Turning Thumbs down into Thumbs up

Welcome

Yes, it is so much true some people who find themselves above us treat us in a discriminating manner just because they probably don't want us to get to where they are, but they tend forget that in the ladder of success, the one who climbs faster and higher is that one who helps other climb the ladder to some certain levels too. How true is this? Now when you help others to some certain successful positions in life, with no doubts these people will be moved to push you forward because they have confided in you so much to also bring them up.

A mentor didn't become a mentor by his own decision to be but because of the good deeds and the several helps he granted to people below and above him, sharing his knowledge, leading others to the right path, they made him a mentor.

Reference quote

So when you encounter personalities with the Thumbs down attitude, those who always make you feel inferior in everything you do or at every time you try to show your quality, please don't be too relied on them, there are people who can treat you like a boss. There is someone somewhere who is willing to help even if you have 0% determination, you just have to find them by all means.

I do tell myself, some destinations seems not to have only one route, there is always another way, we just have to create it. So also, not only one person can get you there, there are still many others, why rely on just one individual. A man was told me, doing the same thing the same way brings the same result. So I will remix it by saying, relying on the same person who is not willing to help over and over again makes you to remain at the same spot.

When you study those people who turn us down, they are bent with this statement, “Where were you when I was making it, you have to hustle too” and so many other words, I thought they were right but i remembered what Woodrow Wilson, past US president, he made me understand that we are not in this world only to make a living for ourselves but also to make others a living.  

Why am I saying? I am saying this because I know you will also get to the top some time, so when you get there, it's not the time to revenge, it's the time to show people the right way that is the best revenge you can do. Remember you can't light the path of others without casting light on your own.

---

Bottom line

Thumbs down should make you down but instead it should take you through another part for a Thumbs up

Purpose- the driving force

PURPOSE

Purpose that aim at goals.
That motivating force!

What is your purpose??
We've all got what we're best at!!
You've got to discover what yours is.
The world awaits an innovation that can be done by no other person other than you..

This popular saying.
When the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable
Here and there, your purpose is needed!
Discover it in time before the world gives up on you!
Your good sense should have told you
Living purposelessly is
out of the options.
Living purposelessly will
eventually take away
your Golden cup of Victory and replace with a Bottled water of Defeat
Be, reminded the world
has got no time
to waste on You!
Strive to fulfil your purpose!
                      'Liz.

Relationship Matter- Part 3

How do I maintain a good relationship

I will just talk about 5 tips of out many others.

1. Learn to Trust

I have learnt these past years of my life that some people naturally don't trust anyone. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but when it comes to maintaining relationships (any and all forms), this is a necessary ingredient. When you choose to be in a romantic relationship, this means that out of many, you have decided to trust him/her to take care of your heart and emotions.

As I have made mention in my previous posts that trusting someone is like seeing your image in another person’s body so if at all you don't trust anyone, at least you will trust yourself. Trust kills every act of jealousy and make you confident of your relationship.

Doc Simi

2. Value Your Partner

Sometime ago, I battled with this problem in my life. I loved to feel bossy, it was a part of me. The painful truth is, it has its own perks but the downside is also on the high. What I am trying to say is, sometimes you encounter people or precisely a person who loves you so much but then you begin to take advantage of their affection and vulnerability, like being clingy, so you often ride them, snapping at the slightest mistakes they make. It might feel good for a while but nothing lasts forever. Eventually, they will get tired of the unreciprocated love and give up on trying to make you really see them.

Suddenly, they are gone and you begin to miss their presence and begin to wish you knew then what you know now. Life is a cycle! If someone is willing to show how much they care about you, it's probably not for your good looks, because they also have someone who cares a great deal about them but they chose YOU. Don’t ever lose sight of that.

Learn to value your partner and what they have to offer. Love them, respect them. It's the least you can do.

3. Avoid Third-party Influence

I have addressed this issue earlier on so I won't dwell on it. Third-party influence shouldn’t be your go-to for settling every quarrel. Learn to communicate with your partner/friend always, issues or not.

Some people make the excuse that they have a mentor, guardian,religious leader, confidant or someone who they think knows better about certain issues that arise in relationships, that can be true sometimes but you do not take an issue about one person to another without trying to fix it with that person. They say three is a crowd.

4. Learn to be Tolerant

The biggest mistake people make regarding relationships is trying to change a person. Partnerships are all about compromise, your focus should be understanding your partner to know what you can tolerate or accept and also point out the things you would talk to your partner about changing or adjusting. Do not go into a relationship with the mindset that ‘I can change this person’. You saw them and liked them just the way they are so why are you no longer fine with who they are?

People come from different walks of life and have distinct worldviews, so when someone tries to disprove their biases and beliefs, they feel unaccepted by the person who claims to love them, so how much anger do they express when someone who claims to love them does the same.

One thing I so much cherish about relationships is that, no one is forced into it, it is voluntary. Recently, I met a very beautiful decent girl who by all means wants me to date her, no matter what I tell her, she never changes her mind. Now that is the highest she can do, she can never and never force me into a relationship besides, she's not a bad person in fact she's perfect but I  just wasn't interested.

That aside, get my point if for any reason she happens to be a bad person and I am aware but still agreed to date her, that means I am saying "I love you exactly the way you are". Don't ever try to be the teacher aligning one's lifestyle. At least you knew her before you started dating her, you were not forced, so if you want to make any changes in her lifestyle, do it before you ask her out or make it a condition for her to change. There are different ways, just don't Force it!

5. Avoid Early relationship obsession

Do you know what I mean by early relationship obsession?

When two people newly enter into a relationship, there is this over-excitement between themselves so much at the beginning that's why you see them always calling, always seeing each other, everyday, every minute, day and night. They are all early relationship obsessions. Do you know these practices kill a relationship faster? Go and check it, most people who are into this don't last in such a relationship especially this time where social media is the tool of the day. They are all fantasies. You can't start a relationship with such obsession, you have just started, you need to take it easy, take it on a low and it will increase gradually. If you insist on starting with such pace, I can bet it with you, you can't continue like that, just like you don't start a marathon race with full speed. So keep it calm and take it little by little.

The Don'ts to do in a relationship

Don't hype your relationship

People are so fun of broadcasting over and over again their boyfriend or girlfriend. Come on it's not necessary, you are not the first to be in a relationship besides some relationships don't need to be broadcasted before people know it's a relationship.

Don't test your partner

If there is anything I hate the most, it's probably when my girlfriend says she was testing me and I passed, it's an insult to me. It means she never trusted me, if you really want to do tests, do them before you agree to date me. Testing him/her is not a good thing to do because, it might happen to be that the period you tested him, he failed maybe because your test didn't fall to his best time.

Don't be too sensitive

There is no point having unnecessary doubts due to your extreme sensitiveness. All you need to do is to trust and not the FBI attitude. When you are too sensitive, your heart can be set ablaze with very minor situations.

Don't be proud

This seems very common these days, some people have this ego within them that they are always right, they are never at fault. It proves nothing, a wise fellow is one who accepts faults even when the real offender disagrees to accept faults.

Don't be the "I don't care" type

Most "I don't care" people often don't mean that statement, so if you choose to be like this then you can never keep your relationship because, you are indirectly saying you don't want that relationship again. I also noticed some people say this so that they can be begged or pleaded with, it's for their pleasure, for real, do you think I will keep on begging? One day I will also not care!

NOTICE!!!

I am so grateful to all of you that have taken your time to read this and also those that followed the series right from PART-1. I got a lot of comments, thank you!

I will still like to hear from you, read your comments and also listen to your questions and contributions. So feel free to use the comment section on this post or send me a mail at doc.simi4@gmail.com or a call or WhatsApp message by clicking here

Thank you. It doesn't end here, there is more to come.

How much exercise you need to keep your brain healthy

Finally, a prescription for the precise amount of exercise you need to keep your brain in tip-top shape: After reviewing 98 clinical trials, researchers determined that working out for at least 52 hours over the course of six months can help older adults stay mentally sharp.

Exercise had the greatest impact on “processing speed and executive function,” study author Joyce Gomes-Osman, Ph.D., of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, told MedPage Today. (Executive function is the ability to plan, organize and complete tasks.) “This is evidence that you can actually turn back the clock of aging in your brain by adopting a regular exercise regimen,” she went on to say.

The findings are based on a review of close to 100 clinical trials, which led to a total of more than 11,000 participants with an average age of 73. The past trials tested the cognitive benefits of various exercises, including walking, biking, dancing, strength training, tai chi, and yoga, practiced for a range of four weeks to a year.

After analyzing the data, Dr. Gomes-Osman and colleagues at the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) found that aerobic workouts (like running or Spinning) along with strength-training and mind-body activities (like yoga) all boost brain power.

“It’s very encouraging that the evidence supports all sorts of different exercise interventions, not just aerobic, to improve thinking abilities,” said Alvaro Pascual-Leone, M.D., chief of the Division of Cognitive Neurology and the director of the BIDMC, in a release. Dr. Pascual-Leone added that the effect could be seen in both healthy older adults and those with “mild cognitive impairment.”

Of the aerobic interventions included in the review, the most common one was walking, which Dr. Gomes-Osman said is reassuring. “You don’t need to be running,” she told MedPage Today. “If you start walking, you’re going to get benefit. But this is not window-shopping; this is walking. It’s physical exercise, not just physical activity.”

As for the very recommended dose of 52 hours over the course of six months, Dr. Gomes-Osman clarified in Time that it’s not “a magic number.” And although the average amount of time people exercised was about one hour three times a week, you don’t necessarily need to adhere to that regimen.

“There really is a range,” said Dr. Gomes-Osman. The more important thing to keep in mind is the six-month — or longer — commitment. “These results signify to us that in order to get the known benefits of exercise for the brain, to help areas involved in thinking and problem solving — to get that machinery going — you need longer exposure.”

Dr. Gomes-Osman’s goal is to be able to provide practical advice about exercise and brain health to individuals. “I believe in giving people knowledge about outcomes,” she said in MedPage Today. “If you tell people to be active, they may be less interested overall than if you say, ‘You can do this, this, this or this, and you need to keep it up a couple times a week for about six months, and then you should get a benefit.’ I think that’s a better sell for patients.”

We’re sold. Are you?

What Do YOU Think?

What are your main motivations for working out? Do you worry about cognitive decline? Is there anything you do regularly to keep your brain sharp? Let us know in the comments below!

The Best Ab Workout in the Gym

It's easier than ever to find an ab workout thanks to smartphones with apps like Google and YouTube. Within minutes you can find dozens of videos and articles with ab exercises. With so many different options how do you know which exercises to do?

In order to find out which ab exercises are the best, scientists can measure how hard your ab muscles work in each one. They measure this using EMG, or electromyography, which measures the amount of electrical activity in your muscles. By using EMG, it's actually possible to see which exercises cause the greatest stimulation.

While each study has slightly different results there are a few exercises that always seem to be consistently ahead of the rest. These exercises are: the ab rollout, crunch, bicycle, and captain's chair.

What Makes an Ab Exercise "The Best"

Each exercise works slightly different parts of your abdominals. The most well-known abdominal muscle is the rectus abdominis, which is the muscle that forms the six-pack. This muscle is divided into the lower half and upper half.

The muscles on the side of your six-pack are called the obliques. Technically, the external oblique is the muscle you can actually see and measure and the internal oblique is the muscle hidden underneath.

Each ab exercise works the ab muscles in a different way, so in order to create the best ab workout you must include multiple exercises.

Once you pick the best exercises, put them into a workout with the correct amount of sets and reps for each exercise, and then decide what order the exercises should go in.

To make this ab workout even more intense, pair the exercises together, meaning you do one set of an exercise then immediately go to the exercise it's paired with. For this workout the ab rollout and the crunch are paired and the bicycle crunch and the captain's chair or the hanging leg raise.

1. Ab Rollout

Even though this exercise is performed with a fairly simple piece of equipment it's one of the most challenging ab exercises in the gym.

HOW TO DO IT: Kneel on something soft like a blanket or rolled-up yoga mat. Grab an ab wheel with both hands and hold it on the ground in front of you. Roll the ab wheel forwards and push your hips down towards the ground until you form a straight line from your head to your knees.

The ab wheel should be directly under your shoulders. This position looks like the starting position of a push-up from the knees. Flex your abs and roll the wheel forwards. Keep rolling forwards until your arms are alongside your ears.

To get back up, pull the ab wheel down towards your knees until you push yourself back up to the start position with the ab roller directly under your shoulders. Perform eight to 10 repetitions of this exercise.

Tips

• You might not be able to get back up if you go all the way down to the floor. If that's the case, simply go down as far as you can and then roll back up.

2. Crunch

Some researchers didn't favor this exercise, due to it's potential strain on the lower back, while others said that it's just as effective as any other ab exercise for the obliques.

HOW TO DO IT: Get into a sit-up position, lying on your back with your feet close to your butt. Cross your arms over your chest. Breathe out and lift your head, neck, and shoulders off of the mat, curling up towards your knees but keeping your middle and lower back on the ground.

This is a much smaller movement than a full sit-up. Lower yourself back down to the mat slowly and with control. Perform 15 to 20 repetitions of the crunch.

Rest for a minute before you advance to the next pair of ab exercises.

3. Bicycle Crunch

According to an article in published by the American Council on Exercise, the bicycle exercise was the best for the rectus abdominis and second best for obliques when compared to 12 other abdominal exercises.

HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and legs in the air; knees bent at 90 degrees. Touch your left elbow to your right knee by turning your torso to the right, pulling your right knee back, and extending your left leg out straight.

After you touch your left elbow and right knee together, reach your right leg out straight, turn your upper body to the left, pull your left knee back towards your right elbow, and touch them together. Slowly perform 10 touches on each side for this exercise.

4. Captain's Chair/Hanging Leg Raise

According to the ACE study, the captain's chair exercise was the best exercise to target the obliques of the 13 exercises. The captain's chair has you positioned in a very tall contraption that looks like a chair with no seat. You lift and lower your legs to engage your abdomen.

A possible alternative is the hanging leg raise. It's a similar exercise and requires less specialized equipment. Perform either the captain's chair or the hanging leg raise for eight to 10 repetitions.

HOW TO DO IT: Hang onto a pull-up bar, or something similar, with your arms straight and feet dangling. Raise your knees until your thighs are parallel to the ground and knees bent at 90 degrees.

Avoid swinging your body back and forth. Instead, move slowly and put your feet down to reset if you start swinging too much. Lower your legs until they hang straight down to complete one rep.

Cholesterol

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a type of lipid. It’s a waxy, fat-like substance that your liver produces naturally. It’s vital for the formation of cell membranes, certain hormones, and vitamin D.

Cholesterol doesn’t dissolve in water, so it can’t travel through your blood on its own. To help transport cholesterol, your liver produces lipoproteins.

Lipoproteins are particles made from fat and protein. They carry cholesterol and triglycerides (another type of lipid) through your bloodstream. The two major forms of lipoprotein are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

If your blood contains too much LDL cholesterol (cholesterol carried by low-density lipoprotein), it’s known as high cholesterol. When left untreated, high cholesterol can lead to many health problems, including heart attack or stroke.

High cholesterol typically causes no symptoms. That’s why it’s important to get your cholesterol levels checked on a regular basis. Learn what cholesterol levels are recommended for your age.

LDL cholesterol, or “bad cholesterol”

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is often called “bad cholesterol.” It carries cholesterol to your arteries. If your levels of LDL cholesterol are too high, it can build up on the walls of your arteries.

The buildup is also known as cholesterol plaque. This plaque can narrow your arteries, limit your blood flow, and raise your risk of blood clots. If a blood clot blocks an artery in your heart or brain, it can cause a heart attack or stroke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over one-third of American adults have elevated levels of LDL cholesterol. 

HDL cholesterol, or “good cholesterol”

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is sometimes called “good cholesterol.” It helps return LDL cholesterol to your liver to be removed from your body. This helps prevent cholesterol plaque from building up in your arteries.

When you have healthy levels of HDL cholesterol, it can help lower your risk of blood clots, heart disease, and stroke. Learn more about HDL cholesterol.

Triglycerides, a different type of lipid

Triglycerides are another type of lipid. They’re different from cholesterol. While your body uses cholesterol to build cells and certain hormones, it uses triglycerides as a source of energy.

When you eat more calories than your body can use right away, it converts those calories into triglycerides. It stores triglycerides in your fat cells. It also uses lipoproteins to circulate triglycerides through your bloodstream.

If you regularly eat more calories than your body can use, your triglyceride levels can get high. This may raise your risk of several health problems, including heart disease and stroke.

Your doctor can use a simple blood test to measure your triglyceride level, as well as your cholesterol levels. 

Getting your cholesterol levels checked

If you’re age 20 years or older, the American Heart Association recommends getting your cholesterol levels checked at least once every four to six years. If you have a history of high cholesterol or other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, your doctor may encourage you get your cholesterol levels tested more often.

Your doctor can use a lipid panel to measure your total cholesterol level, as well your LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Your total cholesterol level is the overall amount of cholesterol in your blood. It includes LDL and HDL cholesterol.

If your levels of total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol are too high, your doctor will diagnose you with high cholesterol. High cholesterol is especially dangerous when your LDL levels are too high and your HDL levels are too low. Find out more about your recommended cholesterol levels.

Tips

• Pay attention to the saturated and trans fats on your food labels, as well as added sugars. The less of these you consume, the better. No more than 10 percent of your daily calories should come from either saturated fats or added sugars.
• Don’t worry about eating enough cholesterol. Your body makes enough whether or not you consume it.
• Eat more healthy, unsaturated fats. Try replacing butter with extra virgin olive oil in cooking, buy lean cuts of meat, and snack on nuts and seeds instead of french fries or processed snack foods.

Recent guidelines for normal cholesterol levels

Your body needs some cholesterol to function properly, including some LDL. But if your LDL levels are too high, it can raise your risk of serious health problems.

In 2013, the American College of Cardiologists (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) developed new guidelines for the treatment of high cholesterol.

Before this change, doctors would manage cholesterol based on numbers in a cholesterol levels chart. Your doctor would measure your total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels. They would then decide whether to prescribe a cholesterol-lowering medication based on how your numbers compared to the numbers in the chart.

Under the new guidelines, in addition to your cholesterol levels, treatment recommendations consider other risk factors for heart disease. These risk factors include diabetes and the estimated 10-year risk for a cardiac event such as a heart attack or stroke. So what your “normal” cholesterol levels are depends on whether you have other risk factors for heart disease.

These new guidelines recommend that if you don’t have risk factors for heart disease, your doctor should prescribe treatment if your LDL is greater than 189 mg/dL. To find out what your personal cholesterol recommendations are, talk to your doctor.

Cholesterol levels chart

With the changes mentioned above in the treatment guidelines for high cholesterol, cholesterol charts are no longer considered the best way for doctors to gauge the management of cholesterol levels in adults.

However, for the average child and adolescent, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute classifies cholesterol levels (mg/dL) as follows:

	Total cholesterol	HDL cholesterol	LDL cholesterol
Acceptable	lower than 170	higher than 45	lower than 110
Borderline	170–199	40–45	110–129
High	200 or higher	n/a	higher than 130
Low	n/a	lower than 40	n/a

High cholesterol symptoms

In most cases, high cholesterol is a “silent” problem. It typically doesn’t cause any symptoms. Many people don’t even realize they have high cholesterol until they develop serious complications, such as a heart attack or stroke.

That’s why routine cholesterol screening is important. If you’re age 20 years or older, ask your doctor if you should have routine cholesterol screening.

Causes of high cholesterol

Eating too many foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans fats may increase your risk of developing high cholesterol. Other lifestyle factors can also contribute to high cholesterol. These factors include inactivity and smoking.

Your genetics can also affect your chances of developing high cholesterol. Genes are passed down from parents to children. Certain genes instruct your body on how to process cholesterol and fats. If your parents have high cholesterol, you’re at higher risk of having it too.

In rare cases, high cholesterol is caused by familial hypercholesterolemia. This genetic disorder prevents your body from removing LDL. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, most adults with this condition have total cholesterol levels above 300 mg/dL and LDL levels above 200 mg/dL.

Other health conditions, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism, may also increase your risk of developing high cholesterol and related complications.

Risk factors for high cholesterol

You may be at a higher risk of developing high cholesterol if you:

• are overweight or obese
• eat an unhealthy diet
• don’t exercise regularly
• smoke tobacco products
• have a family history of high cholesterol
• have diabetes, kidney disease, or hypothyroidism

People of all ages, genders, and ethnicities can have high cholesterol.

Complications of high cholesterol

If left untreated, high cholesterol can cause plaque to build up in your arteries. Over time, this plaque can narrow your arteries. This condition is known as atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a serious condition. It can limit the flow of blood through your arteries. It also raises your risk of developing dangerous blood clots.

Atherosclerosis can result in many life-threatening complications, such as:

• stroke
• heart attack
• angina (chest pain)
• high blood pressure
• peripheral vascular disease
• chronic kidney disease

High cholesterol can also create a bile imbalance, raising your risk of gallstones. 

How to diagnose high cholesterol

To measure your cholesterol levels, your doctor will use a simple blood test. It’s known as a lipid panel. They can use it to assess your levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

To conduct this test, your doctor or other healthcare professional will take a sample of your blood. They will send this sample to a lab for analysis. When your test results become available, they will let you know if your cholesterol or triglyceride levels are too high.

To prepare for this test, your doctor may ask you to avoid eating or drinking anything for at least 12 hours beforehand.

How to lower cholesterol

If you have high cholesterol, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes to help lower it. For instance, they may recommend changes to your diet, exercise habits, or other aspects of your daily routine. If you smoke tobacco products, they will likely advise you to quit.

Your doctor may also prescribe medications or other treatments to help lower your cholesterol levels. In some cases, they may refer you to a specialist for more care.

Lowering cholesterol through diet

To help you achieve and maintain healthy cholesterol levels, your doctor may recommend changes to your diet.

For example, they may advise you to:

• limit your intake of foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans fats
• choose lean sources of protein, such as chicken, fish, and legumes
• eat a wide variety of high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
• opt for baked, broiled, steamed, grilled, and roasted foods instead of fried foods
• avoid fast food and junk food

Foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, or trans fats include:

• red meat, organ meats, egg yolks, and high-fat dairy products
• processed foods made with cocoa butter, palm oil, or coconut oil
• deep fried foods, such as potato chips, onion rings, and fried chicken
• certain baked goods, such as some cookies and muffins

Eating fish and other foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids may also help lower your LDL levels. For example, salmon, mackerel, and herring are rich sources of omega-3s. Walnuts, almonds, ground flax seeds, and avocados also contain omega-3s. 

What high-cholesterol foods to avoid

Dietary cholesterol is found in animal products, such as meat, eggs, and dairy. To help treat high cholesterol, your doctor may encourage you to limit your intake of high-cholesterol foods.

For example, the following products contain high levels of cholesterol:

• fatty cuts of red meat
• liver and other organ meats
• eggs, especially the yolks
• high-fat dairy products, such as full-fat cheese, milk, ice cream, and butter

Depending on your doctor’s recommendations, you might be able to eat some of these foods in moderation. 

Cholesterol medications

In some cases, your doctor might prescribe medications to help lower your cholesterol levels.

Statins are the most commonly prescribed medications for high cholesterol. They block your liver from producing more cholesterol.

Examples of statins include:

• atorvastatin (Lipitor)
• fluvastatin (Lescol)
• rosuvastatin (Crestor)
• simvastatin (Zocor)

Your doctor may also prescribe other medications for high cholesterol, such as:

• niacin
• bile acid resins or sequesterants, such as colesevalam (Welchol), colestipol (Colestid), or cholestyramine (Prevalite)
• cholesterol absorption inhibitors, such as ezetimibe (Zetia)

Some products contain a combination of drugs to help decrease your body’s absorption of cholesterol from foods and reduce your liver’s production of cholesterol. One example is a combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin (Vytorin). 

How to lower cholesterol naturally

In some cases, you may be able to lower your cholesterol levels without taking medications. For example, it may be enough to eat a nutritious diet, exercise regularly, and avoid smoking tobacco products.

Some people also claim that certain herbal and nutritional supplements may help lower cholesterol levels. For instance, such claims have been made about:

• garlic
• hawthorn
• astragalus
• red yeast rice
• plant sterol and stanol supplements
• oat bran, found in oatmeal and whole oats
• blond psyllium, found in psyllium seed husk
• ground flax seed

However, the level of evidence supporting these claims varies. Also, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t approved any of these products for treating high cholesterol. More research is needed to learn if they can help treat this condition.

Always talk to your doctor before taking any herbal or nutritional supplements. In some cases, they might interact with other medications you’re taking.

How to prevent high cholesterol

Genetic risk factors for high cholesterol can’t be controlled. However, lifestyle factors can be managed.

To lower your risk of developing high cholesterol:

• Eat a nutritious diet that’s low in cholesterol and animal fats, and high in fiber.
• Avoid excessive alcohol consumption.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Exercise regularly.
• Don’t smoke.

You should also follow your doctor’s recommendations for routine cholesterol screening. If you’re at risk of high cholesterol or coronary heart disease, they will likely encourage you to get your cholesterol levels tested on a regular basis.

Outlook for high cholesterol

If left untreated, high cholesterol can cause serious health problems and even death. However, treatment can help you manage this condition, and in many cases, it can help you avoid complications.

To learn if you have high cholesterol, ask your doctor to test your cholesterol levels. If they diagnose you with high cholesterol, ask them about your treatment options.

To lower your risk of complications from high cholesterol, practice healthy lifestyle habits and follow your doctor’s recommended treatment plan. Eating a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly, and avoiding tobacco products may help you achieve and maintain healthy cholesterol levels. It could also help lower your risk of complications from high cholesterol.