Our Top Cholesterol ?’s

September is National Cholesterol Education Month and as a chiropractor and drugless practitioner, I want you to know it is possible to lower your cholesterol up to forty percent naturally. Below are common cholesterol questions and my answers to help you achieve healthy cholesterol numbers.

Are there symptoms associated with elevated cholesterol?

Typically, elevated cholesterol does not manifest in actual symptoms per se, but you may notice elevated skin areas below the eyes which are called xanthomas—they may be yellow in color.

What is a normal cholesterol number?

I personally like to see cholesterol between 200 and 225. Cholesterol over 250, with an elevated triglyceride test (blood fat), is a body signal the cholesterol may be elevated from eating sugar or refined grains. A cholesterol level over 250 with a normal to elevated HDL may be due to the patient exercising. Exercise increases your HDL which has been known at good cholesterol.

What is HDL cholesterol?

HDL cholesterol is considered the good cholesterol because repairs tissue in your body, while some believe is scavenges LDL cholesterol.

What is LDL cholesterol?

LDL cholesterol is considered the bad cholesterol since it tends to be elevated with vascular or heart disease. I notice elevated LDL levels in those individuals who are inflamed and do not have enough oil to put their “fire” out.

What actually raises cholesterol—is it cheese, eggs or meat?

Cholesterol is the building block for many other hormones in the body which are needed for pain relief, sugar use, joint strength, sexual hormonal function and many more areas. Cholesterol may elevate because of stress, low thyroid, a diet focused on purely foods which cause inflammation (sugar), and trans fat.

How can I lower cholesterol naturally?

There are many ways to manage cholesterol. First, determining the reason why your cholesterol is elevated is important; cholesterol can be lowered by limiting or avoiding foods which cause inflammation like sugar and trans fat. Beet and apple fiber are food choices that can lower cholesterol up to 40%. Having proper thyroid function can also lower your cholesterol.

What tests are used to determine cholesterol health?  

There are several tests you can request. A cardiac profile typically has HDL, LDL, triglycerides and total cholesterol.  The marker is LDL and triglycerides. If they are elevated, I sense the patient may be eating sweets or fruit, both of which can increase the inflammation potential in the vascular system resulting in a response to increase the production of cholesterol, which is used to create cortisone “to put the fire out”.