Many people think that cholesterol is always a bad thing. It has always been associated with many diseases like stroke and heart attacks. For some concerned people, getting their Cholesterol Levels checked are a must. Although not definite, knowing the balance between good and bad cholesterol can help you picture out how healthy you really are and how at risk you body is in getting heart disease and stroke.
But first let’s clear up some misconceptions. In general, cholesterol is very important in the body. In fact, without this little guy, we might have a lot of problems like not knowing if you are a man or a woman. Cholesterol helps make sex hormones which gives us the many physical differences between a man and a woman. It also helps keeps our cell rigid and strong. It was also found that this so called bad guy help in making our brain healthy and work properly. Basically, the problem is not with cholesterol itself but it is with us because we do not show control whenever we begin eating and forget how important exercise is.
There are two kinds of cholesterol namely LDL or low density lipoprotein and HDL or high density lipoprotein. Each has their own role in the body. LDL cholesterol is the delivery guy. It delivers cholesterol to the different areas of the body that needs it. So the high density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol plays the important role of cleaning the artery lining from the stuck cholesterol. So if you want to know healthy your body gets rid of excess cholesterol, check out the balance of your HDL and LDL.
Fortunately, there are things that you can do to help maintain healthy LDL and HDL Cholesterol Levels . First you have to do is to live a healthy lifestyle. Get yourself regular exercise. You also have to change your eating habits like eating more fruits and vegetables and lessening fast food in your diet. You also have to take vitamin supplements since normal dieting won’t give you all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Fiber should also be taken as this can also help increase HDL. Most of all eat some fat. That’s right. These healthy fats can help increase HDL and also prevent heart diseases.
Aside from healthy living, certain medicinal herbs and drugs can help in lowering cholesterols. If you want to do it naturally, you can take garlic, chilis, ginseng, Echinacea root and the super drink known as green tea. For those who want to consult with a doctor, you can ask for a prescription of antilipidemic or anti-cholesterol drugs like the famous simvastatin (Zocor). These drugs are used to increase HDL and lower the levels of bad cholesterol.
If taken in combination, a healthy lifestyle and the right prescription can pave a way for you to have normal cholesterol levels and soon a better body and life.
