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College-of-practical-homeopathy.com

CPH Newsletter - Volume 04 - January 2007

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Content for this Issue:

Introduction
Cholesterol Test
What are healthy levels?
Five ways to drop your cholesterol by 30 points in 30 days
Hayfever
Recommended Reading
References
Recommendations
CPH Student Clinics
CPH Course Information
Free Guides to Download about choosing a course
Further Resources of interest

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Introduction

Alex Christie (LCHE), Author of theCph Newsletter

Happy New Year! I hope you have all recovered from your Christmas and New Year excesses. I was wondering what to cover this month when one of my patients contacted me to say her cardiovascular specialist is insisting she take cholesterol lowering drugs, i.e. statins, because her cholesterol count is 4.7, and her LDL count is 2.4. So I thought I would cover cholesterol and how to lower this.

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Cholesterol Test

In case you are confused about what is good and bad, three things are measured when you have a cholesterol test:

                                                          Ideal levels
LDL (lousy fats)                                  below 2.7mmol/l
HDL (healthy fats)                              above 1.5mmol/l
Cholesterol (necessary fats)               below 5.2mmol/l

(Patrick Holford)

I wonder if you know that about 10 years ago the upper limit for total cholesterol was 7? But with every new cholesterol-lowering drug offered by the pharmaceutical companies the upper limit has been brought down so that more people would be put on their drugs. Don’t be surprised if in 5 years time the lower upper limit for total cholesterol is down to 2 and doctors are recommending most of their patients take drugs, because the pharmaceutical companies are producing research papers to support this.

So the pharmaceutical companies are happy because they are making a lot of profit! But the problem is that drugs always have side effects and cause more toxicity for the liver to cope with. And the main cause of “high” cholesterol these days is stress, which impacts the adrenals, which impact on the liver, which doesn’t metabolize cholesterol effectively, so our cholesterol levels rise…… and the doctors want to put us on drugs that will increase the burden to the liver. And guess what? Instead of suffering from “high” cholesterol we find we have cancer because our liver is too toxic to do its job!

There is no drug that does not have a “side effect”. And sadly these harmless sounding “side effects” are the Number 1 killer in the world. If you want to stay healthy avoid drugs. Look at the alternatives that will work with your body, rather than suppressing what it, in its wisdom, is trying to do.

So why does the body build up cholesterol if it isn’t healthy for you? Well, without cholesterol your body wouldn't work. Cholesterol is not a life-threatening toxin, but a medium-sized molecule that is really a building block for important parts of the body. In particular it is an essential component of cell membranes. Cholesterol also stabilizes a cell against temperature changes. It is a major part of the membranes of the nervous system, the brain, the spinal cord and the peripheral nerves. In particular it is incorporated into the myelin sheath that insulates the nerves from the surrounding tissue. Cholesterol is also the forerunner of important hormones such as the female sex hormone, oestradiol, and the male sex hormone, testosterone, and of vitamin D, which we need in order to utilize calcium and form bone. Nearly all body tissues are capable of making cholesterol, but the liver and intestines make the most. We require cholesterol to produce the bile we need to digest the fats in our food, and the name itself comes from the Greek words for 'bile solids'.
(Karl Harrison)

Too much cholesterol in the blood, however, increases the risk of coronary heart disease and disease of the arteries.

One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that food's packed with cholesterol. In fact, very little cholesterol is found in foods, the main culprits are eggs, offal and shellfish.

What's important is the type of fat in the food you choose, especially saturated fat. Once inside the body, the liver turns this fat into cholesterol.

Cholesterol levels can run in families. If the inherited cholesterol levels are very high, this is called familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) or familial combined hyperlipidaemia (FCH) where the triglyceride levels are very high as well.

Levels can also be influenced by the part of the world you live in: cholesterol levels in northern European countries are higher than in southern Europe and much higher than in Asia.

It is known that the relationship to food is significant, but there is no doubt that genes also play a part. High cholesterol is also seen in connection with other diseases, such as reduced metabolism (due to thyroid hormone problems, for example), kidney diseases, diabetes and alcohol abuse.
(NetDoctor)

Knowing your cholesterol level isn't, on its own, enough to tell you what your personal risk of heart disease is. You also need to know about lipoproteins. These are special molecules that carry or transport cholesterol around the body.

There are three main types:

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) - often known as bad cholesterol. It carries cholesterol from the liver to the cells and, if supply exceeds demand, can cause harmful build-up of cholesterol.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) - or good cholesterol. This takes cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver, where it's either broken down or excreted.
Triglycerides.

The greatest danger is when someone has high levels of LDL cholesterol and trigylcerides, and low levels of HDL cholesterol.

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What are healthy levels?

What's a healthy cholesterol level is controversial, even among doctors. The average total cholesterol level in the UK is 5.5mmol/l for men and 5.6mmol/l for women, which is over the normal level. So does that mean that most people need to take anticholesterol drugs? No. But it does mean most people need to be avoiding the bad fats that contribute to cholesterol build-up, and eating the good fats that break it down, as well as eating the foods that absorb it and carry cholesterol out of the body.

Statins, the drugs most often prescribed for high cholesterol, work by blocking LDL cholesterol. But in so doing they reduce production of an enzyme known as Co-enzyme Q10, which is essential for heart health. Another side effect reported is transient amnesia. People have lost their memory on statins for up to 12 hours. Other symptoms include dizziness, headaches, extreme fatigue, swelling of the ankles, muscle aches, and suppressed immunity.

“Feona is a case in point. With a cholesterol level of 8.5mmol/l, she was prescribed Lipitor. ‘I only took one tables and woke up at 3am with pins and needles, which gradually crept up my arms and across my face and tongue. Next morning I felt as if someone had punched me in the right shoulder’.

So instead, Feona opted for the natural approach – diet, exercise and stress control – and managed to lower her cholesterol to 4.4mmol/l.”
(Patrick Holford, p 285)

I found a website that recommended an excellent five-step program to reduce your cholesterol, which I have chosen to reproduce in this newsletter.

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Five ways to drop your cholesterol by 30 points in 30 days

Five ways to drop your cholesterol by 30 points in 30 days without pharmaceuticals or statin drugs:

Step 1

Conventional medical experts keep telling people to limit their fat intake in order to lower their cholesterol. But their advice is at least ten years behind the times. What we now know, based on cutting edge nutritional research, is that it is the kind of fat that determines the health effects.

And the simple rule to follow for lowering cholesterol is: avoid animal fats, but consume plant fats.

What are animal fats? Any fatty food or beverage that comes from an animal source, including milk, ice cream, cheese and other dairy products. It also includes hamburger, red meat, lunchmeats, bacon and sausage. Nearly all animal fats are saturated fats that will raise your cholesterol and substantially boost your risk of dying from a heart attack.

Plant fats, on the other hand will lower your cholesterol, even if you eat a very high proportion of fats. My own diet is sometimes as much as 40 percent fat, but my fats are all from plant sources. Those include:

Avocados, almonds, pecans, peanuts, chia seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, macadamia nut oil, and so on. If it's from the plant world, the fat is good for you.

But always eat your plant fats raw if possible. Raw nuts are healthier than cooked nuts. Raw avocados are healthier than cooked avocados. Extra virgin olive oil is healthier than high-temperature processed olive oil. Remember: High temperatures alter fats and make them unhealthy, so source your fats from plants and eat 'em raw or in a minimally processed state.

Just one serving of raw almonds per day can slash your risk of heart attacks or stroke by 53 percent, according to the research. And raw nuts and seeds offer plenty of calcium, by the way, to replace your dairy products. Chia seeds and almonds are both good sources of calcium.

Step 2

One easy way to replace animal fats with plant fats is to make your own almond milk. It's a simple recipe, and all you need is almonds, water, a blender and a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to strain out the nut pulp.

Just soak two cups of almonds for 8 hours, toss into a VitaMix, blend with six cups of water, add some Xylosweet natural plant sweetener and natural vanilla flavouring, then strain through a nut milk bag (or cheesecloth). Voila! You've got your own super healthy almond milk. It's delicious, easy to make, and far healthier than homogenized cow's milk.

Almond milk is not only far better for you than cow's milk, it also has anti-cancer properties, brain-boosting nutrients and cardiovascular protectors.

You can also buy unsweetened almond milk in cartons from health food shops.

Not into almonds? Try this amazing avocado smoothie recipe (which is detailed in my book, below): Blend a raw, fresh avocado with raw cacao powder (that's real chocolate), xylosweet, agave nectar (a natural sweetener), chia seeds and some milk (your choice of milk, you can use almond milk, soy milk, rice milk or just plain water).

The result? A delicious chocolate mint ice cream smoothie that REALLY tastes like ice cream due to the rich avocado fats. You have to try it to believe it. Every person I've made this drink for was astonished at how good it tastes. It's almost sinfully delicious. It's one way to have a chocolate ice cream shake without all the guilt (and without any refined sugars, animal fats or other harmful ingredients).

To see even more ideas on using raw nuts, seeds and avocados in delicious smoothies, read my book "Superfood Smoothies" at http://www.truthpublishing.com/SuperfoodSmoothies.html

By drinking some raw nuts, seeds or avocados daily, your cholesterol will drop rapidly. Expect to see MORE than a 30 point drop in 30 days if you follow this step (unless, of course, your LDL cholesterol is already under 130, in which case you have less room for improvement).

Step 3

Did you know that blueberries contain natural cholesterol-lowering medicines? Just like pharmaceutical companies synthesize medicines in a lab, the blueberry plant synthesizes natural phytochemicals in the blueberry and stores them in the skin. The blue pigment that gives the berry its color, in fact, is made of a class of medicinal chemicals called anthocyanins, and they have well documented medicinal properties.

Eating a pint of blueberries each day (fresh is best, but frozen or freeze-dried also works) typically lowers total cholesterol by at least 25 points in 30 days. And that's just from blueberries alone. Plus, you receive all the other antioxidant benefits, including nervous system protection, skin protection from UV light, and many other benefits. (And you don't need a prescription to buy this natural medicine!)

Blueberries are also delicious, and they don't cost a fortune like medications do. Plus, there are no negative side effects. But don't expect your doctor to know about these medicinal properties -- I've yet to meet a single doctor who was aware of the healing power of blueberries. It's not because doctors aren't intelligent, it's just because they were never taught this information in medical school. (Medical schools don't teach nutrition.)

In fact, when people go to visit their doctors after eating blueberries for a month, their doctor is often astonished at their improved cholesterol numbers, and they automatically assume the person has been taking statin drugs. But no! The improvement is due to the blueberries. Don't let your doctor talk you out of it, either. Mother Nature knows more than any M.D.

Garlic is another miraculous cholesterol-balancing food. It contains powerful anti-cancer medicine as well, making it one of the most well-documented natural medicines in the history of medical science. To experience a cholesterol-lowering effect from garlic, you'll need to eat a lot. Baked garlic is delicious, and you can use it in stir-fry dishes. Just don't blend it up into a smoothie unless you have an adventurous taste. (Raw garlic juice can be quite nauseating.)

If you don't want to eat the garlic, try taking garlic supplements.

Add blueberries and garlic to your diet, and you'll not only see an impressive balancing of cholesterol, you'll also help prevent cancer, heart attacks, nervous system disorders and many other health problems.

Step 4

Avoid hydrogenated oils, trans fats and homogenized milk

Now that you've got the "good stuff" in you, it's time to stop poisoning your body with unhealthy foods that actually cause high cholesterol. These foods, all of which directly promote atherosclerosis, heart attacks and stroke are:

Hydrogenated oils / trans fatty acids
Fried foods
Homogenized dairy products

Hydrogenated oils are getting a lot of attention in the press lately. The science is not in doubt: These oils cause great harm to the human body. They're found in margarines (even Flora, which claims to help reduce cholesterol – don’t be fooled…), fried snack foods, chips, crisps, cookies, crackers, tortillas and many other products. Look for the word "hydrogenated" on the ingredients label and do not buy or consume any product made with hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils.

Learn more from my book, "Poison In the Food" at http://www.truthpublishing.com/PoisonintheFood.html

Fried foods are also extremely dangerous to human health. This includes French fries, egg rolls, fried onions and anything that's been cooked in oil at high temperatures. In addition to the chemical alterations of the oils that happen at high temperatures, the frying process creates acrylamides, which are deadly, cancer-causing chemicals that are now widely recognized as a serious danger to human health. Fast food restaurants that fry foods use the same frying oil over and over again, concentrating the acrylamide content so that each successive batch of french fries or egg rolls is slightly more toxic than the previous batch. If you want healthy cholesterol, you must avoid all fried foods for the rest of your life. This is not optional. Eating fried foods is simply incompatible with being healthy.

Homogenized dairy products are not only made of animal fats (which we talked about in step one), they are also artificially modified fats that are physically broken down into microscopic molecules that can enter the blood supply and clog up your arteries. It's one reason why the consumption of cow's milk is so strongly correlated with heart disease. If you must drink milk, the only milk I recommend is raw, unpasteurized, unprocessed milk that's delivered fresh from the farm.

So eliminate all hydrogenated oils, trans fatty acids, fried foods and homogenized dairy products from your diet. This will further accelerate your cholesterol recovery!

Step 5

You knew this was coming: Exercise really matters when it comes to cholesterol. The more you exercise, the higher your HDL will be and the lower your LDL will be. And that's good!

You can't just eat your way to perfect health; you also have to move your body. But the good news is that you don't have to go crazy with intense exercise to experience astounding benefits. Just a 30 minute walk five days a week will help considerably, and if you do a short 3-minute sprint in the middle of those walks, you can nearly double your cardiovascular benefit.

It's true! The best exercise combines steady, low-impact cardiovascular repetition with a short burst of high-intensity exertion. The benefits to your heart, arteries, lungs and cholesterol numbers are quite astonishing.

So pick up the exercise habit and make it part of your life. I exercise at least one hour each day in one form or another, but I mix it up to keep it interesting. Pursue walking, swimming, hiking, cycling, dancing, martial arts or whatever interests you. Just make it a habit, not an afterthought.

Remember: High cholesterol is all about what's in your blood, and if you want healthy blood, you've got to nourish your blood and move your blood. The only way to do that is through nutrition and exercise.

But it's easier than you think! Just get started and you'll notice results very quickly. The dietary changes will give you more energy in just a few days, and that will make exercise easier. Work into the exercise slowly, gradually, so that you don't overexert yourself or run the risk of injury. After 30 days, you'll notice a world of difference, and if you've been following the dietary advice give here, too, you'll almost assuredly see your total cholesterol drop 30 points or more. (Drops of 100 points in 30 days are not uncommon.)

Safety note: Do not abandon cholesterol medications without consulting with your doctor first. Be sure to inform your doctor of changes in your nutrition and exercise, and work within the practical guidelines of what is safe for you. What typically happens here is that the doctor removes the patient from cholesterol drugs once the numbers settle into a healthy range. So by achieving healthy cholesterol numbers naturally, your doctor will almost certainly take you off the prescription. You can then use nutrition and exercise to maintain healthy cholesterol numbers for life, and you'll never need cholesterol drugs again.

By the way, did you ever wonder why this simple cholesterol solution isn't promoted by the medical industry or the mainstream media? It's because treating high cholesterol with drugs is a multi billion dollar business. Drug companies don't want people to know they can lower their cholesterol on their own. And the mainstream media is addicted to drug company advertising money, so it never reports the real story on disease treatments or prevention.

And the FDA? It's in bed with the drug companies. Read my articles on the FDA to learn the truth: www.NewsTarget.com/the_FDA.html

When it comes to your health, don't believe the official sources. They're all corrupted by corporate influence. Believe in your body's innate ability to heal itself with the help of foods, herbs, supplements and physical exercise. Try these five steps for 30 days yourself, and you'll see just how powerful natural medicine can really be!
(Mike Adams)

I suggest that you also take plant sterols such as Biocare’s:
Cholesterase 2 daily (contains 150mg plant sterols)
Sterolvite 3 daily (contains 100mg plant sterols)
Mega EPA (fish oils)

Please note that flax oil does not offer the benefits of fish oils. By far the best is to take fish oils as flax lacks the EPA that keeps cell membranes supple.

I also recommend you eat oats and oatmeal as these contain indigestible fibre that carries fat soluble toxins out of the body and absorb excess cholesterol.

Learning to relax is essential as stress is a big cause of high cholesterol. Make sure you take time off work, relax in the evening and weekends. You could try QuiQuong, Tai Chi, or gentle Yoga to learn to slow down and relax while moving.

Homeopathic remedies that help with high cholesterol are:
Cholesterinum (low potency such as 6x) combined with
Liver sarcode (30C) and
Gall Bladder sarcode (30C)

I suggest twice daily for several months.

In coming newsletters I will be covering BioTypes and how to know what diet is best for you, and the endocrine system and how it affects your whole body, body-weight, energy levels, sleep, and sense of wellbeing.

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Hayfever

And don’t forget that if you suffer from Hayfever, now is the time to start desensitizing yourself to the pollens with homeopathic pollen remedies before they become airborne! Have yourself tested to find out which pollens you are allergic to by a kinesiologist and then order those pollens.

Wishing you a wonderful January!

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