My mother in law needs to lower her cholesterol, she’s 59, and afraid to take the prescription drugs because of side effects.

Are there any specific foods she could or should eat?

She’s already stopped eating cheese and fatty meats, but is there any other foods really high in cholesterol that isn’t widely known that she she also avoid?

Some one mentioned flaxseed oil, does that really work?

Flax seed is supposed to work but I haven’t ever heard of a doctor recommending it. Cut back on eggs or just eat the whites. As cheesy as it sounds, have her eat Cheerios once a day to lower her cholesterol because this does work.

Most of it is not over the counter remedies, but rather diet changes. Less fat, sugar, and sodium

If your doctor has been lecturing you on lowering your cholesterol, you may wonder why your cholesterol level is so important. A high cholesterol level is bad because it can result in heart disease, heart attack or stroke when cholesterol is allowed to build up in your arteries. High cholesterol should be taken very seriously and steps taken to reduce your level.

First, cholesterol is a naturally occurring substance produced by the body. In fact, the body produces all the cholesterol that it needs for normal function. It is when this cholesterol is increased by what you take in through the foods that you eat that levels can become too high. This is especially true when you eat a lot of high fat foods. When the cholesterol levels in your blood rise above the normal levels some of this cholesterol is left behind in your vessels and arteries and can eventually result in a hardened plaque lining inside the vessels.

High cholesterol levels bring on a heart attack in a four step process. First, the lining of the arteries are weakened by the cholesterol. When LDL cholesterol moves out of the bloodstream into the artery walls, it causes them to either constrict or relax. These changes in the artery walls cause the walls to weaken, allowing the cholesterol to penetrate deeper. The changes also cause disruption in blood pressure and blood flow.

Next, the changes in the artery lining cause the body to respond to the changes. The body reacts as it would to an inflammation, sending immune cells called macrophages to the site of the damage. The macrophages try to clear away the LDL cholesterol but only succeed in creating “foamy” cells that make the clogging worse. As more LDL cholesterol is deposited, more macrophages come to the area, and the clogging becomes a deadly cycle.

In a final attempt to clear up what it sees as inflammation, the artery walls create a fibrous material which eventually forms a cap over the damaged area. This is how the plaque forms that doctors say is responsible for clogging your arteries. If this clogging occurs in an artery that feeds the heart muscle, the muscle is denied oxygen and nutrients and the heart muscle is weakened. As more LDL cholesterol and macrophages collect in the area, the plaque cap on the artery thins.

The final step in a heart attack occurs when this ever thinning plaque cap ruptures allowing blood to seep into the artery wall. This causes the body to react by releasing platelets, or clotting factor, to the area. This causes a clot to form in the artery. If this clot forms in a coronary artery, the result is a heart attack.

Research shows that the higher your cholesterol level, the greater your risk for having heart disease. Any cholesterol level higher than 240mg/dL puts you at risk for heart disease. A high cholesterol level combined with cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and a family history of heart disease can increase your risk even more.

Reducing your high cholesterol level can have dramatic health effects. As well as decreasing your risk for stroke and heart attack, lowering a high cholesterol level can make you a healthier individual altogether.

Riley Hendersen
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/why-is-high-cholesterol-so-bad-118774.html

A shocking new study from the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine reports that almost one in five American four-year-olds is obese. We’re not just talking about baby fat, but a national problem of epidemic proportions!

All kids should be gaining weight as they grow older, but extra pounds–more than what’s needed to support normal growth and development– is very unhealthy for your child. Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start kids on the path to health problems that we normally think of as adult diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. And this is just the short list. Many more health problems also are linked to obesity.

Causes of Childhood Obesity

 Many things can contribute to your child being overweight.  Here are a few:

•  Diet—eating fast foods, lots of snacks low in nutrition but high in calories, soft drinks, candy and desserts
•  Watching too much TV—well, it’s more than just TV.  An inactive lifestyle like TV, video games, internet surfing, Facebook time, talking with friends on the phone.  Does this all sound familiar?  None of these activities will burn off calories
• Genetics—unfortunately this counts.  If Mom and Dad are overweight and genetically tend have more body fat, then the children will have the tendency too. This is made worse by an environment where physical activity isn’t encouraged.
•  Psychological factors—some children may overeat to cope with problems. They may see their parents do it, and think it’s the thing to do.
•  Family factors they can’t control—such as eating what’s in the cupboard.  Most kids don’t do the grocery shopping. Putting healthy foods in the kitchen and controlling access to sweets, candy and other high calorie snacks is key.

Life is tough enough, but being an obese child can be crushing. Overweight children are subject to social isolation, bullying, low self esteem, and depression. However we do find when a child loses weight these negative trends can improve dramatically.

It’s hard, if not impossible for the child to go it alone. The best solution for you, your child, and your whole family is eating healthier (and less) foods, increasing physical activity, and by providing healthier foods and snacks.

Your commitment to helping your child make the needed changes is very important.  Changing eating habits is hard and will take time.

A recent study showed that weight loss can be socially contagious. If one person (like the parent) takes the initiative to start a healthier lifestyle it can have a ripple effect throughout the family. It can increase the chances that children and the spouse will trim down too.

So do your child a favor and start the process today.  The alternative is a lifetime of increased medical problems  that start earlier than normal and end up having a real impact on overall life expectancy.

Technorati Tags: child obesity, childhood obesity, diabetes, heart disease, lower cholesterol

Cheerios are probably the biggest and do the most advertising, and also are the first to lay claim to that. General Mills can launch a campaign solely highlighting that, while other companies probably just push to be noticed. Are there lesser known cereals, ones that are probably better for you, that has the same ingredients that lower cholesterol?
It might just be the whole oats/grains in the product. Quaker Oats makes the same claim with their products (though I don’t think instant oatmeal is too healthy, though I’ll eat it in a pinch), as does Kellogg’s Heart Smart cereal. (Although Heart Smart has several listings of sugar, including corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils and listings of preservatives that I don’t consider healthy and will not buy a product if any of these are even listed once.) I shop at Trader Joe’s, which is a chain of low cost health food stores. They have a Cheerios equivalent, Joe’s O’s that have the same comment about cholesterols on them. In my opinion, it just helps to eat a good, healthy diet. My mother-in-law told me last month that her doctor put her on a new pill for her high cholesterol. Now, this woman eats plenty of stuff I don’t even consider food. That day, I noticed she put creamy, fatty dressing on he salad (to me, those types of dressings ruin the salad), and had a nice chunk of red meat for dinner. Typical of her. I had made the diet comment, too. On the other hand, I eat real, whole, good foods and my cholesterol (as of the test I took in late spring/early summer) is low. Other than the American Heart Association site, I’m sure there are sites that offer information on lowering and maintaining good cholesterol levels, but I just can’t think of any good search phrases now.

Cholesterol is often referred categorized as either being good cholesterol or bad cholesterol. However, have you ever taken the time to find out why cholesterol is described this way and what the actual difference is between the two types?

Cholesterol - What is It?

Cholesterol is an important component in our body that is found in the blood stream and cells. The body needs cholesterol in order to properly function because it contributes to a wide variety of hormones and helps the body to produce cell membranes.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol is carried in the blood stream. HDL cholesterol is considered good because it protects our heart from strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. The optimal level of good cholesterol is about 40mg/dL.

On the other hand, bad cholesterol, also known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is considered bad because if present in excessive quantities has a tendency to clog in the arteries which increases the chances of heat attacks or other heart related diseases. The optimal level of bad cholesterol is 200mg/dL or less. Higher amounts tend to increase the chance of heart problems.

Controlling Bad Cholesterol

There are a plethora of cholesterol drugs available and many natural remedies as well. However, it is strongly suggested that you approach any treatment using drugs with caution because many of the cholesterol drugs have serious side effects. Make sure your doctor thoroughly explains the potential side effects before you agree to start on a regiment that involves the taking of any drug.

You see, cholesterol is produced in the liver and one very important point to remember about statin drugs (i.e. drugs used to control cholesterol) is that they in essence, poison the liver so that it produces less cholesterol, which is why all advertisements that promote statin drugs mention that a liver test is required before getting started on statin drugs.

Hopefully, you have normal levels of both good and bad cholesterol and if you do you will clearly want to maintain that proper balance. Steps you can follow to keep your cholesterol in balance is the same as it is for overall optimal health: exercise and proper diet. Health eating includes consuming foods that are low in saturated and trans fat.

Get in the habit of reading food labels as they are required to provide the above mentioned data by law and therefore it’s much easier for you to choose food that is healthy and food that can lead to poor health and improper cholesterol levels.

Although the following food (i.e. egg yolks, poultry, meat, shellfish, butter and cheese) contains what has been determined as high levels of cholesterol it doesn’t mean that you need to totally avoid them. Simply eat them in moderation and you should be fine.

Take the time to learn a few of the basics about what constitutes both good cholesterol and bad cholesterol levels, monitor your food intake, get a reasonable amount of exercise (i.e. walking is great) and you’ll be well on your way to overall health and optimum cholesterol levels.

Tip - For options in finding the best lender for you, check out the links below.

Shelby Ryan
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/bad-cholesterol-what-makes-it-bad-88220.html

Technorati Tags: Bad Cholesterol, Hdl

Heart Health, A Top Priority For Women

About 500,000 women’s lives per year are claimed by cardiovascular disease. This is more than the number of lives lost to the next six (6) causes of death combined!

Heart disease in women is less well understood, and does not always happen just to women who are overweight and/or older.

Heart attacks do not always start as a sudden, intense pain in the chest, just like in the “movies”. Most heart attacks start as a discomfort in the middle of the chest, which may actually go and then come back.

It may feel like an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing pain, or sense of fullness. There may be discomfort in other areas of the upper body, such as the upper back, one or both arms, neck or stomach. Shortness of breath may occur with or without chest pain.

Although women do experience chest pain as the most common symptom of a heart attack, they are also more likely to experience some of the other common symptoms, such as shortness of breath, pain in the neck or jaw, or nausea and vomiting.

What To Do

Do not wait longer than a few minutes if you or someone else with you experiences these symptoms. Call 9-1-1.

Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment. Emergency medical services staff can begin treatment when they arrive — up to an hour sooner than if someone gets to the hospital by car. The staff are also trained to revive someone whose heart has stopped. Patients with chest pain who arrive by ambulance usually receive faster treatment at the hospital.*

Staying Healthy

•   Keep your weight down

•  Keep your blood pressure under control–if you are an adult and your blood pressure is over 140/90 mmHg you have high blood pressure and are at risk

•  One third of the adult American population has high blood pressure, and one third of them do not know they have it.

•  Exercise Regularly–20 to 30 minutes at least 3 times a week is the minimum, five times a week is even better.

•  Keep your cholesterol under control by eating healthy

•  Keep your blood sugar under control–uncontrolled diabetes is a major risk factor for heart disease

Although women think a lot about breast cancer, it’s time to think about the biggest risk of all–heart disease! lower my cholesterol and lower my risk.

Article by: Sylvia Seamands, MD

http://www.womenshealthshoppe.com

Technorati Tags: Lower Cholesterol, lower cholesterol, Womens and Heart Disease