I've been reading lately about the changes in food that we have seen in the last 40 years. Fast food has really gotten into our lives. The sugary and fatty drinks and food have taken their toll on our cholesterol levels.
I often think of what early man ate. It sure wasn't fast food in today's sense. At that time our digestive systems were created. Our systems are used to eating more natural foods. I bet early man had no problem with cholesterol.
Also early man got a lot of exercise running after game and running from carnivores and large angry herbivores.
It all comes down to - we are what we eat. If we live off of fast food and junk food and sit before a TV set for hours on end - well we have all the requirements for high cholesterol and obesity.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
New Site on High Triglycerides
If you have high blood triglycerides – check this site out. It talks about lowering your triglycerides naturally http://www.squidoo.com/hightriglycerides
Monday, February 25, 2008
Does the spice Turmeric lower cholesterol?
Yet another spice is claiming to be able to lower cholesterol. Apparently a study done on rabbits has shown very favorable results on lowering cholesterol.
Wow! Are spices such natural cures? It seems that the ancients knew how to treat so many ailments and we're just starting to learn or relearn what they were so wise at. Incredible...
Wow! Are spices such natural cures? It seems that the ancients knew how to treat so many ailments and we're just starting to learn or relearn what they were so wise at. Incredible...
Friday, February 22, 2008
Is Cayenne highly underrated?
I'm still looking at Cayenne as a way of helping people with heart problems. It has been used by herbalists for generations to cure various ailments, but not much formal (medical) research has been done on it. There are some studies on rats.
I wonder if the pharmaceuticals are squelching any research. Am I paranoid or what?
Sometimes I wonder though because there is so much (big) money in medications - especially heart medication since heart disease is the number on killer.
I wonder if the pharmaceuticals are squelching any research. Am I paranoid or what?
Sometimes I wonder though because there is so much (big) money in medications - especially heart medication since heart disease is the number on killer.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Does Cayenne Pepper really lower cholesterol?
I've been reading about Cayenne. It's just amazing how many natural things can lower cholesterol.
I can't find any scientific evidence that Cayenne does? Although it has been used for centuries to help with hear ailments.
Sometimes I think that the pharmaceuticals kind of fight the use of natural cures because there's no money in it for them.
I can't find any scientific evidence that Cayenne does? Although it has been used for centuries to help with hear ailments.
Sometimes I think that the pharmaceuticals kind of fight the use of natural cures because there's no money in it for them.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Smoking - Oh My God!
Eating saturated fats like you find in meats can cause heart disease. That's pretty much an established fact and is well known. But smoking cigarettes not only do they mess up your lungs, but they really cause problems with your arteries. When I read about all the variety of toxins that are introduced into the blood from smoking - wow it scares me.
I was one of the fortunate ones in that I went in the woods with the other boys and tried a cigarette. Actually it was a little Italian cigar. I don't know I was a simpleton, but it made me so sick that I lay on the couch and thought I was going to die. I was sick for at least an hour. I mean I prayed to God - if he let me past this one I would never smoke again and I never did. I guess in a way that was a blessing.
If you smoke - read about what it puts in your blood. It will scare you smokeless!
Smoking also lowers your HDL good cholesterol so it promotes heart disease. In most cases, you want to eat or do things(like exercise) that will raise your HDL levels not lower them.
Tim
www.waystoloweryourcholesterol.com
I was one of the fortunate ones in that I went in the woods with the other boys and tried a cigarette. Actually it was a little Italian cigar. I don't know I was a simpleton, but it made me so sick that I lay on the couch and thought I was going to die. I was sick for at least an hour. I mean I prayed to God - if he let me past this one I would never smoke again and I never did. I guess in a way that was a blessing.
If you smoke - read about what it puts in your blood. It will scare you smokeless!
Smoking also lowers your HDL good cholesterol so it promotes heart disease. In most cases, you want to eat or do things(like exercise) that will raise your HDL levels not lower them.
Tim
www.waystoloweryourcholesterol.com
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Obesity Epidemic?
Wow, today I was reading an article about obesity. Do you know that one out of three Americans are obese? Incredible! Even children are now getting larger. It's scary...
Guess where cholesterol levels must be?? About as high as they can get?
Some say that obesity is pandemic - all the developing countries have problems with it. And this impacts the society on the whole. So many days of sick leave - more money for pharmaceuticals - more money for treatment of heart disease and diabetes. It's a mess...
Are we eating ourselves into an early grave and costing everyone - not only ourselves - but everyone a lot of money and inconvenience?
Guess where cholesterol levels must be?? About as high as they can get?
Some say that obesity is pandemic - all the developing countries have problems with it. And this impacts the society on the whole. So many days of sick leave - more money for pharmaceuticals - more money for treatment of heart disease and diabetes. It's a mess...
Are we eating ourselves into an early grave and costing everyone - not only ourselves - but everyone a lot of money and inconvenience?
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Lowering Cholesterol with Red-Yeast Rice
It's amazing how many simple, natural things can lower cholesterol. Red-yeast rice has been around for at least a thousand years and used by the Chinese to treat heart disease. I wrote an article on it just the other day -
Lowering Cholesterol with Red-Yeast Rice
Red-yeast rice has been used for over a thousand years by the Chinese to improve blood circulation. Red-yeast rice contains several ingredients that may help control cholesterol levels. These include a number of monacolins, most importantly monacolin K. It also contains sterols, isoflavones, and monounsaturated fatty acids, or "healthy fats". Red-yeast rice is the fermented product of rice on which red yeast (Monascus purpureus) has been grown.
In China, consumption of red-yeast rice has been studied and found to reduce total cholesterol by 11-32%. Red-yeast rice is a dietary staple in many Asian countries including Japan and China. Typical daily consumption is between 0.5 to 2.0 ounces per day. It has also been used in the U.S. by the Asian Americans and has been shown to reduce cholesterol and prevent heart disease.
There are three major preparations of red-yeast rice: Zhitai, Cholestin or Hypocol, and Xuezhikang. The latter two have been of the most importance to pharmaceuticals. Cholestin or Hypocol produce a concentration of monacolin K which is lovastatin the active ingredient in the medication Mevacor.
In studies done by the Chinese, Zhitai and Xuezhikang showed that total cholesterol was lowered by 10-30%, LDL cholesterol was lowered by an average of 10-20%, triglycerides lowered by 15-25%, and HDL increased by an average of 7-15%.
Studies at UCLA have shown that Cholestin reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels but had no effect on HDL cholesterol.
These studies were for several weeks in duration, so the long-term effects of eating red-yeast rice is not known. However, many Asians have eaten red-yeast rice for generations without any particular problems; it is considered a traditional Chinese medicine.
In the United States, the FDA asked manufacturers of red-yeast products to remove them from the market because they contained lovastatin. The FDA cited a risk of severe muscle problems that could lead to kidney disease. So if you want to purchase red-yeast rice extracts you’ll have to go to other countries or the Internet.
More research needs to be done before we can know about the long-term safety of red-yeast rice. We do know that some types of red-yeast rice may be more dangerous than others because of high levels of other substances such as citrinic acid.
There are purity and concentration issues that one must keep in mind. The amount of monacolin -- perhaps the most important ingredient -- can vary a lot. There are many different strains of the yeast. Different types of fermentation are used. One study of different brands of red yeast rice supplements showed that the amount of monacolin ranged from 0% to 0.58%.
Also there may be medication-interaction issues. It’s best to consult with your medical doctor first before trying to lower your cholesterol with red-yeast rice.
Download a Free guide “Foods that Lower Cholesterol” here: http://www.waystoloweryourcholesterol.com
Lowering Cholesterol with Red-Yeast Rice
Red-yeast rice has been used for over a thousand years by the Chinese to improve blood circulation. Red-yeast rice contains several ingredients that may help control cholesterol levels. These include a number of monacolins, most importantly monacolin K. It also contains sterols, isoflavones, and monounsaturated fatty acids, or "healthy fats". Red-yeast rice is the fermented product of rice on which red yeast (Monascus purpureus) has been grown.
In China, consumption of red-yeast rice has been studied and found to reduce total cholesterol by 11-32%. Red-yeast rice is a dietary staple in many Asian countries including Japan and China. Typical daily consumption is between 0.5 to 2.0 ounces per day. It has also been used in the U.S. by the Asian Americans and has been shown to reduce cholesterol and prevent heart disease.
There are three major preparations of red-yeast rice: Zhitai, Cholestin or Hypocol, and Xuezhikang. The latter two have been of the most importance to pharmaceuticals. Cholestin or Hypocol produce a concentration of monacolin K which is lovastatin the active ingredient in the medication Mevacor.
In studies done by the Chinese, Zhitai and Xuezhikang showed that total cholesterol was lowered by 10-30%, LDL cholesterol was lowered by an average of 10-20%, triglycerides lowered by 15-25%, and HDL increased by an average of 7-15%.
Studies at UCLA have shown that Cholestin reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels but had no effect on HDL cholesterol.
These studies were for several weeks in duration, so the long-term effects of eating red-yeast rice is not known. However, many Asians have eaten red-yeast rice for generations without any particular problems; it is considered a traditional Chinese medicine.
In the United States, the FDA asked manufacturers of red-yeast products to remove them from the market because they contained lovastatin. The FDA cited a risk of severe muscle problems that could lead to kidney disease. So if you want to purchase red-yeast rice extracts you’ll have to go to other countries or the Internet.
More research needs to be done before we can know about the long-term safety of red-yeast rice. We do know that some types of red-yeast rice may be more dangerous than others because of high levels of other substances such as citrinic acid.
There are purity and concentration issues that one must keep in mind. The amount of monacolin -- perhaps the most important ingredient -- can vary a lot. There are many different strains of the yeast. Different types of fermentation are used. One study of different brands of red yeast rice supplements showed that the amount of monacolin ranged from 0% to 0.58%.
Also there may be medication-interaction issues. It’s best to consult with your medical doctor first before trying to lower your cholesterol with red-yeast rice.
Download a Free guide “Foods that Lower Cholesterol” here: http://www.waystoloweryourcholesterol.com
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