How To Rid The Body Of Bad Cholesterol

Most would agree that having too much cholesterol floating around in our bloodstream is not a good thing and thus how to rid the body of bad cholesterol is an important health concern. But should we be concerned about how to rid the body of bad cholesterol or how to reduce and maintain cholesterol in healthy levels? Most, if not all, cardiologists would agree with the second premise. Why is this the case?

LDL stands for high density lipoproteins and is known as bad cholesterol. Therefore when an individual is trying to figure out how to rid the body of bad cholesterol they are essentially trying to figure out ways to eliminate LDL. LDLs are carrier molecules which transport cholesterol through the arteries, eventually finding their way to our cells. Cholesterol is essential for cell health, and is a building block for many hormones. Therefore, if we were able to figure out a way to completely rid the body of bad cholesterol we would be killing ourselves in the process.

On the other hand high levels of this waxy, fatlike substance have been linked with an increased risk of hardening of the arteries, heart attack, and stroke. In essence we have a delicate balancing act going on in the our bodies. On one hand if our LDL levels drop below 60 mg/dl or so we will experience muscle pain, hormonal deficiencies, and in extreme cases muscle death and as a result kidney failure. On the other hand if our LDL cholesterol is over 160 mg/dl we stand a good chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or falling victim to hardening of the arteries.

As you can see figuring out how to rid the body of bad cholesterol is not the goal. Instead the goal is keep LDL somewhere between 80 mg/dl, for those with a family or personal history of heart disease, and between 90 and110 mg/dl for those with one or less risk factors for coronary artery disease (obesity, smoking, inactivity, etc).

In summary, our goal for optimal health is to maintain a sufficient amount of cholesterol for muscle and cell health but not enough to increase our risk for artery and heart disease.

What else? Lowering cholesterol into a healthy range, in most cases, is about changing old habits, adopting new healthier habits, and enlisting the help of convention medications such as statins or natural cholesterol reducing remedies if needed. Put simply, this basically means finding ways to increase HDL (good cholesterol) and decrease LDL (bad cholesterol levels). Certainly the aforementioned statin drugs will be one of your options but they do carry a number of serious label warnings. The side effect risks have made natural cholesterol reduction supplements combined with diet modification a safe and effective combination worth considering.

By: R.D. Hawkins

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R.D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at Purchase Remedies.com