Is Cholesterol Really Bad For You?

The idea that cholesterol causes heart disease, while popular, is not compatible with human life. Cholesterol is essential to your health and survival. It is so important, in fact, that your body makes 80% of your required cholesterol daily. In people with low dietary cholesterol intake, such as vegans, nearly 100% is made by the body.

Every one of your cells needs cholesterol to keep their shape and not rupture and die. It is also needed to make Vitamin D and many hormones including testosterone, progesterone, estrogen, and cortisol.

As you may have heard, cholesterol has been divided into “good” and “bad” cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is considered the “bad” cholesterol because it takes cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the body. This cholesterol may get deposited on blood vessel walls but your body does this intentionally. The cholesterol that is deposited on the walls of blood vessels is used by the body to patch damaged blood vessel cell membranes. Blood vessels are subject to damage caused by environmental toxins, dietary allergens, and high sugar levels among other things. Without LDL cholesterol, the damaged blood vessels would be very leaky. Essentially, LDL cholesterol is the body’s Band-Aid.

HDL cholesterol, or the “good” cholesterol, is responsible for removing excess cholesterol from the rest of your body and taking it to the liver to be broken down. Increasing the amount of HDL in the body actually decreases your risk of having a heart attack in the future.

The goal in prevention of heart disease should not be to stop the body from trying to heal itself with cholesterol, but to limit the damage caused by diet, the environment, and stress. This can be achieved by stabilizing your blood sugar levels, removing potential food allergens (wheat, dairy, soy, and corn) and refined sugars from your diet, proper aerobic exercise, limiting your exposure to environmental toxins, and reducing your stress levels. Including fish oils and garlic in your diet can also increase your levels of “good” HDL cholesterol.

You may now schedule a free 20 minute consultation with Dr. Kate to discuss your cholesterol and what it means to your health. Call today: (928) 458-6748I

We can already tell that 2010 is going to be great. We are starting the New Year with a Grand Opening Celebration, and you all are invited. Please come on January 14th to our open house, located at 1101 E. Gurley St. in Prescott, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. The official ribbon cutting will be at 4pm, followed by hors d’oeuvres and light refreshments. This is a great opportunity to meet us, Kathryn Sage, ND and Damon Sage, L.Ac., as well as see our clinic and learn more about our approach towards health.

The New Year brings us all new opportunities for growth and fresh beginnings. Perhaps you have already decided on a New Year’s Resolution or even less formally, have a plan to get healthier, eat better, exercise more. We at Sages’ Healing Center would like to challenge you to be successful this year with your health goals. Here are a few tips to help you gain the health that you desire:

1). Instead of starting your resolution/plan on January 1st, push it back to another date, like January 15th. This reduces the stress of starting your resolution on a holiday, with everyone around you still in the holiday mode. It also gives you a chance to lay out a plan, with specific goal dates, support systems, tools, etc. We find that persons are more successful meeting their resolutions when they have a concrete plan.

2). As mentioned before, create a support system. This can and should include family, friends, doctors, co-workers, anyone who will give you a boost and put you on the right track when you need it. Make sure to reach out to them before, and when your plan is in action, as they need to know how and when to support you best.

3). Have all of the appropriate tools available. For instance, if you are trying to quit smoking, get a prescription ahead of time for whichever type of smoking cessation medication you think will help you the most. If you are trying to lose weight, have the right exercise equipment and correct foods for your new diet all set. This may be a good time to see your naturopathic doctor, as they can help you get all of the tools you need in place.

4). Give yourself a reason why. This reason should be more than “to get healthy”. Instead, your reason should be something that is truly important to you. For instance, a reason for some may be “to be able to play with my grandson/daughter”. Take some time to meditate on this, because this will be your motivation for success.

5). Set a reward for yourself and make it great! Even in this economy, if a trip to Florida is going to keep you motivated to quit smoking, it is completely worth it. Make it something you really, really want.

If Sages’ Healing Center can help you to achieve your goal in any way, please contact us. We currently offer special programs specifically to help people quit smoking or lose weight. These programs combine the best of Naturopathic and East Asian Medicines in an affordable way so that you may be successful.

We wish you all the best and look forward to working with you in 2010!