your thyroid could be the missing link to your health woes in our comprehensive guide.

9. Avoid red yeast rice

Did you know that red yeast rice is like a statin drug – with all the same undesirable side effects?  While many supplement manufacturers tout its benefits, red yeast rice should really be avoided.  In Natural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs, learn why this popular supplement may not be best for you.

10. Identify your top 3 points of motivation

Whatever action plan you develop – food choices, supplements, exercise - you’ve got to find a way to do it regularly and consistently. If you are only hit and miss with your program, it will have only marginal effectiveness and you’ll be disappointed with the results. Therefore, a key will be to keep your top three motivations visible to you at all times. What could be your top three points of motivation that would help you be consistent?

• I want to be able to travel for the next 15 years without being slowed down by high cholesterol and other chronic health conditions.
• I want see the look of amazement on my doctor’s face when I have my next blood lipid panel and my cholesterol is back to normal!
• I want to be able to enjoy my grandchildren for the next 20 years without becoming feeble.
• I just want to feel better overall.
• I want to continue to look good and maintain a healthy body shape as I grow older.

Would any of these motivations work for you?   Whatever your motivation, it all starts with the first step – a simple click.  Get Natural Cholesterol Control:  Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels Without Drugs today.  Don’t put it off any longer – this action will enable you to enjoy in the long run the things that make life truly fulfilling!