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High Cholesterol Treatments

The main goal for treating high cholesterol is to lower the LDL levels enough to reduce the risk of developing heart disease. The higher the risk, the lower the LDL goal must be. There are two main ways to treat high cholesterol:

Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC):
This includes a cholesterol-lowering diet, physical activity, and weight management. TLC is meant for anyone who has elevated LDL levels. TLC is a set of things that a person has to follow in order to achieve the targeted low levels of LDL cholesterol. TLC consists of:

The TLC Diet: This diet consists of a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol eating plan that begets less than:

• 7% of calories from saturated fat
• 200mg of dietary cholesterol per day

This diet recommends only limited calories for desirable weight maintenance and avoiding weight gain. LDL levels can also be lowed by increasing the amount of soluble fiber in the diet. Certain food products that contain plant stanols or plant sterols can also be added to the TLC diet to boost its LDL-lowering power.

Weight Management: Weight loss can also help lower LDL levels and this is especially important for those with a cluster of risk factors that include high triglyceride and/or low HDL levels and being overweight with a large waist circumference (more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women).

Physical Activity: Regular physical activity is recommended for everyone. It can help raise HDL levels and lower LDL levels. This is especially important for those people who have high triglyceride and/or low HDL levels and are overweight with a large waist measurement.

Drug Treatment: Cholesterol-lowering drugs are used in combination with TLC treatment to achieve positive results.

Any drug treatment to lower cholesterol is best combined with lifestyle changes to achieve positive and long-term results. This will help keep you on low doses of medicine. Several cholesterol lowering drug treatments include:

• Statins: These drugs, including Crestor, effectively lower LDL levels and are safe for most people
• Bile acid sequestrates: Also help lower LDL levels and can be used alone or in combination with statin drugs
• Nicotinic acid: Helps lower LDL levels and triglycerides while raising HDL levels
• Fibric acids: Helps lower LDL levels somewhat but are used mainly to treat high triglyceride and low HDL levels
• Cholesterol absorption inhibitors: helps lower LDL levels and can be used alone or in combination with statin drugs

Your doctor is the best person to help decide which type of drug is best for you.

To further reduce high cholesterol you must control other risk factors like:

• High blood pressure
• Stress
• Smoking

Lowering cholesterol levels brings on certain benefits:

• For every one percent fall in blood cholesterol levels, you reduce your risk for heart disease by two percent
• Even in patients with heart disease, lowering cholesterol levels will significantly reduce the risk for death and disability
• As blood cholesterol exceeds 220 ml/dl (milligrams per deciliter), risk for heart disease increases at a more rapid rate
• Blood cholesterol levels must be measured at least once every five years in all adults

Crestor is a new active substance and the comparison test with other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (commonly known as ‘statins´), like simvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, fluvastatin, and atorvastatin reveals that these statins share similar indications. A direct comparison with Crestor with other statins in clinical trials, have been referred to as ‘interchangeable’.

Moreover lipid lowering effects of all new statins have increased. However, Crestor was found to have the greatest impact on lipid levels. When dosages of other statins were compared with Crestor, Crestor was found to have greater efficacy in lowering lipid levels.

A few important points about Crestor
Crestor is part of a class of drugs called statins. It works by blocking a particular enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) that controls the rate of cholesterol production in the body. This causes the liver to make less cholesterol. The medication also:

• Increases the liver’s ability to collect and get rid of LDL cholesterol
• Increases HDL cholesterol
• Decreases triglycerides

As Crestor has the potential to lower LDL cholesterol as well as total cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol levels, a person’s risk for developing certain health problems in the future can be significantly lowered by taking Crestor.

Crestor:

1. Comes in tablet form; it is usually taken orally once a day
2. Can be taken with or without meals; should it bother your stomach, you can try taking it with food
3. Can be taken at any time of the day; it is best to take it at the same time every day
4. Does not interact with grapefruit
5. Must be taken as prescribed; it will not work if you stop taking it

Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) is an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor – a prescription drug belonging to a group of medicines — called statins. It is used to treat high cholesterol. Crestor is used with a proper diet to help bring down cholesterol and fat (triglyceride) levels and to raise good cholesterol (HDL) levels in the blood. In addition, its use can slow the progression of atherosclerosis that is the buildup of plaque in the arteries over time.

Statins are types of drugs that inhibit cholesterol production in the liver. For example, Crestor, a statin drug, works by blocking an enzyme in the liver. This causes the liver to make less cholesterol. In addition, Crestor helps the liver absorb and use more cholesterol from the blood.

Buy Crestor online
Anyone can buy Crestor online provided the person has a valid prescription. Orders are processed within 1-2 working days of receiving them and the product is delivered to your doorstep in original packing only. You can expect to receive an email message confirming the dispatch of your order. If for any reason the product you ordered is not in stock, you will be notified of the same. In addition, you will be given the option of leaving your order with us, so that it can be dispatched as soon as the new stock arrives, or you will be given the choice to cancel your order for a full refund.

How does Crestor work?

Most of the cholesterol present in the blood is made within the body, by the liver. This is where Crestor gets to work. It blocks an enzyme in the liver which reduces the amount of LDL (bad) cholesterol produced by the liver and raises the HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Crestor, when combined with a healthy non-fatty diet, slows the progression of atherosclerosis.

By limiting cholesterol production, Crestor lowers the total amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream. In fact, Crestor lowers LDL cholesterol by up to 52% (at the 10-mg dose) versus 7% with a placebo. Moreover, it works to increase the HDL cholesterol levels in the blood by up to 14% (at the 10-mg dose) versus 3% with a placebo.

To get the greatest benefit from Crestor, a cholesterol medication, it is essential that a patient follows a diet low in saturated fats and exercises regularly.

Crestor may not work for everyone. It can cause mild to severe side effects, even though infrequent. Therefore, it is important that one make an informed choice when taking a cholesterol medication.

Carrying some extra pounds — even just a few — contributes to high cholesterol. So losing as little as 5-10 pounds can help reduce cholesterol levels. In order to do this you have to start by taking an honest look at your eating habits and your daily routine. Consider your weight loss to be a challenge and look for ways to overcome the problem.

Take stock of what you currently eat and your level of physical activity, and gradually work towards achieving changes. All you need to do is:

Eat heart-healthy foods: Making a few changes in the diet can reduce cholesterol and improve heart health. You must:

• Choose healthier fats
• Eliminate trans fats
• Limit your cholesterol intake
• Select whole grains
• Stock up on fruits and vegetables
• Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids

Get some daily exercise: Exercise can reduce cholesterol and help raise high-density lipoprotein (good) cholesterol. Any activity is helpful.

Quit smoking: Quitting smoking can improve your HDL cholesterol level, decrease blood pressure, cut down the risk of a heart attack and reduce the risk of heart disease. One of prescription medicine to help in stopping smoking is Champix Varenicline.

Drink alcohol in moderation: Moderate use of alcohol has been linked with higher levels of HDL cholesterol — but the benefits aren’t strong enough to recommend alcohol for anyone who does not already drink. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to serious health problems, including high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke.

Take medication if lifestyle changes aren’t enough: Sometimes healthy lifestyle changes are not enough to lower cholesterol levels. Your doctor may recommend medication to help lower cholesterol levels; you must take it as prescribed. If you are not able to lose weight with lifestyle changes as discussed above then your doctor may prescribe any of the weight loss pills like Xenical, Reductil.

Obesity, a disease of excess fat tissue in the body, is now acknowledged as a major risk factor for atherosclerotic coronary heart disease. Medical research into lipids and cardiovascular disease has identified some of the reasons for this risk

The health risks of obesity vary with the amount of weight gain. Thus the increased cardiovascular health risk for a mildly obese person may be relatively small compared to the significant dangers posed by a morbidly obese person. Obesity with high cholesterol poses an extra danger to heart health because:

• It raises blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• It somewhat lowers HDL - the good cholesterol levels (HDL is associated with low risk for heart disease and stroke)
• It can raise blood pressure levels
• It is strongly linked to incidence and prevalence of type 2 diabetes (diabetics are a high-risk group for all types of vascular disease)
• The obese commonly experience great difficulty when exercising; but physical exercise helps reduce cholesterol and the risk for heart disease

How weight loss affects cholesterol?

If you are obese, losing as little as 10% of the weight can bring noticeable improvements in serum cholesterol and other lipid levels. Any weight loss program must offer maximum support and should be followed with a balanced diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, moderate in protein and high-fiber low-GI carbs, with only small amounts of trans fats and saturates.

Health experts generally agree that adults can benefit from weight loss if they are moderately to severely overweight and have weight-related medical problems or a family history of such problems. The weight-related health problems include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, or high blood sugar levels. A small weight loss of 10-20 pounds can also improve both blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Excess weight tends to increase the LDL cholesterol levels. Eating a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, exercising regularly, and cutting calories will help in weight loss and this will in turn lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Cholesterol, also known as ‘lipid,’ is a combination of a steroid and an alcohol also known as a sterol. Most cholesterol is produced by the liver in the human body; therefore, eating cholesterol in foods only adds to the cholesterol in the body without benefitting the body. Saturated fatty acids are the culprit that causes high cholesterol; in fact it provokes the liver into producing more cholesterol. Trans fats in our diet can have a similar effect. Cholesterol from animal foods, also enhance cholesterol levels in the body. On the other hand, plant foods are safer as they contain no cholesterol.

Cholesterol, like fat, cannot dissolve in blood. It needs another substance to move around freely in the body. This is where lipoproteins come in. Lipoproteins are special carriers of cholesterol in the blood, both the High Density Lipoprotein and the Low Density Lipoprotein.

How high cholesterol leads to other health issues?

High blood cholesterol can be serious. People with high blood cholesterol have a greater chance of getting heart disease. Though high blood cholesterol on its own causes no symptoms, it can cause cardiovascular disease and strokes. Because of the absence of any symptoms, most people remain unaware about their high cholesterol levels.

Though the human body needs a certain amount of cholesterol for proper functioning, too much of it can cause hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. It is usually a slow process that only gets worse with age. Therefore, it is essential that blood cholesterol levels be checked regularly.

Treating high cholesterol with herbal and natural treatments

As the awareness about high cholesterol is growing, we have come to realize that it is a real threat to most people with high cholesterol levels. This has primarily resulted from people consuming products that are rich in saturated fats, such as whole milk dairy products, poultry, and egg yolks as well as processed foods. Eating a low-cholesterol diet would benefit everyone in the process.

There are many natural alternatives to treating high cholesterol, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, and other biological compounds. Be sure to check with your health care practitioner before taking any of these medications, since they could interact with other medications you are currently taking. Some natural and herbal treatments have been listed below:

• Calcium: There is new evidence that suggests that calcium lowers cholesterol.
• Soluble fiber: Studies have shown that soluble fiber lowers cholesterol; but this is mot effective when used with a low fat diet.
• Hibiscus Flower Extract: This product fights heart disease by lowering LDL levels.
• Policosinol: This is an emerging dietary supplement that is either used as a single supplement or incorporated into a multivitamin for lowering blood cholesterol levels.
• Red Yeast fermented Rice Extract: This is an Asian product that is made from fermenting rice with the organism Monascus purpureus (also known as red yeast), helps lower cholesterol levels.
• Guggul, Garlic, Turmeric and Cinnamon: Over the years, research has suggested that Guggul, garlic, turmeric and cinnamon may be useful in lowering total cholesterol levels, especially triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.