The
Acid/High Cholesterol Connection
If
you are like many Americans today, you are suffering from high cholesterol.
It is for this reason that I (Dean Snyder) found this program to begin
with. My cholesterol finally went above 300 and that number scared the
heck out of me! With a history of heart disease in my family I knew
that I was heading down the same dreadful road that my family had been
down (and had died from) before me. I had to try something because nothing
I did (low-cholesterol and no-cholesterol diets) worked up to this point.
I was willing to try something new (this program) and the results, I
believe, have saved my life! Click here to hear
my story.
If
you are suffering from high cholesterol, as I was, do yourself a favor.
Ask your doctor to explain to you what the body's physiological purpose
is for placing cholesterol on the lining of your arteries. You will
be amazed at their answers...I know I was. Why? Because they don't have
one! Sure, they know what the result is from all this cholesterol, they
know that bad cholesterol (LDL) readings should be low and good cholesterol
(HDL) readings should be high, and they will also give you the same
sing-song cures for reducing it - eat right, quit smoking, and exercise.
Advice well intentioned. They might even explain that medicine has yet
to produce a definitive answer to that question. All that schooling,
and still no answer. Truly amazing! Since my early twenties, I have
asked many doctors that same question. Never a good answer - until I
found The pH Miracle Program.
Well
folks, allow me to be, quite possibly, the first person to tell you
exactly why you have high cholesterol and what
you can do to lower it for the rest of your life. No more pills.
No more threats of heart attack from high cholesterol looming over you
every single day of your life as it was with me. A simple explanation,
and a simple cure. Of course, as always, we encourage you to speak to
your doctor before you attempt to do what they could never seem to do
- lower your cholesterol for GOOD!
And,
just to let you know where I am coming from - my cholesterol was 302
as I mentioned earlier. After only one month of following Dr. Young's
program (to the letter) I retook my blood tests. My cholesterol level
was 211! Yes, that's what I said, 211. I had dropped 91 points off of
my cholesterol in only one month. It had never been below 233 since
I was 22 years old, when it was checked in the Army. My doctor was in
a bit of disbelief as I explained how I managed to pull that off. (Quite
frankly, I don't think he had ever seen such a dramatic drop before,
and had no words for me other than to set me up for my next blood test
in three more months) The only thing I have to work on is raising my
good cholesterol. I believe that I have probably done that by now, but
won't be sure until I retake my test. This was our biggest reason for
creating this website. I am now going to share the same information
with you.
First
we would like to share some basic information concerning cholesterol
and what it means to you. Then we will explain how Dr. Young's program
has helped me lower my cholesterol - and, hopefully, it will help you
as well.
High
Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know
What's
the difference between all these forms of cholesterol?
Cholesterol travels through our bloodstream via molecules called lipoproteins.
Low density lipoproteins (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol,
carry fats from the liver to the bodies' cells. High density
lipoproteins (HDL) remove fats from circulation by carrying
them back to the liver. There they can be eliminated from the body via
bile acids.
Higher
LDL levels mean that we have more fat in our bloodstream, and therefore,
a greater risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis (hardening of the
arteries). HDL, a "good" or protective form of cholesterol,
helps to lower the amount of fats in our bloodstream.
Triglycerides
are also lipids (fats), but unlike cholesterol, they are burned for
energy or else stored in the body's fat stores to be used later. By
itself, high triglyceride levels are not a indicator of heart disease,
but are frequently found hand-in-hand with high LDL levels. (back
to top)
Your
blood cholesterol level has a lot to do with your chances of getting
heart disease. High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors
for heart disease. A risk factor is a condition that increases your
chance of getting a disease. In fact, the higher your blood cholesterol
level, the greater your risk for developing heart disease or having
a heart attack. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and
men in the United States. Each year, more than a million Americans have
heart attacks, and about a half million people die from heart disease.
(back to top)
When
there is too much cholesterol (a fat-like substance) in your blood,
it builds up in the walls of your arteries. Over time, this buildup
causes "hardening of the arteries" so that arteries become narrowed
and blood flow to the heart is slowed down or blocked. The blood carries
oxygen to the heart, and if enough blood and oxygen cannot reach your
heart, you may suffer chest pain. If the blood supply to a portion of
the heart is completely cut off by a blockage, the result is a heart
attack.
High
blood cholesterol itself does not cause symptoms, so many people are
unaware that their cholesterol level is too high. It is important to
find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering cholesterol
levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease
and reduces the chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease,
even if you already have it. Cholesterol lowering is important for everyone--younger,
middle age, and older adults; women and men; and people with or without
heart disease. (back to top)
Everyone
age 20 and older should have their cholesterol measured at least once
every 5 years. It is best to have a blood test called a "lipoprotein
profile" to find out your cholesterol numbers. This blood test is done
after a 9- to 12-hour fast and gives information about your:
- Total
cholesterol
- LDL
(bad) cholesterol--the main source of cholesterol buildup and blockage
in the arteries
- HDL
(good) cholesterol--helps keep cholesterol from building up in the
arteries
- Triglycerides--another
form of fat in your blood
If
it is not possible to get a lipoprotein profile done, knowing your total
cholesterol and HDL cholesterol can give you a general idea about your
cholesterol levels. If your total cholesterol is 200 mg/dL* or more
or if your HDL is less than 40 mg/dL, you will need to have a lipoprotein
profile done. See how your cholesterol numbers compare to the tables
below.
| Total
Cholesterol Level |
Category |
| Less
than 200 mg/dL |
Desirable |
| 200-239
mg/dL |
Borderline
High |
| 240
mg/dL and above |
High |
*
Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol
per deciliter (dL) of blood.
| LDL
Cholesterol Level |
LDL-Cholesterol
Category |
| Less
than 100 mg/dL |
Optimal |
| 100-129
mg/dL |
Near
optimal/above optimal |
| 130-159
mg/dL |
Borderline
high |
| 160-189
mg/dL |
High |
| 190
mg/dL and above |
Very
high |
HDL
(good) cholesterol protects against heart disease, so for HDL, higher
numbers are better. A level less than 40 mg/dL is low and is considered
a major risk factor because it increases your risk for developing heart
disease. HDL levels of 60 mg/dL or more help to lower your risk for
heart disease.
Triglycerides
can also raise heart disease risk. Levels that are borderline high (150-199
mg/dL) or high (200 mg/dL or more) may need treatment in some people.
(back to top)
A
variety of things can affect cholesterol levels. These are things you
can do something about:
Diet.
Eating large amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol can raise your
blood cholesterol levels. Avoid saturated fats and cholesterol found
in meat products. Also, raising your alkalinity intake can greatly
reduce your blood cholesterol levels (as described
below).
Weight.
Being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease. It also tends
to increase your cholesterol. This is under the assumption that your
diet that created this over-weight situation is extremely acidic -
which caused you to gain so much weight (a vicious cycle of imbalance).
Losing weight can help lower your LDL and total cholesterol levels,
as well as raise your HDL and lower your triglyceride levels.
Physical
Activity. Not being physically active is a risk factor for heart
disease. Regular physical activity can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol
and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. You should try to be physically
active for 30 minutes on most, if not all, days.
Things
you cannot do anything about also can affect cholesterol levels. These
include:
Age
and Gender. As women and men get older, their cholesterol levels
rise. Before the age of menopause, women have lower total cholesterol
levels than men of the same age. After the age of menopause, women's
LDL levels tend to rise.
Heredity.
Your genes partly determine how much cholesterol your body makes.
High blood cholesterol can run in families. Remember, acid in the
body will travel to the weakest system and make it even more weak.
(back to top)
In
general, the higher your LDL level and the more risk factors you have
(other than LDL), the greater your chances of developing heart disease
or having a heart attack. Some people are at high risk for a heart attack
because they already have heart disease. Other people are at high risk
for developing heart disease because they have diabetes (which is a
strong risk factor) or a combination of risk factors for heart disease.
Follow these steps to find out your risk for developing heart disease.
Step
1: Check the table below to see how many of the listed risk factors
you have; these are the risk factors that affect your LDL goal.
Major
Risk Factors That Affect Your LDL Goal
- Cigarette
smoking
- High
Blood Pressure (140/90 mmHg or higher or on blood pressure medication)
- Low
HDL cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dL)*
- Family
history of early heart disease (heart disease in father or brother
before age 55; heart disease in mother or sister before age 65)
- Age
(men 45 years or older; women 55 years or older)
*
If your HDL cholesterol is 60 mg/dL or higher, subtract 1 from your
total count.
Even
though obesity and physical inactivity are not counted in this list,
they are conditions that need to be corrected.
Step
2: How many major risk factors do you have? If you have 2 or more
risk factors in the table above, use
the attached risk scoring table (which include your cholesterol
levels) to find your risk score. Risk score refers to the chance of
having a heart attack in the next 10 years, given as a percentage. My
risk score is ________%.
Step
3: Use your medical history, number of risk factors, and risk score
to find your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack
in the table below.
| If
You Have |
You
Are in Category |
| Heart
disease, diabetes, or risk score more than 20%* |
I.
Highest Risk |
| 2
or more risk factors and risk score 10-20% |
II.
Next Highest Risk |
| 2
or more risk factors and risk score less than 10% |
III.
Moderate Risk |
| 0
or 1 risk factor |
IV.
Low-to-Moderate Risk |
*
Means that more than 20 out of 100 people in this category will have
a heart attack within 10 years.
My
risk category is ______________________.
(back to top)
What
about prescription medications? I've heard they have dangerous side effects.
There
are several classes of cholesterol lowering prescription drugs. Read
more about them and their possible side effects here:
|
HMG CoA reductase inhibitors; the "statin" drugs - Lovastatin
(Mevacor), Pravastatin (Pravachol), Simvastatin
(Zocor), Fluvastatin (Lescol), Atorvastatin (Lipitor),
and Cerivastatin (Baycol).
The most recently developed class of drugs for lowering cholesterol,
statins work by inhibiting cholesterol production by the liver.
Statin drugs are very effective for lowering LDL cholesterol
levels and have a moderate effect in raising HDL levels and
lowering triglycerides. The most common side effects are gastrointestinal
upset, including constipation and abdominal pain and cramps.
Less common but more serious side effects include chest pain,
increased cough, leg pain, joint and muscle pain, and liver
damage.
Cerivastatin, also known as Baycol, was recalled last year
by its manufacturer because of 31 deaths related to a dangerous
but rare side effect of the drug. The side effect, rhabdomyolysis,
is a rare condition where damage to muscles in the body results
in release of muscle cell contents into the bloodstream. When
this happens, the kidneys and other organs can be damaged, sometimes
enough to be fatal. If you are taking any statin medication,
your doctor should be closely monitoring your liver enzymes
for possible liver damage. |
|
Bile acid sequestrants; Cholestyramine (Questran),
Colestipol (Colestid), and Colesevelam (Welchol).
Bile acid sequestrants work by binding with cholesterol-based
bile acids to take them out of circulation. The liver then produces
more bile acids, drawing the extra cholesterol it needs out
of the bloodstream. Bile acid sequestrants have a moderate effect
in lowering LDL cholesterol, a very small effect in raising
HDL levels, and no effect on triglycerides. Their side effects
may include constipation, indigestion, muscle aches, sore throat,
weakness, and decreased absorption of other drugs. |
|
Fibric acids; Gemfibrozil (Lopid), Probucol (Lorelco),
and Clofibrate (Adtromid-s).
This class of drugs was first developed in the late 1960's
and have since found to cause serious side effects and increase
mortality. They are rarely used today except for people who
have very high triglyceride levels (above 2000) at which they
are most effective for reducing. They also moderately reduce
LDL cholesterol levels, but Gemfibrozil and Clofibrate have
not been approved by the FDA for this purpose. Their list of
side effects are long, and include nausea, vomiting and abdominal
pain, constipation and diarrhea, liver cancer, acute appendicitis,
gall stones, eczema, fatigue, headache, rash, and vertigo. |
(back
to top)
Treating
High Cholesterol With The pH Miracle Program
Having
a high blood cholesterol count can be a bit unnerving to those who know
what may come further down the road - especially if it is in your families
history. It was for me, and I finally learned why my body was doing
what it was doing, even through some dieting times where I was on a
low-cholesterol (and no-cholesterol) diet plan. Then I learned about
the pH Miracle program and took time to understand the biology behind
it and did a bunch of research. The answer was so simple...and the result,
well, I told you up top what the result was. A 91 point drop in only
1 month.
Let's
first understand why your body has the need to dump excess cholesterol
on the lining of your arteries, and then let's learn what we can do
about it...fair enough? The explanation may be new information to your
ears, and your doctor may scoff at you a bit because he just wants you
to go on a "statin" to control your cholesterol (and you may
be wanting to not get hooked on pharmaceuticals for the rest of your
life).
Let's
assume that you, like most Americans, are living a very acid lifestyle
as described throughout the rest of the site. You may even be watching
your cholesterol and saturated fat intake but the doctor is still warning
you of your high numbers. You may be going to the gym everyday, and
have created a nice looking body for yourself, but still those numbers
are rising. You may be feeling a bit frustrated, and possibly a bit
nervous (as I was). If you read through the rest of this site you will
figure out which foods you are eating are bringing acid and yeast into
your system. This will help to be the base for your new understanding.
Remember, the whole basis for this website is to inform you of the negative
effects of acid, yeast, and low-energy foods.
So,
if you are watching your intake of saturated fats and cholesterol, and
you are working out every day, why would your body create this situation
for you? It is protecting itself. Plain and simple. As your body tries
to neutralize acids in the blood stream, it will first attempt to utilize
base minerals stored in your fat cells. Once those "reserves"
have been exhausted, and the cycle continues (the acids being dumped
into the tissues, and then dumped back into the bloodstream), the body
must defend itself, and the delicate lining of your arteries. What do
you suppose would happen to your arteries if the bloodstream remains
in this acid state for long periods? Quite literally, the sensitive
lining would begin to erode and would begin to get "holes"
in your arteries. You would be dead...you can't have arteries with holes
in them. Your body will NEVER allow that to happen.
Your
body will then look for a "binding agent" - something to grab
a hold of the acids to protect the arterial wall. So it secretes, or
gathers, cholesterol and places it on the arterial wall. The cycle will
continue as long as you keep mismanaging your alkaline intake. The longer
your body remains in an acid environment, the more and more cholesterol
will be laid onto the arterial walls until, pretty soon, there's not
enough room for the blood to flow through. Remember, your body doesn't
need you to have cholesterol in your diet - it will make the cholesterol
as it is needed. Even though you are limiting the amount of cholesterol
you eat, that fact will not prevent the body from defending itself if
you are eating foods that are considered acid. Does this make sense?
This is really important if you want to truly lower your cholesterol
levels.
So
how can we get the body to start doing away with all this protective
cholesterol? Simple. Start eating a more alkaline diet. Quite simply,
start following Dr. Young's Program. Once
your body becomes more basic (alkaline) it no longer needs all that
cholesterol to protect itself, and it will start getting rid of it.
No more pills, no more threats...simple and basic as can be - truly.
You want to eat a high alkaline diet, drink at least 1 gallon of water
per day (to help the body flush the system), and maintain a healthy
level of oxygen through exercise and the use of high quality supplements.
Along
with a complete change of diet (going on a 7 day fast and then eating
completely alkaline foods), I starting using a certain green drink and alkaline booster
in 4 quarts of water per day. As I said, in one month I dropped 91 points
from my LDL and I am on my way to raising my HDL count. I also lost
21 pounds in the first month (I was never really "fat"). It
has tapered off since and I am only a few pounds shy of my ideal weight.
I was one step away from needing to take Zocor for the rest of my life
- and I have now avoided that outcome.
You
can do the same for yourself. The answer is simple and the results are
dramatic. Does it take discipline? Absolutely. Changing old habits are
never easy. But, you will find that the results of making this change
in your life will be so dramatic, and happen so quickly (in a matter
of weeks), that you will never go back to those old habits again. You
will start to look at others, and the way they treat their bodies, and
you will almost feel sorry for them. You might even want to help them
by applying everything you learned. Go for it! We all need help, some
of us just don't like to ask for it. I needed help - and found it almost
accidentally. I am quite certain that had I not stumbled onto Dr. Young's
Program, I would be heading for heart disease and an eventual heart
attack. I feel like I avoided that now...for good!
Did you know...?
Over Half of American Adults are in the Warning Zone!
Did you know that more than half of American adults have hazardous blood
cholesterol readings over 200? The simple odds are that you are just
one of the 102 million American adults who live everyday with borderline-high
levels of cholesterol. And you may be one out of every five adults with
hypercholesterolemia, defined as a dangerous cholesterol reading of
240 or above.
More than 1,000,000 Americans will have a heart attack this year.
Your blood cholesterol level has a lot to do with your chances of
getting heart disease. The higher your overall cholesterol number, the
greater your risk for developing heart disease and having a heart attack.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States.
Each year, more than a million Americans have heart attacks, and about
a half million people die from heart disease.
How important is lowering cholesterol?
In a five year clinical study involving over 4400 patients with
heart disease, researchers found that if doctors actively treat their
patients to lower their cholesterol levels, for every 1000 patients:
- 70 of the 210 expected nonfatal heart attacks will be avoided
- 40 of the 90 people expected to die to heart disease will be saved
- 60 of the 210 people expected to have heart surgeries will not
need their operation
| The
statements contained on this web page have not been evaluated
by the Food And Drug Administration. Our products are not intended
to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease. The information contained
in this website is for educational purposes only and should be
treated as such.
Please
consult a physician or medical practitioner before taking any
dietary supplements, or before starting any diet or eating program,
especially if pregnant or nursing.
|
