When it comes down to a question of how to reduce cholesterol there is no shortage of opinions. Modern medicine continues to produce amazing drugs, but in most cases they have yet to figure out the side effects equation. They would argue that the benefits outweigh the risk and if you are one of the beneficiaries of modern medicine that has benefitted without complications then you would certainly agree. When talking about how to reduce cholesterol with prescription medications it is likely we are talking about statins.
Statins have been on the scene for over 20 years now and many of the medications have become household names due to the number of prescriptions written and the massive amount of television advertising used to create awareness. Drugs like Lipitor (atorvastatin), Crestor (rosuvastatin), and Zocor (simvastatin) fill our airwaves and our medicine cabinets. These drugs work very well and by some estimates they reduce overall cholesterol levels by as much as 60 percent.
So why would someone not want to take these medications when making a decision about how to lower cholesterol?
First, let me tell you that less than a week ago a long time friend was complaining to me about muscle aches, pain, aches, and weakness from caused by his statin medications and was curious as to what the natural health world had to offer as a substitute. I felt compelled to tell him this is a discussion he should be having with his doctor, but he insisted. I told Matt that statin medications target the livers production of cholesterol, basically shutting down the body's production of cholesterol. It is like killing an ant with a sledge hammer. It will get the job done but might crack the cement. This process can actually cause cholesterol levels to drop too low and what he is feeling is his muscles being starved of essential cholesterol. I suggested that he go back to his doctor and ask for a different statin, or a lower dosage, but he still wanted to know how to reduce cholesterol by alternative means.
Stories like the one above are common place with the statin side effects of muscle aches and pains being a common complaint. If you don't have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol then lowering levels can be achieved through lifestyle modification techniques including diet, exercise, avoiding primary or second hand smoke, and reducing stress. By some estimates a healthy diet consisting of less than 10 percent saturated fat can lower cholesterol levels by as much as 35 percent.
In order to do this you must become an expert label reader. The good news is today cholesterol and saturated fat content are plastered for all to see, right on your favorite guilty pleasure. Another advantage of label reading when determining how to lower cholesterol is its ability to cut through the hype. An example would be a meat product labeled 43 percent less fat than beef. What kind of beef and how much fat did that cow consume anyway. Was it feed a diet loaded with coconut oil (93% saturated fat). It must have been since my bargain basement mystery meat had a saturated fat content of 28 percent.
Additionally, many natural health minded individuals are implementing lowered-cholesterol.com natural cholesterol reducing supplements as part of their natural how to reduce cholesterol plan. This powerful one two punch has provided excellent results for most. Nevertheless, you should discuss any changes in medication or diet before making a final decision.
Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of safe and effective high quality alternative health products and natural living, with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at purchaseremedies.com Purchase Remedies.com.
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