Cholesterol - is it all Bad?Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance protein found in the bloodstream and in all your body’s cells. Specifically a sterol C27H46O that is in the tissues of all animals especially in the spinal cord and the brain. It's importance in the body is to form a protective shield in the skin and in the sheaths of the nerve cells. It is also a de-toxifier in the bloodstream. when there are excessive amounts in the body it can also be found as gallstones and atherosclerotic plaques. It is important for a healthy body. Produced naturally from your body it is an important ingredient in the production of hormones and bile acids to help digest fat. It also helps build healthy cell membranes (walls) in the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines, and heart. It only takes a small amount of cholesterol to meet all these needs.Your body naturally makes about 75% of its cholesterol, while 25% comes from the food that we eat. Of the disorders associated with high levels of cholesterol in the body one is increased urine production caused by inadequate secretion of vasopressin by the pituary gland and excessive thirst. Weight loss and the destruction of the small blood vessels at the skin surface that will lead to such complications as wounds being difficult to heal, blindness or even gangrene that might result in limb amputation.
There are two types of cholesterol LDL (Low-density lipoprotein) 'Lousy Bad and HDL (High-density lipoprotein) 'Healthy Good' If you have your blood tested for these there is another factor which is perhaps even more important and that is the measure of triglycerides High triglycerides are a risk factor to be considered because they are consistently associated with both of the above. The mechanism of this association is not fully understood, but high triglycerides are considered a heart attack risk factor. A goal number for triglycerides is less than 125 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) If you'd like to learn more information on lowering triglycerides click here. for the Health Benefits of Walking So why is a high cholesterol LDL level so critically important? Well in short they clog up the arteries restricting the flow of blow to the vital organs. The most important organ being the heart and with a restricted flow of blood, pressure build up. The end result is high blood pressure and angina or even worse a heart attack . It is not known why the cholesterol should actually build up in the arteries but one theory is that the chlorinated water that we drink ( chlorine is put into the water to kill the bacterial contaminates) actually causes the inner walls of the arteries to become roughened) Chlorine is essentially a yellow green gas. Used in the 1914 war and called mustard gas it was responsible for terrible burns on the limbs and lungs of the troops resulting in terribly painful deaths and mutilations but now used as a bleach. Arterial walls have a smooth coating almost like Teflon(T) but that becomes broken and rough allowing the cholesterol to become stuck to the walls and over time the build up increases causing a blockage 
There are a number of possible things that can done to limit this damage.One is to drink water that has either been sourced from natural springs or to drink water that has been filtered to remove chlorine and a whole host of other undesirable additions to our water. Personally do not go along with all of the hype that we should drink about 2 liters of water a day. If we eat a healthy diet then there is plenty of water in the fresh food. By all means hydrate when you feel thirsty or when exercising but otherwise be sensible. Too much water is only making the liver and kidneys work harder than they need to although having said that too little research indicates will promote the development of kidney stones so, moderation in all things In the UK it was calculated in the 1970s that people who lived in London were drinking water that had been used 7 times previously. That is water that had been used to wash the cars flush the toilets and everything else that water is used for. So if the previous users were taking medication then that will have passed through the body and into the water that the next person would in turn contaminate. So as far as possible follow the above guidelines So knowing all of this what can we do to lower our cholesterol levels? Incidentally the USA and UK use a different measure. So to compare the two use this simple formula. 0.02601625 is the magic number. To convert the American measure multiply by this No. and if it is the UK to the US you want to convert divide. e.g. 246 US X 0.02601625 = 6.4 UK or 6.4 divided by 0.02601625 = 246 Firstly watch your diet. Fitting in the recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (2 of one group and 3 of the other) helps take the place of some of the more processed snacks. Fruits and vegetables are mostly fat free. Maintain a diet that is made of 2/3 of vegetables and fruits and 1/3 of other foods. Latest research suggest that cholesterol lowering foods such as avocados, almonds, olive oil, soy beans, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, chili peppers, oat bran, beans (kidney, pintos, black, navy, etc.), onions, fatty fish, and flax seed (part of my breakfast food) play a crucial role in lowering LDL and sometimes raising HDL level
Isn't there always. Naturally grazed cattle that eat meadow grass and are reared organically actually have a very high Omega 3 oil content, which is good for you, but it is very difficult to obtain such meat. Take a natural supplement and eat more oily fish. The American Heart Association do not actually advocate the use of Cod Liver oil but the resulting effect is almost identical to eating oily fish. If you smoke. Give it up. High cholesterol levels are only one of the associated risks related to smoking and you do want to live as long a healthy life as possible don't you?. Start a
If you are not used to walking then seek medical advice first before undertaking any exercise that is not the norm for you and take it steady to start with. The object of the walking exercise is to raise the heart level and get the blood flowing more quickly but like i said if this is new to you then you must seek medical approval first but if your physician is concerned with your health then he will encourage you in your new health regime. Try at all costs to avoid taking statin drugs. There are so many associated ill side effects to these (look at the law suits in America of withdrawn statin drugs) One of the associated side effects is the weakening of the muscles and one of the largest muscles in the human body and there are some 840 named muscles of which the heart is the hardest working of them all. It pumps out 2 ounces (71 grams) of blood at every heartbeat.Daily the heart pumps at least 2,500 gallons (9,450 liters) of blood. The heart has the ability to beat over 3 billion times in a person’s life. The systolic number is 120 in this example and shows how hard the blood pushes when the heart is pumping.The diastolic number is 80 in this example and shows how hard the blood pushes between heartbeats when the heart is relaxed Adults should ideally have a reading of less than 120/80 and someone who has a reading of 140/90 is deemed to have High B.P. and must lower these figures. Take up a walking program be gentle at first build up to a good level try to get the heart working at 70% of it's maximum. To calculate the maximum rate. Take your age away from 210 and that will give you a good indication of the maximum you should achieve.E.G if you are aged 40 then 210 minus 40 = a max rate of 170 so 70% of that will be approx 120 beats per minute. There are natural Xtend-Life supplements that you can take to help you tremendously in lowering your cholesterol levels as well see the list below Aortic stenosis is a sometimes deadly condition, which can cause syncope (regular passing out), chronic chest pain and heart failure, that is becoming increasingly common in older folks and affects more than 5 million Americans to some degree. Vytorin, which is a one-pill combination of Merck's statin drug Zocor and Schering-Plough's Zetia Statins block the formation of LDL "bad" cholesterol in the liver, while Zetia blocks its absorption in the intestines. 85% of the cholesterol in the body is naturally produced by the liver simply because it is a natural element in the bodies functioning and until means were found to identify it, it never posed any threat but when it was isolated the drug companies formulated a drug to reduce the levels. Not unnaturally for them as time passes to make more money the ‘Big Pharmas’ persuade the medical profession that ever more of us need to be taking them so now we have a situation where even children are being advised to take them instead of telling them to do some simple walking exercise to get fit. But recent results in a major European study, has shed new light on the use of Vytorin in patients with heart valve disease, specifically aortic stenosis. Preliminary analysis of the data showed about 50 percent more new cancer cases and cancer deaths in patients who received Vytorin, compared with those who took a placebo. You may be aware that along with Flax seeds i am a big fan of 'fish oil' and the many benefits of fish oil. You might even think that i have fish on the brain.
Well, you should, too. A new study from Italy showed that fish oil supplements had better results than a popular cholesterol drug for patients with chronic heart failure. The research looked at the four-year survival rate of patients who took a daily prescription dosage of omega-3, derived from fish oils, versus patients taking Crestor and patients who took a placebo. Patients on fish oil – particularly at the two-year mark – had higher survival rates than those on Crestor or the placebo. Omega-3 is found in oily fish such as salmon tuna and cod. Researchers believe fish oils bolster good cholesterol levels. Remember that the health benefits come from grilled, baked or broiled fish — frying it doesn't help, as I've explained in this space before.
Knowing this information it might help you make an informed decision when faced with the prospect of having to start taking drugs for your health. So, step up to better health. Cardiovascular exercises as simple as health walking plus omega 3 oils will greatly reduce any dependence on statin drugs.
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Remove from you diet all heavily saturated foods like fatty burgers and chips and limit the Pizzas eaten. Also limit the amount of red meat that you eat. There is one exception to the rule. 
Oily fish are the most efficient deliverers of omega-3 but you can also get this healthy oil from walnuts, flax seed, broccoli, cantaloupe, kidney beans, spinach, grape leaves, Chinese cabbage and cauliflower. The vegetables on the list also supply you with a large amount of heart protecting antioxidant nutrients.
