I haven't had an issue with high cholesterol, but for those who have and want to avoid harmful prescription drugs with bad side effects, here's a natural solution that may help. More here. http://energytimes.com/pages/departments/0216/suppsavvy0216.html
Arterial DefenderRed yeast rice, long valued as a natural cholesterol remedy, has gone organic.February 2016by Lisa JamesIt is a sobering statistic: 28% of Americans age 40 and older are on cholesterol-lowering medication. And that percentage keeps going up, rising from 20% in 2003.
The reason for this constant increase lies in the sheer number of Americans whose levels of cholesterol have been deemed too high. According to the American Heart Association, 30.9 million people age 20 and older are estimated to have total cholesterol levels at or above 240 mg/dL, accounting for roughly 10% of the total US population.
Given the role cholesterol abnormalities play in cardiovascular disease, it’s understandable why public health authorities find these figures worrisome. Fortunately, a Chinese medicine agent called red yeast rice provides a natural alternative.
Plumbing ProblemsCholesterol isn’t evil. The body uses it to build cell membranes, among other purposes. But cholesterol’s waxy consistency means it needs to be transported by substances called lipoproteins through the watery bloodstream, which is when things get interesting.
One type of lipoprotein, the low density (LDL) kind, turns troublesome when it oxidizes, a process similar to the rusting of a car. When this happens, LDL can get stuck in damaged areas on artery walls along with calcium and other substances.
Eventually the artery becomes thicker and stiffer, slowing down blood flow. This leaves the artery prone to blockage by blood clots; blockages in cardiac arteries can cause heart attacks, while those in arteries within the brain can cause strokes.
