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Treatments for Cholesterol Problems
Heart disease and cholesterol both require similar treatments. Most often your practitioner will recommend both diet and exercise programs to help change your cholesterol levels. If you have high cholesterol levels you will be invited to c
consume less saturated fat.
Healthy fats can help improve your HDL cholesterol while lowering your LDL.
Lowering your LDL cholesterol is usually the primary goal of treatment,
because this can reduce, slow, or even stop the build up of fatty deposits
in your arteries which could cause blockages.
Avoiding or drastically reducing the amount of sugar and simple starches you
eat may also help, because this helps you lose weight plus it helps to
reduce the amount of plaque build up in your arteries. Losing weight is one
of the first recommendations made to help improve your cholesterol levels
and ratios too, and removing the sugars and starches will remove empty
calories that prevent you from losing weight easily.
Exercise is another key part of effective treatment for cholesterol
problems. This is because exercise causes your blood to start moving faster
through all areas of the body. If there is extra cholesterol in your blood,
it can be disposed of more easily when your blood starts moving more
quickly. Getting your blood pumping also helps with any potential artery
blockages too, because it helps to break up and move the deposits and clumps
of materials that are trying to form the blockage.
The blood cholesterol level is important because cholesterol is a fatty substance that our body needs for cells to regenerate and grow. Too many low-density lipoproteins
(LDL) and not enough high-density lipoprotein (HDL) can lead to high cholesterol levels that are dangerous. This matters because high LDL and low HDL increases the risk of heart disease, heart attack and strokes. Ideally, we should all aim for a low LDL and high
HDL. HDL will help sweep the excess LDL out of our bloodstream.
There are various forms of cholesterol prescription medications which are
often used for treatment as well. These drugs try to agressively reduce the
LDL, or bad cholesterol levels, while increasing the HDL, or good
cholesterol in your blood stream. There are a wide variety of cholesterol
drugs which work this way, and some of these drugs are known as statins and
fibrates.
Other medications used when you have bad cholesterol levels and ratios are
usually related to heart disease needs. Drugs which help reduce the plaque
build up in your arteries for instance, may be prescribed when your
cholesterol levels are bad.
Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, has promising results when used for lowering LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol. Niacin can also be used in conjunction with other cholesterol lowering drugs but does have possible side effects. The most common side effect of niacin is skin flushing or hot flashes caused by the resulting widening of blood vessels. While niacin is available in over the counter form it is recommended that patients seeking to reduce high cholesterol levels only take the prescription form under their doctors� supervision.
People consume sterols daily but not in high enough quantities to reduce cholesterol levels. To be effective, 2-3 grams need to be consumed daily. Currently, the American Heart Association recommends limiting sterol treatment to high risk patients only due to possible vitamin absorption issues.
Other drugs which help thin your blood and reduce clotting are also
sometimes used, because these can help prevent artery blockages as well.
Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This
article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as
professional medical advice.
Beating Cholesterol
Safely
and Naturally �Now!
Beating Cholesterol
Safely
and Naturally �Now!
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