On March 6th this year, we explained in a previous blog [http://healthyhealingcentergoa.blogspot.com/2011/03/cholesterol-our-ill-reputed-benefactor.html ], how we would definitely have it all wrong, if we viewed cholesterol only as an enemy to good health that needs eliminating. Instead, on the contrary, we saw that cholesterol is vital for our survival. Therefore, in this blog, while focusing on the negative impact that cholesterol can also have, the point to be made is, that the destruction that cholesterol can create in the body is NOT due to any inherent property of destructiveness, but solely to its effort to protect the body. However, as in other spheres of life, over-protectiveness can have the opposite of the intended effect and thus wreak havoc.
What happens when this is actually happening, as it does, for example, in the event of a heart attack? As we know, one of the main functions of cholesterol is to act as a balm or protective coating along the inside of the blood vessel wall, preventing injury as well as patching up the compromised areas to prevent further free radical harm and allow for healing to take place. This whole process is highly regulated. However, cholesterol is NOT the main culprit. The main culprits are the heavy metals and free radicals added to the body from the outside, for example through some of the unhealthy foods that we eat. They induce the body to produce more cholesterol.
Furthermore, some blood vessels are typically more prone to injury than others. For example, arteries supplying blood to the heart, called coronary arteries are more prone to free radical damage than the arteries supplying blood to the liver or kidney. Likewise, carotid arteries and peripheral blood vessels (supplying brain and the limbs) are more prone to injuries caused by toxins and thus more often manifest cholesterol protection. It is in these areas that too much cholesterol can harm us. Cholesterol’s original protective function can itself become the secondary (NOT primary) cause for diseases, such as atherosclerosis. Medical textbooks define atherosclerosis as the hardening and thickening of arteries caused by excess accumulation of lipids, their peroxides, macrophages, foam cells, with overgrowth of endothelial cells and muscle cells with in the intimal layer of the blood vessels. When they accumulate, these cells tend to encroach into the lumen of the vessel thus creating a blockage, which, according to experts, presents itself at a later date as angina, heart attack, stroke or claudication, depending on area involved and extent of blockage.
The pathology then develops along the following lines:
- An intact endothelial lining of the blood vessel wall is attacked by the free radicals and heavy metals.
- Under normal conditions the attack brings into action body’s defense system, formed in this case by free radical scavengers namely, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, etc; macrophages and monocytes; platelets; lipids including LDL cholesterol etc. These defenses help to contain the ongoing assault (by the toxins) as well as setting in motion a process of mending the injured areas.
- In most vessels and in most people, the defensive action stops as soon as the injury is healed. But in some vessels like coronary arteries, where the blood flows at a very high velocity, the injury is difficult to contain. In these cases where it is normally difficult to keep the whole process regulated, an extra burden of free radicals and heavy metals leads to loss of control leading to defense itself becoming a hazard.
- Among many other things, the body signals to the liver to produce more cholesterol, in response to the blood vessel injury. The cholesterol is then carried to the site of damage as LDL. There it is used to create a waxy coating along the injured area. The unused cholesterol is then transferred back to the liver as HDL. The more extensive the injury is, the higher the levels of LDL and the lower the levels of HDL become.
- Over time, the ongoing process of free radical injury and healing from it create a mess of the situation, as they eventually produce blockages in the vessels with high levels of blood clotting factors, high cholesterol LDL. In addition, through constant stimulation the immune system becomes over-reactive, thus manifesting all types of autoimmune conditions. These then damage even normal looking blood vessels, instead of fixing the damaged vessels.
- This then goes to show, that high levels of LDL cholesterol combined with low levels of HDL are indicative of a serious free radical and heavy metal toxicity in the body and atherosclerosis.
- Excess cholesterol eventually tends to thicken the blood, making it viscous and slow.
The question then is, what to do? How to reverse the process?
Trying to reduce the cholesterol levels and fixing the blocked arteries with stents and bypasses only takes the outside symptoms away for some time. They cannot change anything, because the high cholesterol level in the body is not a problem in itself, but the body’s own attempt to mend a deeper problem. Therefore, as the crux of problem stays untouched, even with anti-cholesterol medication or bypass surgery the symptoms return after some time, only that this time, they involve a different set of arteries, or sometimes even the bypass itself. More than one patient has died because of clogging of the bypass that was put in to bypass the original clogging!
Therefore, a correct and intelligent way to get rid of the problem is to directly deal with the root cause by the way of regular detoxification to remove free radicals and heavy metals, as well as through healthy food habits to prevent their accumulation inside the body. Naturally, regular exercise also helps to keep the blood vessels soft and pliable. Once its root cause has been addressed, the cholesterol level will drop by itself
Thus we can see that there is nothing inherently wrong with any type of cholesterol. LDL cholesterol, usually labeled as the “bad guy”, in itself is an integral part of the body, necessary to transport cholesterol to the cells where it is needed. Similarly HDL cholesterol is important to bring the excess back to the liver for re-processing. In other words, there is no “bad” cholesterol, only ignorance with regard to understanding its function.