Cholesterol Shmolesterol

Every weekend I have to make a choice: do I want to eat pizza (from Mama’s Too), burgers (Corner Bistro) and fries (anywhere), or a cookie (Chip City, Levain or Crumbl, where I prefer the cookie of the week), babka (Breads) or gelato (Anita Gelato’s Cookieman!!!) My children always make the correct kids’ decision: burgers, fries, pizza, with a big cookie. I try to make the healthy decision and make salmon with veggies, and have my three small pieces of dark chocolate with chamomile tea. Boring!!

I’m 80/20 with my diet. I try to keep my diet clean five out of seven days so I can cheat a little on the weekend. Chinese medicine is all about balance, so this is Gabriel the acupuncturist’s balance.

Let’s start with the basics of cholesterol

LDL vs HDL. Cholesterol is not all bad. It is necessary to help new tissue and repair damaged tissue, it produces steroid hormones including estrogen, helps create bile in the liver, and helps in the production of vitamin D.

Two main causes of high cholesterol 

Genetics (Blame it on Mom and Dad). Your body, on its own, overproduces cholesterol in the liver.

Lifestyle. Refer to my rant about all the crap my children eat on the weekends and then add to that a sedentary lifestyle, alcohol, processed foods, and all the food at the Iowa State Fair.

When trying to control your cholesterol, red meat, full-fat dairy products, and fried foods are big NOs. 

Too much cholesterol in your system can lead to atherosclerosis with the consequent risk of heart attack and stroke.

Good Food Choices

Fruits and Vegetables have no cholesterol!! 

Incorporating foods such as whole grains, nuts, chicken, fish and olive oil helps to keep one's cholesterol at healthy levels.

We have two choices to control our cholesterol: enter the statin world or start to incorporate Chinese medicine and make serious lifestyle changes. 

Statins 

Statins block the body’s synthesis of cholesterol in the liver. They can reduce blood pressure and prevent blood coagulation. They work by blocking the enzyme in the liver the produces more cholesterol. Common side effects of statins include pain and weakness of the muscles, lack of appetite, and nausea, as well as disturbances in liver function.

As an acupuncturist, I like to catch high cholesterol before you need a pill. 

In Chinese medicine, cholesterol can be broken down into two primary diagnoses. 

All herbs and acupuncture protocols I like to use to treat hyper cholesterol are focused on regulating the blood, strengthening the spleen and clearing liver heat. When you are regulating qi and blood you’re removing stasis. This diagnosis is seen in chronic illness, high blood pressure, and coronary blood vessel issues. The other treatment protocol I use drains dampness from the system and strengthens the spleen. This diagnosis will show up as one who is overweight, bad diet, lethargy, fullness, and a thick greasy tongue. 

If I want you to get anything out of this blog, take control of your health and be proactive, and make smart choices. Take the stairs, eat clean but live life and enjoy a cookie once in a while. Chinese medicine is very helpful in regulating one’s cholesterol levels. Being consistent with acupuncture and herbs while making lifestyle changes can make a huge difference in such a serious preventable disease. As I preach to all my patients, if you don’t have your health, you have nothing.