A couple years ago on during my routine check up I had a bit of a surprise when I got my blood tests back.
I had 290 total cholesterol with about 230 of that being bad cholesterol. Normal should be below about 200 total and bad cholesterol should be about 150. I was stunned.
I began to worry. I didn’t want to take cholesterol medication, I’m young. So now what?
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How I lowered my cholesterol
To cut to the chase, I successfully lower my total cholesterol from 290 to 209. And all of that came off of my LDL’s, the bad cholesterol, which went down from 233 to 139. My HDL’s, the good cholesterol, actually went up from 62, which was already good, to an amazing 70.
I did this without medication. I modified some of my lifestyle choices including diet, exercise, Chinese herbs, and the inclusion of qi gong meditation.
If you are interested in lowering your cholesterol naturally, you must take it seriously. Lowering cholesterol naturally takes dedication and effort.
Cholesterol it is not to be taken lightly, high cholesterol can account for severe diseases like coronary heart disease and stroke. So if you are working with it naturally, you must be diligent!
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a naturally occurring fat in the body which plays many roles. For example it is involved in making cell membranes, helps develop the nervous system, and also helps to make some hormones.
There are two types of cholesterol which are tested, HDL, the good cholesterol, and LDL, the bad cholesterol. HDL, called high density lipoproteins, actually protects you from a heart attack and stroke. High LDL is associated with higher risk of heart attach and stoke.
You can read more about how cholesterol causes disease here, at the National Cholesterol Education Program.
How Does Chinese Medicine Understand Cholesterol?
Chinese medicine believes that imbalances in the body can cause diseases. For cholesterol, imbalance in the body lead to build up of toxins called dampness and damp heat.
The two ways to address cholesterol is by correcting the underlying imbalance that lead to the toxic build up, as well as remove the damp heat toxin from the body. Once you are at a healthy level, you need to prevent the toxins form building up again through diet and exercise.
In the following post, I will discuss my lifestyle modification to help lower my cholesterol, naturally.