High Cholesterol kills millions anually, but can be controlled naturally!

While High Cholesterol is a killer...  you can win the battle with these remedies!

Failure to control cholesterol levels kills millions world wide. In America alone more then half a million die each year from complications caused by elevated LDL, (or bad cholesterol). Despite this truth, or maybe because of it, most of us do not correctly understand cholesterol and many think of it as something sinister that clogs our arteries leaving us vulnerable to heart attack and stroke.

The truth is that the liver produces an equivalent amount of cholesterol as a dozen eggs with yolk every day. In fact if you didn`t have cholesterol in your body you would die. It serves to aid the body in a variety of functions including hormone production.

The facts on High Cholesterol

Cholesterol itself is not the problem. When too much of it is in the bloodstream at one time, some of it oxidizes which turns it into LDL. HDL,(the good cholesterol), usually attaches itself to the LDL and transports it to the liver for disposal. But when too much of the bad cholesterol is there, the good HDL can`t keep up. The immune systems sends protective cells to absorb the cholesterol, but in the process often damages arterial walls.

Once the immune cells become enlarged from eating the LDL they often stick to the damaged area`s of the wall and there harden into plaque. Over time, if this process continues, enough plaque will build up to greatly restrict and even stop blood flow. If this happens to arteries transporting blood and oxygen to the heart, we have a heart attack. If it happens to arteries carrying blood and oxygen to the brain, we have a stroke.

Our personal fight against High Cholesterol.

Since High Cholesterol can lead to serious physical problems you should definitely talk with your doctor about this condition and regularly have levels tested. But we suggest not stopping there. Recently my mother,  was diagnosed with high cholesterol and high blood pressure. She has always been healthy and into healthy cooking, but being in her seventies she has recently elected to eat some of the convenience foods rather then cooking herself.

When she received this diagnoses the allopathic doctor told her she would be on pharmaceutical medication for the rest of her life for these conditions. We were greatly concerned because my husbands mother had died at age 64 after a seven year battle brought on by a stroke.

In Japan we have access to both allopathic, (western medicine) and Kanpo Yaku, (natural medicine). Unlike in many western countries, natural medicine is still seen as an effective method of treatment. My mother promptly went to her doctor that practiced natural medicine and informed him of her situation.

It is important to note that we kept both doctors well informed of the other`s recommendations so that they could work together rather then against each other. Dr. Mori then put her on some natural herbs and suggested she go back to eating her own cooking. My mother already was getting regular exercise as she still often walks many times each week.

In a matter of months the allopathic doctor tested her and said her cholesterol and blood pressure were at normal levels and she no longer needed the pharmaceutical medicines. Even he was amazed at this. He did suggest that she be regularly tested to insure levels remain healthy, but we were all delighted with the outcome.

Every 1 point reduction in cholesterol means a 3% lower risk of heart attack and stroke! Healing Foods While foods with cholesterol such as eggs shouldn`t be over eaten it is really foods with high fat content that are the real culprits in adding LDL to the bloodstream. Red meats, milk products including cheese and convenience foods are the ones you need to greatly reduce or eliminate from your diet.

The foods that should be added are fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, cold sea water fish, sea vegetation, and a variety of soy foods.

Soy products have long been a staple in Japanese diet. In America soybeans, (known as edamame in Japan), is often feed to chickens, but is not often eaten as part of the regular American diet. That`s too bad since tofu, miso, and soy milk all have cholesterol lower components.

Olive oil has been found to lower LDL while leaving HDL alone. Start taking 2 teaspoons of this oil a day. Fish such as sardines, mackerel, tuna and others are high in Omega 3 oils which help lower cholesterol. Claims also have a component that stops you from absorbing cholesterol.

To lower High Cholesterol as well as several other health giving benefits start eating more fiber. The average American eats only 8 - 12 grams of the recommended 25 grams of fiber. We personally believe that 40 grams daily is better and recommend a minimum of 30 grams. Grapefruits, apples and carrots are high in pectin which will bond with cholesterol and remove it from the body.

We learned first hand with my husband that making sudden changes to your daily diet is not sustainable. But with small gradual changes your taste do change and you will learn to enjoy the more healthy choices. My husband was as finicky an eater as anyone and more then most.

When we first began he didn`t even want to try some things.... but little by little he learned if he would eat something several times his taste really could change. My husband has recently told me that he feels he has been freed from the slavery of fast food and junk food. He now looks forward with great pleasure to trying more and more new and healthy foods.

Cholesterol lowering Herbs Garlic is one of the most tested herbs and has many studies showing it`s usefulness with helping lower high cholesterol levels. Eggplant is not only a tasty, but in natural medicine is considered to have useful medicinal actions that help lower high cholesterol and even help lower high blood pressure.

Celery has lots of fiber which is useful in fighting high cholesterol along with having on component that some studies have shown in animals to be useful in helping the body remove bad cholesterol from the body. Additional herbs that have useful effects on lowering high cholesterol are red pepper, turmeric, psyllium and fenugreek.

Herbal Tea`s that help reduce high cholesterol Green tea has many antioxidants and other helpful components to help lower cholesterol. It also can aid in weight-loss which will further aid in the fight against LDL.

Ginger tea is also a great herbal tea for this condition as it is a triple threat. Studies show that ginger lowers both high cholesterol and blood pressure and helps prevent blood clots which cause most heart attacks and strokes. This herbal tea has many other useful actions for a healthy lifestyle and is highly recommended.

A special note: herbal tea`s are not technically tea`s where as green tea is..... tea. However we have used them both under the heading of Herbal tea`s for convenience sake.

Apple Cider Vinegar Pectin is a soluble fiber found both in apples and apple cider vinegar which absorbs fats and cholesterol and successfully removes it from the body. The amino acids in this vinegar also attack and neutralize LDL cholesterol. Because it helps absorb fat it is useful in weight loss which further reduce complications relating to high cholesterol. Vitamin and Mineral Therapy You may not be a poker player, but you`ll still want your ACES. Vitamins A, C and E and selenium are all important in your fight for better health including lowering blood cholesterol. Niacin a B vitamin is said to work as well as some prescription drugs, but as high doses of this can cause liver damage you need to work with a health care professional to take medicinal amounts of this therapy.

30 milligrams of zinc along with 2 milligrams of copper are useful for good cholesterol levels.

Exercise is an absolute must There is no getting around it... if you want to be healthy you need to exercise several times a week. Countless studies have confirmed that exercise lowers cholesterol and increases overall health. You don`t need to train for a marathon. Walking 30 minutes daily along with resistance training twice a week is enough for substantial improvement in health. Low level Yoga or Tai Chi is also an excellent form of low impact exercise that is good for body, mind and spirit. Meditation helps too Studies done at the University of California among others show that meditation done daily for 20 - 30 minutes can have a significant effect on lowering blood cholesterol. Harvard studies have found that meditation can produce "the relaxation response" which can help lower blood pressure and further reduce your chance of heart attack and stroke. Don`t forget to actively practice your Spiritual Faith Studies suggest that those who have and actively practice a spiritual faith of their choosing have significantly higher rates of good health then those that don`t. By being involved in something you believe in and placing faith in a force greater then your self it lowers anxiety and stress and allows the body, mind and spirit to work more cohesively to produce health.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Make the home remedies on this site your first step to achieving a complete, balanced state of health and well-being.

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