Hi Everyone!
Did you know that September is cholesterol awareness month? Not exactly a reason to party, but still interesting to think about. Perhaps it has been a while since you have thought about your cholesterol levels and maybe need to get them checked again? Or maybe you have never gotten them checked? September might just be your month.
It is true, cholesterol levels are not the end-all answer for analyzing your heart health. About half of the myocardial infarctions (MI or heart attack) that happen today happen to people with normal cholesterol levels. There is however, a strong correlation between your bad cholesterol levels (LDL) and triglycerides and your risk for an MI. Also, your levels of HDL (good cholesterol) can outweigh all of the other negative results (LDL, triglycerides), so just knowing your levels can be a stress off your back… or heart.
Your cholesterol levels also tell us about the level of inflammation your body has in general. Your body uses cholesterol as a mechanism to protect itself from inflammation – a type of band-aid in the vessels. The bigger question then to ask is, why is your body suffering from inflammation? Perhaps you have a chronic disease, like arthritis or IBS, that is causing this reaction. For some, just addressing these other, seemingly not related, issues can lower your total cholesterol levels.
What can and should you do if your levels are out of the normal range? Conventional medicine reaches for a class of drugs called statins. In naturopathic medicine however, we have a lot more tools. Of course lifestyle is of utmost importance: eating a healthy diet and exercising can make all of the difference in the world. Supplements we may reach for to lower your levels include phytosterols, fish oils, and vitamins (like B3). There are certain homeopathics and botanical medicines that work terrific too. The key is to find out what will work best for YOU.
