Natural Treatment For High Cholesterol

If you’ve been told that you have high cholesterol then you’ve also probably been given a prescription for lipitor, lipostat or zocor for example.

Unfortunately, the prescription medicines that successfully lower your cholesterol, also come with some unwanted side-effects.

Side-effects can range from insomnia, gastric upsets and a general unwell feeling.

Thanks to mother nature and some dedicated researchers, there are some beneficial natural medicines that lower your cholesterol as effectively as the drugs prescribed by your doctor.

The normal levels of cholesterol should be:

• Total Cholesterol – less than 5.5mmol/l

• LDL – less than 3.5mmol/l

• HDL – greater than 1.0mmol/l

• LDL :HDL – less than 2.0mmol/l

The aim of any cholesterol lowering medicine is to lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) and to increase the good cholesterol (HDL).

To date, there are only eight natural medicines or substances that have been proven to lower high cholesterol.

1. Policosanol

Policosanol comes from the waxy layer of the sugar cane. It works by blocking the synthesis of cholesterol.
Policosanol can lower your LDL by 31% and increase your HDL by 7%. This natural medicine is a powerful and well tolerated alternative to prescription medicine.

2. Artichoke

Artichoke has been shown to decrease the bad cholesterol (LDL) by 23%.

3. Niacin (Vitamin B3)

Niacin has the ability to lower bad cholesterol by up to 25% and increase the good cholesterol by an astonishing 35%.
These figures sound great but it comes at a price. For niacin to have this effect it must be taken at a high dosage and can cause some unpleasant side-effects.
Side-effects may include flushing, headache and stomach upsets. Niacin can also cause toxicity, check with your doctor if considering using this approach.

4. Fibre

Fibre absorbs fats consumed in the diet therefore reducing the total cholesterol availability.

5. Plant sterols

Sterols that are added to spreads such as margarine have been shown to decrease LDL by up to 17%. They must be used twice daily.

6. Psyllium

Psyllium also reduces high cholesterol by preventing fat absorption and preparing fat for elimination. If you ingest Psyllium at a certain dosage, you can decrease total cholesterol by up to 14%.

7. Oat Bran

Adding Oat bran to your diet can effectively reduce your bad cholesterol by up to 26%.

8. Soy

You can reduce you bad cholesterol by substituting you dairy products with Soy. LDL can be reduced by 13% with Soy.

There have been many natural medicines that have been tested for high cholesterol and many of them have been dis-proven. Make sure that what you are taking has had some research and has shown some proof that it is beneficial.

Kristin Collins N.D.

More detailed information on these medicines, dosages and dis-proven medicines can be found at:

http://www.proven-natural-medicine.com/High-cholesterol.html