Many years ago, we lost an elder in our family.
She was perfectly healthy with one 'exception.'
She had high cholesterol.
The doctors insisted that she go on meds to reduce these numbers and soon after, she died from the side effects.
While I have many personal and professional opinions about this, I'll stick to the science...
Cholesterol is NOT the enemy.
An unclear understanding of how food and lifestyle affect human health is.
Also, bunk scientific claims from back in the day are the cause of some really BAD scientific practices that plague us still to this day.
Research is showing us two very MAJOR things that aren't spoken about enough:
1) High Cholesterol does not shorten lifespan. In fact, there may actually be a correlation between high cholesterol and LONGER life.
"We found that several studies reported not only a lack of association between low LDL-C, but most people in these studies exhibited an inverse relationship, which means that higher LDL-C among the elderly is often associated with longer life," [1]
2) Microplastics may be a GREATER risk for stroke and heart disease than cholesterol. Leading one to question just how long we've been 'blocked' up from plastics and treated instead for the body's natural buffer to them.
With about 60% of patients who received treatment for arterial plaque removal had measurable amounts of polyethelene (found in cosmetics, oral care, prosthetics, and even food packging) present in the plaque.
"Researchers estimate that Americans ingest between 39,000 to 52,000 microplastic particles every year." [2]
See, what we aren't speaking ENOUGH about is WHY cholesterol is there in the first place.
It acts as buffer.
It's there in times of stress.
In response to foreign bodies.
It's also been called an anti-oxidant. Aka: it protects AGAINST aging.
"Only the group with low cholesterol concentration at both examinations had a significant association with mortality." [3]
All this to say, we need a BETTER conversation around cholesterol and why it's there to begin with.
As a Naturopath, I'm not one to promote lowering cholesterol without first understanding why it may be high in the first place.
You might be stressed...
Eating crappy foods...
Drinking hot beverages in plastic cups...
Cooking or reaheating in plastic containers...
Living a sedentary life...
Have clogged detox pathways...
Or even dehydrated.
If you're not asking these bigger questions, treating the 'symptom' will only exacerbate the problem.
As we saw with my great aunt.
Perhaps we need to focus on optimizing our health instead of just shushing the signals.
It's time for a health revolution.
Humanity deserves it.
If believe you may have high cholesterol due to toxin overload, check out our Detox Aid or Zen Belly products in the store. These formulas help to remove toxins and waste products in the body so health can be restored to optimal balance.
References:
1. https://www.sciencedaily.
3. https://www.thelancet.com/
*Information given in this article is meant strictly for informational purposes and does not imply medical advice. Should you have questions about your unique sitution, please consult with you trusted healthcare provider.