How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally – A Holistic Perspective

Even though health experts have been talking about cholesterol for decades, it is still one of the most misunderstood health factors for so many reasons. It has been blacklisted from most people’s diets, or perhaps their ideal diets, and it is thought that any cholesterol is bad for your health. Bye, bye cheeseburger.

The truth is that cholesterol is a natural product of the liver, and an essential component in the make-up of every cell in your body and of many hormones, especially the sex and adrenal ones. In fact, your body is incapable of functioning without this valuable protein.

So why has there been so much emphasis on cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health? It’s not just an issue of levels of cholesterol (actually people who live longest often have high levels of cholesterol) but rather what happens to the cholesterol inside your arteries.

Something is causing the natural cholesterol in your arteries to harden and damage the delicate tissue. The real problem is high levels of free radicals (toxins) causing oxidation in the cardiovascular tissues themselves. The free radical activity is triggered by lifestyle choices, making this disorder largely preventable.

When considering this from a holistic perspective, it makes perfect sense. Our bodies are amazing organisms that can usually deal with just about anything we can swallow. However, when we cause stress to our bodies, which can be in many forms, that is usually when the disease process starts working overtime.

There are many things you can do to managing your stress and preventing free radicals from running amuck without giving up all of your favorite foods. I always ask my clients about their lifestyle choices and really try to help them see that good self-care is crucial to physical, emotional and mental well-being.

Stress Relief

Think about something stressful in your life. Imagine that that stressful thing is happening right now. How do you feel? What is happening in your body? Some of you may notice that your breathing gets tight and shallow. Others may get flushed and feel their heartbeat increase. You are triggering a stress response, just by thinking about something. Wow.

Your body responds to your thoughts, so when you are under stress, the hormones of your body go out on patrol looking for danger. This is great if you have a large animal stalking you, but these days it is usually our thoughts that are the threat. And when your body perceives a threat, it sends out the troops.

When those troops are deployed with no actual physical danger like a virus or a predator, they start to mess with the delicate balance of our bodies. One of the results of amplified stress hormones is not only an increase in cholesterol levels, but also the occurrence of oxidation, which causes free-radical damage, making cells vulnerable to disease.

Breathing exercises are an instant way to reduce stress and allow the hormones of your body to function naturally. Try this exercise three times per day for maximum effect.

* Sit comfortably with your feet flat on the floor, hands placed gently in your lap
* Breathe in deeply through your nose for a count of four
* Hold your breath for a count of four
* Exhale for four counts
* Repeat up to one minute

You can do this anywhere, and will prevent free-radical damage not only to your cardiovascular system, but will feel more relaxed, centered and balanced on all levels.

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