Dear Health Conscious Reader,
Are you still worrying about cholesterol?
I start to think it’s a ‘dead horse’ then, I see this same scenario play out again – patients come to me terrified of their own cholesterol, in a panic because another doctor told them to take a drug to lower their cholesterol or “die of a heart attack”.
Continuing evidence has led me to a simpler and even more radical divergence from the conventional cholesterol hysteria to this: Cholesterol does not cause heart disease. Cholesterol is the thing that heart disease acts upon. The disease is the oxidation in your blood vessel that causes the cholesterol to form inflammatory plaques.
Think for a moment if I were to do a bone density test on you. I read you your results and say, “Well, there’s a problem with your bones. They’ve lost density so I’m afraid we’re going to have to take them out.” Of course, you need your bones regardless of if there is a disease afflicting them.
Likewise, you need your cholesterol. It is a central part of some very important metabolic pathways. In fact, it is probably the most important hormone precursor in your body. You make all sex steroids from cholesterol.
In the fight against heart disease, cholesterol is the victim the disease afflicts – not the culprit. Truth be told, it is the conventionally accepted approach of declaring war on you own cholesterol that is crazy and radical.
Especially since cholesterol drugs have such debilitating side effects. For one, they prevent the production of one of the most vital nutrients in your body: CoQ10. They cause muscle pain and weakness, make you feel old and tired – and it’s completely unnecessary.
Despite decades of mounting evidence that it’s the inflammation and oxidation that’s problematic, mainstream medicine in the US seems determined to put every man, woman and child on cholesterol drugs.
I recently received an unexpected ally in the UK. The British Medical Journal warned that the American cholesterol goals are too low and criticized the American obsession with forcing cholesterol lower and lower with statin drugs.1 Even I was surprised. It’s not everyday you see the establishment attack the establishment.
If you want to prevent heart disease, don’t bother with drugs that drive down your cholesterol. Fight the real cause: inflammation.
Here are three easy-to-follow options that don’t involve declaring war on your own metabolism:
Reduce Homocysteine: A deficiency of anti-oxidants in your diet leads to the accumulation of homocysteine in your blood. This impairs your blood vessels normal capacity to dilate on demand. This inadequate blood flow to the heart can cause heart attacks; inadequate blood flow to the brain can cause strokes.
You can easily reduce homocysteine by taking B vitamins. They support your natural system for breaking down this amino acid. All the patients at my clinic have successfully lowered their elevated homocysteine levels with nothing more than a vitamin supplement.
Lower C-Reactive Protein: Elevated CRP levels indicate that there is inflammation in within your cardiovascular system. Using this measure, we can detect if you have disease afflicting your cholesterol.
What can you do to keep your levels of CRP low? Cod liver oil can reduce CRP. I am looking into this in more detail at my clinic now. Another way is with exercise. We recently discovered that even moderate physical activity lowers CRP levels. People who went from not exercising at all to exercising a small amount five times a week cut their CRP levels by as much as 30 percent.2
Take Care of Your Teeth: Studies show that people with gum disease suffer heart attacks significantly more often than those with healthy gums and teeth.3
That’s because bacteria in your mouth can sneak through diseased gums and enter the bloodstream, where it causes inflammation. The chronic infection activates white blood cells, which create arterial lesions and encourage plaque build-up on the walls of your arteries.
Fortunately, you can easily prevent or reverse gum disease. Start by brushing your teeth for three to four minutes twice a day.
You can floss once a day, and schedule regular cleanings with your dentist. But I have a favorite old-fashioned cure; gargle with salt water every night before bed. You can make it yourself by dissolving a teaspoon of sea salt into 2 ounces of water, swish well and spit.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
P.S. – Look in my book, The Doctor’s Heart Cure, for dozens more simple, natural ways to prevent or reverse heart disease and enjoy a longer, fuller life.
- Commentary. British Medical Journal. June 3, 2006
- Church T, Barlow CE, Earnest CP, et al. Association between cardiorespiratory fitness and C-reactive protein in men. Arteriosclerosis and Thrombosis: Journal of Vascular Biology. 2002 Nov 1; 22(11):1869-1879.
- Genco R. Periodontal disease and cardiovascular disease: epidemiology and possible mechanisms. Journal of American Dental Association. 2002 Jun; 133 Supple: 14S-22S.