Enhance Your Health

Health Tip of the Week: Cholesterol Health

One of the most common topics that is discussed in my office on a patient to patient basis, is the topic of high cholesterol levels. Many people have come to be stating that they take cholesterol lowering medications (statins), yet their cholesterol number and HDL/ LDL ratios do not change.

1 in 4 Americans over the age of 40 is currently taking a statin drug under the illusion that it will decrease their risk for heart disease.

Dr. David Diamond is a neuroscientist with a PhD in biology. He's also a Professor of Psychology, Molecular Pharmacology, and Physiology at the University of South Florida and a Research Career Scientist at the Tampa VA Hospital.

He ended up investigating both diet and statins as a result of having to address issues with his own health, and his conclusions are very different from the current status quo in medicine.

“Well, the very first paper I looked at indicated that triglycerides are primarily produced from excess carbohydrates, particularly glucose and fructose,' he says.  'And as far as HDL levels, you see an association of low HDL levels in people who have high blood sugar. There was an obvious connection of carbohydrates in the diet to triglycerides and HDL. I was astounded by this. This was the first of many epiphanies I've had while studying cholesterol, diet, and heart disease. I figured that what I needed to do is not to avoid the fat; I should avoid the carbohydrates! I actually talked to my doctor about this. And of course he said to me, 'Well, you're going to take a bad situation and make it worse, because by going on an Atkins-type diet, you're increasing the likelihood that you'll have heart disease.' Nevertheless, from a few studies that I read at first – and it has now become a few thousand studies – I've learned of the linkage between carbohydrate consumption, elevated blood sugar, and triglycerides."

Counter to his doctor's advice, Dr. Diamond dramatically reduced non-vegetable, processed, starchy carbohydrates. He substituted the carbs with vegetables, proteins and healthy fats.

After stubbornly remaining at nearly 800 for five years, his triglycerides plunged to 150 — without any drugs whatsoever — and his HDL increased dramatically, from 30 to 50.

“Indeed, I've treated many patients with high triglycerides, including people with levels upwards of 1,500-2,000, and I've seen patients' triglyceride levels plunge in as little as five days when cutting out carbs and increasing healthy fat.”

So the really good news about high triglycerides is that you can achieve rapid reversal by changing your diet. Start a program where you eliminate carbohydrates and sugars and replace them with vegetables, nuts, beans, lean proteins and healthy fats like olive oil, walnut oil, fish oil and coconut oil.

Thought for the Week

Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork. ~ English Proverb

Chiropractic Thought for the Week

Ancient Egyptians and Greeks knew of the body’s continual striving to heal itself. During the Renaissance, learned men theorized of “vital forces” within the body that helped it resist disease. The “vital force” they spoke of is what chiropractors refer to as the body’s innate intelligence.

Chiropractic is based on a vitalistic philosophy that recognizes that there is an innate intelligence that uses the brain and nerve system to control and maintain the body in health.

Interference to the nerve system can lead to a change in health most easily seen as disease or loss of function. But more than that, this interference can affect performance on multiple levels, some easily observed and others more subtle.

 

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