A Reader Asks: Tips to Lower Cholesterol Naturally?

Hey y'all!

This week a reader messaged me on the new Bluebonnet Natural Healing Therapy Facebook page, asking the following question:

Any suggestions for naturally lowering high cholesterol? It is hereditary - even on a plant 
based diet it is high. And I can't take statins - I've tried several and I feel like I've been poisoned when I take them. Just curious if you have any suggestions. Thanks!!!

I do have suggestions!

First, I want y'all to watch the video I created just for this reader. I talk about several 

diets/food plans to try which may help to lower cholesterol naturally. This reader is already 

on a plant based diet, which means she is a vegan and does not eat animal products such as 

meat, eggs, animal fat such as bacon, dairy products, or butter. For many people, that is all 

that is needed- simply lower the amount of animal fat and raise the amount of fruits and 

vegetables in the diet.


I'll talk about vegans with high cholesterol below.

Is high cholesterol genetic?

She says the high cholesterol problem is hereditary. It runs in the family. As I mentioned in 

my video, above, I want y'all to watch this short video by Dr. Dean Ornish, M.D., one of the 

excellent medical doctors who "get it." He explains current research in genetics, and states 

that "genes are not your fate."






So even though there may be a family history or a genetic predisposition for high cholesterol, that does not mean this reader is stuck with these genes or that she is just doomed to have high cholesterol levels.

What is cholesterol?

Now I want to teach all of my readers what cholesterol actually is. We hear the word thrown around all the time, but many of us do not really know what cholesterol is or how it is "good" or "bad."

Cholesterol is fat. Some of it is good cholesterol- the kind our livers make and we need to assist in digestion, help absorb fat soluble vitamins, and manufacture hormones. Other cholesterol is found in processed foods and animal products such as meat, fish, milk, cheese, ice cream, and eggs.

That's it! It's not the only kind of fat in the body, but it's the fat, or lipid, referred to the most in modern medicine. It looks like this:

  Cholesterol stones- image by minnesotamethwatch.com

When cholesterol builds up in the walls of blood vessels, it looks like this:

This is athereosclerosis- hardening of the arteries and veins. The blood vessels become hardened with cholesterol (fat). It's basically the same grease we remove from meat when cooking- image by eatingacademy.com

A lot of people do not realize that when the blood vessels are full of fat (cholesterol) like this, the rest of the organs and tissues in the body are, too. Compare these images of a healthy v. fatty liver:

Note the fat (cholesterol) cells under the microscope and the size and color differences in the fatty liver- image by Mayo Clinic.com

Here's a short video of an open heart surgery showing a man's heart which is covered in fat:

Here's an excellent slideshow by WebMD.com describing what your blood serum cholesterol level numbers mean, and how to get yours lower.

How to lower cholesterol naturally

So now that we have a better understanding of what cholesterol actually is, and that our genes and family history do not dictate that we will experience the same poor health as our forefathers and mothers, how can we lower cholesterol naturally? Here are a number of tips:

• Regardless of whether we are obese, thin, or somewhere in between, we all *must* adopt a healthy food program (most of us do not like the word "diet") which will help nourish our bodies and remove unwanted fat (cholesterol) and other toxins. My video details the ones I prefer. Keep going until you have achieved the health and energy you desire. Usually this takes several years.
• Start drinking green smoothies and freshly squeezed or juicer-juiced fruit and vegetable juices, herbal teas, and pure water. Quit drinking everything else. For any of my readers who are clinically obese, this is better and more nutritious than any Slim Fast type liquid weight loss shake you could have. It tastes a lot better and fills you up, too.
• Start taking the hottest cayenne powder or tincture you can find. Cayenne stimulates the blood flow like nothing else, which will deliver fresh nutrients and oxygen to ever part of the body and help to remove toxins more quickly. Start with a pinch in hot fresh lemon water and build up to a tablespoon per day.
• Go 100% raw vegan or as close to it as possible. I highly recommend Megan Elizabeth's Easy to Be Raw recipe books and Eric Rivkin's To Live For raw gourmet recipe book.
• If you are within 50 pounds of your ideal weight, and do not think you could eat a 100% raw vegan diet, consider either a high raw vegan diet which includes some cooked foods such as beans, brown rice, and baked sweet potatoes or even veggie burgers and Amy's brand food products OR, if you eat meat, the Whole 9 Paleo diet. If you do eat meat and other animal products, I gently ask that you do so consciously.
• Have fun moving your body! Isn't that a better phrase than "exercise?" Push yourself while having fun for an hour every day.
• Once you hit that "final 50 pounds" mark, start doing the herbal cleanses I recommend here on Bluebonnet Natural Healing Therapy. I will teach you how to make your own herbal remedies in order to empower you and save you some money. Hopefully I will make and sell these, myself, in the near future. These herbs will really help you clean out your colon, liver, kidneys, and cardiovascular system.
• While the American Medical Association lists 200mg/dL as the highest healthy "normal" level of total blood cholesterol, striving for 150mg/dL or lower is a much, much healthier and safer number. To do this while eating animal products, one must stay at or under the recommended 3oz or "deck of cards" serving of met per day. This is not anywhere near the "fill the entire platter with meat" custom of many restaurants and their patrons.
• Strive for a greater than 60mg/dL of "healthy and happy" HDL cholesterol, and if you can, strive for a lower than 70mg/dL of "get it lower" LDL cholesterol, the cholesterol most people call "bad" cholesterol. In reality, this cholesterol is not "bad" until the number gets out of control. There is also VLDL cholesterol, which is talked about less often. It is also considered a "bad" cholesterol.
• Eat lots of raw, uncooked garlic- three cloves a day, chopped and either eaten by itself or in your salad.
• De-stress however you can. I take long, hot baths with Epsom salts, plan to practice yoga every day, journal to release pent up frustrations, watch funny movies and videos, allow the time I need for projects, and try not to take life so seriously. Go get a massage, walk in the park, play with your kids, hoop and holler at football games, whack some golf balls at the driving range, or whatever you need to do to unwind. Release people from your life who are unkind or unloving to you, or are huge complainers and "drama queens." Keep your spirit uplifted.

One other thought: HOORAY to this reader for not taking statin drugs! She is absolutely right in believing these are poisons. Doctors give these drugs to people who do not want to change their diets or lifestyles, and would rather take risky drugs than give up their daily "heart stopper" triple meat hamburgers with a side of fried cheese sticks and a Big Gulp.

Y'all, you really can lower your cholesterol levels naturally by taking these action steps. Change your diet, cleanse your body, exercise in fun ways, find ways to reduce stress, and love yourself always.

Happy Valentine's Day!

P.S. Like Bluebonnet Natural Healing Therapy on Facebook to be entered into a drawing for a free capsule maker from Mountain Rose Herbs!

P.S.S.: Got a question for Bluebonnet? Ask away! Here, on Facebook, or on YouTube!