Best Cholesterol Medications

Cholesterol Medications

The time has come to speak of that most dreaded topic: cholesterol medications. The word “medications” sends a shiver down your spine as you think of a giant needle being injected into your spinal cord, but you are not pregnant and thus have nothing to worry about. The needle is injected into your rear, not your spinal cord, silly.

The thought of taking medications no longer has the dire “DOOM” connotation that it once did, as most of the medications that you will take are thoroughly tested to be sure that there are no drastic side effects.

It is important that you know as much as possible about the medications for high cholesterol that you can consider, as researching medications helps you to know what the potential risks and side effects are.

Yes, there will always be risks and side effects, as all chemicals have a reaction in the body. Despite the side effects of the drugs, you may find that they will be incredibly helpful in lowering your cholesterol levels and avoiding the high cholesterol symptoms that can be equally discomforting and far more dangerous.

A few simple side effects from the medications may be a small price to pay to avoid high cholesterol symptoms like heart attack, stroke, and a mild case of death.

The types of medications that you can take with your foods to lower cholesterol include:

• Statins
• Bile Acid Sequestrants
• Fibrates
• Nicotinic Acid Agents
• Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors

All of these cholesterol medications will help you to keep your cholesterol levels low, but how do you know which one is best for you? In order to be sure that you are getting the right medication for your cholesterol, read on to find out all of the facts you need to know about the different options you have for treating your high cholesterol.

Keep in Mind…

Remember that these medications below are not the quick fix solution to your cholesterol problems that will magically make it disappear. As pleasant as that would be, that is just too easy.

Taking these medications for high cholesterol will help you to lower your cholesterol quickly, but you will need to take them along with your low cholesterol diet if they are to be effective.

If you don’t follow a food plan as you take the medications, it’s like taking blood from one arm to infuse into the other. Failing to follow a low cholesterol diet when taking these medications will render the medications useless, so it is essential that you eat foods to lower cholesterol as much as possible with the medication.

Statins

Statins prevent the body from producing HMG-CoA, an enzyme that is in charge of keeping cholesterol production balanced. Statins are able to reduce the production of cholesterol by as much as 60%, and it helps the liver to be able to dispose of all the cholesterol that is creating traffic jams in your body.

Statins are the most effective drugs to keep your LDL levels low, and they have the added bonus of giving your HDL a boost. Statins will help to lower your total cholesterol and triglycerides as well, making them an excellent choice when trying to keep your cholesterol in check.

There are a few different types of statins approved in the US:

• Lipitor
• Lescol
• Altocor and Mevacor
• Pravachol
• Crestor
• Zocor

Statins will be effective within four to six weeks of your taking them, and they are incredibly effective at helping to lower your risk of stroke, heart attack, death, and other coronary illnesses related to cholesterol.

BEWARE: Do not use statins if you are:

• Allergic (obviously)
• Pregnant or planning to get pregnant
• Breastfeeding
• Suffering from active liver disease
• An alcoholic or someone who drinks a lot of booze
• Highly likely to have myopathy
• Suffering from renal failure

These tablets and capsules can cause serious damage to your body if consumed under the above conditions, so be warned.

Children and Statins:

Children can be treated for hypercholesterolemia by using statins, though they need to be at least 10 years old. Statins may be considered for treating high cholesterol in children if:

LDL levels are higher than 190 milligrams per decilitre

LDL levels are higher than 160 milligrams and the patient suffers from the risk of cardiovascular disease or there are cardiovascular disorder risk factors.

Statins vs Food and Drugs

When taking statins, you should try to avoid drinking grapefruit juice. The reason for this is that grapefruit juice actually prevents the liver from metabolizing certain statins properly; therefore, you could simply be sucking down the pills to no effect.

There are certain medications that may not interact well with statins in your body, and you should consult your doctor about mixing statins with:

• Herb supplements
• Vitamins
• Immune system medications
• Other medications for treating cholesterol
• Infection medications
• Birth control pills
• AIDS or HIV medication

Aside from these drugs, there are many other drugs with names that end in “azapine” and “ozem” and such that you would never understand. Suffice it to say that you should always consult your doctor before taking statins if you are taking anything stronger than the Chewy Baby Gummy Vitamins you can find at Walmart.

Statins and Side Effects

There are a few potential side effects that could result from the statins:

There is a risk that you will experience weakness, pain, sore muscles, vomiting, and brown urine, among other symptoms. There is a slight chance that you may have muscle problems that are reacting negatively with the statins, so get a blood test if this happens.

There is a minimal risk that the muscle problems that you are having may become rhabdomyolosis, and this is a serious medical emergency that occurs when the drugs you are taking interferes with the body breaking down the statins.

If you feel bloated, cramped, gassy, and you have an upset stomach, it may just be that your body is adjusting to the medications. They may feel painful at first, but they will usually disappear as your body acclimates to the medications.

Numbness in the hands, legs, arms, and feet is known as neuropathy, and this has occasionally been reported as a side effect of the statins.

Remember that statins are usually fairly easy for the body to absorb, so there is little risk of any side effects. Immediately contact your doctor if any present themselves.

The good news is that doctors will always monitor the function of the liver when you are taking statins, so you should be able to catch any serious side effects right away.

Fibrates

Fibrates are also one of the cholesterol medications and are responsible for lowering triglycerides levels, though they have some small effect in lowering LDL levels as well. Fibrates can help to elevate HDL levels in the body, bringing in the reinforcements your body needs to fight its own fight against the “naughty” cholesterol that is invading and trying to take over.

Fibrates have proven to help reduce the risk of heart attacks that are non-fatal, though they are usually only prescribed to those who are intolerant or allergic to statins.

Some of the fibrates currently available in the U.S. include:

• Lopid
• Tricor

BEWARE: There are many people who are allergic to fibrates and thus should avoid using them, as should people who have some form of liver disease. Those with severe kidney disease should also avoid fibrates in order to avoid serious complications.

Take Your Meds

Fibrates are usually taken once or twice a day, usually in the morning and evening. They are best ingested with the meals to avoid digestive problems.

Fibrates vs Food and Drugs

Fibrates will not interact negatively with any of the food that you eat.

Statins will cause a problem when they interact with the fibrates, often resulting in rhabdomyolysis or myopathy. Fibrates actually cause certain drugs like warfarin and oral diabetes drugs to have a greater effect, so it is essential that your blood sugar and bleeding time are closely monitored to ensure that the drugs are not mixing poorly and causing a negative reaction.

Fibrates and Side Effects

Some of the side effects that may result from taking fibrates include:

• Vomiting
• An upset stomach
• Diarrhoea
• Stomach pains
• Headache
• Nausea
• Fatigue

Muscle pains and aches

It is rare that the muscle pains are associated with muscle damage, but it can be serious if that is the case. When stains are mixed with gemfibrozil, there is often the greatest risk of damage to the muscles. There is also a risk of gallstones forming in the bladder as a result of taking fibrates.

Bile Acid Sequestrants

Bile acid sequestrants act like the sugar coating on the outside of a pill, bonding with the acids in your stomach that contain the cholesterol. The bile acid sequestrants caused the acids to be passed to the intestines, where they are sent out the back entrance and down the drain forever. These medications can help to reduce LDL levels by between 10 and 20 percent, and even small doses can be effective in helping you control LDL.

You may find that statins are prescribed alongside the bile acid sequestrants to make them as effective as possible in getting rid of the cholesterol. The combination of the two drugs is able to reduce your cholesterol levels by as much as 40%, but they will have no effect on triglycerides.

Some of the bile acid sequestrants currently available in the U.S. include:

• Questran and Questran Light
• Colestid
• WelChol

BEWARE: Those who are allergic to bile acid sequestrants should avoid taking them, and there is a risk that those who have a history of bile obstruction will be negatively affected by the drugs. Some bile acid sequestrants, such as Questran Light, contain aspartame, which can be seriously harmful to those who have phenylketonuria.

Taking Your Meds

The bile acid sequestrants are usually mixed in with water, though a nice glass of fruit juice is always tastier. The reason the medications are mixed with liquid is that they can be hard on the stomach if ingested alone, so the liquid waters down the medications to help avoid any intestinal or stomach problems.

The bile acid sequestrants are usually taken either once or twice a day with your meals, which also helps to prevent digestive problems. Always wait two hours after taking antacids before taking these drugs, as the antacids can make the drugs less effective.

Bile Acid Sequestrants vs Food and Drugs

Bile acid sequestrants prevent your body from absorbing Vitamins A and E, so you may need to take extra supplements in order to give your body as much of these two vitamins as it needs.

The medications will prevent your body from being able to absorb and process certain drugs, particularly:

• Thyroid hormones
• Niacin
• Tetracycline
• Amiodarone
• Clofibrate
• Hydrocortisone
• Penicillin

Again, the list of drugs that end in “-zide” and “-exate” is too numerous to list here, and you should always make sure to consult your doctor before mixing bile acid sequestrants with any other drugs.

Bile Acid Sequestrants and Side Effects

Many years of research have gone into the effects of the bile acid Sequestrants, and experience has shown that they can be used for prolonged periods of time with no ill side effects.

Seeing as the medication is not absorbed by the body but is simply ejected out the back door, there is little risk of serious complications. The only side effects are small, including bloating, constipation, nausea, and a tendency to produce large quantities of methane.

Nicotinic Acid Agents

Nicotinic acid is also known as niacin, and is a B vitamin that is soluble in water and helps to improve all of the lipoproteins’ blood levels. Granted, the B vitamin needs to be taken in doses well above the daily requirement, but it will help to lower total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL while helping to elevate levels of HDL in your body. This acid can help to:

• Raise HDL by between 15 and 35 percent
• Lower LDL by 10 to 20 percent
• Reduce triglycerides between 20 and 50 percent

These agents are very effective at helping prevent cholesterol levels from getting out of control.

There are a few types of nicotinic acid available in the U.S.:

• Niacin
• Slo-Niacin
• Niacor

BEWARE: Those who have liver disease should avoid nicotinic acid, as should those with nicotinic acid allergies. Anyone with arterial bleeding or peptic ulcers should also avoid nicotinic acid to avoid any serious consequences.

Take Your Meds

When taking niacin, you should always start with a low dosage and slowly increase it over time. This helps to prevent negative side effects. Immediate release niacin is much cheaper and can be purchased without a prescription, but its use should be carefully observed by a doctor to ensure that there are no side effects.

Extended release niacin is handled well than crystalline niacin, but it has a greater chance of damaging your liver. You will usually take no more than 2 grams of the medication every day to avoid complications.

Nicotinic Acid vs. Food and Drugs

Seeing as nicotinic acid is a form of vitamin B, there will be no negative interaction with food.

The nicotinic acid will, however, reduce the effectiveness of any blood pressure medications, therefore you will be monitoring closely by your doctor if you are prescribed nicotinic acid along with any medications for controlling blood pressure.

Nicotinic Acid and Side Effects

There are a few side effects of the nicotinic acid:

• Hot flashes and flushing caused by dilating blood vessels
• Nausea, gas, and indigestion, and vomiting
• Possible formation of peptic ulcers
• High blood sugar
• Gout
• Liver problems

The risk of the last three increase as the dosage increases.

Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors

Cholesterol absorption inhibitors do exactly what their complicated name implies: they inhibit the absorption of cholesterol. It helps to reduce LDL and triglycerides, and is usually prescribed to those who notice side effects when their dosage of statins increases. Ezetimibe is the most commonly prescribed cholesterol absorption inhibitor, and it can increase the effectiveness of statins two or three-fold.

BEWARE: Anyone allergic to ezetimibe should avoid taking it.

Take Your Meds

The cholesterol absorption inhibitors are taken one time a day, and they can be taken with or without a meal. They are usually administered alongside the statins.

Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors vs Food and Drugs

Taking bile acid sequestrants at the same time as cholesterol absorption inhibitors cuts the effectiveness of the medication in half, which is why 2 to 4 hours should pass between taking the latter and the former.

Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitors and Side Effects

Some of the side effects of cholesterol absorption inhibitors include:

• Stomach pain
• Joint pain
• Back pain
• Sinusitis
• Diarrhoea

Certain people have hypersensitive reactions, such as a swelling of the neck and head tissue, skin rashes, muscle damage, hepatitis, and pancreatitis, though these reactions are rare.

Supplements To Improve Your Cholesterol Numbers

Getting your cholesterol numbers where they should be is important, as cholesterol levels that are too high are a danger to you. Just like the numbers on a thermometer, the numbers of cholesterol given to you by your doctor are important, and you need to do what you can to lower your cholesterol as much as possible.

Many people focus on the diet and the exercise aspect of their cholesterol lowering efforts, while others try and stuff their mouths with medications that will help to lower bad cholesterol (the easy way).

Lowering your cholesterol is attainable through having the right diet, but the whole purpose of the diet is to give your body all of the right nutrients it needs to figure out how to lower bad cholesterol on its own. However, the supplements that you can take are basically concentrated versions of the nutrients you get from your food, so they will be much better at reducing cholesterol.

If you want to find natural ways to lower cholesterol, here are some supplements made from natural ingredients that can help you to lower back cholesterol and get your cholesterol into shape: **Extract of Artichoke

Your mother may have had to force you to eat your artichoke when you were younger, but you may find that you will gobble down this supplement just to obtain the health benefits it offers.

Artichoke extract can be effective in reducing cholesterol, specifically the LDL type, meaning that you can lower your bad cholesterol numbers effectively. The extract is also supposed to help reduce your total cholesterol, but be wary of the potential side effects: possible allergic reaction (for those with artichoke allergies) and gas.

Beta-Sitosterol

Plant sterols are believed to be effect at reducing your cholesterol levels, while is why it is recommended that you eat margarine that has been enriched with these sterols. Beta-sitosterol can be found in certain supplements as well as the enriched margarines, and it can be effective at cutting back on both your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels.

However, be aware that it may cause nausea or indigestion if your stomach is unable to handle it, and there is a risk of both diarrhoea and constipation setting in along with some gas. (This is usually only the case with those whose bodies react badly to the sterols).

Barley

Barley appears to be the love child of rice and oats, but it is one of the best things to eat if you are trying to get rid of high cholesterol.

Barley not only helps to lower your total cholesterol levels, but it will actually be effective at getting rid of your high LDL cholesterol as well. It is a great replacement for rice and other carbohydrates that are refined, and the best part of eating barley is that there are absolutely no side effects (except for those who have gluten intolerance). You can eat barley all day long and see your cholesterol levels drop.

Fish Oil

Fish may not be your favourite food and fish oil even less so, but did you know that fish oil is incredibly good at lowering cholesterol in your body? Fish oil helps to fight off triglycerides, and can help to reduce your high blood pressure and give your heart a break. As long as you get the high grade fish oil, you should have no problems with toxicity or heavy metal poisoning.

The side effects of fish oil may include diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pains from gas and bloating, a fishy aftertaste in your mouth, and bad breath. Also, be warned not to take fish oil with blood thinning meds unless you have consulted with your doctor.

Blond Psyllium

Blond psyllium is one of these substances that very few people know about, as it is found only in certain seed husk products and products like Metamucil. However, blond psyllium is something that you can take to deal with your total cholesterol levels, which it will help to put down for good.

You can also deal with your LDL cholesterol levels with this supplement, thus effectively keeping your cholesterol levels low. Keep in mind that you may get the side effects of pain in your stomach, an overly active production of gas by your intestines, constipation and/or diarrhoea, and finally, nausea.

Sitostanol

Plant sterols are one nutrient that you can use to help to improve your cholesterol numbers, and stanols are also products made from plants that deal with high cholesterol problems. You can find a number of oral supplements to take that contain Sitostanol, and there are many brands of margarine that are enriched with this type of stanols.

You may be able to effectively counter your LDL cholesterol problems with these stanols, and you can make inroads against your total cholesterol level as well. However, the side effect that you need to be aware of is the diarrhoea that may be caused by the stanols.

Oat Bran

The husk around the kernel of wheat and oat is known as the bran, and it is the part of the grain that contains most of the important nutrients. Most flour products are made with refined wheat that has had all the husks removed, but oat bran can be found in many packages of whole and cut oats.

This bran can be effective at helping you to deal with both your LDL and total cholesterol levels, and the best part about it is that it is a natural product made from oats – one of the best foods for you to eat. The only downside is that it may cause bloating and pain in your stomach, but that is highly unlikely to happen unless you are very sensitive to oats.

Extract of Green Tea

Green tea is one thing that all doctors recommend to eat when trying to fight cholesterol, as green tea contains lots of antioxidants that help to fight cholesterol problems. Green tea extract is basically the concentrated form of all of these antioxidants, making it one of the best things that you can take to help lower your cholesterol levels.

Green tea extract is usually taken to help lower levels of LDL cholesterol in your body, but it can also help to boost the production of HDL cholesterol.

There are very few side effects for those who are not allergic to green tea, but there is a slight chance of diarrhoea, gas, vomiting, or nausea for those who cannot handle it. Also, make sure to consult a doctor before taking the green tea extract if you are taking blood thinning medications, as it may cause problems.

Garlic Extract

Aside from garlic’s amazing properties that can drive off friends and vampires alike (namely, the smell), it is one of the most heart-friendly foods to eat. Garlic extract is the concentrated version of all the good stuff in a clove of garlic, and it is one of the best things that you can take to help fight off high cholesterol.

Garlic is one of the best good cholesterol foods, as it helps to fight LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and lower your cholesterol (total). The downside to the garlic extract is that it is a concentrated version of something that is already incredibly powerful, so you may have bad breath, a bad odour emanating from your body, heartburn from the powerful garlic, gas, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhoea.

This only happens if the supplement is too strong for your stomach to handle, but it will be effective at fighting off cholesterol. (Just make sure to stay away from friends while taking it) Ground Flaxseed Flax seeds have been considered one of the best natural ways to lower cholesterol, and this is due to the fact that flax seeds contain a natural oil that the body needs to function properly (it is comparable to fish oil in health benefits).

However, flax seed extract is the concentration of these beneficial properties from the seed, and it is commonly used to help lower triglycerides in the body. The side effects may include bloating, gas, stomach pains, or diarrhoea, and it is important to check with your doctor if you are taking blood thinning meds at the same time.

The most important thing to remember about all of these supplements is to consult your doctor before taking one. Some supplements will be just what you need, while others may interact badly with medications or other supplements you are taking. Consult your doctor to be sure that you are not going to cause further problems trying to improve your cholesterol numbers.

4 Ways To Lower Your Levels Of Cholesterol

Men and women generally ask for various tactics to lessen excessive cholesterol levels and to lead a healthy and balanced life; however, they are unaware that the fix to their issues lies with themselves. Apart from medication that might consist of side-effects, there are a few alternative tactics where people can minimize their fat quantities.

In comparison to prescribed drug treatments, these normal ways are risk-free, do not have negative effects and will almost unquestionably strengthen an individual’s overall health and daily life.

Below are 4 good methods to improve your daily life and overall health without increasing your cholesterol levels with taking pills. Low cholesterol diets are the best way to go when it comes to the natural ways of keeping healthy.

1. Healthy Eating habits:

It’s quite difficult seemingly to keep a healthy diet unless you’re a vegetarian. Nowadays, when fast-food has nearly become the staple meal for youths and unhealthy meal is available nearly everywhere, even when we’re watchful of our eating plan, one nonetheless is unable to escape the fate of ingesting extra cholesterol than he or she ought to.

Nonetheless, creating a low cholesterol diet plan is usually the first action to lowering an individual’s ldl cholesterol levels. Usage of fiber and spices also has valuable influences on the human body to cut down cholesterol levels while in the physique.

2. Exercise:

Leaving the couch also to start out moving is typically one of the most effective techniques to sustain a healthy lifestyle! By running, cycling, swimming, basketball, a person can strengthen their cardiovascular well being and strengthen their blood circulatory system.

Though physical exercise may well not immediately minimize one’s cholesterol levels, the strengthening of the circulatory system can assist in decreasing strokes or heart attacks probabilities. Furthermore, workout will help a person reduce their bodyweight which also assists in cutting down the cholesterol levels within your body.

3. Quit Smoking:

Using cigarettes builds up the plaque in a person’s arteries, which leads to excessive cholesterol considerably quicker. As an outcome, a smoker’s system and heart has to work more to pump blood via those clogged up arteries to deliver oxygen to the whole system.

The additional push onto the heart can essentially induce heart failure, or when the arteries are wholly blocked, there is a high chance a stroke or heart attack can easily happen.

4. Try to relax:

Higher anxiety may also great amounts of cholesterol levels. When any person is continuously placed under extreme stress, even when he is on minimal fat diet, the result of diminished trans fat could be extremely low. To obtain a decrease trans fat place, we have to learn to remain relaxed and calm despite various job related stressful conditions. Only then would the other methods of decreasing cholesterol be a lot more successful.

Besides a good diet, we should have proper exercise and avoid vices for example smoking or excessive consumption of liquor. Only when these conditions are met, one can have a decreased chance of having higher cholesterol.

Top Benefits Of Eating Low Cholesterol Food

It has been studied and proven by medical science that those people who live with low cholesterol have succeeded in living prolonged lives. It has been seen that the easiest way to reduce the high levels of cholesterol would be to eat low cholesterol food products. In fullness, the method will mean that you have to consume fewer foods that have high cholesterol content. Eating the low cholesterol food will enable the person to remove the need to eat those fast food meals that are filled with high calories and fats.

Health benefits for those that eat low cholesterol foods vary from one person to another. For some, they see this eating process as a way to maintain their current weight or to remove the excess pounds they have in their bodies. As a matter of fact, people who eat low cholesterol food are also eating foods that have fewer calories in them. Eventually, the person will achieve the ideal weight as he or she lowers the calorie content as well. Over time, the diet will help the person reduce the cholesterol levels in the system.

One of the most useful benefits of the low cholesterol food intake is that it will decrease the risks related to acquiring heart related problems. The lifetime of the person will generally improve as he gets to reduce the bad cholesterol that blocks the arteries and the veins. This blockage is often seen by medical experts as the causes of heart attacks and strokes. As the body takes in low cholesterol food, it does not need to exert too much effort to excrete bad cholesterol. There are times when the excess cholesterol in the system will be removed with the help of medication that should be prescribed by a licensed physician.

Low Cholesterol Foods are Delicious

When dieticians state you have to eat low cholesterol food, most would often think of those green vegetables or rice cakes. In reality, most of the food we eat has some portions that are actually quite low in saturated fat, which produces cholesterol. For example, the red meat is seen as high in cholesterol content. However, if you choose the leaner portions of the meat rather than the fatty sides, you are, in consequence, reducing the cholesterol content of the dish. It is quite easy to find the low cholesterol food as long as you are willing to take the time to locate it diligently.

Almost all the fresh vegetables are low cholesterol food products. However, this would depend on how you cook them. After all, if you fry these low cholesterol food ingredients in butter, you will be adding cholesterol levels to that dish. As much as you can substitute the high cholesterol contents with ingredients that has fewer cholesterol contents.

Paths For Lowering Cholesterol Naturally

When the first diagnosis of “high cholesterol” is pronounced, many people are unsure of what this means and what exactly cholesterol is. They hear the word bandied about and assume it is “bad”. Actually, cholesterol is an essential compound that is manufactured in our bodies and is necessary for survival. It is a waxy looking substance that is found in certain foods of animal origin. But how does cholesterol get too high and what are the risks of high cholesterol?

Cholesterol is crucial for the body to be able to produce hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. But, the body only needs a certain amount of cholesterol to function properly. When too much cholesterol is present within the body, problems like heart disease can develop. Certain conditions in the body can cause cholesterol to deposit in our blood vessels, hardening the arteries and narrowing the flow of blood. Some arteries may be completely blocked. This condition is called atherosclerosis. If blockage occurs in the heart, it causes a heart attack.

There are essentially two important forms of cholesterol circulating in our blood, 1) the low density or LDL, known as the “bad” cholesterol and 2) the high density or HDL, known as the “good” cholesterol. Heart disease is strongly correlated with an excessive LDL relative to HDL. The goal is to lower your LDL and raise your HDL, your “good” cholesterol. HDL helps the body to get rid of bad cholesterol in the blood. If your HDL levels are too low, your risk of heart disease increases as well.

There are two main ways to lower your cholesterol.

One way is to make changes within in your diet and lifestyle, i.e., naturally. For instance, limit dietary fat to no more than 35% of total calories. Reduce intake of cholesterol to 300 mg or less per day. (Too little cholesterol in the diet and the liver will produce more to make up for the lack.) Other efforts include getting more exercise, quitting smoking, and reducing body fat to a healthier level.

The other method to lower your cholesterol is to take cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed by a doctor. Doctors will determine if these types of medications are needed by assessing the number of risk factors you have for heart disease.

People with multiple risk factors, such as, smoking, heart disease present already, diabetes present or genetic risk factors for heart disease, may have no other alternative but to take cholesterol-lowering medications to control their cholesterol levels. The consequences of taking these are the many undesirable side effects caused by these, such as, impairment of brain function, muscle pain and damage, for example.

Despite having multiple risk factors, medication reduction or elimination altogether is entirely possibly by trying the simple changes to diet and lifestyle and/or even trying available vitamin and herbal formulations that have no side effects.

Even while taking the prescribed medications, your doctor will also prescribe dietary and lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, exercising, and dietary adjustments. Smoking lowers your HDL and raises your LDL, so reducing to eliminating smoking is a priority.

Exercise increases the good cholesterol in some people. Even moderate-intensity activities such as a 20 minute walk that are done daily can help you to control your weight, diabetes, and high blood pressure which are all risk factors for heart disease.

High cholesterol and heart disease is hereditary so if you are concerned about your cholesterol level, you should see your doctor. A simple blood test will be able to tell you the level of bad and good cholesterol that you have. You can even find them at your local drugstore. Your doctor can also assess your lifestyle and give you advice on how you can stay within health cholesterol ranges.

How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally

In the event that a person’s most recent blood chemistry check-up identified some sort of dangerous cholesterol level that is certainly greater than 100 mg/dL, then you definitely need to be looking out from today or at least as soon as possible for methods and strategies on how to lower cholesterol naturally and effortlessly.

When you are diagnosed with bad cholesterol ranges that happen to be merely a little bit greater than the typical figures this can definitely be reduced or lowered without having to take cholesterol-reducing medicines at this current stage in your cholesterol lowering regimen.

How to lower cholesterol naturally you may be asking? Dispose of any if not all of those fast foods or junk foods if you are eating at home as well as margarine in your kitchen in addition to bacon strips and even red meats from inside of your fridge immediately.

Oily seafood typically such as fish provide Omega-3 essential fatty acids which will make the blood much less viscous, therefore, assisting in its own effortless or at least much easier circulation in the direction of the heart.

The damaging cholesterol that is circulating within the bloodstream will as a result have minimal chance of adhering to the actual walls of the arteries, hence restricting and greatly reducing the possibility of plaque forming which can in turn gradually result in heart problems and diseases.

Any time you are picking out fruits and vegetables, choose the varieties that are an excellent source of fibre or roughage as some people refer to it. Citrus fruit along the lines of apples and other healthy foods such as beans, eggplant, okra and even carrots are generally a vital and most excellent source of foods that result in the lowering of blood cholesterol levels.

Finally, working out regularly and on a consistent basis is definitely another perfect solution to lower cholesterol levels naturally. Having said all of that, it basically requires some sort of good judgment to be familiar with how to lower cholesterol naturally and for the individual to keep working hard to keep their body fit and their diet plan in check for long term success.