The Alternative Health Gazette

Common Treatments and Their Challenges

Common treatments for high cholesterol range from diet and lifestyle changes to medications or even surgery. Seventy five percent of people with high cholesterol can lower their LDL using nutritional changes combined with exercise. The other 25% need a little extra help.

The blood cholesterol level is important because cholesterol is a fatty substance that our body needs for cells to regenerate and grow. Too many low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and not enough high-density lipoprotein (HDL) can lead to high cholesterol levels that are dangerous. This matters because high LDL and low HDL increases the risk of heart disease, heart attack and strokes. Ideally, we should all aim for a low LDL and high HDL. HDL will help sweep the excess LDL out of our bloodstream.

There are many medications on the market called statins. Statins lower LDL levels more successfully than any other drug currently on the market. They work by inhibiting an enzyme that controls the rate of cholesterol production inside our bodies. They also help increase the livers ability to remove the bad cholesterol (LDL) from the body. Using a statin drug in conjunction with exercise and a low fat, low cholesterol diet has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels by 20-60%.

Of course, as with any prescription medication, there can be side effects. The major side effects of statins include altered liver function and muscle weakness or tenderness. If statin treatment is continued after muscle weakness and pain develop, it can progress to muscle breakdown (called rhabdomyolsis), which can be fatal. The lesser known side effects of statins are memory loss, depression, irritability, insomnia, blindness, hunger and nausea. Depending on your risk factors, some physicians may use other drugs in conjunction with statins to speed up the LDL reduction. Cholesterol absorption inhibitors work by blocking cholesterol entry into the blood and recent studies have shown that the use of these inhibitors with statin therapy may cause a further reduction in cholesterol levels.

A more natural treatment of high cholesterol would include diet, exercise and a dietary increase of plant sterols. There are now grocery products with added plant sterol that are labeled as heart healthy, such as orange juice and margarine. People consume sterols daily but not in high enough quantities to reduce cholesterol levels. To be effective, 2-3 grams need to be consumed daily. Currently, the American Heart Association recommends limiting sterol treatment to high risk patients only due to possible vitamin absorption issues.

Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, has promising results when used for lowering LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol. Niacin can also be used in conjunction with other cholesterol lowering drugs but does have possible side effects. The most common side effect of niacin is skin flushing or hot flashes caused by the resulting widening of blood vessels. While niacin is available in over the counter form it is recommended that patients seeking to reduce high cholesterol levels only take the prescription form under their doctors supervision.

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