High Cholesterol Medications - The Warnings And The Solution
The creation of drugs for lowering cholesterol have been a miracle because heart disease is the leading cause of death int he Unites States. Nearly 900,000 Americans die because of heart disease. High cholesterol is one of the reasons why heart disease is such a large cause of death.
The introduction of high cholesterol medication or "statin" drugs has swept the pharmaceutical world with their life saving effects. Unfortunately, these drugs have their side effects and they should be considered carefully. In the attempt to spread the word of the drugs, many companies and health departments have kept the side effects mostly as the small print in magazines and in quick talking voices in commercials.
Not to underestimate the life saving effects of this medication, many studies have shown that high cholesterol medication can be very useful. The nature of these drugs reduces a certain enzyme (chemical in your body that triggers reactions) that induces the production of cholesterol in the liver. This is really an amazing thing because it allows you to reduce cholesterol levels and clotting.
My only advice is that you make sure to exhaust all other strategies before utilizing this. The high cholesterol medications on the market should only be used after you've at least tried everything else.
The reason I ask that you try everything else is because of the side effects.
Side Effects of High Cholesterol Medication
headache
nausea
vomiting
constipation
diarrhea
weakness, and
muscle pain
These are only the usual side effects and I'm sure if you continue to use the medication some of the side effects will dissipate over time. Others are more ongoing like muscle pain, diarrhea, and constipation.
The Rare Side Effects of High Cholesterol Medication
This is the aspect of medication that worries me the most about the medication.
The two rarer side effects of statin drugs are:
liver faillure
rhabdomyolysis
Liver failure is self explanatory for the most part. Rhabdomyolysis, is a side effect of high cholesterol medication that causes muscle damage. Often times, this leads to kidney failure and death. This usually happens when you take other medications or take in certain substances like grape fruit juice that effects the enzyme as well.
The Ultimate Alternative
So, before you take the plunge and ask your doctor to prescribe a high cholesterol medication, try the other natural strategies first.
1. Exercise and Diet Change
The easiest and safest way to lower your cholesterol is through diet and exercise. Foods like broccoli, apples, peanuts, and other fruits, vegetabkes, and nuts contain sterols. This substance does not occur naturally in the human body, but when ingested, they reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL).
Exercise is a natural cholesterol lowering activity. Studies have shown 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise lowers cholesterol. Jogging, and walking are two of the best exercise routines to begin.
The benefits of jogging are:
improve heart health
lower bad choelsterol
raise good cholesterol
improve circulation and blood flow.
2. Take a Natural Cholesterol Supplement
Unlike the prescription medication offered, natural cholesterol supplements have no side effects. The ingredients of the supplement is a special blend of different vitamins, minerals, and nutrients specifically for people with high cholesterol.
These supplements contain ingredients such as niacin, policosanol, and sterols. Niacin is a vitamin that has been proven by scientific studies to increase good cholesterol and reduces total cholesterol.
Policosanol is a very special ingredient that comes from plant waxes and it actually has the same effect as many prescriptions. It reduces the cholesterol produced by the liver.
Studies have shown policosanol to work successfully in clinical trials to reduce total cholesterol dramatically.
For the most part high cholesterol supplements act similarly to prescription medication except they are not as potent. It is your choice to decide between prescription or supplement with exercise and diet change.
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