Cholesterol – It’s All Good

One of the most common things I see in my client’s eyes, during an Iridology consultation, is the sign of raised cholesterol levels and/or plaque buildup. When I inform the client of my findings, I usually get one of the following answers.

“Yes, I know, high cholesterol runs in my family; it’s genetic. My doctor wants me to go on cholesterol medication, but I am trying to lower it naturally, without much success”.

“It was high, but I’m on cholesterol medication now and the doctor says my blood cholesterol levels are good”.

“My cholesterol levels show normal on my blood tests. I have no issues with cholesterol”. No matter what the answer is, the fact remains; I see elevated cholesterol levels and/or plaque buildup in the vascular system and other tissues in the body.

To understand why focusing only on the blood and masking symptoms is not a complete answer, let’s take a look at what cholesterol is and its role in the body.

Cholesterol is an important lipid that performs many functions. It makes up a large part of the cellular wall membrane and it is essential for the formation of bile acids to aid in digestion and to absorb fat soluble vitamins such as A,D,E and K. Cholesterol is also one of the main building blocks, used by the adrenal glands, to make hormone steroids.

Cholesterol is either synthesized and metabolized by the liver in its free form or

metabolized from dietary cholesterol (mainly meats). It is very important to note that the body can only utilize cholesterol in its free form. When cholesterol is metabolized from the ingestion of cooked foods (mainly meat), the lipids become bonded. No longer in a free form state, the bonded lipids cannot be utilized and are added wastes to be eliminated by the body.

The free form cholesterol binds to transporters or lipoproteins. There are two types of lipoproteins, LDL and HDL. Seventy-five percent of free form cholesterol binds to low-density proteins (LDL) and twenty-five percent of free form cholesterol binds to high-density proteins (HDL). Low-density proteins or LDL is known as the bad cholesterol in
Allopathic medicine, because when it builds up in the body, we see the negative effects on the vascular system such as high blood pressure and/or blockages, leading to strokes and heart attacks. Instead of demonizing cholesterol of any type, wouldn’t it be better to know why it builds up in the body in the first place?

To better understand cholesterol, you need to understand acids and inflammation.

If you remember from previous articles, acids are a byproduct of cell activity and are dealt with by the lymphatic system and the kidneys, which eliminate the wastes. Levels of acidity in the body are affected and increase significantly if what you eat, drink, breathe and what you put on your skin is also acidic in nature. Another name for acid is inflammation or “itis” and anytime you see arthritis, cystitis, appendicitis, bursitis, blepharitis, etc., you see inflammation. To put it simply, inflammation is a fire in the body that needs to be extinguished.

The body is well equipped to deal with this fire and does so with water, electrolytes and the hormone steroid cortisol. This anti-inflammatory hormone steroid is stored in the adrenals and is made up, in large part, of cholesterol. This steroid is essential to the protection of the cell against the highly damaging effects of acids or again more simply put, this steroid is part of the fire department in the body.

The problem comes when the adrenal glands are under functioning. If the adrenal cortex is weak, your body’s ability to fight inflammation with its own anti-inflammatory steroid (cortisol) is very low to non-existent. In other words, the fire department is not hearing the alarm, so the firefighter steroid is not putting out the fire. When the acid buildup goes unchecked by the adrenal glands, the body’s only defense is to send water and electrolytes, which causes edema and swelling in the area of inflammation. The liver also steps up to the plate and increases the production of cholesterol. Wait! The problem isn’t lack of cholesterol, the problem is the weakness in the adrenal cortex to utilize the cholesterol already available. Unfortunately, the liver does not know this and keeps the production coming, causing elevated cholesterol levels.

In addition, when the fire continues to burn with no response from the fire department, cholesterol starts to plaque in the vascular walls and other tissue. Plaque buildup occurs naturally in an acid environment. So, even when cholesterol medication is stopping the liver from overproducing cholesterol, the cholesterol that is already in the vascular wall is trying desperately to protect the cell from acid damage and destruction. Overproduction of cholesterol is not the cause but the effect. Weak adrenals and acid are where the problem lies. Cholesterol is just an essential building block for the protection of a cell against the highly damaging effects of acid. The body in its infinite wisdom is just trying to put the fire out. This is the body’s survival mode in action!

So let’s take a look at the three different clients that fit into the three examples at the introduction.

1) “Yes, I know, high cholesterol runs in my family; it’s genetic. My doctor wants me on cholesterol medication, but I am trying to lower it naturally without much success”.
The truth is, the only thing that is genetically weak with this client is his adrenal glands and the only thing that runs in the family is the fact that everyone grew up eating the same food from the table. The iris analysis showed elevated cholesterol with no signs, of plaque buildup in vascular system as of yet. I informed him that in order to stabilize his cholesterol levels, he had to address the weakness in the adrenals and detox his lymphatic system and kidneys. I mapped out a diet plan that was high in fruits and vegetables and low in animal protein. I recommended certain herbs to clean, strengthen and rejuvenate his body and an appropriate exercise program. When he returned for his six months follow up, his energy levels had increased, his weight was down and the most important improvement to him was his cholesterol blood work had come down to a normal range, without the use of medication.

2) “It was high, but I’m on cholesterol medication and the doctor says my blood cholesterol levels are good”.
This client also showed signs of genetic weakness in the adrenals and was caregiving for her elderly mother which was causing further adrenal fatigue. She ate all the meats and dairy was a part of her diet. Even though the liver was not overproducing cholesterol thanks to the medication, her lymphatic system and kidneys were highly congested with acid. The fire was raging but the firefighters were not responding to the call. Yes, the medication had stopped the liver from overproducing cholesterol, but as you know now, that wasn’t the problem just the effect. Her adrenals were still not addressing the fire in her body and cholesterol plaque was increasing throughout the vascular wall and other tissue. She ached all over and was even scheduled for a cortisone shot in her shoulder as soon as she could get in. When I informed her that her adrenals should be producing their own anti-inflammatory steroid, she asked the perfect question “ Why are my adrenals not producing these steroids to fight my pain?” Exactly…… Once again, I mapped out a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and recommended certain herbs to help strengthen and clean her body. Special focus was on the adrenals, lymphatic system and kidneys. Massage therapy was also suggested to help balance her emotionally and help reduce the stress. Three months later, this client was feeling great, the aches and pains had alleviated. Her shoulder was not causing her pain, the plaque in the vascular wall was disappearing and she was regaining control over her life. She was also working with her doctor to wean her off of her cholesterol medication.

3) “My cholesterol levels show normal on my blood tests. I have no issues with cholesterol”.

This client had cholesterol plaque buildup throughout her head area in the lymphatic system. Her adrenals were genetically weak and her stress levels were off the chart. There was a history of stroke in her family, her blood cholesterol level was normal, but she could not control blood pressure. This is a prime example of cholesterol not building up in the blood, but forming plaque in the lymphatic tissue in the vascular wall. If it were to go on unchecked, there was a potential for her to carry on the family history. She immediately went 80% raw food, cut out all meats and dairy. I started her on an herbal detox and supplemented with additional herbs to strengthen the adrenals, lymphatic system and kidneys Each time I see her now the plaque buildup is less and less. Her blood pressure has normalized and she is using meditation techniques in order to manage her stress.

As you can see focusing only on the blood and masking symptoms is not a complete
answer to lowering cholesterol. If you have been diagnosed with elevated cholesterol levels, empower yourself to ask the question Why? Then start to remove the fire wall by alkalizing your diet, addressing your glandular weaknesses, cleaning out your sewer system and better managing your stress. Once again there is no magic pill, just the job of rewinding what the body has unknowingly created. Detoxification of the body is the only complete answer to reducing elevated cholesterol levels and is the only golden key to health and vitality.