Has your doctor made you aware of the fact that you need to reduce your cholesterol readings? Do you know what the most frequent cause of high lipid levels is? If you list high cholesterol foods to avoid, will that help you in lowering your cholesterol levels?

Let's explore the part that high cholesterol foods play in raising cholesterol readings.

It seems to make sense that avoiding those foods that contain high amounts of cholesterol should effectively reduce cholesterol readings. However, the truth is that the vast majority of the cholesterol in your body is produced by the liver.

Now don't get me wrong. Avoiding foods high in cholesterol such as dairy products, eggs and shellfish will contribute positively to a cholesterol lowering plan. However, these are by far, not the most critical foods to remove from your diet.

Not only will an effective cholesterol lowering diet avoid high cholesterol foods, but even more so, it will drastically reduce the amounts of foods that are high in saturated fat. The fat that is found in foods like beef and pork is quickly converted in your body to LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

Eliminating these foods from your diet will quickly lower cholesterol and triglycerides. However, the difficult truth for many of us is that we thoroughly enjoy foods that contain high amounts of saturated fat and it is difficult to let go of them.

In our society, we are surrounded by foods that contain high quantities of cholesterol as well as those foods that are high in saturated fat. Because of this, I have found it helpful to follow a structured diet plan such as the South Beach diet. This way, I don't have to list high cholesterol foods or high-fat foods to avoid.

Just following the recipes that lower cholesterol as they are provided makes it much easier. And many of these diet plans include extremely delicious recipes that actually make lowering your cholesterol enjoyable.

I encourage you to visit my website where I list high cholesterol foods. You will find the most effective steps you can take to lower your high cholesterol.




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Blood and oxygen are carried to the brain through four arteries: the right carotid, left carotid, right vertebral and left vertebral. When the brain does not receive enough oxygen the carotid arteries become blocked; this is the number one cause of strokes, which account for the third-highest number of deaths in the US each year. An estimated 750,000 people suffer from them annually.

Carotid artery disease is a condition that occurs when plaque (a fatty material) builds up within the arteries. The medical term for this is atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries," and greatly restricts blood flow to the brain. Another cause of strokes is when blood clots form in the arteries, which happens when the plaque build-up eventually cracks. It's important to be aware of potential indicators of these conditions, as it is possible for a stroke, or 'mini-stroke,' to be the first warning sign.

However, most people who have a stroke do not experience a mini-stroke first. Common symptoms include: numbness and/or weakness in the face or body (often just on one side), difficulty moving limbs, trouble speaking, a severe, sudden headache and dizziness.

Doctors usually choose one of two surgeries to treat this disease: carotid endarterectomy, usually for people whose arteries are blocked 50% or more and involves cutting into the neck and removing the plaque. The other procedure is called an angioplasty and is used to widen the carotid arteries, which restores blood flow to the brain.

Recent studies have shown that heart attack damage can be limited by implemented certain anti-oxidants, notable GSH, or glutathione, a powerful protein that speeds up cell metabolism and contains what some medical professionals are calling miraculous anti-viral properties. Overwhelming evidence has shown that the administering of glutathione offers critical support in not just heart disease and strokes, but chronic fatigue syndrome, Alzheimer's and cancer.
Montreal physician Dr. Jimmy Gutman is the author of "GSH, Your Body's Most Powerful Protector, Glutathione," and says that "in the next five or six years, people are going to be using the word glutathione as commonly as they use the word Vitamin C or antioxidant. Glutathione is virtually involved in dozens of critical cell processes and without it we would succumb to our environment literally within hours."




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The medical term for a heart attack is called myocardial infarction, and it occurs when there is death to the heart tissue. It is caused by a blockage or narrowing in the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart. This lack of blood and oxygen causes injury to the heart muscle. Symptoms and warning signs can often times be mild and differ between men and women.

There are two types of heart attacks: mild and typical. In a typical heart attack, a blood clot gets lodged in one of the heart's arteries, blocking its blood flow. This results in an easily recognizable pattern during ECG, (or electrocardiogram) testing, the most common procedure used to determine if a heart attack has taken place. However, in the case of a mild heart attack, the blood flow is only partially interrupted and this pattern does not clearly show up during ECG testing.

While chest pain is the most common symptom in men, they can also experience pain in other areas of the body (usually the upper body), along with cold sweats, clammy skin and other flu-like warning signs. Women are more likely to feel pain in the back or jaw, experience dizziness, shortness of breath and nausea, as well as severe, unexplainable fatigue. Recognizing heart attacks in women has become an issue, in part because their symptoms are not considered typical, so they may not receive the same medical care as men do.

Heart disease may start with symptoms of angina, which creates pain in the chest area, similar to that of a heart attack, and is caused by lack of oxygen to the heart. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, daytime fatigue, and syncope, a medical term for fainting.

Fortunately, it's possible to prevent both mild and typical heart attacks, with a healthy lifestyle, proper exercise regimen, and regular check-ups; it's important to have your blood pressure and cholesterol levels monitored, and to take part in stress tests if and when they are recommended, which can help indicate if you are headed for heart disease. There is a reason why heart disease is known as 'the silent killer,' because often times there are no warning signs until it is actually happening.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kate_Aucella