I have high cholesterol that I come by genetically. I have used Crestor, Lescol, and many other cholesterol lowering drugs but I get severe muscle problems with these meds. I want to reduce it naturally but have tried Niacin, Omega 3, and many vitamins to no avail. Does anyone know how to reduce it naturally. I am not overweight and never have been. All my family are slim. Thanks

In your case, try to have a balanced life and diet in order not to "add" more cholesterol to the one produced by your liver. And the most important part is not to give up: changes take time to appear, it is a slow process, but you keep on doing the right things (do not give up Niacin, omega 3 (fish) or any other natural alternative).

A cholesterol lowering diet is your best defense for lowering the levels of cholesterol in your body. Choosing low cholesterol foods and avoiding high cholesterol foods is really the basis of any solid diet for lowering cholesterol. Here are 5 tips to assist you in making the proper foods choices:

1)      Base your diet for lowering cholesterol on low cholesterol foods like:

• Produce – all fruits and vegetables qualify;
• Whole-grain breads, wild rice and pastas;
• Loads of legumes;
• Salmon and other low cholesterol fish;

2)      Be sure to avoid the following high cholesterol foods as much as possible:

• Fatty red meats;
• Duck;
• Goose;
• Pork;
• Poultry;
• Shellfish;
• Cheeses, butters and other dairy products unless they are non-fat/low-fat varieties;
• Any and all foods that contain high levels of saturated fats and/or Trans fats;

3)      Drink plenty of fresh, pure water every day to help your body naturally flush itself clean from the inside out. Water is the essence of all life. There are no life forms that can exist without water for very long. In fact, water is second in importance for life only to the air that we breathe. Speaking of that, make sure that you take the intentional time to start paying attention to your breath. Deep breathing is one of the primary ways that the body cleanses itself as well. Also, breathing deeply delivers life-enhancing oxygen to all of your bodily systems with every beat of your heart.

4)      If you want to understand how to lower cholesterol, then you have to embrace the paramount importance of daily physical activity. Don’t worry – it’s a lot of fun and will make you feel wonderful! You don’t have to work out like Rocky Balboa – just take the dog for a walk each evening. You know he wants to run and play. Or do some gentle stretching and a few sets of pushups. It really doesn’t matter what you do – you just need to do something for your muscles and metabolism on a daily basis. Shoot for one half of an hour of semi-challenging exercise every day.

5)      Lowering cholesterol for the long run has a lot to do with stress management. Deep breathing is a wonderful place to begin. Just 5 to 10 deep breaths have been proven for thousands of years to alleviate stress and make you feel so much better. Do some reading about the miraculous benefits associated with meditation and the Yogic arts.

Implementing a diet for lowering cholesterol is a very healthy choice for all people. Lead your family in health starting today by selecting foods that are rich in water content and begin a daily exercise program with your family. Health and vitality are the goals of all people. Start up your personal path to vibrant longevity today by planning your cholesterol lowering diet and feel the rapid differences!

Steven R Arnold
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/cholesterol-lowering-diet-5-helpful-tips-about-how-to-lower-cholesterol-715262.html

“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are,” said the French philosopher. Two hundred years later, doctors agree. If you eat unhealthy, you end up unhealthy. Here we focus on just one of many dietary villains: cholesterol, and his sidekick, triglycerides. If you want to steer clear of heart and artery disease, then you must understand the unhealthy nexus between the cholesterol- (and triglyceride-) laden food you consume and cardio-vascular disease. This understanding is crucial to making an informed decision about your choice of food, because that’s going to affect your health and your life.

What is the actual effect of cholesterol? High levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream cause a number of cardio-vascular diseases including artery blockage, strokes, coronary disease and heart attacks. The kicker is the fatal influence of many modern day lifestyle-related vices: smoking, drinking, hypertension, and obesity. Some unfortunate people have the added burden of a hereditary weakness which makes them naturally prone to any or all of the above diseases.

Cholesterol comes in two flavors: good (HDL) and bad (LDL). As the names imply, good cholesterol is good for us, bad cholesterol is bad for us. The body requires some triglycerides, but too much is bad. Saturated fats is a form of triglycerides which is really bad news for the heart. On the other hand, Omega-3 fats famously found in fish, is good at controlling the other bad triglycerides and cholesterol. So we should avoid the bad and accept the good. A simple principle which applies to everything. If only we can live this principle!

We grew up to a simple fact: Eggs are good for us! Then came the pronouncement: Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol! Immediately eggs were taken off the diet lists of almost every household. Now eggs are back without the yolk because research has shown that it is the yolk which contains the cholesterol and not the white. So chefs everywhere are dreaming up yolk-less egg delicacies! The point is that we often bad name a food without really understanding what about it is really harmful.

So now you are careful about eating eggs. You have restricted to one poached egg. But are you looking at what you’re having along with the egg? Bacon and cheese and sausages, with thick slices of white bread liberally coated with butter! The egg isn’t going to harm you, but those side helpings definitely are! Once again the point is that instead of adopting a policy of exclusion of a specific food, we should have a more holistic approach to the entire meal.

The way the food is cooked is just as much to blame for high cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. Even foods innocent of any trace of cholesterol, can be transformed into real dangerous dishes. If the food is fried in oil or margarine then the goodness of the food is overpowered by the saturated fats present in the cooking medium. Red meats, poultry products, and dairy products contain high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. So it’s best to stay away from fried stuff and animal products.

Saturated fats are a deadly ingredient in your diet, making the liver increase production of LDL and triglycerides which leads to artery blockage and strokes.

The moral of this brief story is that you should adopt a holistic approach to your diet rather than a exclusive approach. Have everything, but in moderation. Instead of banning specific items from the dining table, it’ll be healthier if you keep a check on how the food is prepared. Boiling, grilling and baking is preferable to frying. Increase the quantum of vegetables in your diet. Follow these steps to have a hearty meal!

Ned D'Agostino
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/having-your-cholesterol-and-staying-healthy-too-672202.html

Cholesterol knows no boundries, it can be a problem for anyone.  The problem is when it becomes a problem it has been elevated for to many years. I have found the best way to lower cholesterol is with phytosterols. What are phytosterols you ask?

Phytosterols come from plants and are chemically similar to cholesterol; phytosterols replace cholesterol in the digestive system, preventing cholesterol from entering the bloodstream.

The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2003 stated this, The combination of eating a high fiber diet and supplementing with phytosterols is just as effective at lowering cholesterol as popular statin drugs-of course without the adverse side effects.

Lipitor is often the drug of choice.  Side effects of this drug are; 

1. Headache– in up to 16.7 percent  

2. Infections — up to 10.3 percent    

3. Muscle pain — up to 5.6 percent    

4. Diarrhea — up to 5.3 percent

5. Joint pain — up to 5.1 percent

6. Inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis) — up to 6.4 percent

7. Accidental injury — up to 4.2 percent.

Other common side effects that were observed in more than 2 to 4 percent of people included: Unexplained rash, abdominal pain (stomach pain), General feeling of weakness (asthenia), the flu, Back pain, Allergic reaction, Constipation, Inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis), Sore throat (pharyngitis).   There are a number of side effects with Lipitor that you should report immediately to your healthcare provider. These include, but are not limited to: Signs of liver damage, such as yellow eyes or skin, upper right abdominal pain, dark urine, and elevated liver enzymes. Muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially if you also have a fever or feel ill, since these may be signs of serious breakdown of muscle, known as Rhabdomyolysis. Significant, unexplained changes in the amount of urine you produce (which may be a sign of kidney problems) Signs of an allergic reaction, such as: A rash, Itching, Hives, Wheezing or difficulty breathing, swelling of the mouth, tongue, or throat.    

Two lawsuits are currently in progress; Wilson, one of the 2 plaintiffs who has filed a lawsuit: took Lipitor for 17 months from 2002 to 2003 and blames the drug for memory loss, nervous-system damage, and weakness in his arms and legs, which caused him to leave his job, according to Krum (the plaintiff's lawyer). Mazzariello blames Lipitor for memory loss and muscle damage, said Krum, and he needs a cane to walk.    

My intention is not to bash Lipitor but to help people realize there are much safer alternatives, that work just as well or better.  What has out of these studies is that phytosterols are most effective when taken with a high fat diet. This raises a quandary as to how can we use them to lower cholesterol when we need  fat in our diet to get the full benefit of what they do?    

A  process has been developed where the plant phytosterols are combined with omega-3 fatty acids and the combination has proven very effective. Not only is cholesterol reduced but triglycerides are reduced as well. What is really beautiful is the fact there are no side effects experienced at all.  Independent clinical studies show phytosterols reduce cholesterol up to 29%. Let's compare a few products with phytosterols to fight cholesterol that are available now;    

Coromega Omega-3 Packets contain 650mg of Fish Oils & Omega 3's and cost about $1.01 cents per day. There are no phytosterols for cholesterol in this product.    

Twinlab's Cholesterol Success has 900mg of phytosterol Esters but no Omega-3's and costs about $0.89 per day.    

Enzymatic therapy's Cholesteril Plus has 400mg phytosterol esters and no Omega-3's and costs about $1.02 per day.    

Lipitor the drug alternative costs about $3.12 per day, the side effects were discussed above.    

The supplement I used and highly recommend reduced my choleserol to safe levels costs $0.67 per day and has 1500mg of plant phytosterol esters and 1000mg of Omega-3's.  The two together are a wonderful team. The fish oil supplies the fat needed for the plant phytosterols to really do their job at attaching cholesterol while at the same time the Omega-3's do their job with triglycerides and many other functions in the body. There you have it; the best of science and the best of nature working together and bringing a super cardivascular benefit to you  

John Miller
http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/natural-cholesterol-reducer-verses-popular-statin-drugs-699966.html

Do you have high cholesterol and need to lower it? That is no surprise considering how many people have high cholesterol these days. To help lower your cholesterol, here are 10 tips you can get started with today.

As with anything health related, diet and exercise are the two crucial components. What you eat is critical to lowering your cholesterol levels, so that is what is included here.

One thing you should know is the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol. Simply think of HDL as "healthy" and LDL as "lousy." HDL can actually help carry cholesterol out of your blood vessels while LDL allows it to deposit inside your artery walls.

The good news is that you can change your cholesterol for the better. Here is how to do just that:

1. Have a nice sandwich on whole wheat bread or a pita with some lean turkey and lots of fresh veggies. Skip the hot dogs, bologna, and salami, and hold the Mayo. All of those are highly processed and filled with fat and cholesterol.

2. Fish, like salmon, is good. Look for wild red salmon varieties, which are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids (good fat.) Also, flax seed is a good source of Omega-3s.

3. Avoid Trans fats! Not only do they raise the lousy LDL cholesterol, they can also lower your HDL levels! Stay away from foods like margarine, shortening, and processed foods containing partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

4. Go ahead, go nuts! Look for walnuts mainly but also try almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, and pecans. Nuts are high in fat, but it's the good kind. (Also, use natural peanut butter instead of the normal kind which contains unhealthy Trans fats.)

5. Limit desserts and try to eat only the healthier ones like angel food cake, graham crackers, Jell-O, and fat-free frozen yogurt.

6. Eat foods that are high in fiber. Examples include whole wheat bread, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans, and some cereals. (Look for the boxes that say "may help lower cholesterol.")

7. Use the grill. If you're going to have steak or burgers, grill them at home and use lean meat. This practice avoids the grease, is fun, and the meat tastes great.

8. Find a new salad dressing. Most of them are full of Trans fats and cholesterol. Olive oil is good, and maybe add vinegar or lemon juice. Also, skip the bacon bits, croutons, and egg yolks.

9. Go overboard on fruits and vegetables. They contain no cholesterol and they have lots of nutrients like antioxidants.

Here are some examples: green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, oranges, mangos, papaya, pineapple, tomato, garlic, onions, spinach, water chestnuts, bananas, apricots, blueberries, and kiwi.

10. Avoid fast food like french fries and anything else from the deep fryer. Those foods will raise your cholesterol like crazy, so stay away from the burger joints if you can.

11. Bonus tip: Use spices like pepper and oregano to add flavor to your dishes. They are a healthy alternative to other toppings like Mayo.

That was easy, wasn't it? Just make some of these changes and get plenty of exercise like walking, jogging, swimming, or playing basketball. You will have lower cholesterol in no time!

Faith
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/a-few-tips-to-eat-your-way-to-lower-cholesterol-714605.html