I could easily rattle off a dozen steps you can take to lower cholesterol. However, if you’re truly interested in using alternatives to statin drugs, let me give you two that are extremely effective and, unlike statins, cannot hurt you.
* First, grind up one-quarter cup of flaxseed and add it to cereal, salads, or other food, or to a protein drink. The fiber in flaxseed soaks up cholesterol in the intestinal tract, and the omega-3s have multiple benefits, particularly for your heart.
* Then, take niacin, 500 mg twice a day. This form of vitamin B3 works so well it has been adopted by conventional medicine. Its primary downside is the flushing it can cause when taken in therapeutic doses. Niacin dilates the blood vessels and promotes the release of histamine in the capillaries, resulting in an uncomfortable warm, tingly, itchy feeling.
You can minimize flushing by taking divided doses with meals and/or at bedtime. I do not recommend niacinamide or inositol hexaniacinate (“no-flush” niacin) for lipid lowering because they don’t work as well.
A baby aspirin (81 mg) or 15–25 mg of Benadryl half an hour before taking niacin at bedtime can also help reduce flushing. Although larger doses of niacin (up to 3,000 mg) are often used, 1,000 mg a day will help lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Niacin is also the most effective known agent for raising protective HDL cholesterol.
As always, you should work with your personal physician to find the solution that’s right for you. Follow this regimen and check back with me in four to six weeks and let me know about any changes that have occurred in your cholesterol levels.
Now it’s your turn: Have you used natural techniques to lower your cholesterol?
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