Its been a while since I last blogged but I haven’t been wasting my time.
Some time ago Barry and I decided that we wanted to make some major life changes – basically, to cut back on work, downsize, explore a bit more of the world and also examine what improvements we could make to our health and lifestyle.
So, we tidied up some loose ends and set off to San Diego, USA for three months to escape the British winter. Our aim: to relax,think about our plans for the next two years and beyond and to investigate raw food.
So, we’re here, we’ve been in our rental apartment on the beach for a month now and we are certainly chilled, but what of our lifestyle changes?
Perhaps now I should explain that we’ve always espoused a healthy lifestyle, but nobody is perfect, bad habits creep in – working crazy hours, eating on the run, late nights, early mornings, too little fresh air or sun. Do I need to go on? I’m sure you’ve fallen into at least some of these traps.
So, raw food, Well, we said we’d be flexible in our plans and, having researched extensively and finally found an holistic nutritionist, we arrived on her doorstep, jetlagged and exhausted and were told in no uncertain terms that neither of us should even consider a raw diet.
I still love the idea but, as I suspected, our health issues and the fact that we live in a cold climate are against us.
Our nutritionist looks the absolute picture of health so we decided to take her advice for the time being. Despite being part of a wellbeing cooperative that has a complete service of consultants, testing and therapists, she suggested that we keep our costs down as much as possible and start out by following a “Clean Eating” plan.
So off we went with a couple of bottles of pills (more about this later), a tub of protein shake and a list of instructions to follow.
So, how did we get on? Be patient and I’ll tell you in a few days.
Lorraine Terry
Filed under Health & Healing, Nutrition, Wellbeing by on Mar 3rd, 2012. 
Our ancestors knew it as a “hardening of the arteries.” Today, it’s called atherosclerosis, a direct result of high levels of LDL cholesterol, sometimes called “bad cholesterol.” By any name, it’s a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. The reason for this: LDL cholesterol causes irritation of the linings of one’s blood vessels.
There’s no doubt that what we commonly call high cholesterol—a higher than acceptable overall level of a combination of LDL and HDL cholesterol (“good cholesterol”) or an imbalance between the two tilted toward LDL, if untreated does lead to heart disease. Lipoprotein A, related to LDL cholesterol, adheres to damaged blood vessels and forms plaque in the vessels. Fried and processed foods tend to contain oxidized cholesterol, which is a very common cause for increased deposits of plaque on blood vessel walls.
Men older than 45 and women older than 55 tend to get atherosclerosis more than younger people. A family history of heart disease is a presupposing factor as is diabetes. Smoking is a serious risk factor, and so are diabetes and high blood pressure.
Some natural remedies are known to be effective in the treatment of high cholesterol. For example:
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
This one seems to lower the bad stuff and increase the good. It also seems to bring down levels of Lipoprotein A, another risk factor for atherosclerosis. You can get a prescription form or you will find it under dietary supplements. It does have some side effects, most objectionable of which is skin flushing or hot flashes. Taking it with meals helps.
Artichoke Leaf
There has been some research that indicates that this natural remedy may help. It has been shown, for example, to limit the synthesis of cholesterol and to increase bile production in the liver. Cholesterol excretion is increased by this speedier flow of bile from the gallbladder.
Soluble Fibre
Soluble fibre also seems to limit the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines. Some sources:
Psyllium powder
Oats, barley, and rye
Legumes
Some fruits
Some vegetables (carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, and yams, for example)
Plant Sterols and Stanols
Some plants contain these substances. They may also be found in dietary supplements or added to margarine and orange juice. Because the structure of these substances is similar to cholesterol, they seem to block its absorption. Besides reducing total cholesterol, they seem to work hand-in-hand with other remedies.
Red Yeast Rice
This Chinese remedy is produced by fermenting red yeast over rice. Used in many Chinese dishes, it also contains Lovastatin, believed to inhibit an enzyme involved in the production of cholesterol. Red yeast products are becoming available; however, because they contain a substance found in prescription drugs, there is some controversy over whether its sale should be restricted. Before you decide to use this as a cure for high cholesterol, you should make certain that it does, in fact, contain Lovastatin. This ingredient, by the way, is used in prescription drugs such as Mevacor. Because of certain by-products of the fermentation process, pregnant or nursing women and children are warned not to ingest red yeast rice.
Filed under Health & Healing by on Jan 14th, 2011.
