“What if you put 250 people in a room and told them they would each pay $1,000 a year for a drug they would have to take every day, that many would get diarrhea and muscle pain, and that 249 would have no benefit? And that they could do just as well by exercising? How many would take that?” asks drug industry critic Dr. Jerome R. Hoffman, professor of clinical medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles.
How true. As explained in the referenced article cholesterol medications have shown no significant decrease in heart mortality rates. But, I’ll let you read the article and deicide for yourself. 🙂
Controversy aside, why do I, as a Naturopathic Doctor, still look at cholesterol numbers? Cholesterol is needed in the body for a variety functions, it acts as part of a protective layer around every cell in your body. Cholesterol is a pre-cursor to important sex hormones, fat-soluble vitamins, and is needed in order to be converted into bile salts to break down fat (yes you do need fat to break down fat!). It is found in large amounts in the brain, adrenal gland, and nervous system. It is estimated that the liver actually makes about 40-50% and that only 50% of cholesterol from food is absorbed. Cholesterol is so vital for health of the body, if it is reduced to too low of an amount; the liver is put to work and produces more.
This is why women in their reproductive years are more apt to have problems on a low-fat diet. They not only are at risk for problems with hormone production but will also stress the liver, which is responsible for ridding the body of excess estrogen. Not to mention, they will create a situation of poor healing responses by the body that is generated when it doesn’t get what it needs to repair certain structures.
My job when someone comes in with high cholesterol is to look for the cause. I ask, “what is going on in their body that they have this SYMPTOM?” It may be easier to cover the symptom by blocking its formation and hope that the underlying issue goes away, but hope and ignoring the situation doesn’t solve anything in the long run. It’s like putting a piece of duck tape over your “check engine soon” light in your car; just because you can’t see the light doesn’t change the fact the engine needs work.
A comprehensive approach to addressing the cause is most important, it’s also important to read the ratio on your labs and to look at your genetic link. I personally feel a very low cholesterol number is just as dangerous as a very high number. I’ve noticed that for a lot of women, high cholesterol is related to thyroid dysfunction. Usually, these women are already on thyroid medication, but it is not converting to the active form of thyroid hormone because the body is missing vital nutrient factors.
Of course, high cholesterol can also be the result of SAD (Standard American Diet), a diet high in trans-fats and processed sugars. This is sure to cause havoc on the heart as well as pancreas. High cholesterol could be caused by a number of things, so as a good naturopathic doctor upholding the Naturopathic philosophy, I look for why?? I will look at diet and lifestyle and find an individualized and integrated approach to support the whole body and person by using any combination of the following: whole food supplements, important nutrient supplements, herbs, essential oils (which also work on the mind), and mind-body medicine.
The fact is that heart diseases respond wonderfully to preventative medicine and that diet and exercise are usually just as effective as drugs. (Remember in the commercials, when the announcer gets done with all the side effects he says “diet and exercise are best, but if that’s not enough….”) Of course, if someone has cholesterol of 350-400, then yes, maybe a statin would be a good option temporarily to decrease the inflammation that’s occurring in the body. It seems to me that the counter-argument is saving one life makes up for making 99 more miserable isn’t good enough. If we promote healthy heart practices in all 100, they don’t end up with the problem to begin with, and they won’t get muscle cramps, pain, headaches, and sexual dysfunction.
References:
Dr. Lang series reference Engi, Marg G. PH.D Know your Fats
TJ Moore THE CHOLESTEROL MYTH
The-Atlantic, VOL:v264, ISS:n3, DATE: Sept 1989, PAGE:37(25), ISSN: 0276-9077 , ATMOA. COPYRIGHT The Atlantic Monthly Co. 1989
