As the great cholesterol debate continues, it leaves many patients searching for answers. Before we discuss the benefits of our functional medicine and holistic cardiology approaches, it is important to know what the major constituents of cholesterol-HDL and LDL-are.On a basic level, HDL  (high-density lipoprotein) is often referred to as “good” cholesterol, because of their role in carrying cholesterol back to your liver, causing your liver to then remove it from your body. LDL, or low-density lipoprotein is known as “bad” cholesterol, as a high LDL levels have been linked to blockages in your arteries (atherosclerosis).

Let’s place cholesterol in the appropriate biological context. Our bodies need cholesterol for maintenance and repair, and for synthesis of sex and stress hormones. Cholesterol, specifically  LDL, functions as a “bandaid”-it goes high when the body needs to repair, fight infection or control inflammation. However, why would it stay high in many individuals?

Having a high LDL level can be caused by many factors. These include:

  • Having a diet high in processed foods, such as simple sugars,  and unhealthy saturated fat, especially from commercially fed animals.
  • Excess weight, or “skinny fat”, otherwise known as metabolically obese.
  • Lack of physical activity.
  • Smoking or heavy metal toxicity from environmental sources..
  • Age and gender:  your cholesterol levels may raise as you get older. Women have lower cholesterol levels than men but can increase due to menopause. These changes are often due to disruption of the hormone balance. Specific hormonal issues such as hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction play a powerful role, and so is the thyroid health.
  • Genetics. A very complex topic to be addressed in the series of future posts.
  • Inflammatory and metabolically disruptive medical conditions (kidney disease, HIV/AIDS, diabetes).
  • Ongoing chronic inflammation, either due to a specific disease (such as autoimmune diseases or those mentioned above) or due to disrupted metabolic and hormonal balance.

Our functional medicine doctor in Nassau County will give you lifestyle advice in order to improve your LDL levels. This advice can include changes in diet, activity level, stress resilience, and more. It is important to make lifestyle changes when trying to improve your cardiac health as this is the most effective long-term solution. We offer advanced laboratory and genetic testing, hormonal balance and metabolic evaluation to go beyond a standard approach.

Nutrition, physical activity, and your stress response all play a role in how well or how poor your body reacts. This is because a sedentary, stressed, and improperly fueled body can lead to bodily inflammation which is associated with a whole slew of diseases and conditions. By treating the source of your issue rather than the complications associated with it, you are helping your body to naturally heal itself. Explore our patient case to see how we can treat dyslipidemia without statin drugs.

For more information, Dr. Druz is a functional medicine doctor in Nassau County who can help you improve your cholesterol, overall cardiac health, and more. Contact us today!