Pharmaceutical companies have hijacked medicine by making statins the “only treatment” suitable for high cholesterol. The typical scenario is when a patient goes to the doctor for a cholesterol test. The doctor prescribes a statin if the LDL or total cholesterol is high. For years this has been the standard practice. 

At Natural Heart Doctor, we believe the standard practice is wrong.

There are natural solutions to optimize cholesterol. At Natural Heart Doctor, we have tests that are much more in-depth than standard cholesterol panels to break down your lipid levels by analyzing the apolipoproteins in your blood. Measuring apolipoproteins is 21st-century testing.  The apolipoprotein ratios give us the most critically important information to determine your risk of cardiovascular disease.

No matter the results of your risk level, whether your lipoprotein ratios are normal or entirely out of range, don’t expect a prescription for a statin medication. Instead, we have a carefully crafted cholesterol plan focusing on natural treatments to get your LDL levels back into the healthy, low-risk range.

Diet

Diet is the first and arguably most important intervention to getting your numbers back on track. It’s all about returning to the basics and eating like our Paleolithic ancestors did as hunter-gatherers.

Go organic

If the label doesn’t say certified organic, the chances are it isn’t organic. Certified organic means the food is grown without synthetic fertilizers, chemical pesticides, or antibiotics, and ensures that the food is not a GMO. A certified organic label means farmers have a solid plan for soil fertility, and their farm is subject to yearly farm practice audits by a third party.

Going organic also means eating local. Your food should come from local, certified organic farms, whether you’re buying it directly or at a market receiving it from nearby, certified organic sources.

If you can’t buy locally and need packaged food, stick with products with as few ingredients as possible. The longer the ingredient list, the more artificial additives it contains.

Eat nose-to-tail

Organ meat is a nutritional powerhouse most Americans are missing out on. When our ancestors returned to their families after a long day of hunting, they utilized the entire animal from nose to tail. They discarded nothing, including the organ meat that gave them the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to keep them strong enough to fight another day.

Organ meat is sometimes called offal and can come from cows, pigs, goats, lambs, and chickens. 

Each organ has its unique nutritional worth. For instance:

• Liver is high in vitamins A and B-12, iron, copper, zinc, and folate. 

• Heart has CoQ10, nine essential amino acids, zinc, iron, B vitamins, and selenium.

• Kidney contains many of the same nutrients as liver and heart meat but is very high in selenium. It also has iodine, a valuable trace mineral essential for a healthy thyroid gland.

The most important aspect of organ meat is its source. You must buy organic, grass-fed, pasture-raised animals from a trusted supplier. Otherwise, you may be taking in unexpected toxins, not only from offal but from the overall animal meat itself.

 Don’t like or can find organs? No worries, try our Kickstart My Heart, 100% pasture-raised American bison liver/heart complex. Buy here.

Omega-3s from wild seafood

Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats the body can’t produce on its own and must come from the diet. The best sources of Omega-3s come from wild-caught seafood and fatty fish like sardines and salmon. 

A 2021 study found that patients with existing heart disease who ate at least two servings of salmon every week had a 20 percent risk reduction in heart attack, stroke, and death.

Wild seafood is rich in vitamin D, aiding in lipid metabolism and regulating cholesterol levels. It also is proven to lower triglycerides.

Go gluten-free

Gluten-containing processed foods combine wheat, barley, rye, and oat proteins that are not only low in nutritional value but cause inflammation and a leaky gut, ultimately leading to abnormal lipids. 

It’s not difficult to cut out the gluten in your diet. Again, you’re returning to our ancestors’ basics with eggs from free-roaming, pasture-raised chickens, coconut, nuts, seeds, olives, and organic fruits and vegetables.

Adequate sleep

Sleep deprivation will make you sick. Maybe not after one night or even one week, but lack of sleep over time will make you chronically ill and negatively impact your blood lipid levels. 

Once again, if we look at our ancestor’s way of life, they woke in the morning, worked throughout the day to survive, and went to sleep when the sun went down. In today’s world, shift work, screen time, prescription sleep aids, and plain old stress cut into critical sleep time.

Here are some tips to help you get the sleep your body needs:

• Go to bed at the same time every night and rise in the morning at the same time.

• Turn off all electronics and screens at least an hour before bed.

• Keep your bedroom cool and dark.

• Try yoga, stretching, quiet music, or a warm bath.

Sun exposure for vitamin D

The same sun that shines on us also gave light and warmth to our ancestors. Unfortunately, throughout the years, we’ve been programmed to believe the sun is dangerous and we should cover our skin and avoid exposure to its rays. 

The truth is, the sun is not evil! It provides life for everything on Earth. That doesn’t sound evil. It sounds like it should be cherished and revered!

The benefits of sunshine for the heart are profound. It can lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, decrease cardiac disease, and lower the risk of death.

Sunshine also provides our bodies with vitamin D. When the sun shines on our skin, it absorbs and converts blood cholesterol into vitamin D. One study found that increasing vitamin D through sunlight significantly lowers total cholesterol.

If you’re worried about wrinkles or sunspots on your face, wear a hat and always avoid sunburn. Other than that, get out and enjoy the invigorating sunshine throughout the day to help control your cholesterol and your body’s health!

Evidence-based natural supplements

Sometimes, living and eating well isn’t quite enough. Instead of using a statin prescribed by your doctor, choose an evidence-based supplement like NHD’s OptiLipid that can normalize cholesterol levels naturally.

OptiLipid is made from the purest ingredients sourced in the USA and non-GMO with only the best ingredients, including:

• Berberine

• Silymarin

• Green tea leaf extract

• Curcumin

• Resveratrol

• Ginger root

OptiLipid is a safe, effective, natural alternative to statin medications.

Next Steps

If you’ve followed the traditional route, abiding by your doctor’s orders and using statins to lower your cholesterol, you may have experienced low energy, muscle aches, or other unpleasant side effects. We are here to assist you, helping you reclaim the vitality you enjoyed before high LDL levels necessitated prescription medication.

Treating cholesterol naturally starts with knowing and understanding your lipid levels. NHD offers advanced lipid testing through an Advanced Cardiac Panel to provide a baseline of your lipid levels.  You can also take advantage of a complimentary 20-minute health consultation with an experienced NHD health coach to help get you started with a plan that follows the NHD ideology of Eat Well, Live Well, Think Well.