Cholesterol Education provides an opportunity, or better, an excuse to get your blood cholesterol checked. Knowing your actual numbers makes it possible to do something about it. Now is a good time to learn about lipid profiles and about food and lifestyle choices to help you reach personal cholesterol goals.

According to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Resources, high blood cholesterol affects over 65 million Americans and is a serious condition that increases your risk for heart disease. You can have high cholesterol and if you don't get it checked how will you ever know. It is important to lower cholesterol levels that are too high which in turn lessens your risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of having a heart attack.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers helpful resources to use during National Cholesterol Education Month.Today a person has the chance to change the way that they eat unlike in the past. You might try to do so, become healthier and eat healthier but often you will have desire but not action. We are creatures of habits and it is said that it takes 90 days to create or break a habit.

Eating the proper foods can help keep your cholesterol at appropriate levels. However, sometimes your genetics can make the difference between being able to control your cholesterol by healthy diet and exercise or not. Some people, regardless of how much they attempt to control their cholesterol levels with diet and exercise will just not be able to get to the target levels and will have to be prescribed medicine by their healthcare providers or may be able to take natural supplements and herbs that are designed to lower their cholesterol levels more naturally.

One should not underestimate the importance of getting their cholesterol numbers in range to help reduce the chance of having complications due to heart disease. However, the availability of all types of herbs, nutritionals and medications has made it easier to reach target goals with minimal effort. Make wise choices while shopping in local grocery stores and create a habit of better choices while shopping for food as well as in local restaurants. It becomes easier to live a longer healthier lifestyle with less problems later in life. It doesn't matter how old you are, there is no better time like now to start a healthy habit and have a bette awareness of your cholesterol. There are a variety of natural nutritionals to help lower your cholesterol prior to being placed on the prescription medications. These include a combination of Fish oils,Red Yeast Rice,co-enzyme-q-10 and flax seed oil, just to name a few. In some people they may work to lower their numbers to goal. When the natural route just doesn't work then the standard course of statins along with other prescription meds may be needed.

There are numerous combinations that can be used to help get one to goal. Suffice it to say there really is an art to getting the right combination in some people and it may take some time to get there. Constant monitoring is necessary to insure your goals are staying in range and there are normal blood levels of liver enzymes even if you are just on supplements.The benefits of good cholesterol control are many and you need only to open any magazine to start finding them. As you search you will realize there are benefits of good cholesterol control, some of which you might not even have thought about. What are these benefits? Well, to begin with,reduction in heart disease and reduced incidence of stroke. More importantly, most people who take and active role in getting their cholesterol under control are usually exercising more and eating healthier, this can translate into many years of healthier longer wellness into your golden years.

Today, with the advent of modern medicine and quality pricing, there really is minimal reason not to be able to get ones cholesterol under control through diet and exercise, nutritional supplements, herbals or prescription medicine. The choice is yours, good control does relate to quality lifestyle. It only takes 90 days to create a good habit, why not start today, the truth is 90 days will be here sooner than you think.




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

Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. There are many factors that predispose an individual to suffer from one or more of the many forms of heart disease, but it's been proven that diet plays a key role in both triggering and preventing this kind of disorder.

The obvious triggers are food high in saturated fats that directly affect your hearts ability to pump blood effectively throughout the circulatory system. Deposits of cholesterol within the blood vessels impede the normal flow of blood and can even detach and cause a pulmonary embolism, stroke or heart attack. A very simple yet effective way to prevent cholesterol from depositing in the first place is the daily use of fish oil.

Fish oil has repeatedly been shown in epidemiological and clinical trials to reduce the incidence of heart disease by lowering cholesterol. Large-scale epidemiological studies suggest that all individuals at risk for coronary heart disease can benefit from the consumption of fish oil due to its elevated content of omega 3 fatty acids.

In fact, everyone without exception can improve their health with fish oil by following some extremely uncomplicated guidelines.

People without documented coronary heart disease, should eat a variety of fish at least twice a week. Preferably, choose oily fish such as sardines, mackerel or salmon which are very high in beneficial fatty acids. In conjunction with this dietary change, other foods rich in alpha-linoleic acid such as flax seeds, walnut or soybean oil can be selected for added benefit.

For those whose coronary heart disease has been documented, EPA and DHA are essential nutrients to include in the diet. These are Omega 3 fatty acids that are responsible for nerve function, stable mood, optimal circulation and even weight loss. A high quality supplement should be introduced in the diet preferably after consultation with a physician.

For those individuals who are looking to decrease the amount of damaging cholesterol in their system, 2 to 4 grams daily of EPA & DHA will successfully lower their existing levels. Again, look for the best, highest quality supplement available in order to achieve the desired effect.

It is important to remember that the American Heart Association recommends at least two servings of fish per week. It also urges individuals to include other food sources high in alpha-linoleic acid such as flax or walnuts that can improve the health of the general population.

Remember to eat a wide variety of fish to minimize exposure to environmental pollutants such as heavy metals.

It is crucial to seek out the highest quality fish oil supplement when trying to implement these dietary changes. Cod liver oil, for example, has excessive levels of Vitamin A and D that could potentially create problems in children and young adults. In addition, since the liver acts as a filter for unwanted substances ingested by the fish, cod liver oil is more likely to contain contaminants such as PBCs.

Always look for unrefined, free of impurities, wild caught and environmentally safe fish oil.




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

When I was a kid, there was all kinds of promise for the future health and recreation of human beings. 'The Jetsons' sold us kids a world where our every need could be satisfied with science and technology. Robots would be available for every need and whim. Well, as far as robots go, we actually are surrounded by chips, interfaces and memory banks who do attend to many of our needs, just mostly without the fun robotic voices and oddly shaped humanoid figures we expected. Yeah, I do kind of still want those little extras.

But, outside of those youthful dreams, there have been some real life advances that our grandparents (and in some cases our parents) could never have dreamed of. In 1982 the first Artificial heart was implanted into an American man. The heart was called the 'Jarvik-7' and it helped to keep a man alive for almost four months, and another man soon followed who lived for almost 21 months on the same model of heart. Soon after came the advances of the 'AbioCor', which lessened many of the risk factors of the original creation of 'Jarvik-7'! And beyond that science moved forward with the 'ventricular assist device' (VAD) wherein the failing left ventricle can receive a pump assist without removing the patient's heart entirely!

But, unfortunately, with all of these miraculous creations, the one thing that science hasn't been able to stamp out entirely is the root cause of the need for Artificial hearts: heart disease. Over 600,000 Americans a year die from heart disease! With all of these amazing strides in medicine and science, we are still susceptible to heart attack, clogged arteries, heart failure and high blood pressure. Science alone cannot remind us to take vitamin supplements or to hit the gym four days a week. So, essentially, its still up to the human intellect to keep up the fight against heart disease.

One of the best ways to keep your body fighting FOR you, is to supply your body with as many positive acting agents you can. The body has plenty of naturally existing chemicals internally to aid in the fight against disease and time. Antioxidants are some of the most potent chemical elements in our body; these are substances that remove potentially damaging oxidizing agents in our bodies. Oxidation, specifically, has been identified as one of the contributors to heart disease. It may occur when cholesterol gets oxidized in our blood and may contribute to the build up of fatty plaque on artery walls.

One of the best naturally occurring antioxidants may, in fact, be Glutathione. Glutathione occurs naturally in the body, but may benefit your body with an additional dietary supplement of the substance. (Much like additional Melatonin can help increase the amount of our naturally present sleep aid!) If you are considering taking on some supplements to combat heart disease, you surely should learn more about Glutathione.




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