About Cholesterol - Nine Secrets You Won't Learn From Your Doctor

It seems that nowadays everyone is concerned about their cholesterol. Since high cholesterol is associated with clogged arteries and heart disease, just the term 'cholesterol' conjures up negative feelings. But there is another side to cholesterol that most people have never heard. Knowing the following nine 'secrets' may forever alter your thinking about having lower cholesterol.

First - Cholesterol is an extremely vital substance for proper fetal and newborn development. During pregnancy, a mother's cholesterol levels increase dramatically. Why? Because cholesterol is being transferred to the baby via the placenta to insure healthy development of the brain and nervous system. The brain requires more cholesterol than any other organ in the body. After the baby is born, his/her mother's milk then supplies the baby with additional amount, assuring the continual, on-going development of the brain and nervous system.

Second - Guess what? Your brain and nervous system need cholesterol, too. Cholesterol is required by neurons to form synapses (connections) with other cells. Some recent studies have shown that drugs that inhibit the liver from making cholesterol may also keep the brain from making it, resulting in reduced brain function. Alzheimers and other neural degenerative diseases are on the suspect list of statin side effects, since statins lower cholesterol levels.

Third- Serotonin, the body's "feel good" chemical, cannot do its job if cholesterol levels are too low. Depression, suicidal tendencies, or aggressive behavior can result.

Fourth- Cholesterol is an effective anti-oxidant. Cholesterol's anti-free radical activity neutralizes the damaging effects of fatty acids and free radicals in the tissues. As such, cholesterol fights inflammation, infections, and cancer!

Fifth-Many of our hormones depend on cholesterol. Cholesterol makes up the hormones that help us deal with stress, hormones that regulate blood sugar levels, and all the sex hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Sixth- Cholesterol is a leading repair mechanism. It's found at all wound sites, and is present in the arterial walls where inflammation has set in. It puts 'patches' on the arterial walls that have been eroded by bad diet. No new cell can form without cholesterol.

Seventh- Cholesterol is found in all your cell membranes and provides rigidity, structure, and 'water-proofing'. Its presence insures that your cells maintain their integrity - without enough cholesterol in your tissues, your cells would become either too fluid, or too firm.

Eighth- Cholesterol is necessary for the formation of Vitamin D in your body. Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle pain, and auto immune disease.

Ninth- Cholesterol is necessary for the digestion of fats. Cholesterol is used in the making of bile acids, which in turn are changed to bile salts, which are essential for the digesting and assimilating of fats.

So there you have it. Certain levels of cholesterol are needed by the body for it to maintain good health. Think about it if your doctor tells you you need to lower your cholesterol...even lower!

I research information concerning current health trends, uncover the myths that keep people from making wise decisions, and provide natural remedies that will dramatically increase the potential for living disease free.
I'm the mother of five children and have six grand-daughters.
http://www.haveahealthyheartnow.com/

Original article

Cholesterol Lowering Drugs - 'Statins' - Learn How They Work and The Effects They Produce

Cholesterol lowering drugs - commonly called statins - are being prescribed frequently, but the side effects they produce in the body can leave you feeling achy, fatigued, and depressed. What should you do? If you feel caught between a rock and a hard place, answering the following two questions should help you decide: 'How do statins work?' and 'Are they effective?'

Statins work by inhibiting an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase. This enzyme works in the liver and is essential for producing cholesterol and another co-enzyme called COQ10. When HMG-CoA is inhibited, the liver is inhibited, and cannot perform its functions properly - cholesterol and COQ10 levels in the body are both depleted.

To understand what happens when cholesterol levels are reduced, we need to understand the role cholesterol plays in our bodies. Cholesterol is a substance that is found in every cell membrane, making our cell walls waterproof. Without sufficient cholesterol, our cell walls become leaky. Studies have shown that low cholesterol rates yield increased rates of cancer. That should not be surprising, since cancer begins at the cell level. Cholesterol is also a repair substance. It is found in all scar tissue, including the scar tissue that is in your arteries - plaque. (This fact should help us to realize that cholesterol is a symptom of heart disease, not a cause). Cholesterol is also needed by our brains for proper brain function. What am I getting at? Cholesterol is a friend, not a foe. Creating low levels of cholesterol, inhibiting its normal, necessary functions can be very dangerous to your health.

Statins also interfere with the making of the enzyme COQ10. COQ10, like cholesterol, is found in our cells, and is vital for the creation of ATP in the mitochondria. The creation of ATP (energy) is crucial for cell reproduction, cell repair, for the effective messaging and interaction between our cells -ie- our immune system, and for supporting muscle function. When COQ10 levels are depleted, our muscles can not function properly. Since the heart is a muscle, it is directly affected when COQ10 is limited. Though statins are taken to reduce cholesterol levels and thereby increase heart function, indirectly they may decrease heart function by altering COQ10 levels. It is interesting to note that deaths due to heart failure doubled from 1989-1997. Statins were introduced to the American public in 1987.

Do statins work? It depends on what you want them to do. Yes, they lower cholesterol levels.

Do they prevent heart disease? It is evident that heart disease is not on the decline. This is affirmed by a test done in 1992, in which Dr Ravnskov analyzed 26 controlled cholesterol lowering trials and found an equal number of cardiovascular deaths in both the treatment and the control groups.1

Are statins effective? They lower cholesterol and COQ10 very effectively, but do not seem to be lowering rates of heart disease. You need to have the right cause to produce the right effect. Evidence seems to indicate that factors other than high cholesterol are causing heart disease. If high cholesterol caused heart disease, then statins would be putting a large dent into the number of heart disease victims --but they're not. Instead they are causing problems all their own. I'll be saving that information for future articles...

If you decide to take statins, you should supplement with COQ10, or you will be at risk for very serious side effects, particularly wasting of your muscles. If you choose not to take statins, there are some very effective natural remedies that can help bring your cholesterol/ triglyceride levels into a normal range, by getting to the source of the problem. They would be a much wiser investment, in my opinion.

1. Ravnskov U.BMJ.1992;305:15-19

The information in this article is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

You are encouraged to confirm any information obtained from or through this article with other sources, and review all information regarding any medical condition or treatment with your physician.

I research information concerning current health trends, inform people of the myths that are being circulated, and provide natural remedies that will dramatically increase the potential for living disease free.

I am a wife, the mother of 5 and the grandmother of six girls.

http://www.haveahealthyheartnow.com/

Original article