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Jamieson
Health Center
Newsletter
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March 29, 2012 |
Volume 4, Number 2 |
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In conventional
medicine, cholesterol is the defining marker for heart disease. While your
local MD’s approach to treating high cholesterol has been seriously
questioned and successfully challenged by reputable science (see references
below), the standard of treatment — low-fat diets and Lipitor, for example —
hasn’t budged. And when this model fails to prevent heart disease, as it
often does, doctors simply blame the patient for not toiling long enough in
the prison of low-fat diets. In holistic
medicine, on the other hand, cardiovascular health is often dismissed when
symptoms are lacking, and high cholesterol is brushed away. Although the
nutritional model is safer (statin drugs such as
Lipitor can have devastating side effects), it too falls short when it
doesn’t address the risk of high cholesterol levels. Your body needs cholesterol to function properly. So what do you do
when you have high cholesterol? In order to answer this question, we first
need to understand some of the basics about cholesterol and what role
cholesterol plays. Your body needs
cholesterol to function properly and here is why. Read more on our website. 1.
Your liver
produces cholesterol 2.
Cholesterol plays a vital role in your body –
without cholesterol you would die. 3.
Cholesterol repairs the damage caused by
inflammation in your body. Reduce inflammation to get rid of high cholesterol. When cholesterol
levels are high, this is an indication that you are suffering from inflammation.
Rather than artificially lowering your cholesterol levels, we need to address
the inflammation in your body. There can be
several reasons why your cholesterol levels are high and all can be addressed
by a combination of diet, healthy digestion, supplements and integrative
chiropractic treatments to boost your immune system. In addition and only if
the underlying inflammation is addressed, there exist natural compounds to
lower extremely high levels of cholesterol and put the brakes on artery-clogging
atherosclerosis. Ø What do I
need to do when my cholesterol level is high? Ø What if I’m
currently taking statins? Ø Insulin resistance and the
heart.
To learn more
about how I can help you reduce high cholesterol levels and your risk of
cardiovascular disease, follow the links to read the rest of the newsletter or
call me at 408.517.0706. Yours in good health, Dr. Samuel R. Jamieson P.S. Read more of
my newsletters at http://www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com/archive.htm |
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Your
body needs cholesterol to function properly. Here is why: 1.
Your liver produces cholesterol It is important to understand that
cholesterol is produced in your body by your liver, dependant on the needs of
your body. As a matter of fact, 70 – 80% of your body’s cholesterol is produced
in the liver or the cells of your body. The other 20 – 30% will come from your
nutrition. Only about 50% of your nutritional cholesterol is absorbed by the
body while most of the remainder will be released in your bile. If you
consume higher amounts of nutritional cholesterol, the body will adjust its
own production accordingly. Recognize that consuming cholesterol in your food
is not this issue. 2.
Cholesterol plays a vital role in your body – without cholesterol you
would die. Cholesterol is essential to the healthy
functioning of your body. Without cholesterol or with minimum levels of
cholesterol, you will die. Here is why: Cholesterol: ·
Makes cell membranes waterproof to maintain a
different biochemistry on the inside and the outside of the cell ·
Is a repair substance; for example scar tissue
contains high levels of cholesterol (including arteries) ·
Is a precursor to vitamin D ·
Is required for bile salt production ·
Provides protection against cancer ·
Is vital to proper neurological function and the
formation of memory. ·
Is a key constituent of the myelin sheath that
insulates neurons and axons in the brain ·
Assists with Serotonin (5-HT) receptor function
in the brain ·
Assists in preventing depression ·
Is an antioxidant, protecting us against free
radical damage that leads to heart disease and cancer ·
Is a precursor to steroid hormones produced in
the adrenal cortex ·
Prevents some types of cerebrovascular
diseases ·
Protects the skin against infection by
detrimental bacteria and fungi This short list shows the importance of
proper cholesterol production for a healthy body. If your cholesterol levels
are being lowered artificially e.g. with the use of statins,
the question to ask yourself is:
“Which of these many processes in my body is being compromised and how
is this affecting my health?” 3.
Cholesterol repairs the damage caused by inflammation in your body. It is possible that your body requires
a higher
production of cholesterol when inflammation is present. In cases of
inflammation, cholesterol helps to put out the fire and repairs the damage. Therefore
your body may require a higher production of cholesterol to assist in
balancing and healing your body. Patients with the following conditions
are normally expected to have higher levels of cholesterol: •
Highly stressed life •
Hormonal imbalances •
Physical, mental or emotional health challenges •
Brain and nervous system challenges •
Chronically ill people •
Extreme athletes Again, if your cholesterol levels are high,
the emphasis should not be on artificially lowering your cholesterol, but on
understanding what causes the inflammation and then putting out the
inflammation. |
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What do I need to do when my cholesterol level is
high? First of all, don’t put your main focus on the total
cholesterol. The most significant factor is looking at the ratio of HDL and
LDL. Notice I do not call them “good” or “bad” cholesterol because they are
both necessary. It is preferred to find your HDL above 55 and your LDL not
more than double your HDL. So if your total cholesterol
is very high, your HDL is low or your ratio is out of balance, it is time to
look at what’s challenged in your body. In the previous section, we learned that our bodies can’t
live without cholesterol. They actually produce more cholesterol when we are
ill, stressed and/or suffer from inflammation. In order to reduce the risk of
cardiovascular problems due to high cholesterol, our focus needs to be on
figuring out the causes of inflammation and to reduce it. Inflammation is
always caused by an immune response and we need to therefore look at what
triggers this response. Here are some possible causes of high cholesterol : •
H. Pylori and other viral infections •
Insulin resistance leading
to hormonal imbalances –see more below •
Hypothyroidism •
Autoimmune diseases •
Impaired liver function due
to fatty liver, multiple medications, etc. •
Dysbiosis
— when there is more bad bacteria than good bacteria in the gut — prevents
the bile secreted by the gallbladder to escort cholesterol out of the body •
B vitamin deficiencies and Hypochlorhydria
(too little stomach acid) raising
homocysteine levels •
Birth control pills and estrogen creams raising homocysteine levels Therefore, I treat patients with high cholesterol with one
or more of the following strategies: •
Correcting diet and
digestion •
Regulating dysglycemia (blood sugar) •
Boosting immune system to
increase natural killer cells •
Optimizing glutathione
recycling system •
Eliminating the triggers of
high C-Reactive Protein and homocysteine levels •
Boosting cardio health with
vitamin, mineral and bioflavonoid supplementation •
Supporting and clearing the
liver’s methylation pathways •
Supporting the thyroid •
A detox
program when the bile doesn’t clear out cholesterol •
A good pro- and/or prebiotic •
Raising hydrochloric acid levels
instead of using antacids. What if I’m currently taking statins? If you are not taking care of the
underlying inflammation, statin drugs will not
help. On the contrary, you are in a downward spiral. In addition, some of the potential side effects of statin drugs are muscle weakness, bad memory, bad temper,
impotency and painful legs, just to name a few. To learn more, find out the truth about cholesterol and statins from several MDs. As long as we are addressing the source of inflammation and you are
following the protocol I’m prescribing, it still can be prudent to lower
overly high cholesterol in order to put the brakes on artery-clogging
atherosclerosis. Studies show that certain natural compounds are more
effective than statin drugs, while absent of the
dangerous side effects. Insulin resistance and the heart.
What most provokes
the hardening of your arteries is an exceptionally touchy hormone that we
tend to abuse: Insulin. After years of a high-carb,
sugar-laden diet that calls on the pancreas repeatedly to flood the system
with insulin, the body’s cells become insulin resistant. This leaves excess
amounts of insulin circulating throughout the bloodstream, leading to high
blood pressure, thicker blood (which can gum up the cardiovascular system),
and an increase in the enzyme activity that elevates cholesterol. Ultimately,
insulin resistance can result in diabetes. For more information, read the article “Heart Surgeon speaks out on what really
causes heart disease” by Dr. Dwight Lundell, M.D. or our newsletters on sugar,
fats
and transfats. In men,
testosterone protects the cardiovascular system, just as estrogen does for
women. In cases of insulin resistance, however, we see men becoming estrogen
dominant (developing “breasts”) and women becoming testosterone dominant
(growing “beards”), and we know cardiovascular destruction is well under way.
These are the folks who fatigue after meals, whose fasting blood sugar is
over 100 and who typically show high LDL and triglyceride levels. If this is
you, regulating dysglycemia (blood sugar
imbalances) is imperative to your heart and overall health.
References. 1.
Wainwright
G, Mascitelli L, Goldstein MR: Cholesterol lowering therapies
and membrane cholesterol. Stable plaque at the expense of unstable membranes?
Arch Med Sci 2009; 5: 289–295. 2.
Vy Lam, Jidong Su, Stacy Koprowski,
Anna Hsu, James S. Tweddell, Parvaneh
Rafiee, Garrett J. Gross, Nita H. Salzman, and John E. Baker, Intestinal
microbiota determine severity of myocardial
infarction in rats FASEB J fj.11-197921; published ahead of print
January 12, 2012, doi:10.1096/fj.11-197921 3.
Ross R. Atherosclerosis:
an inflammatory disease. N Engl J Med.
1999; 340: 115–126. 4.
Yudkin JS, Stehouwer
CD, Emeis JJ, et al. C-reactive
protein in healthy subjects: associations with obesity, insulin resistance,
and endothelial dysfunction: a potential role for cytokines originating from
adipose tissue? Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1999; 19:
972–978. |
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JAMIESON
HEALTH CENTER
Applied Kinesiology Nutrition Emotional Stress Relief Total Body Modification Advanced Neurofeedback 1175
Saratoga Ave, Ste 8 San Jose, CA
95129 Phone
408.517.0706 Email drjamieson@sbcglobal.net Visit us on the Web! |
Seminars we’ve taken. Since I want to make a difference in
your lives and that of your children, I’m constantly trying to keep up with
the latest developments in healing practices, clinical research and new
discoveries in the area of integrative holistic medicine. To that end, I have
attended the following seminars and conferences over the last several months: ·
The Neuorendocrine-Immunology of Hepatic
Detoxification ·
Functional
neurology – ongoing at the Carrick Institute of Neurology ·
Understanding
the complexity of gluten sensitivity ·
Breaking the
complex web of leaky gut ·
Neurochemistry
of childhood brain developmental disorders ·
The neuroendocrine immunology of andropause ·
The neuroendocrine immunology of perimenopause ·
The aging brain ·
The brain-gut
axis ·
Nutrition
Response Testing ·
NeuroIntegration therapy– Level
1 and Level 2 training ·
Alpha/Theta
training with neurofeedback ·
Deep States
training with neurofeedback – level 2 ·
Level 2 advanced
neurofeedback training ·
Alpha-Theta
advanced training ·
Autoimmune
regulation ·
Functional Endocrinology ·
Metabolic
Biotransformation: an overview of detoxification and weight management ·
Restoring
Gastrointestinal Health ·
Practical Blood
Chemistry ·
Neurotransmitters
and Brain ·
The
Thyroid-Brain–Immuno Connection ·
Restorative
Endocrinology: Balancing Female Hormones in Menopausal Women ·
Restorative
Endocrinology: Balancing Hormones in Cycling Women ·
The Impacts of
Estrogen on the NeuroEndocrine-Immune Axis ·
Restorative
Endocrinology: Balancing Male Hormones ·
Advanced
Nutrition Therapeutics for Addictions and OCD Some
patients have asked about previous newsletters and they can be found on our
website at http://www.jamiesonhealthcenter.com/archive.htm |
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