If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

 The Risk Factors for High Cholesterol

You might say that you’re very well learned with the risks of heart disease; especially with the high amount of information that is available on this subject. But risk factors for high cholesterol, are a completely different story altogether. You may be wondering  what they are. Perhaps you are wondering what they have to do with you. The first thing that needs to be said is in identifying what they are.

Some are part of your diet such as fast foods, chips, soft drinks, candy bars, refined sugars, butter cream, fried cheese, fried dough, and cotton candy. These are the ones you can control with a great deal less effort than you think. You probably grew up eating these things. They are familiar to you and they are likely your comfort foods. However you should be warned that they will kill you if you let them. Some risk factors for high cholesterol are part of your normal every day lifestyle.

Weight problems, smoking, alcohol abuse, and laziness are all another part of your daily life structure. Some of these are health conditions you did not choose for yourself as they were handed down from your parents. However, they are still there and can destroy you. Diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, hyperthyroidism are just some of the dangers that these foods invoke. Some specific prescription drugs can also destroy you. Blood pressure medicine (such as clonidine and methyldopa), diuretics (water pills), anabolic steroids, beta blockers, and progestins can all cause harmful or even fatal complications. All these risk factors for high cholesterol affect you in different ways, but I assure that they do effect you.

If you want to do something about the risks you face you must first be honest with yourself about what your problem areas are that you face them. This may sound completely obvious to you already, but self-denial is a powerful force. If your diet is too heavy in saturated fats and transfatty acids, you will need to reduce them dramatically. If you do not exercise regularly, you should start because it is never too late. (it doesn’t have to be two hours at the gym every day, just a mere 30-minute walk will suffice). If you take prescribed medications for other conditions, you should consult your doctor. The most important thing is to face the risks and then deal with them.

Lowering your cholesterol doesn’t have to be the most difficult thing you do, it is necessary only that it be a main priority. In lowering your cholesterol, you are guaranteeing that you are working to prevent serious illnesses. You can’t always stop them all together but you can combat them.

Cholesterol Drugs - The Dangers of Cholesterol Drugs

When it comes to treating high cholesterol, you are often prescribed certain drugs by your doctors. These are called statin drugs. The statins are a specific class of drugs, which are more formally referred to as pharmaceuticals, and are used to reduce cholesterol levels. There are many accusations that are made against the use of statin drug dangers and some of these dangers include: peripheral neuropathy, muscle damage, elevated liver enzyme indices, plasma fibrinogen levels and including kidney damage. You must remember however that these are only allegations at this point and not set in stone.

Some studies have been made in this area. The medical community as a whole has yet to make any definitive judgment on the allegations that are not fully corroborated studies. Some of the common complaints of side effects include memory loss, personality changes, irritability and muscle pain. These are not occurring to all who take them, but they are occurring.
Statin drug dangers in the United States are all due to the seven statin drugs on the market. There are those that are in the fermentation group which are lovastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin. Next there are those that are in the synthetic group which are atorvastatin, fluvastatin, rusovastatin and cerivastatin. Some of the brand names of these same drugs are: Zocor, Lipitor and Pravachol. Those in the fermentation group seem to be more effective in lowering LDL levels.

Without question there have been a number of deaths that have been related to the use statin drugs. Separating them however, is in part a job for the experts and in part a challenge that is actually caused by the experts. With you now knowing this, you must do more than simply read what the media reports on the deaths that are related to any specific medication. The media are journalists and newscasters and it is not their job to diagnose the causes of deaths.. They are not medical specialists either and are therefore not equipped to do so. To better understand the real statin drug dangers and the implications for you, consult your physician and assess the chances of these major side effects.

If you do feel that you would benefit from using any of the drugs mentioned here for controlling your cholesterol levels, your doctor is your first place to go. If your doctor gives you the ok, you should then follow the instructions to the letter. Misusing your medication can be fatal. You should also keep following your diet and exercise plan because the drugs can only do so much to help you. In the end, you have to help yourself too.

Controlling your Cholesterol

How you should best control it if you have high cholesterol depends on how high it is and why it is so high in the first place. By doing this you will at least be aware of the risk of having high cholesterol. You may already know that you have it. You may just want to learn more about it. Either way, you will need to get a grip on your cholesterol and get informed about controlling it.

You may know that cholesterol plays a significant and decisive role to heart disease. You probably already know that the primary cause of heart attack and stroke are clogged arteries, and blood clots because of those arteries traveling to either the heart or the brain, and that high cholesterol is what clogs the arteries. You likely already know that it is important to control high cholesterol before it gets to be high. If you don’t….now you do.

If you have high cholesterol, you are going to want to lower it. If you don’t, you want to know how to avoid getting it in the first place. Your first step to control high cholesterol is to establish healthy eating habits, healthy exercise habits and healthy drinking and smoking habits. When I say healthy habits there is a meaning to this.

Healthy smoking habits are not smoking cigarettes and cigars that are healthy it is a fireplace with the vent open, meat or vegetables on the grill, or perhaps fireworks in July. Tobacco smokers have a single advantage over nonsmokers: if they quit they raise their HDL cholesterol levels very quickly, and that’s a good thing. Healthy drinking habits are a little less crazy than smoking. Indications today state that a glass of red wine a day actually helps raise HDL cholesterol.

Healthy exercise habits mean regular aerobic exercise at least several times a week. This can be walking for 30 minutes, tennis, running, cycling, volleyball. Whatever you enjoy doing and it gives you a good cardiovascular workout. Healthy eating habits are one of the best ways to control high cholesterol. If you do this it will give you higher HDL and, more importantly, much lower LDL. What these whole foods do place more emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and less on animal products that are high in saturated fats and they focus less on processed foods. They could mean the difference from you having a heart strong enough body to maintain it properly.

Ken Mathie


“Rob Poulos’ “7 SECRETS OF PERMANENT FAT LOSS & FITNESS”. Downloaded by tens of thousands of people all over the world, you’ll learn how you can triple your fat loss results by cutting your workout time in half or more. You’ll also discover the most powerful secret in eating for a lean body. Plus you’ll steal 5 more secrets of permanent fat loss and that fit, lean & sexy look in this 40+ page eBooklet.”
click here download this FREE report now…

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Bumpzee
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Furl
  • Mixx
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google

Lowering High Cholesterol

Most of us are at some risk for heart disease. All of us are better off if we work on lowering high cholesterol. Cholesterol is all a huge part of reducing our overall risk of both heart disease and stroke. By now we all already know this. We know that diet and exercise help as well. We know that medications are sometimes needed, and when they are that they’re most effective when they are combined with a heart healthy diet.

The cholesterol that’s actually being lowered when it is talked of lowering high cholesterol is LDL, which is the cholesterol that outnumbers the other cholesterol (HDL) in the order of around 3 to 1. We’re not lowering our cholesterol simply because there’s more of it, even though we are trying to raise HDL because there never seems to be quite enough of it. We’re lowering our LDL levels because of what it has a tendency to do once it’s done what is required of it by our bodies; which is to help with digestion, protect the nervous system, and build cell walls. What it does that we need to stop is build up in our arteries.

What Helps for Lowering High Cholesterol?

Medications, of course, can be taken for help in chemically lowering high cholesterol in the circulatory system, and it can even inhibit their being produced in the liver all together. There are synthetic and natural or herbal medications that you can use, but discussing them is a separate subject. Dietary adjustments are also particularly effective in reducing the inflow both in the those foods that we eat which are the building blocks of LDL in the liver, and those that are directly absorbed into the bloodstream.

The problem foods that do not necessarily help when you are working toward lowering high cholesterol include such things as animal products that are high in saturated fats and processed foods and oils. Physical exercise is effective for the most part because it entails burning as energy the molecules that otherwise accumulate in the body and bloodstream as fat, which results in overloading the workload of the vital organs, the heart being the major one among them.

As you can see when it comes to actually doing something about your cholesterol levels, a balanced diet, combined with a good fitness regimen is your best bet in combating high cholesterol. You have to be both active and eat right to maintain the right balance. You can look to the my pyramid charts as a means of being sure that your eating habits are balanced. Supplements of vitamins will not be able to compensate for your poor eating. You have to eat whole foods for any of this to be effective, and you must lay off of heavy fatty foods and junk food to keep your cholesterol balanced.

Lowering your Cholesterol the Natural Way

For those people who would prefer not to take prescription drugs for lowering their cholesterol, there is an alternative and more natural way. The alternative to using pharmaceuticals are natural cholesterol reducers. Many people prefer them to taking the drugs as they are believed safer. More and more studies are being conducted on the medicinal values of naturally occurring substances such as herbs etc. More and more of these results show their effectiveness in alleviating symptoms or in reducing your chances of a heart disease or disorder. The choice is yours.

What Exactly Are Natural Cholesterol Reducers?

Natural cholesterol reducers are regularly seen as substances occurring without human intervention in their natural growth and development. This means that they were not created with the use of chemicals or pesticides. A large number of them have been the subject of recent studies, and have been proven effective as natural cholesterol reducers. Garlic is on the list as a significant inhibitor to the development of arteriosclerosis and even aid in disabling the recurrence of heart attacks. Fish oils possess their omega-3-fatty acids and are commonly known to reduce heart disease occurrences by as much as 45 percent.

Cholesterol’s close relative which is called beta-sitosterol can very effectively cuts blood serum cholesterol with practically no changes made in your diet or exercise regimens. Curcumin, which is the extract of a curry spice (turmeric), lowers cholesterol as well as does some other things. However if we move a bit farther on into the exotic spices etc. we will learn that golgul gum resin that you will find from the myrrh tree reduces high cholesterol levels as well as it helps you with weight problems.

A specific sugar cane wax derivative, called policosanol, prevents LDL from oxidizing in the bloodstream and due to this its levels in the body. Psyllium, which is the fiber of a plant that is native to India and Iran, also lowers LDL levels. It is important to note that Ogul Gum Resin, garlic, Curcumin, and Policosanol only have limited effectiveness’s, because they can only last for about six months. This is because they are exogenic so it’s a good idea for you to look for endogenic supplements such as Beta Sitosterol, Beta Glucan, Chromax and soy isoflavones to assist you in your efforts.

How you should Use Natural Cholesterol Reducers

Any medication that you choose to take should be used in the accompaniment of living a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise and diet and better overall daily habits that are conducive to your good health. This means that you will be required to make some degree of regular physical exercise, moderate body weight and always a balanced diet a part of your life. Of any one thing that you should take into account, lifestyle almost always goes the furthest distance. This is true for cholesterol levels, and particularly for LDL, because this is the cholesterol that is driven so strongly by your diet. HDL is not no exception to this rule, it is simply influences by other factors as well. Medications alone are usually not enough to ensure long term health.

Ken Mathie


“Rob Poulos’ “7 SECRETS OF PERMANENT FAT LOSS & FITNESS”. Downloaded by tens of thousands of people all over the world, you’ll learn how you can triple your fat loss results by cutting your workout time in half or more. You’ll also discover the most powerful secret in eating for a lean body. Plus you’ll steal 5 more secrets of permanent fat loss and that fit, lean & sexy look in this 40+ page eBooklet.”
click here download this FREE report now…

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Bumpzee
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Furl
  • Mixx
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google

Lower your Cholesterol For Your Heart

Having a lower cholesterol is very important to our overall health, no matter how old we are or aren’t. This is especially true if we want to avoid having a heart attack or stroke. In order to understand what this means and how to achieve it, we all need to understand a few of the key concepts and terms first. Among the things that we need to know are cholesterol, HDL, LDL, lipoproteins, serum cholesterol, dietary cholesterol, saturated fats, atherosclerosis, and coronary artery disease.

Cholesterol is basically just a fat-like substance that is found all through the body. Basically it gets there in one of two ways, either from the body itself or in the foods we eat and put into it. It is a very common, and very important worker bee in the body’s honey comb. Too much of it, however, is not healthy for the body. Too much of it can clog our arteries, block our hearts, and actually threaten to end our lives. More often than not we need to lower cholesterol in our bodies.

There are two kinds of cholesterol that we have, which may be confusing at first. High density lipoprotein is one of them, and it is commonly known as HDL, sometimes it is also called the good cholesterol because it can protect the heart. Low density lipoproteins, which are commonly known as LDL, and are sometimes called the bad cholesterol because it can clog arteries and kill us, is the other. We have both kinds of cholesterol in our bodies and we them need both. The balance between them is critical to our body. It is what helps determine whether a heart is healthy or in dyer need of correction.

The link between cholesterol and heart disease has been established in numerous studies. In Specific, the higher the cholesterol, the greater the risk is of us getting heart disease. It’s really that simple. High cholesterol is common for most people. However the good news is that we can do something about it. We all want lower cholesterol. The hard thing though is that most of us have a hard time to control this.

Our Lifestyle and Lower Cholesterol

Cholesterol in our body is produced in the liver, which is the organ that uses the fats in our diet as fuel. What it produces is all the cholesterol the body needs to keep us moving. Why does it need cholesterol you may wonder? Among other things, it works by producing bile that is needed to help with digestion, protecting nerve fibers, building cell membranes, creating hormones, and also creating vitamin D.

Cholesterol that is found in our foods comes only from animal products that are rich in saturated fats. Plant foods have no cholesterol in the, at all. Our bodies need fats, of course, and we get a natural mix of them in many whole foods. But a diet that is too rich in saturated fats and transfatty acids such as those that you get in processed foods is a proven health risk. Studies now indicate that polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which can be found in olive and fish oils, are better for us and can help lower cholesterol.

Dietary fats are a concentrated source of special calories and because of this one of the two main causes of people being overweight and obesity. Lack of exercise is the other reason for this. Decreasing dietary fat and increasing regular exercise are the first and quite frankly the easiest steps that you can take to lower cholesterol and improve your overall and heart health.

Ken Mathie

 

“Rob Poulos’ “7 SECRETS OF PERMANENT FAT LOSS & FITNESS”. Downloaded by tens of thousands of people all over the world, you’ll learn how you can triple your fat loss results by cutting your workout time in half or more. You’ll also discover the most powerful secret in eating for a lean body. Plus you’ll steal 5 more secrets of permanent fat loss and that fit, lean & sexy look in this 40+ page eBooklet.”
click here download this FREE report now…

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Bumpzee
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Furl
  • Mixx
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google

Cholesterol Basics

More than half of Americans, and according to American Heart Association figures, most of them have less than desirable cholesterol levels. What this means is that every other person walking down the street is at risk for some sort of heart disease. But how do we know how grave those risks are when we are looking at ourselves? These numbers help the average person make cholesterol levels and risks understandable and because of this it can also make establishing achievable goals easier. Actually achieving them, of course, is something else altogether, but I digress.

Measuring Your own Cholesterol Levels

Lower your cholesterol for your heart having a lower cholesterol is very important to our overall health, no matter  how old we are or aren’t. this is especially  true if we want to avoid having a heart attack or stroke.  in order to understand what this means and how to achieve it, we all need to  understand a few of the key concepts and terms first.  among the things that we need to know are cholesterol, hdl, ldl, lipoproteins,  serum cholesterol, dietary cholesterol, saturated fats, atherosclerosis, and  coronary artery disease.

There are actually five different ways to measure for a complete reading on your own cholesterol levels and they are: total, HDL, LDL, total/HDL ratio, LDL/HDL ratio. These measurements are actually categorized as desirable, borderline, and of course, at risk. Measurement units are milligrams per deciliter. It is extremely misleading to consider any of them on their own. Consult your health practitioner to best understand your cholesterol levels and what, if anything, to do about them or how to maintain them properly.

Here is how it really works in the numbers. Total desirable is below 200 mg/dL, total borderline level is 200 to 240 and total risk above level 240. HDL ideal level is above 45 mg/dL, HDL borderline is 35 to 45 and HDL at risk below 35. LDL ideal level is below 130 mg/dL, LDL borderline is 130 to 160 and LDL at risk above 160. Total/HDL ideal ratio is below 4.5, total/HDL borderline is 4.5 to 5.5 and total/HDL at risk is above 5.5. LDL/HDL ideal ratio is below 3, LDL/HDL borderline is 3 to 5 and LDL/HDL and at risk is above 5. Whew! That is a lot of numbers!

What all of that shows is that one very important set of numbers that you will want to bear in mind as you face your own cholesterol levels is that every milligram per deciliter makes a very large difference: with a 10 mg/dL drop in your overall cholesterol comes an approximate 40 percent decrease in risk of heart disease. Isn’t that a good enough reason for you to want to do something about it?

When it comes to actually doing something about your cholesterol levels, a balanced diet, combined with a good fitness regimen is your best bet in combating high cholesterol. You have to be both active and eat right to maintain the right balance. You can look to the my pyramid charts as a means of being sure that your eating habits are balanced. Supplements of vitamins will not be able to compensate for your poor eating. You have to eat whole foods for any of this to be effective, and you must lay off of heavy fatty foods and junk food to keep your cholesterol balanced.


 “Rob Poulos’ “7 SECRETS OF PERMANENT FAT LOSS & FITNESS”. Downloaded by tens of thousands of people all over the world, you’ll learn how you can triple your fat loss results by cutting your workout time in half or more. You’ll also discover the most powerful secret in eating for a lean body. Plus you’ll steal 5 more secrets of permanent fat loss and that fit, lean & sexy look in this 40+ page eBooklet.”
click here download this FREE report now…

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Bumpzee
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Furl
  • Mixx
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google

Overcoming Problems When Importing from China

Written by SaleHoo.com © All Rights Reserved

The prospect of importing goods from China is both exciting and terrifying for many sellers. On one hand there is huge potential for making money from reselling wholesale goods purchased very cheaply. But on the other hand, language and cultural barriers present a number of difficulties to sellers. The main issue that everyone is worried about is payment: How do I pay? Will my money disappear?, and so on.

The difficulty lies in the fact that most Chinese wholesalers will only accept Western Union and wire transfer payments. These are not secure payment options so they must be treated with caution. However, the main reason why these are the only payments accepted is that they are in fact the only payment methods available to the Chinese. Getting a credit card in China is an extremely difficult task with a lot of government regulations and strict criteria for getting a card.

So then, despite the risks involved with using Western Union and wire transfer, these are the methods you have to use if you want to import from China with most suppliers. To minimize this risk, our advice is to start with a fairly small shipment of goods so you are not standing to lose too much money if everything falls apart. Then, as trust is established, gradually build up your order over time. On the whole, most Chinese suppliers are genuine, hard working people who want to establish a long-term relationship with you. They need your business, so it’s unlikely they’ll try to deliberately screw you over! Another big issue for
sellers importing from China is communication. It can be extremely daunting trying to negotiate  complex business issues when communication is so difficult.

To get around this problem, we always ask a new contact for their MSN or ICQ email address and chat to them online. They tend to be very friendly and enjoy talking to people who speak English as a first language (this helps them improve their communication too), plus it gives you a direct point of contact instantly.

With communication now established, you can proceed to ask questions and get them to send you pictures of stock and so on. Once we’ve built up a relationship, we then ask them to send me a sample order. For any genuine company, this isn’t a problem and it allows us to see the quality of the product first hand. We can then be fairly certain that the company is trustworthy, and that this is the product we wish to import.

One thing we haven’t talked about so far is quality. This can be another major concern for sellers who often have difficulty telling whether a brand name product is genuine or not.

In our experience, the vast majority of brand-name goods that come from China are either replicas or fakes. We strongly recommend that you assume that this is the case in the first instance. eBay is currently cracking down heavily on people selling fakes and it is not an area of business we suggest you get into!

Generally, we find that Chinese suppliers are best suited for cheap generic goods (they are manufactured there so you won’t find cheaper anywhere else!) that can be sold at higher rates in Western countries. For example, some of the latest trends are pocket bikes, scooters and generic electronic goods. These goods do not have to have a brand name in order to sell well and they can be purchased wholesale at very good prices if you are serious about importing from China.

This should give you a heads up if looking at dealing with wholesale suppliers in China! Remember, always keep an open mind, ask questions and do your research!

About the Author: SaleHoo is one of the fastest growing product sourcing portals on the internet. It contains a database of drop ship, wholesale, closeout and manufacturing suppliers offering thousands of product suppliers to consumers! Located at salehoo.com, visitors are allowed to sign up for unlimited and lifetime access to the completely searchable database of products and suppliers. The database is regularly updated, ensuring that the latest retail products are always available for purchase and SaleHoo carries the BBB Reliability Seal!

Join SaleHoo Today for their Special Startup Offer!

 

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • Bumpzee
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Furl
  • Mixx
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Google