Understanding Cholesterol

The facts you doctor didn't tell you...

You got your blood test results back and you found out your cholesterol level is 300! You panic and listen fearfully to your doctor telling you how “bad” LDL cholesterol is and it needs to be lowered immediately!  “Medication?”, you ask. You were hesitant to ask, since you’ve heard about statin’s side effects on your health like heart and liver problems, memory loss, increase risk of type II diabetes...Maybe you better stop eating the “whole” egg and just eat the egg white? Maybe you better stop eating  saturated fat? ...and then everything will be ok…? Maybe you should consider a cholesterol lowering supplement as well…

The reality is -- this scenario has to STOP!

It shouldn’t be about the doctor, the food industry and the pharmaceutical companies; this is YOUR HEALTH. If cholesterol is about your health, then shouldn’t we understand the role of cholesterol?  I mean, we have it for a reason, right??

Cholesterol numbers tell a different story than the one you’ve probably heard from your doctor. 

The question is: Why do some people have more cholesterol in their blood than others, and why can the same person have different levels of cholesterol at different times of the day?  Why is our level of cholesterol different in different seasons of the year? In the winter it goes up and in the summer it goes down.  Why is it that blood cholesterol goes through the roof in people after any surgery? Why does blood cholesterol go up when we have an infection? Why does it go up after dental treatment? Why does it go up when we are under stress? And why does it become ’normal’ when we are relaxed and ’feel’ well?

The answer to all theses questions is this: cholesterol is a healing agent in the body. 

Cholesterol & Inflammation Connection

Your body secretes more cholesterol as a response to deal with inflammatory issues within your body.  So, cholesterol is not the problem, it is merely the solution your body is using to attempt to heal itself.  Inflammation in the arterial walls is the real danger, and if left unchecked the swelling can eventually shut off blood flow to the heart and brain, which can cause a heart attack or stroke. 

What are the inflammation sources in the body?

When there are high levels of oxidation present in the body, there also tends to be free radical activity in the tissues. LDL oxidizes in the body due to consuming artificial, partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats), vegetable oils, genetically modified food, a diet high in refined sugars, alcohol and tobacco. Damaged cholesterol is founded powdered eggs, powdered milk (added to reduced fat milks to give them body) and in meats and fats that have been heated to high temperatures in frying and other high-temp processes.        Elevated LDL is also caused by long term chemical and heavy metal toxicity, liver toxicity, stress, hypothyroidism, and kidney failure.

“Bad” and “Good” Cholesterol? No such thing!

LDL (low density lipoprotein) is the “carrier” of cholesterol, sending cholesterol “out” to various parts of the body where needed.  HDL (high density) takes cholesterol “back to” the liver.  LDL and HDL are neither “good” nor “bad”, they are just “cholesterol vehicles”.  However, once the pharmaceutical companies realized they could easily produce a drug to lower blood cholesterol (and make huge profits) they simply bought and paid for the “science” to “prove” their theories. This way, the “good and bad” cholesterol scam was born and continuously fed with heavy marketing campaigns over the years. High blood cholesterol levels says nothing about how much cholesterol is in the tissues.  As people begin to heal and correct their metabolic imbalances, the blood cholesterol may go up, because cholesterol is leaving the tissues. Most doctors feel they need to take immediate action to “right” the output when looking at these “snap shot” numbers instead of understanding the cause of why the body is adapting in such a way. It’s not enough to look at high and low numbers of LDL and HDL. The particle size of LDL cholesterol and C-Reactive Protein (found in blood as a response to inflammation) are much better indicators of cardiovascular health. 

What does the particle size of LDL tell us?

A healthy LDL particle is “big and fluffy” - and as a result, it naturally flows through the system and is non-problematic.  However, when the particle size is small and dense it doesn’t flow so smoothly and has a tendency to get stuck in the small gaps in the arteries where nutrition flows. When this happens, like all things that are stagnant, it creates inflammation and the beginnings of atherosclerosis. 

By understanding the role of cholesterol and knowing the INPUT signals we are giving our body (sedentary lifestyle, trauma, exercise, real vs. fake food, metal stress, positive attitude, toxins, etc) that are directly influencing the OUTPUT signals of our body (cholesterol, insulin, cortisol, epinephrine, etc.. To name a few…) then we can feel secure to know that elevated cholesterol levels are not the real issue. Cholesterol is just trying to keep our body in homeostasis or “balance” because of our unhealthy or “imbalanced” lifestyle or the product of cholesterol leaving tissues that have built up over the years.

If you have any health concerns please contact your Elkhorn Chiropractor today and let us guide you!