3 STRATEGIES
For High Cholesterol
This year has been filled with many discovery calls of people going through their health concerns and usually ending that conversation with, "...and I have "high" cholesterol and my doctor wants me to go on a statin to lower it." Most admit not wanting to go on a statin, but they are also not confident in saying "no thank you."
I want to go through 3 things you can do to gain some ammo and confidence when you're told to go on a statin for "high" cholesterol and have no desire to do that. If you love being on a statin, the rest of this is obsolete and I still love you.
JUST SAY "NO"
You can say no. You're the boss. I don't say this because I'm anti-medicine. I say this because I'm anti "cholesterol causes heart disease." And guess what, so is the American Heart Association, but apparently your doctor missed that memo back in 2015.
"Previously, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that cholesterol intake be limited to no more than 300 milligrams per day. The 2015 DGAC [Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee] will not bring forward this recommendation because available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol, consistent with the conclusions of the AHA/ACC report. Cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for over consumption."
If the first thing your doctor sees is a cholesterol level of over 200 and immediately says you need to be on a statin or you need to cut red meat and animal products, you don't have a doctor, you have a pharmaceutical lackey that may want to revisit the Hippocratic Oath.
"I will use those dietary regimens which will benefit my patients according to my greatest ability and judgment, and I will do no harm or injustice to them. Neither will I administer a poison to anybody when asked to do so, nor will I suggest such a course."
If they cared about cardiac outcomes instead of what looks good on paper, they wouldn't bat an eye at your cholesterol levels in the range of 219-249...the LEAST adverse cardiac events. They would actually be more concerned with low cholesterol than high cholesterol for the fact that cholesterol is a building block to vital functions in your body from hormone production, vitamin D levels, brain tissue, and cell wall integrity.
The reality is that, in many situations, if they can't scare you enough about your total cholesterol, they will get you to focus on LDL and HDL...the internal moral battle of "good vs evil."
The Get With The Guidelines database was analyzed for CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) hospitalizations from 2000 to 2006 with documented lipid levels in the first 24 hours of admission. From 541 hospitals, admission lipid levels were documented in 136,905 patients. Almost half had LDL levels <100 mg/dL (considered normal at the time). More than half the patients had HDL levels <40 mg/dL. Their conclusion is that we need to lower LDL even more and raise HDL more...to prevent cardiac death.
This data confirmed what they had been preaching. "We need to get LDL lower and HDL higher if we're going to put a dent in heart disease." They went to work and created a medication that was PHENOMENAL at lowering your LDL and raising your HDL. It's called Evacetrapib.
But if it's so great at doing what it was supposed to do, why haven't you heard of it? Why are you not seeing every 3rd TV commercial about it?
Because the trial was shut down due to more adverse cardiac events with the drug group then the placebo group, despite actually creating a drug that would raise HDL and lower LDL.
If lowering total cholesterol and creating a "favorable" HDL and LDL profile hasn't proven to actually prevent heart attacks , why is there such a focus on your lipids still? How many more times do we have to try it before it works?
Call me crazy, but maybe lipids levels aren't predictive of cardiovascular disease at all. They may be an indicator of something happening, but predictability of cardiac events has been disproved more than proven.
ASSESS LIFE CONTEXT
Cholesterol levels need context. The timing of your cholesterol testing matters. Under higher emotional stress or an increase in job demand? Your cholesterol is likely to go up. It's not just cholesterol, your blood is going to thicken and clot faster too. They have known this since 1958.
Your cholesterol may even have fluctuations during the day. Catecholamines (dopamine, adrenaline, epinephrine) and cortisol will have an influence on cholesterol levels.
Mornings are usually met with your highest cortisol levels, regardless of stress. You may see a swing in cholesterol from higher in the morning to lower in the evening, where cortisol should be tapering down.
Are you in a phase of muscle building? Your body wants to increase sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone to keep up with demand. The building block of these hormones is cholesterol, so expect your cholesterol to go up. This doesn't mean you have a disease.
Diet only accounts for about 20% of your total cholesterol levels. You produce the other 80% to support hormones, repair tissue, provide fuel, brain activity, and immune function. The more demands in life (not just stress), expect cholesterol to increase to help keep up with demand.
INVESTIGATE MORE
Other systems and internal functions will impact cholesterol levels.
Your increase in cholesterol levels may not be an increase in production, but a plumbing issue not being able to get rid of the excess. Maybe look at the gallbladder for answers.
Elevated insulin in response to elevated blood glucose levels is a major stimulator of cholesterol production. Your dietary intake of cholesterol does very little to increase internal cholesterol levels, but your intake of processed carbs and sugars will signal an increase in production. That increase in production isn't to go clog your arteries but to go patch up damage caused by chronically high blood sugars.
An early sign of thyroid disorders is high cholesterol. We know metabolism decreases with low thyroid. Cholesterol will often increase much earlier than abnormalities in your TSH.
The point is that the current medical control of cholesterol hasn't decreased cardiac events and may actually be creating a band aid as other disease processes build under the surface. Don't ignore cholesterol levels. Use them as an indicator of potential issues, just not a predictor of them.
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At Dr. Kurt's Place, we have helped many with a variety of conditions but what we're best at, what we enjoy the most, and what we've had the best track record with is helping you get more energy to serve, lead, and dominate.
We're not diagnosing or treating your disease, we are working to upgrade your overall health and well being.
Dr. Kurt Perkins DC CCWP CFMP
4239 N. Nevada Ave. Suite 104
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
719-602-4545
hello@drkurtperkins.com
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hello@drkurtperkins.com
(719) 602.4545
4239 N. Nevada Ave. #104
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
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