High Cholesterol, I'll Fix That

By: Donald Findley
            Have you ever gone to the doctor and found out that you have high cholesterol, and the first thing the doctor does is write a prescription for some drug or combination of drugs?  This very thing happened to me about a year ago.  To my doctor’s surprise, I ask him about any natural ways of lowering my cholesterol.  Naturally, he said change my diet to a low fat diet, exercise, and take the prescription as ordered.

            When I got home, I did just the opposite of what he told me.  I went on a high protein low carbohydrate diet and never took any of the prescribed medication.  As a nurse, I had always been taught that our body consumes carbohydrates, fats, and then protein as energy sources.  I was determined to lower my cholesterol the natural way.

            My next thing was what herbs and foods could I use to lower my cholesterol and maintain a healthy level of it.  The following are the herbs and food items that I ate on a daily basis.

            Olive oil I would use three tablespoons a day on salads or anywhere else that I would  add some other type of oil or butter.

            Fiber is an excellent way to lower your LDL (low-density lipoprotein) the bad cholesterol. The source that I used was psyllium, a plant found in many over the counter bulk laxative sources.  I also ate vegetables with their skins left on to help increase the fiber I was consuming.  You should always stay well hydrated when increasing the amount of fiber that you consume. It can cause difficulty in having a bowel movement if you do not drink plenty of fluid.

             

Garlic I would use a whole clove of garlic a day in different foods that I ate.  Garlic is good for decreasing the LDL and increasing HDL (High-density lipoprotein) the  good cholesterol (Mindell, 1991, p.126).

           

Cayenne also known by capsicum, has been shown to reduce LDL and triglycerides in  a study published in the Journal of Bioscience in 1987.  I took two capsules  everyday one in the morning and one at night.

           

Shiitake mushrooms I ate this type of mushroom every day because it helps lower the bad cholesterol (Mindell, 1992, p. 159).

I had my cholesterol levels drawn two months later and returned to my doctor to get the results.  My LDL had dropped from 292 down to 148 and my HDL had gone up from 33 to 52.  The doctor said the prescription worked well and that I should continue taking it but at a lower dose.  I laughed and told the doctor that I never even took the medication and informed him of exactly what I did.  He was shocked and said, “No use writing another prescription, I’ll see you in six months.”

Sources

Mindell,E (1992). Earl Mindell’s herb bible. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster/ Fireside.

Mindell,E (1991). Earl Mindell’s vitamin bible. New York, NY:Warner Books.