High cholesterol or hypercholesterolemia is a disorder consisting
in excess or surplus cholesterol in blood stream. Cholesterol is a wax
like substance present in the cell walls or membranes all over the body.
Our heart, brain, liver, skin, muscles, and intestines naturally bear
cholesterol that produce certain hormones, bile acids and vitamin D
needed to digest fat. However the requirement of cholesterol for the
purpose is quite low. If the blood contains excess cholesterol, it may
get deposited in major arteries like coronary arteries, carotid arteries
to the brain or arteries that carry blood to legs, resulting in
narrowing down or blockage of the passage way and decreased blood
supply.
Blockage of coronary arteries leads to angina or chest
pain and heart attack. This happens due to the accumulation of
cholesterol on artery walls and deprivation of heart muscles of oxygen.
Blockage of carotid artery by cholesterol deposits leads to brain stroke
and blockage of arteries supplying blood to legs leads to claudication
or pain with walking. Women after menopause and men below 55 are at the
risk of developing hypercholesterolemia. LDL or bad cholesterol, HDL or
good cholesterol and triglycerides make up for the total measure of
cholesterol in the body. High cholesterol can be very dangerous, for it
produces no symptoms. However some people with high cholesterol may have
breathlessness, general fatigue, excessive sweating, heaviness in chest
region, yellowish patches around eyelids, cholesterol deposits around
cornea and whitish edges of cornea.
Factors Causing HDL
1. Aging
2. Heredity
3. Obesity
4. Sedentary life style
5. Intake of fat rich diet
6. Mental stress
7. Alcoholism
8. Smoking
9. Underlying diseases like thyroid, high blood pressure, diabetes, that of kidney, liver etc.
2. Heredity
3. Obesity
4. Sedentary life style
5. Intake of fat rich diet
6. Mental stress
7. Alcoholism
8. Smoking
9. Underlying diseases like thyroid, high blood pressure, diabetes, that of kidney, liver etc.
Home Remedies
1. Onion juice can lower cholesterol to a large extent.
2. Simply drinking 8-10 glasses of water can bring down cholesterol by enabling proper excretion.
3. Soy products, rich in isoflavones can effectively regulate cholesterol levels.
4.
An infusion may be prepared by boiling 2 tablespoon coriander seeds in a
glass of water. It has to be drunk thrice a day and can greatly lower
cholesterol.
5. Sunflower seeds also regulate cholesterol levels to a large extent.
6.
One may boil 10 cinnamon sticks in 6 cups water, add one tablespoon
honey and drink while the solution is hot. This is a beneficial home
remedy for lowering cholesterol.
7. Drinking a glass of water
every morning by mixing one teaspoon lime juice and one teaspoon honey
is an effective cholesterol lowering remedy.
8. Consuming fenugreek seeds would help to control high serum cholesterol.
9. Indian bedellium extracts have cholesterol lowering agents.
10. Almonds and walnuts can help to bring down cholesterol levels.
