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While there's plenty of medical advice that indicates the statin
family of drugs are highly effective in lowering your levels of
"bad" cholesterol, there are many people who are seeking
alternative non-medical solutions to lowering high cholesterol.
These people include the not-so-old who wish to make lifestyle
changes rather than face 30 or more years on medications, with
the chance of suffering unacceptable side-effects from the
statin medications, such as erectile dysfunction in males and
abdominal pain and cramps in both sexes.
The long-term use of these drugs could lead to as yet unknown
problems. So, eat a healthy diet low in saturated fats and
combine this with the following natural health tips.
Natural Tip No 1 - Regular Exercise
Start a program of regular exercise that will lead to achieving
a healthy body weight. This means exercising three or four times
a week to a level where your heart rate is raised to an
acceptable rate for your age. Walking, swimming and cycling are
all good activities that don't place unnecessary strain on your
body. Be sure to warm up with at least five minutes of
muscle-stretching exercises beforehand. Raised oxygen levels
also help your body organs maintain their vitality and firms and
tones your muscles.
Natural Tip No 2 - Plan Your Menus
Think about the healthy foods you like and plan your meals a
week in advance to coincide with food shopping day. This saves
you having to make compromises to your diet that involve the
wrong foods. It also means you'll have plenty of low fat
products on hand that may be hard to find at the corner store.
Natural Tip No 3 - Smart Cooking Techniques
Avoid cooking techniques such as deep-frying and try to prepare
your foods by simmering, dry baking, steaming or using Asian
stir-fry techniques. Even microwaving can allow foods to cook in
their natural juices and retain their nutrients. And be sure to
eat lots of raw foods, especially fruit and vegetables.
Natural Tip No 4 - Take Your Supplements
Supplements such as Omega-3, inositol hexaniacinate, pantethine,
and guggulipid can be effective in lowering cholesterol.
Supplements for lowering cholesterol should be used as a part of
an overall plan that includes diet and lifestyle changes.
Natural Tip No 5 - Clean Out the System
Try a system cleanout day where you consume only fruit and
vegetables. The high water content of fruit and vegetables
facilitates the spread of their valuable nutrients through your
body and helps flush out the wastes that have built up from
eating the wrong foods. This dietary tip may not suit every one,
but at least try it and see.
Natural Tip No 6 - Relax
Stress and ill health go hand-in-hand. While you can't and
shouldn't eliminate stress you can learn to control it by
meditation and relaxation techniques and by regular exercise.
Follow these natural living tips and you should be able to lower
your cholesterol. You will certainly be fitter and healthier. If
you are currently on prescription drugs, don't stop them without
consulting your doctor.
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