1. Understanding Statin Drugs and Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a substance produced in the liver, and it can be found in certain foods. It can be a good thing, or it can be a bad thing. As a good thing, cholesterol helps your body to produce vitamin D and hormones. It also creates bile salts to help your body digest fat. As a bad thing, it can build up in your arteries and cause you to have heart problems. When a person begins to eat a lot of foods that are high in cholesterol, the levels rise causing hyperglycemic (high cholesterol). In this case, a doctor will usually prescribe a statin drug to lower the cholesterol levels. This medication works well, in lowering a person's high cholesterol levels, but there are many risks associated with these drugs.
2. Symptoms of High Cholesterol
High cholesterol is a silent killer because symptoms are usually rare. Unless your cholesterol is extremely high, the only way to know that you have high cholesterol is to have a blood test performed. High cholesterol does not cause any uncomfortable feelings or pain. There is no dizziness, nausea, or vomiting. Nothing can indicate elevated cholesterol levels. However, if your cholesterol is extremely high and out of control, you may experience some abdominal pain from the build up of cholesterol in the liver or pancreas.
3. Conditions Caused by High Cholesterol
A person may not feel any immediate symptoms of high cholesterol; however, high cholesterol can be very dangerous to the body in many ways. It can cause some very serious conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, gallstones and peripheral vascular disease. All of these conditions can possibly be fatal if not properly treated.
4. Side Effects of Statin Drugs
When a person has high cholesterol, a doctor will usually prescribe a statin drug. These medications are very effective in lowering cholesterol; however, they do have a lot of dangerous side effects. Some of these side effects include loss of muscle control and muscle aches and pains, amnesia or other forms of memory loss, and heart failure. Many pharmaceutical manufacturers and doctors argue that statin drugs do not contribute to these side effects; however, studies have showed that people who take statin drugs are more likely to experience these conditions and when they stopped the medication, the side effects lessened or completely stopped.
5. Natural Ways to Treat High Cholesterol
If you do not feel comfortable taking statin drugs to treat your high cholesterol, there are some natural ways to lower your high cholesterol. Eating a healthy diet three times per day that is rich in fruits and vegetables is the best natural way to lower high cholesterol. Daily exercise and rest are also effective.
