Cholesterol Treatments And Drugs

If your doctor has determined that you have heightened levels of bad cholesterol, he or she will likely make some suggestions about things you must do to improve your health.

Some of these suggestions will have to do with diet and lifestyle changes. However, if your cholesterol is quite high or you require an aggressive approach to lowering cholesterol, you may be advised to take certain medications or treatments in order to lower your cholesterol.

So it’s important that you know something about the treatments and remedies that are available now to lower cholesterol, because this will help you to work with your health practitioner in order to develop a cholesterol treatment regimen that may work for you.

Healthy Cholesterol Through Herbal and Natural Remedies

Research is providing good evidence that there are several effective natural herbs and supplements to help in lowering LDL and raise HDL or "good" cholesterol. This research has been done in lab settings.

If you visit a naturopath or health care practitioner who specializes in alternative medicines, you may be advised to try some of these treatments. If you’re worried about the side effects of pharmaceutical cholesterol-lowering drugs, you might want to speak with your doctor about drug-free ways to lower cholesterol. Or you might even want to ask for a recommendation for a natural health practitioner.

Considering alternative remedies gives people dealing with a higher level of cholesterol new options. It is especially good for those who don’t react well to traditional pharmaceutical cholesterol-lowering medications.

Guggul Gum Resin From the Mukul Myrrh Tree Is Used To Treat Obesity

This same remedy is used to help lower cholesterol and decrease high blood pressure. Guggul is also named Gugulipid and Gum guggulu. The botanical name is Commiphora mukul.  Guggul is used to lower elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. The active ingredients are resin, volatile oils, and gum.

Policosanol is Considered To Be a Safe and Effective Treatment to Lower LDL Cholesterol

Whilst preventing oxidation of LDL cholesterol it promotes a normal blood flow. It comes from sugar cane wax and has been studied in-depth for some 10 years. Human trials are published in North American and International medical journals.

Pantethine is also a Very Promising Cholesterol-Lowering Substance

It has significantly reduced serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL_cholesterol or "bad cholesterol" levels. It increased HDL or “good cholesterol" levels in several clinical trials. Pantethine has the further advantage of not producing the undesirable side effects of other synthetic lipid lowering drugs.

Curcumin is also very promising

It’s a very strong antioxidant with antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and cholesterol lowering properties. Curcumin is an extract from the every day kitchen spice Turmeric and has a number of health benefits.

Garlic has been proven effective by a standard double-blind placebo controlled study. A 900 mg daily serving of garlic will significantly slow down the development of atherosclerosis. You can read about this study in the journal article: Koscielny J, Klussendorf D, Latza R, et al. The antiatherosclerotic effect of Allium sativum. Atherosclerosis. 1999;144:237–249.

As an added benefit, garlic has been proven beneficial in fighting off common colds. It can also add flavour to meals. If you want to enjoy tasty low-fat meals, use garlic rather than salt or fat. It will help you stay healthy. Many health experts consider garlic to be a super-food that is generally beneficial for overall good health.

Omega 3 / Fish Oil has been shown to be beneficial for heart health as well as brain function. Dr. Fran Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health has published studies that suggest that high consumption of fish, 4-5 times a week, cuts back the risk of women dying from heart disease by 45 percent compared to women who rarely eat fish.

Men with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids have an 81 percent lower risk of dying suddenly than men with the lowest levels. The fat in fish helps towards lower cholesterol, and helps to prevent blood clots that form and can cause heart attacks, and lessens the chances for the irregular heart beats that cause sudden deaths. One daily gram of an omega-3 fatty acid supplement will reduce risk of sudden cardiac death by 42 percent.

Beta-Sitosterol when taken at 300 mgs twice a day will help to lower blood serum cholesterol and triglycerides, even with few diet changes and little or no exercise.

Psyllium Seeds are a common ingredient in bulk laxative products. Studies have shown that psyllium does lower LDL cholesterol. This study showed improvement for both children and adults.

Soy Protein benefits your heart health. To achieve the best results, eat at least four servings of 6.25 grams of soy protein or 25 grams per day.

For those with high cholesterol levels of 260-300, soy protein will probably reduce cholesterol by 15-25%. Countries which enjoy diets rich in soy proteins, and this includes countries like Japan, have populations that suffer a lot less from cancer, heart disease, and high cholesterol.

Women in countries that have soy-rich diets seem to be less affected by osteoporosis and other dangers of menopause. Actually, the countries that have traditional diets which are high in soy have populations that seem to enjoy longer and healthier lives. This has lead many researchers to investigate the potential benefits of soy, and many research studies have found that soy proteins seem to contribute to a good heart and overall health.

Other Remedies Which Are Believed To Help Reduce LDL Cholesterol:

• Vitamin E and C
• Green Tea
• Licorice Extract
• Aspirin : 80 mg a couple of times per week.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil : 1 tablespoon daily.

Herbs and other natural medicines and treatments are best to be recommended by natural or holistic specialists and many conventional doctors and specialists may not know a lot about herbal remedies. Some that do might not believe in their healing properties.

Your doctor might be able to recommend a natural health practitioner, as this field gains increasing credibility in the medical world. However, you may also need to seek out a natural or holistic specialist yourself. This may be challenging, as there are fewer professional bodies regulating these experts.

To make sure that you find an expert who can really help you, try the following:

1. Ask for recommendations from your friends and family, especially if they have had success with holistic experts in treating heart and cholesterol issues.

2. Look for holistic specialists that have some formal training and certification. Many holistic trainers now have medical degrees as well as some training in holistic medicine. Some even do research work. These kinds of holistic practitioners may be harder to find, but they are well worth finding, because their advanced training will help ensure that you get good healing treatment.

3. Always speak to holistic practitioners in a pre-interview before agreeing to accept their services. During the pre-interview, make sure that the natural practitioner listens to you well, has a good knowledge of medicine and seems to be qualified. Request their references. Be wary of natural practitioners that make grandiose claims, seem to advertise one brand of products heavily, offer advice that contradicts basic knowledge about human health, or practitioners that are vague or unhelpful when answering your questions.

4. Even if your doctor doesn’t agree with natural medicine, make sure that he or she knows which natural treatments you’re taking. Natural and herbal products might still interact with your other medication or you may develop allergies to specific products or treatments. Keeping your doctor informed will make it easer for your doctor to help.

5. Always ask for detailed labels or ingredient lists for all natural or holistic medicines or treatments that you take. Read these carefully to make sure that you are not allergic to any of the ingredients. Also be sure to check the non-medicinal ingredients in your natural medicines.

Important. Don't doctor yourself as herbs are potent and some people may react negatively to some herbs. Herbs and plant-based substances can be allergens and may still produce side effects, reactions, and interactions with other medicines. Herbs are not recommended as alternatives to conventional medicine without professional guidance. Always consult with a trained professional for best results.

 

Follow this link for information about Lower Cholesterol Medicines .