High Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance that your body needs to function normally. Cholesterol is naturally present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines, and heart.

Your body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. It takes only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs. If you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream, the excess may be deposited in arteries, including the coronary (heart) arteries, where it contributes to the narrowing and blockages that cause the signs and symptoms of heart disease. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is caused by cholesterol and fat being deposited in the walls of the arteries that supply nutrients and oxygen to your heart.

If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by total blockage of a coronary artery, the result is a heart attack. This is usually due to a sudden closure of the artery from a blood clot forming on top of unstable plaque. A simple blood test checks for high cholesterol. 

You also eat cholesterol in your diet, although the effect of saturated fat in the diet is greater than the effect of dietary cholesterol. Trans-fatty acids (seen in processed foods and many "fast foods") can also increase LDL levels. Dietary cholesterol is found only in foods from animal products. Reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you eat is an important step in reducing your blood cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is usually discovered on routine screening and has no symptoms. It is more common if you have a family history of it, but lifestyle factors (such as eating a diet high in saturated fat) clearly play a major role.

If you have high lipoproteins and thus high cholesterol, your doctor will work with you to target your levels with dietary and drug treatment. Depending on your risk factors for heart disease, your target goals may differ for lowering your LDL cholesterol.

Diet: The National Cholesterol Education Program has created dietary guidelines. NCEP dietary guidelines:
Total fat - Less than 30% of calories
Saturated fat - Less than 7% of calories
Polyunsaturated fat - Less than or equal to 10% of calories Monounsaturated fat - Approximately 10-15% of calories
Cholesterol - Less than 200 milligrams per day
Carbohydrates - 50-60% of calories

The new guidelines are more stringent than previous ones, mandating more restriction on saturated fat and dietary cholesterol. Some people are able to reduce fat and dietary cholesterol with vegetarian diets.

Aromatherapy essential oils which can be beneficial are Geranium, Juniper and Rosemary.