Is Lowering Your Cholesterol Killing You?!
By
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Posted October 29, 2017
Dear Living Well Daily Reader,
If there was a drug to lower oxygen in your body, would you take it?
Of course not… That’s absurd, right? Our bodies need oxygen.
But the moment some doctor hands you a cholesterol-lowering drug, he’s basically asking you to do the same thing.
He’s asking you to reduce something that’s absolutely vital to your health.
Cholesterol isn’t as important as oxygen, I’ll grant you… but keeping a healthy supply of cholesterol is critical to protecting everything from your brain to your heart.
So if you’re being told to lower your cholesterol, it’s time for a second opinion… because low cholesterol could literally end up killing you.
We hear a lot about cholesterol being a fat. It isn’t technically a fat, but a waxy substance.
You can find cholesterol in animal products (such as eggs, meat, fish, butter), but the biggest source in your body comes from your own liver.
Yes, you make most of the cholesterol in your body.
And that’s a very good thing, because your body absolutely needs cholesterol. For example:
- Your brain is 80 percent cholesterol – this means your brain needs cholesterol to function correctly.
- Cholesterol helps to form the outer protective membrane of every cell in your body.
- Never fibers are surrounded by sheaths that help the nerves to conduct an electrical signal – without cholesterol, nerves couldn’t perform as well as they do.
- Many of our hormones are cholesterol-based (estrogen, testosterone, and aldosterone, for example).
- Vitamin D is a cholesterol-based vitamin.
- Cholesterol is necessary for good bones, muscles, and the repair of tissue.
- Cholesterol acts as a natural antioxidant.
As you can see, cholesterol is important to our bodies.
Recent studies have shown that people with “high” cholesterol have less chance of getting Alzheimer’s or other dementias. And people who have problems with low hormone levels (such as testosterone), may not be getting enough cholesterol.
Blaming cholesterol for heart disease is a bit like blaming the Band-Aid for the cut. Cholesterol is part of the repair system of your body – so if you damage your heart blood vessels, of course cholesterol is going to part of the repair (the Band-Aid).
But that doesn’t mean cholesterol is to blame.
I’ve mentioned this enough, but inflammation is the real cause of heart disease, and cholesterol is part of the solution.
I think the biggest issue surrounding cholesterol is that it acts as an antioxidant.
People who have very high cholesterol tend to be folks who are doing harm to their bodies (smoking, eating junk food, etc.) and their bodies are producing more cholesterol to help stop the damage.
It is time we stopped being worried about cholesterol and turned our attention to the things that really matter: eating better, getting the nutrients our bodies need, exercising, and sleeping better.
Health and Happiness,
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: feedback@livingwelldaily.com – and click here to like us on Facebook.
Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.
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