| CHOLESTEROL
- What
is Too Low?
QUESTION:
I have been on Lipitor (20mg) for more than a year. It is very effective
for me, and I have managed to keep down my Total Cholesterol (TC)
at the 107 level. I am 57 and also on Glucophage with a controlled
glucose level of 103. I run 5 miles a day and eat a lot of vegetables
and fish with minimum red meat. However, I need your help with the
following questions:
1. The Total
Cholesterol (TC) is kept at 107. (LDL at 26/ HDL at 45 )
- Could
it be that the Lipitor, which is keeping the TC and LDL down,
is also keeping my HDL low at 45?
- Is there
a way to raise my HDL without affecting the LDL and TC?
2. My Triglycerides
are at the 177 level.
- Is Lipitor
supposed to keep down the Triglycerides while working on TC
and LDL?
- Is it necessary
to lower my Triglycerides with my TC and LDL within the current
acceptable levels?
- If it is
desirable to lower my Triglycerides, what should I take or do
in addition diet and exercise?
- Should
I increase the 20 mg a day of the Lipitor intake?
Please help.
Regards, Frank
ANSWER:
Dear Frank,
Thanks for your email. There are natural ways to raise your HDL,
however, before I get to that we need to discuss your low Total
Cholesterol level. Cholesterol is used to make essential hormones,
including Testosterone. Optimal Total Cholesterol level is 160-180.
Any level lower than that may be so low that you will not be able
to make sufficient quantities of hormones for normal function. Your
level of 107 is way too low.
Lipitor and all of the "statin drugs" reduce Cholesterol
by blocking an enzyme needed by the liver to make Cholesterol. In
your case the amount you are taking is too much and dropping your
Total Cholesterol and your LDL too low. This is not healthy. Additionally,
the statin drugs also block the production of another important
enzyme called CoEnzyme Q10. CoQ10 is needed for energy production.
A deficiency of this enzyme can lead to high blood pressure and
congestive heart disease as well as muscle fatigue. All the statin
drugs are known to be associated with serious side effects, including
liver failure and death. For more information about statin drug
side effects, please click
here
For information about the Cholestered, a natural alternative to
statin drugs, click
here
To raise HDL and to lower Triglycerides and blood sugar, you need
Chromium and Niacin. Chromium is deficient in the soil America's
farmland therefore we all should be supplementing this important
nutrient. The best type of Chromium is Niacin-bound Chromium. I
recommend a patented form called ChromeMate. The dose needed to
lower Cholesterol, Triglycerides and Blood Sugar, while raisng HDL
is 800-1200mcg daily.
Cholestred
™contains
200mcg of ChromeMate brand of Niacin-bound Chromium in every capsule.
The typical dose is 2 Capsules twice daily.
Best in health,
Dr. Hansen
|
