Last week’s newsletter Are Statins Draining Your Health? explored the importance of cholesterol for your body. I also discussed the “risk vs. reward” of using a statin drug and its side effects. This week, let’s explore labs you can order and natural solutions for lowering cholesterol if you actually need to! What Causes Plaque? Clogged arteries develop when plaque or fatty deposits made up of cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium, and fibrin clog your arteries. As a result of this build-up, the walls of your blood vessels get thicker narrowing the artery channels and reducing normal blood flow. Much of our society believes that clogged arteries are primarily a “cholesterol” issue. However, science has shown that there are various health, lifestyle, and environmental factors that may increase the likelihood of clogged arteries. Inflammation This is the number one cause of damage to the arterial walls. This can be caused by the foods we eat, environmental toxins (like chlorine), stress, and a “leaky gut.” Chronic inflammation may increase your risk of high cholesterol. The cholesterol responds to the damage on the arterial walls caused by the inflammation. Remember, cholesterol is not the cause, it is the “repairman.” Insulin Resistance It is now estimated that 2/3 of the U.S. population is either insulin resistant, pre-diabetic, or a type 2 diabetic. Insulin resistance happens when your body is unable to respond and utilize insulin at the rate it is being produced. Your muscles, fat, and liver are unable to respond appropriately to insulin and cannot absorb glucose (sugar) effectively from your blood. Research has found that insulin resistance may also make blood vessels resistant. Insulin-resistant blood vessels are unable to open up well, become rigid, and may increase your risk of clogged arteries. Insulin resistance can increase inflammation, too! | |
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Gut Dysbiosis Gut dysbiosis means that there is an imbalance in microorganisms in your gut microbiome and there is too much bad bacteria or other pathogens in your gut. Gut dysbiosis may increase the likelihood of obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high bad cholesterol, and chronic inflammation. Toxic Overload Environmental toxins, including air pollution, pesticides, chemicals in cleaning and personal care products, toxins in water, and smoke, may all play a role in the development of clogged arteries, heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes. These toxins are called “free radicals” and damage the arterial tissue. Combined with inflammation, this is a double whammy; oxidation and inflammation create havoc on your endothelial cells. Chronic Stress and Poor Sleep When you are under stress, your body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. At high levels, cortisol may increase your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, and triglycerides, which are all common risk factors for clogged arteries and heart disease. Chronic stress may specifically contribute to a build-up of plaque in your arteries, causing clogged arteries. Poor sleep may cause a surge of white blood cells, which may contribute to clogged artery formation as well. Heart Panel Labs Your standard lipid panel is only going to show you: • Total cholesterol • HDL • LDL IF your standard lipid panel comes back showing you have high cholesterol and your doctor wants to put you on statins, you want to ask for deeper labs. If you are working with a cardiologist they should be willing do these labs. I had a cardiologist that wouldn’t, so I fired him and got a new one who would! Guess what, looking deeper showed no problems. Remember, you have to be your own health advocate because your doctor is only going to do the minimum required to prescribe a medication. There are many different types of labs you can get that show different things. Based on what can cause plaque build-up, we want to look at specific markers. Here are my suggestions so you have a really good picture of what is going on inside your body.
• CRP – C-reactive protein shows inflammation levels • Fasting glucose – how much excess sugar is floating around? Optimal levels are under 90 mg/dL. • A1C – This is a measurement of glycated (damaged) hemoglobin and red blood cells. The ideal number is between 4 and 5.2%. I like to see it at 5% or lower for optimal health. • Fasting Insulin: Optimal fasting insulin levels are between 2-5 uIu/mL. Between 6-9 uIu/mL is early insulin resistance, and anything over 10 uIu/mL is insulin resistance. This won’t be flagged on the lab until it is over 24.9 uIu/mL, which is a state of severe insulin resistance. • Serum ferritin: The ideal range is under 150. High levels indicate inflammation. • Homocysteine: This is an inflammatory protein made as a byproduct of methionine metabolism. The healthy range is under 9, with optimal being under 7. • VLDL cholesterol: Very low-density lipoprotein. The ideal range is 5 to 30 mg/dl. • Triglycerides: The ideal range is 40 to 80. Higher triglyceride and lower HDL levels are typically an indication of insulin resistance and high fasting insulin level. • Vitamin D – Research has shown that vitamin D deficiency may increase your risk of cardiovascular problems. | |
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If you have a history of heart disease or have had a cardiovascular event, I highly recommend the Boston Heart Health Panel. If you are working with a cardiologist and you are on Medicare, this is covered. If you are not Medicare age, you can go to this website, and they will find you a provider in your area. https://bostonheartdiagnostics.com/patients/get-tested/ Natural Solutions for Lowering Cholesterol Once you know your “true” cholesterol risk you can then decide if you want to use a natural solution to lower it, if necessary. Diet One of the main natural support strategies for clogged arteries is eating an anti-inflammatory diet. Remove inflammatory foods, such as refined sugar, processed food, refined oils, deep-fried food, junk food, artificial ingredients, excess alcohol, and refined carb meals from your diet. Eat a diet rich in anti-inflammatory, nutrient-dense foods, including green vegetables, low glycemic index fruits, herbs, spices, complex carbohydrates, fermented foods, healthy fats, and clean protein. Look at the Mediterranean Diet for a great example of an anti-inflammatory diet. Choose organic produce and products whenever possible and always follow the list of Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen. | |
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Intermittent Fasting Intermittent fasting is a way of eating that cycles between not eating (fasting) and eating (feasting) within a period of time. It is a great way to reduce inflammation, increase autophagy (cellular clean up), reduce insulin resistance, improve cellular repair, and reduce the risk of disease. One of the most popular intermittent fasting methods is the 16:8 approach, which includes a 16-hour fast (including your overnight sleep) and an 8-hour eating window with 2 or 3 meals. Reduce Stress Stress IS a killer! • Reducing stress is a critical natural support strategy for clogged arteries. I recommend that you reduce stressors from your life as much as possible. Turn off the news, and only look at it once a day or a few times a week for a specific period. • Reduce your social media use and time on the internet. • Get outside and put your bare feet on the ground. • Learn some deep breath techniques. YouTube is great for this. • Do a “life review” to determine where the majority of your stress is coming from and make a plan to work on reducing it. Sleep Prioritizing good sleep is just as important as reducing your stress levels. Develop a regular schedule for going to bed and getting up at the same time every day to support your circadian rhythms. Avoid electronics, sugar, caffeine, heavy foods, and stress close to the bed. Engage in relaxing activities, including stretching, relaxing baths, meditation, and prayer. Make sure that you have a supporting bed, pillow, and bedding, and sleep in a dark, calming room. Get morning sunlight in your eyes. This begins the production of serotonin, which then converts to melatonin at night. Sleep Supplements • Magnesium glycinate- take 400mg 1 hour before bed • Melatonin – start very low, 2mg 1 hour before bed (if not groggy in the morning, and you didn’t fall asleep fast, increase by 1mg) Support Gut Health By eating an anti-inflammatory diet, you will be helping your gut also. If you have EVER taken antibiotics then you will want to take a probiotic for 3 months. Use a broad spectrum probiotic with at least 5 different strains to reintroduce some good bacteria into your gut. Avoid gluten-containing products to allow your gut to heal. I suggest at least a 90-day gluten-free diet while you are healing, then only eat it on special occasions like your birthday! Omega 3’s One of the supplements that can be very powerful for reducing inflammation is omega 3 fish oil. You will be doing more than just supporting good cardiovascular health. Omega 3’s increase brain health, mood, eye health, immune support, and joint health. If you are on blood thinners check with your prescribing doctor before starting on fish oil. | |
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You now know more than 90% of the population! If you did not read my newsletter from last week, go here so you can understand the risk vs rewards of statin drugs. Always look for the root cause of your symptoms. Allopathic medicine will “manage” your symptoms, but I bet you want to eliminate them and avoid drugs if possible! In health, Chris Mckee Certified Nutritionist at Achieve Integrative Health |
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