Don't Go Breaking Your Heart, Lower Your Cholesterol

Quite often in my practice, my patients will come to me with concerns about their cholesterol levels. They’d like to avoid taking those statin drugs that they hear so much about and want to try to lower their cholesterol “naturally”.

Most people I have found, really do not understand much about cholesterol. All they know is HDL, LDL, and one of them being bad. First, let me state that cholesterol is the base matrix of hormones in your body. It’s more of where the cholesterol goes that makes it a bad thing.

Think of your LDL’s and HDL’s as taxi cabs. Your LDL’s keep your cholesterol in your blood, which can lead to plaquing and your HDL’s bring cholesterol back to your liver.

A good way to remember which one is the more undesirable one is, your HDL, (High Density Lipoprotein) is your “H”ealthy cholesterol and your LDL, (Low Density Lipoprotein), is your “L”ethal cholesterol.

One thing that must be addressed is your diet. Whenever I say that to someone, they automatically think that their world will come to an end. “Diet” does not have to be a “four letter word”. Changing your diet will seem hard thing at first, but once you’ve started, the hard part is over. Since everyone’s needs are different, you should always consult your health care practitioner on your dietary needs and changes.

Fatty foods are the first to drastically change.This doesn’t just mean fried foods.  Things like dairy products and certain fish also need to be addressed.

In addition, here are a few things you can do to supplement your diet.

Dietary fiber or roughage is the indigestible portion of plant foods having two main components:

• soluble
• insoluble

The main action of dietary fiber is to change the nature of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract, and to change how other nutrients and chemicals are absorbed.  Soluble fiber binds to bile acids in the small intestine, making them less likely to enter the body; this in turn lowers cholesterol levels in the blood.

Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of, or who have cardiovascular disease. Research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids decrease risk of arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats), which can lead to sudden death.

Omega-3 fatty acids also decrease triglyceride levels, slow growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque, and lower blood pressure.

The FDA has approved the following claim for phytosterols: "Foods containing at least 0.4 gram per serving of plant sterols, eaten twice a day with meals for a daily total intake of at least 0.8 gram, as part of a diet, may reduce the risk of heart disease."

The mechanism behind phytosterols and the lowering of cholesterol occurs as follows: The incorporation of cholesterol into micelles in the gastrointestinal tract is inhibited, decreasing the overall amount of cholesterol absorbed. This may, in turn, help to control body total cholesterol levels, as well as modify HDL, LDL, levels.

Paul McElderry is an NCCAOM Board Certified practitioner of East Asian Medicine. He has been studying Traditional Chinese Medicine since 2000 when he enrolled in New York College of Health professions. He also received other advanced training in neurology, myology, pathophysiology and Eastern and Western nutrition.

Paul  is the owner/practitioner of the located at 713 Main Street, in Port Jefferson, specializing in Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, Medical Massage and Nutritional Counseling.