Triglycerides and LDL and HDL

What are triglycerides?
Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. They are a major source of energy and the most common type of fat in your body. When you eat, your body uses the calories it needs for quick energy. Any extra calories are turned into triglycerides and stored in fat cells to be used later. The excess calories are stored as fat regardless of what kind of food you eat—fat, carbohydrate, or protein. If you regularly eat more calories than you burn, you may have high triglycerides.

In normal amounts, triglycerides are important to good health. When triglyceride levels are high, it is not clear whether these high levels directly increase your risk for heart disease. But high triglycerides are often part of a group of conditions called metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is the combination of increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess weight, low HDL ("good") cholesterol, and high triglycerides. This syndrome does increase your risk for heart disease as well as for diabetes and stroke.

Triglycerides are measured as part of a blood test that measures your cholesterol. Normal triglyceride levels are below 150. Levels above 200 are high.

What causes high triglycerides?
Obesity, poorly controlled diabetes, underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), kidney disease, and regularly eating more calories than you burn can cause high triglycerides.
Certain medicines may also increase triglycerides. These include tamoxifen, steroids, beta-blockers, some diuretics, estrogen, and birth control pills. Drinking a lot of alcohol may also cause high triglycerides.
Certain types of high cholesterol and high triglycerides run in families.

What are the symptoms?
High triglycerides do not usually cause symptoms. People who have a family history (genetic cause) of very high triglycerides may have visible fatty deposits under the skin called xanthomas.
In rare cases, people who have very high triglycerides may develop inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). This can cause sudden, severe abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and fever.

How can I lower my high triglycerides?
You may be able to lower your triglycerides by eating fewer calories and increasing your activity. Reducing fats in your diet and not drinking alcohol may also help.

Elevated triglycerides  are rising in the population in recent times due to bad life style and food habits. The LDL and HDL ratio can be brought to healthy levels mainly by walking or exercises. One may eat healthy food, but if do not exercise,  the LDL levels go higher.

Normal Blood Clinical values:

Cholesterol - less than 200 mg/dl

Fasting triglycerides is less than 150 mg/dL.

• Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL)
  Carries cholesterol in the plasma. LDL has been associated with heart disease and is sometimes referred to as "bad cholesterol".

  Normal values: less than 130
  Borderline: 130 - 159
  High Risk: greater than 160

• High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)
  Also known as the "good cholesterol". Higher levels of HDL have been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease.

  Normal values:

  • Male - 44
  • Female - 55

       In Pancha Bhoota we suggest to cleanse the liver and change to whole food eating habits, walking and relaxing, through which healthy reduction in LDL  can be noticed. We suggest to do these changes for a few months, get triglycerides levels checked and get back to us to inform us about your experience. If you do not see substantial changes then please write to us for an individualized treatment for you.

    Water Therapy :   We generally recommend doing Water Therapy  to cleanse the intestines and liver so that the root cause of arthritis is removed. Drink 1.5 liters of water first in the morning, using mild amount of flavors like ginger, cumin seeds, mint leaves, cardamom, coriander seeds, Sarsparilla root powder, hibiscus flowers etc)  for better results.

Doing water therapy with three flowers of Cassia auriculata (Tamil and Malayalam- Aavaaram-poo) every day for 41 days and then general water therapy after that is good for reducing triglycerides and LDL.

Earth Therapy:  Fiber-rich foods absorb fats not only in foods , but also make the bile to be secreted more to the stomach, causes changes in fat levels in the body. We recommend using fiber rich whole grains like brown rice (remember to soak in water and cook), whole rye flakes (33% fiber compared to 20% fiber in oats), whole wheat flakes (28%), barley flakes (26%). Millets like Ragi rich in fiber. In all ancient traditions, people ate different types of grains and millets  many of the readers might be unaware of the names.  These millets give different nourishment that help prevent many diseases like cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer etc.  millet, kodo-millet.

It is generally thought that just by reducing fat intake one could lower fats.  There are many interesting studies that experimental animals when fed with zero fat still had high fat levels when given refined foods. So it is the refined foods that are converted into fats. Our suggestion is to eat more of different types of grains instead of eating only rice and wheat.  Just by changing grains one could see the difference in the fat metabolism.

    We have several patients who had levels of cholesterol and triglyceride changes by switching over to different types of grains.  

Breakfast
Use seven different whole grains for seven days. One can use in the form of pan-cakes (Dosai) or steamed cakes (Idli's), or porridge (oozhu) or cracked-uppuma type (See recipes in Sakthi kitchen).

1. Corn cracked-steamed (uppuma) or pan cake.
2. Barley flakes or pan cake.
3. Amaranth Uppuma.
4. Rye flakes or pan cake.
5. Quinoa flakes or Uppuma.
6. Finger Millet  pan cake or porridge.
7. Buckwheat  uppuma or pan cake.

Asian Type
1. Fox Millet  pan cake or porridge.
2. Barley flakes or pan cake
3. Buckwheat  uppuma or pan cake.
4. Little Millet  pan cake or porridge.
5. Italian Millet  uppuma or pan cake.
6. Banyard Millet  porridge or pan cake.
7. Amaranth  uppuma or pan cake.
No refined cereal drinks like Horlicks, Boost, complain should be used. These products are malted sugars and immeidately increase blood glucose levels.  Instead fruit juices fresh can be used.

See recipes in sakthi kitchen.

Cooking oil should be only unrefined sesame oil/olive oil or any other unrefined oils.

One way to reduce the increased levels of triglycerides is given below.

The bark of rose apple tree, rose apple seeds, turmeric, Indian gooseberries, nannari, i root, bark of marutham pattai (arjuna terminalea), aavarai (causia auriculata), coriander seeds, all these are collected in equal quantity by weight. They are powdered together and stored in a bottle. Mix 60 gm of this powder in 1 litre water and boil. Reduce it to 250 ml. Half of this kashayam (decoction) is taken morning and evening on empty stomach. This helps reduce triglyceride levels to a large extent.

http://ayurvedichomeremedies.blogspot.com/

Sakthi cholesterol mix. We suggest the patients to make a natural cholesterol medicine.

  Use organically produced for best results.

Ingredients:

One part of organic  fenugreek seed powder (click here to know about Fenugreek).

Cleansing:

   Very important is to cleanse the liver and intestines with Castor oil and Gallnut (cleansing)  before starting the Pancha Bhoota and you can alternatively do the cleanse every two months (one time castor oil , next time gall-nut cleansing).

Liver -Tonic Chutneys:

      Every day eat the following chutneys. One per day. seven days seven chutneys and then repeat them again. All leaves  should be raw and not heat sauted. But you can add coconut, red pepper, or black sesame seeds or
split peas dal and salt to make it tasty.

1. Coriander leaves chutney
2. Phyllanthus Niruri leaves chutney
3. Bringraj  leaves chutney
4. Curry leaves chutney
5. Coriander leaves chutney
6. Mint leaves chutney
7. Moringa leaves  chutney or use Aloe Vera leaves.

Click here to see some model Chutney Recipes  that you can modify to make the above chutneys. You can eat this chutney with pasta, bread or with rice.

If you feel the chutney is bitter, then you can make it thick and make it as a small marble and swallow it with water. Make them small balls so that you do not choke yourself.

Drink these fresh juices, one a day and repeat the seven every week. It is
easy. Just cut and put in blender with little water and dates if needed ,
blend and drink. Dates increases Iron.

1. Apple or Pear Juice
2. pumpkin juice
3. Pine-apple juice (Swallow or eat one teaspoon of turmeric powder immediately before or after drinking this juice).
4. Aloe vera juice with carrot or plain.
5. papaya juice
6. Pine-apple juice (Swallow or eat one teaspoon of turmeric powder immediately before or after drinking this juice).
7. Pomegrante juice.

No bottled or canned. it should be made fresh and not filter it. Clear juices are free from fiber and so drink all juices with the pulp.

Triphala Powder - Strengthen Liver: Everyday night take one teaspoon of Triphala powder in 50 ml of hot water. (Please Click here  to find the link to buy this herb).

Fire Therapy:  Less walking causes poor stool (bowel) movements and  that also contributes to constipation. Avoid being  sedentary (more hours of sitting before computers or resting). Walk twice in the morning and evening.

Yoga is very good especially Surya Namaskar given in fire section. It
helps in good lymphatic circulation.

Walking is the most important to bring down LDL levels. Do Pancha Bhoota walking with breath awareness.

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