3 Simple Ways to Lower Cholesterol Naturally

How can you lower cholesterol naturally without drastically altering your lifestyle and micromanaging your meals? It IS very simple, but first a few words about cholesterol levels and heart disease. The impact of cholesterol levels on heart disease has been greatly exaggerated. 

Here are a few facts about the relationship of cholesterol levels to heart attacks and strokes:

• Half of all heart attack victims have normal cholesterol levels
• In the famous Framingham Study people with the highest cholesterol levels lived the longest
• In this same study it was found that people with the lowest cholesterol levels had the highest rate of death from all causes.

How could this be? Aren't we told that cholesterol causes heart disease and that we can never get it TOO low? Well this is a myth, and medical science has been caught flat footed to explain this to a confused public.

The truth is that while cholesterol is involved in the process of atherosclerosis, it does not cause or initiate this process. Atherosclerosis involves small dense highly inflammatory cholesterol particles called Lp(a) that get lodged in the arteries and form plaques that can block blood flow and if the plaques harden and break off they can travel upstream and cause blockages in smaller arteries called “ischemic strokes.”

The small dense highly inflammatory LDL particles get lodged in artery walls and cause the damage that leads to heart attacks and strokes. If your cholesterol levels are high (above 250) and you have these particles, you are at increased risk for heart disease. If however your cholesterol is high and your LDL particles are the large low density type, then your risk is very low.

Inflammation is the key when you are trying to determine your risk for heart disease and there are several tests that can be helpful. C-reactive protein, serum homocystiene, and fasting blood sugar, will tell you more about your risk of heart disease than the standard cholesterol profile that most doctors still use. So with all this said, why would you still want to lower cholesterol?

The answer is that you don't want to lower it by artificial means, using statin drugs block production of cholesterol which is a normal and necessary process. You want to lower cholesterol naturally by eating a diet of fresh non-processed foods, getting enough fiber, getting enough vitamin-D, exercising properly, and keeping inflammation low in your body.

Cholesterol is also an antioxidant, and it increases in response to inflammation in your body. So when your cholesterol is lowered naturally it means that your body does not have to make as much cholesterol to synthesize vitamin-D and fight oxidation in your body. So with that said, here are some of the simple steps you can take to keep your cardiovascular system healthy and thus your cholesterol at naturally optimal levels.

Make sure you get enough vitamin-D

When your vitamin-D levels are low, your body makes more cholesterol which in turn it uses to bio-synthesize vitamin-D. Thus you need to get at least 20 minutes of daily sunlight or if you live in a cold climate take supplemental vitamin D3 daily. How much? According to Dr. Stephen Sinatra, the minimum daily intake for a normal healthy person should be 2,000 units a day. If you have a medical condition check with your doctor to see if taking a vitamin-D supplement is safe in your particular instance.

Limit your intake of carbohydrates to under 150 grams per day

This includes both simple and complex carbs. Ideal carbohydrates would be non-starchy vegetables. Limit grains especially wheat, and stay completely away from simple sugars like deserts and alcohol. I little indulgence in these things from time to time is ok, but not on a steady basis.

Avoid long slow cardiovascular exercise

You need about 15 minutes of vigorous exercise 3 times per week. This can be in the form of circuit weight training, internal training, kettlebells, sprints on a track or elliptical machine, or an exercise system such as PACE by Dr. Al Sears. Long duration cardio training can raise your levels of stress hormones and actually accelerate the aging process.

Short brief but intense bouts of exercise have a much healthier effect on your hormonal system, and your blood lipid profile. Doing these simple things on a daily and weekly basis, you can greatly reduce your risk of heart disease, and you will get a leaner better looking body as well. When you lower cholesterol naturally your health benefits across the board.

It's All About ATP!

It's all about ATP! Yep, that's the long and short of it. Who says understanding antiaging and health has to be complicated? All you have to do is understand why ATP (adenosine triphosphate) powers everything in our body from our muscles, to our brain, and all bodily functions.

When ATP is high, we are healthy and robust. When it's low we are weakened, tired, and sick. Our bodies make this important molecule every second that we are alive. It's estimate that your body produces something like 140 lbs. of this molecule every single day just to keep you alive and functioning.

Knowing this, don't you think that helping your body to make ATP more efficiently should be the highest thing on your priority list when it comes to good health. Not convinced yet? Well, consider what can happen when the human body can't make enough ATP:

Congestive heart failure Dementia Weak immune system Rhabdomylosis (muscle wasting disease) Physical and mental fatigue Chronic pain Cancer Diabetes Chronic inflammation

The list goes on, but I think you get the picture!

Everything you do is powered by ATP, from reading this blog, to brushing your teeth, to playing tennis, to breathing is dependent on the energy you get from this amazing molecule.

Without going into a long winded explanation of the chemistry involved, all you need to know is that your body makes ATP from the nutrients in your food specifically sugars and fatty acids. ATP is called the currency of energy in your body. Without it you could not live for even a few seconds!

Knowing this, doesn't it make sense to ensure that your body has everything it needs to make ATP efficiently? This is what Dr. Stephen Sinatra's “metabolic Cardiology” protocol is all about.

Dr. Oz - Best Anti-Aging Tips

For years Dr. Oz has been teaching people across the country to live healthier and better by emphasizing the things we all have control over. Now he gives you his best anti-aging tips based on his medical experience and common sense. Notice the emphasis he puts on a diet that you love. His reasoning is that if you enjoy something, you are much more likely to do it consistently!

He explains that while aging is inevitable we CAN control the rate at which we age, and remain happy, healthy, and active no matter what age we are! Check out my page on Dr. Oz at this link:
Dr Oz – Promoting Antiaging and Integrative Medicine

Earthing and Antiaging Skincare

Earthing just may be one of the best forms of antiaging skincare, and it isn't even something you use on your face! Surprised? Well...I sure was when I tried it, because that was NOT the result that I was looking for, but it was part of the benefit I got. Let me tell you about my experience.

I first learned about Earthing (or grounding as it's also called) from a video clip of Dr. Stephen Sinatra talking about what he called "Caveman medicine." This was all about making electrical contact with the Earth (as in the ground beneath your feet) with your body.

At first I was skeptical, not about whether it had ANY benefit, but that something so simple could have that much of a positive effect. Still, this intrigued me, because Dr. Sinatra is a renowned cardiologist, and frankly, MD's tend to be very logical and evidence based people.

They just don't get much into the touchy feely stuff that you might associate with something called Earthing. Yet here he was telling us that this simple connection to the Earth's electrical energy could have all kinds of health benefits, with absolutely no risk, not to mention very little expense.

Dr. Sinatra related how even just walking on a beach with wet feet would cause you to absorb electrical ions into your body that would act as natural antioxidants and reduce inflammation, as well as lowering your stress levels.



I noted that years ago, while visiting my aunt's cottage at a local lake, I would feel amazingly relaxed and pain free by the end of the day. I chalked it up to a stress free day, spent with family, and just relaxing by the water.

The idea that I was absorbing the Earth's electrical energy was something that never entered my mind. I also notice that my skin seemed to look healthier, something which I attributed to the sun, fresh air, and the water, but again, looking back I think the Earthing effect was a big reason for that.

I reasoned that Dr. Sinatra's explanation on the video clip seemed to fit the circumstances perfectly, and so maybe there WAS something to this Earthing thing after all. So I broke down and bought a grounding pad for $59.00, just to try out the theory.

I used the grounding pad under my feet when working on the computer, and even slept on it at night. I noticed the effect within a day or so, and it was profound, no doubt about it, something very different was happening, and I felt great!

What did I notice? Mainly that I felt very relaxed and stress free, like nothing was worrying me, and I didn't have a care in the world. I also noted a lack of pain or stiffness in my body, and let me tell you, for a 57 year old with over 25 years of competition level weightlifting training on my body, that's saying something!

Old weightlifters typically suffer a lot of chronic nagging injuries, aches, and pains, due to years of handling weights that most people could only roll across the floor let alone lift. This is what hard training does, and it's pretty much inevitable.

But here I was feeling less pain than I did in my 30's and being amazed that something this simple and inexpensive could make that kind of difference. I tend to be good at connecting the dots on a lot of things, and my experiences at the lake visiting my aunt, and the explanations of Dr. Sinatra for why I experienced the benefits just seems to fall into place like pieces of a puzzle.

It makes logical sense that your skin also benefits from antioxidant effects, which the grounding pad will supply. This is because free electrons from whatever source function as antioxidants to suppress free radicals. IN the case of Earthing, this was antiaging skincare that didn't even involve anything applied to your skin, like a cream or a lotion. This is because free radical damage (which Earthing prevents) is the reason your skin ages and loses it's beauty as you get older.

Grounding has noticeably improved the look of my skin, something that I didn't anticipate but of course I'm very pleased with. In fact, it's a more beneficial form of antiaging skincare than anything else I've ever done!

I am still Earthing and still getting the benefits of it. I don't present this as some kind of cure for any disease, or as a panacea for health problems, but the theory seems sound, and I felt the benefits even in light of my skepticism, and now would not ever give up my grounding pad.

I run the antiaging website called Longevity and Antiaging Secrets, and I decided to become an affiliate for these grounding products. You can read more about Earthing and grounding pads and their benefits at the link below.

http://www.longevity-and-antiaging-secrets.com/body-grounding.html

However honestly, you can find these pads all over the Internet, on Amazon, and other websites. They are all about the same price, because I think they are all made by the same manufacturer. You can pick them up pretty much everywhere.

Give Earthing a try, and I'm sure you will discover for yourself how something very simple and basic can change your health for the better! They don't cost much, and again from my experience they are one of the best things you can do for your health.