Discover natural, osteopath-approved ways to lower your cholesterol.
Whether you are looking for solutions to help you optimize cholesterol or you simply want to protect yourself from developing high cholesterol later in life, an osteopath can provide you with the holistic, whole-body approach to care to prevent high cholesterol and help you get it under control. An osteopath is the ideal medical professional to turn to if you are looking for a more natural approach to improving your cholesterol levels.
Let’s Get to Know Cholesterol
Cholesterol gets a bad rep, but not all cholesterol is bad. A healthy diet and lifestyle can support good cholesterol or HDL (high-density lipoprotein) while keeping LDL (low-density lipoprotein) down. After all, good cholesterol can consume bad cholesterol.
What Should I Eat?
Whether you’ve been told you have high cholesterol or not, a diet that avoids saturated and trans fats will support healthy HDL levels. Saturated fats are found in meat products and dairy, while baked goods, margarine and fried foods are sources of trans fat. A diet that supports healthy cholesterol includes whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables and healthy fat sources such as olive oil and avocado. A plant-based, high-fiber diet can go a long way to supporting healthy cholesterol and reducing LDL levels.
Can Physical Activity Improve Cholesterol?
Did you know that exercise can lower LDL while also raising HDL? This is another reason why you should get regular physical activity. Even just thirty minutes a day can provide benefits. Swim, hike, jog or cycle—even gardening and doing chores around the house counts.
Does Stress Impact Cholesterol?
High cortisol levels have been known to increase cholesterol if you are dealing with high-stress levels or long-term stress. That’s why it’s important to find ways to manage stress. This may include incorporating daily meditation practices into your routine, mindfulness, deep breathing, counseling or yoga. Even daily walks in nature can help reduce cortisol levels.
Do I Need Medication?
Sometimes medication is prescribed to manage high cholesterol; however, a healthy diet and lifestyle can improve cholesterol levels. If you want to avoid lifelong medication, an osteopath may be the ideal physician to work with. An osteopath can provide many traditional and alternative therapies and treatment options, including lifestyle modifications.
An osteopath doesn’t just help you manage conditions and diseases; they are also there to ensure that you lead a healthy lifestyle that promotes optimal health and wellbeing. If you have concerns about your current lifestyle and whether or not it’s supporting healthy cholesterol levels, talk with your osteopath today.