Cholesterol, friend or foe?
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Lowering cholesterol has become a major past-time for people of many ages. It is fueled by fear of having a heart attack and/or stroke, much of which comes from pharmaceutical companies wanting people to rely on statins. While it is true that cholesterol will be found in clogged arteries they are not the real culprits. More about that in a minute...
There are many factors which can contribute to an increased risk of heart problems: angina, MI, stroke etc., these include:
- Overweight, especially around the mid-rift area & with a BMI of over 30
- An inactive lifestyle
- Stress, especially over the long term
- Diet high in sugar & trans fats
- Elevated blood pressure
- Elevated homocystiene levels (an amino acid involved in the methylation cycle)
- Elevated cholesterol levels (often as a result of stress)
As mentioned above, cholesterol is usually found on the arterial walls of heart attack patients. One of the functions of cholesterol is to repair damaged arteries which have been attacked by viruses like herpes, cytomegalovirus and bacteria like h-pylori. These cause lesions in arteries and as one of the jobs of cholesterol is to repair the damage they are sent to the site. The most effective solution here is to eliminate the pathogens. An effective way to accomplish this is using coconut oil. Coconut oil contains Lauric acid which converts into monolaurium in the gut, this is a potent anti-viral and bacterial agent.
Serum cholesterol levels may also be increased while the body is healing itself (repairing damaged tissues etc), usually in ways we are not aware of. Forcing these levels down with medications may actually be compounding rather than solving the problem.
Other beneficial aspects of cholesterol include:
- Formation of hormones, including the sex hormones
- Cholesterol is a pre-cursor to Vitamin D, essential for mental health & immune system function among other things
- Cholesterol is required for the proper function of serotonin in the brain, this is the body's "feel good" chemical and too little of it can result in depression and/or aggressive behaviour.
- Cholesterol also maintains the integrity of the wall of the digestive tract, preventing symptoms like "leaky gut".
Using drugs like statins to lower cholesterol levels is not increasing your overall health since statins also inhibit production of Co-enzyme Q10 which is essential for heart function. Nutritional therapy is all about getting to the root of the problem rather than just looking at the symptoms.
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