How To Correct Your Cholesterol

(Article written by: Dr. Richard Huntoon, the leading Newburgh Chiropractic and Wellness Expert in Newburgh, NY)

I get up in the morning at 5 am and ride my bicycle for 45 minutes to an hour depending upon the day, and I catch up on the only real news that interests me...sports on ESPN Sports Center.  Lately when I am watching, I see so many commercials about medications.  This is not new, as the Pharmaceutical Industry has used advertising for years.  But what is new is the information that is being given.  It is only partially true, and then they add the partial list of side effects that you might as well consider root canal without anesthesia, before taking the FDA approved medication.  Then the last few days, there has been a new commercial for "Vitamins" at a discounted rate.  I nearly fell of my bike while listening to the information on the products being offered.  With this as motivation, I finished my ride, and found myself thinking of how I could take all this mis-information and offer something better for my readers.  Something that would be of value, both to your health and your life.

How many of you have concerns with your cholesterol?  Perhaps you have been conditioned to hear the word cholesterol, appreciate that it is "bad" for you, and that you need to keep it out of your diet if you do not intend to suffer from Heart Disease and that life-ending Heart Attack.  Well, if you appreciate why your body produces this waxy substance, maybe you can come to have respect for what your body is telling you, rather then trying to eliminate it from your diet and your blood results.

What Is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a natural substance that is created by the body, in the Liver, and is manufactured for the purposes of cellular health and protection.  Every one of your cells requires cholesterol in order to create a strong cell wall that can differentiate what should be let into the cell and what should not.  Cholesterol is also used to manufacture all your hormones, the chemical messengers necessary to control how your organs function.  Without Cholesterol, your organs would fail and so would your body.  Believe it or not, Cholesterol is your friend.  Unfortunately, Cholesterol can also act as an enemy.  This is when the body produces "bad" cholesterol, which tends to coat our arteries in the form of plaques, and create the conditions of Atherosclerosis, Arteriosclerosis, with the potential for Strokes or Heart Attacks.  This is why Cholesterol has gotten a "bad" reputation.  I'd like to dispel the reputation and maybe even get you to befriend your "bad" Cholesterol.

If you can appreciate that the body is a well-balanced machine, it is always trying to maintain and restore its natural balance or homeostasis.  And it continually does this based on how it is stimulated.  Your Cholesterol balance is no different.  Since Cholesterol is found as part of the cell wall in animals, and not in vegetables, you needn't worry about the Cholesterol content in your vegetables or their respective oils.   That's because there is no Cholesterol in vegetables or their oils.  But that hasn't stopped man from trying to change these oils in an effort to make them more stable.  Vegetable oils are fine for eating, which is true at room temperature, but it becomes a different story when they are heated.  Once they are heated, the mono and poly-unsaturated fats associated with these oils become fractionated, or split apart, creating "Free Radicals."  Free Radicals are what have been associated as precursors to Cancer.  Margarine is a major culprit in this phenomenon.  When the commercial seen on TV said, "It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature!” they had no idea how correct they were.  Consumption of these types of oils, or other man-made incomplete foods, creates damage to the cells, especially the cells associated with the linings of the arteries.  Once the lining is damaged, the body will need to create more of this waxy substance in an effort to repair the lining.  This waxy substance that acts like "joint compound" is your bad cholesterol. 

So your "bad" Cholesterol is actually a measurement of how much damage you are creating in your body based upon the consumption of the man-made, highly refined and processed foods in your diet.  Can you now appreciate the importance of the measurement?  So when one has an elevated Cholesterol count, and the ratio of good vs. bad cholesterol is given, look to the LDL measurement, or "bad" Cholesterol.  This should be between 100 and 130.  If it is above 130, consider it as a reading of not only how much "crap" food you are consuming in your diet, but also the potential damage you are creating as a result.   Also consider how you are potentially headed for that life ending Heart Attack.  Also of importance is to look at the Total Triglyceride count.  This helps to determine how much refined carbohydrates you are consuming.  Numbers in excess of 100 for Total Triglycerides is an indication that you are consuming entirely too many refined carbohydrates, and these will be converted over to LDL's and stored in the body as bad fat.

Can Your Cholesterol Be Too Low?

Just as one should be concerned when their total cholesterol numbers are too high (anything above 225 begins to become an issue), likewise, anything below 160 is also the indication of major potential health issues.  Everyone talks about high cholesterol, but no one mentions cholesterol that is too low.  If your total cholesterol is below 160, this puts you in the category of other major health issues, not involving having a heart attack.  If your cholesterol is too low, you now fall into the category of potential cancer, or something more quickly to end your life, a stroke.  So if your doctor has you taking any of the cholesterol lowering medications, such as Lipitor, Crestor, or any of the others, appreciate that these medications can get your numbers down to as low as 150.  But this is not healthy!  Especially if it has been artificially lowered by suppressing Liver function with the medications. Accomplished this way is a sign of bad things to come.  So don't let this become you. 

What This Means To You

If you are interested in lowering your Blood Cholesterol Numbers (or raising your blood cholesterol because it is too low) and getting them into a more healthy range, I can help you understand how to do that without harmful drugs.  Appreciate that these medications you are prescribed will require you to get your Liver enzymes checked two or three times a year.  That in itself should be a major indicator that they probably aren't good for your long-term health.  Masking a symptom, or in this case a sign, is not the best way to restore balance.  In fact, it doesn't restore balance at all.  If you consider the importance of what the Liver does, and why it is producing the "bad" Cholesterol, you will want to strongly consider doing a Liver cleanse, or our Liver Detox.  This will allow your Liver to flush out all of its accumulated garbage from all the poor quality foods and air we are exposed to and allow the Liver to regroup.  Then with a change in diet, you can create the scenario to produce less Cholesterol and the basis for producing less of the "bad" Cholesterol.  And as the "bad" Cholesterol starts to decrease, you will begin developing better health and a better life-style in response to your change in diet.  Then add some exercise to the mix, about 30 minutes a day of balanced Aerobic activity, and you will begin to increase your "good" Cholesterol, known as the HDL's.  Finally, by discussing with me how to introduce healthy fats into your diet, we can help you to support producing more "good" Cholesterol and continue to support your overall health.  Your hormones will start to balance, and your body will feel less sluggish and more energetic.

My Offer To You

To All My Current Patients: If you are interested in having your Cholesterol Lowered in a more natural and healthy fashion, call the Office and tell us you want the Cholesterol Lowering Plan.  This involves sitting with me and discussing what specifics are needed to get your Cholesterol moving in the right direction.  We will discuss your diet and the need for a Liver Cleanse, outline what is involved, and then develop a specific plan for you.  And the cost of this consultation?  For a limited time, through the end of April, I will offer this consultation at no cost to you.  This has a $ 75.00 value. 

Betacol: Liver disease, osteoarthritis, venous congestion, liver detoxification

Cholaplex: Used for elevated cholesterol and hypertension

Choline: used for Fatty Liver, impaired liver function, involved in fat metabolism

Circuplex: helps to remove the plaque build-up in the arteries

Soy Bean Lecithin: Elevated blood cholesterol, gallbladder symptoms,

Dr. Richard Huntoon or “Doc Rick” as he is fondly called by his patients provides chiropractic services and chronic pain treatment in Newburgh, NY. Call his office today at 845-561-BACK (2225) or visit his website at http://www.spineboy.com/ for more details.