Visiting this web site requires a newer version of Netscape Communicator.
Visit Microsoft's Web site to obtain the newest version of Internet Explorer, or visit Netscape's Web site to obtain the newest version of Netscape Communicator.
Visiting this web site without first upgrading your browser may result in unreliable behavior.
Millions of people are on prescription medications to lower their cholesterol-medications that may have serious side effects. If your doctor says that you need to lower your cholesterol level, what are some natural alternatives to prescription medications?
Virtually everyone agrees that regular exercise and adherence to a good diet are the first steps. Trouble is, what constitutes a good diet is controversial. Although most physicians recommend avoiding cholesterol-containing foods, animal fats, and other saturated fats such as coconut oil, not all researchers agree that these are harmful. In my opinion, there is some pretty compelling evidence that these foods are not harmful, and that they are, in fact, good for you. On the other hand, I do believe that we should avoid processed vegetable oils-that is, hydrogenated vegetable oils and rancid oils containing toxic trans-fatty acids. That means that most processed foods-including so-called junk foods-should be avoided. Butter is probably much safer than margarine, and of all the commonly available vegetable oils, extra virgin olive oil appears to be the safest.
As discussed elsewhere on this website, I believe that elevated homocysteine levels are very dangerous and can cause not just heart disease but probably also Alzheimer’s disease. To keep them normal is one reason that I recommend that everyone take a quality multivitamin supplement. Not only do most people not eat the recommended five servings of fruit and vegetables daily, but the produce we do eat usually has been picked green, possibly grown on mineral-depleted soils, and may be contaminated with pesticides or other pollutants. The supplement which I personally use is LifePak from Pharmanex. The various LifePak Anti-Aging formulas contain optimal amounts of vitamins, trace minerals, anti-oxidants and phytonutrients, as well as sufficient calcium and other nutrients necessary to promote bone health.
Take the LifePak Challenge and compare your current multivitamin with LifePak. Then choose the one that's right for you—regular LifePak for men under 40, LifePak Women for pre-menopausal women, LifePak PreNatal for pregnant women, LifePak Prime for men over 40 and post-menopausal women, LifePak Teen for children between 9 and 18, and Jungamals for younger children.
The cardiac benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids that are found in cold water fish are now well-established. Therefore, unless you eat fish at least several times a week, you should probably take a fish oil concentrate such as Optimum Omega.
Vitamin E, which is included in LifePak, is also an important cardiac nutrient. Among alternative medicine practitioners, niacin/nicotinamide and garlic have long been recommende to help promote healthy cholesterol levels. Coenzyme Q10, also known as CoQ10 or ubiquinone, has been shown to be highly beneficial for people with certain types of heart disease, especially congestive heart failure. Ironically, the statin drugs (atorvstatin/Lipitor, cerivastatin/Baycol, fluvastatin/Lescol, lovastatin/Mevacor, pravastatin/Pravachol, simvastatin/Zocor) that are prescribed to lower cholesterol have the dangerous side effect of interfering with the body's ability to manufacture coenzyme Q10. There is some coenzyme Q10 in LifePak, but if you have heart disease or are taking a statin drug, you should consider taking additional CoQ10.
And then there is policosanol, which Robert Rountree, M.D. calls "The Cholesterol-Lowering Breakthrough." Like the statin drugs, policosanol lowers cholesterol by interfering with one of the enzymes in the liver that synthesize cholesterol. However, it acts on a different enzyme and as a result has fewer side effects. Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies have shown policosanol to be as effective in lowering cholesterol as the statins but with fewer side effects, such as the muscle cramps and abnormal liver enzyme levels that can occur with the statin drugs. Policosanol not only lowers total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), but it has been shown to raise HDL cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol).
Policosanol comes from sugar cane wax, beeswax or rice bran wax. Only two companies have been granted a license to manufacture the patented beeswax form of policosanol. Pharmanex has policosanol available now, the other company may bring it to market next year. Pharmanex has enhanced their policosanol with their exclusive, proprietary PoliSorb technology, which produces over ten times greater dissolution compared with capsules or tablets.
Policosanol is available from Pharmanex in two formulations. Cardio contains policosanol plus other nutritional supplements that have been shown to be beneficial to cardiac health. These include fish oil, vitamin E, garlic, white willow bark, rosemary, and the three B vitamins (folate, B6 and B12) that protect against elevated homocysteine levels. Policosanol is also available by itself as Cholestin.
In summary, there are natural alternatives to taking prescription medications for high cholesterol. You should start with regular exercise, a sensible diet including frequent servings of fish (or a fish oil supplement) and a good multivitamin formulation. If, despite these measures, your cholesterol level is still elevated by today's standards, it may be that those standards are too strict or that the cholesterol elevation is itself a symptom of something else wrong that should be diagnosed and treated directly rather than simply attacking the cholesterol level. My Wellness Resources page includes several websites that contain information to help you and your physician decide on the proper course of action. If you and your physician agree that a direct attempt should be made to lower your cholesterol level, then consider policosanol as an alternative to harsh prescription drugs.
In any event, remember that caution is always advised when considering alternative medicine. Just because a substance is natural does not mean that it is necessarily safe. Before using such products or making other dietary or lifestyle changes, you should consult with your personal physician.
Also, it is important to be aware of the fact that in the United States, unlike some other countries, there is no uniform standardization or quality control for dietary supplements. Several studies have demonstrated that what is on the label is not necessarily what is in the capsule. Many times the capsules have turned out to be under-strength and even worse, they sometimes contain dangerous contaminants. A lower-dose product from a quality brand will outperform an allegedly higher-dose product from a manufacturer that cuts corners. If your physician is familiar with alternative medicine and herbal products, he should be able to advise you on the best brands. Personally, I am satisfied that Pharmanex offers quality products and that is why I sell them on this website. Click here for information on how to obtain Pharmanex products.
I hope that you have found useful information here. If you have comments or suggestions for improvement, I would love to hear from you. Please email me in care of Cynthia Schendel at lionswork@bigplanet.com.
