I recently had my blood lipid panel done for a physical. The results astounded even me! Here are my numbers:

Total Cholesterol: 192 mg/DL (physicians recommend total cholesterol below 200, but this number is subject to drug companies push for statins, and whether or not HDL cholesterol to total cholesterol.)

High Density Lipoprotein: 158 mg/DL (above 50 is recommended) "The good cholesterol," HDL actually removes cholesterol from the blood stream and carries it to the liver for processing. This good cholesterol goes up in response to a healthy diet and consistent exercise.

The total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio is a number that is helpful in predicting an individual's risk of developing atherosclerosis. This number comes from dividing Total Cholesterol by HDL cholesterol.

High total cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol increase the ratio, and are undesirable. A high ratio indicates higher risks of heart attacks, low ratios indicate lower risk.

Conversely, lower total cholesterol and high HDL cholesterol lowers the ratio, and is desirable. An average ratio would be about 4.5. Of course you should be better than average if you can. So the best ratio would be LOW and about a 2 or 3 or less. Mine was 1.2. That according to my physician is off the charts, and any risk of heart attack is virtually nil.

Another ratio to check is LDL/HDL. The LDL/HDL ratio is actually a purer ratio than total cholesterol/HDL, because LDL is a measure of "bad' cholesterol and HDL is a measure of "good" cholesterol. The ratio is determined by dividing the LDL cholesterol into the HDL cholesterol. For example, if a person has an HDL cholesterol of 50 mg/dL and an LDL cholesterol of 150 mg/dL, the HDL/LDL ratio would be 0.33. The goal is to keep the ratio above 0.3, with the ideal HDL/LDL ratio being above 0.4. Mine was 5.27.  

Both LDL and HDL are critically important for heart health, and lifestyle is key to optimizing both levels. Although dietary changes can help lower LDL, exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are especially vital for raising HDL. In general, women tend to have higher HDL numbers than men, but postmenopausal women need to stay especially vigilant. After you've gone through menopause, good cholesterol decreases. If you smoke, you can raise your HDL significantly just by quitting.

My triglycerides were tested and turned out to be a very low 18 mg/DL.  Normal: less than 150 mg/dL.

Many people have high triglyceride levels due to being overweight/obese, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol consumption and/or a diet very high in refined carbohydrates (60 percent or more of calories). High triglycerides are a lifestyle-related risk factor; however, underlying diseases or genetic disorders can be the cause.

Rather than another prescription, the best pill for boosting HDL and lowering triglycerides is diet and exercise. A healthy diet consisting of lean, all-natural, heart-healthy grass-fed meats and vegetables instead of processed, packaged foods will be the best assistance you can give your body. Don't forget regular exercise has been shown to increase HDL in the blood. Regular vigorous exercise is best.

How did I accomplish these off-the-chart good lipid numbers? Diet and exercise, but there is more to it, than just the standard "healthy diet" from the food pyramid that the FDA recommends which is way too high in grains and sugars, and too low in good fats...

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By: Al Sears, MD

 

Dear Health-Conscious Reader,
 
Recently, there was a report in The Wall Street Journal that once again attacked unpasteurized milk.
The FDA has been scaring Americans about this natural food product for decades.

I come from a family of farmers, and milk was a staple of my diet growing up.  We'd have it delivered to the house in glass bottles and go through a gallon a week per person. When I'd go to my grandma's, she'd pour me a glass straight from the bucket... straight from the cow.

Back then, we never worried about whether milk was raw or pasteurized, and we were healthy, strong, and never sick a day. Today, you won't find raw dairy products in your local grocery store. It's against the law in some states.  

Raw milk from grass-fed cows has been used for disease prevention since the time of Hippocrates.   Grass-fed raw milk builds immunity. Any time you build your immunity, you help prevent disease.  When you build your immunity high enough, you set up a protective shield around you that prevents germs and viruses from attacking. You can walk into a room full of cold and flu victims and never catch a thing.

Grass-fed raw milk is a good source of important disease fighters like vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids, and good bacteria to strengthen your immune system. When you pasteurize milk, the heat destroys all of the immune-fighting properties.  Grass-fed raw milk also contains the most important health-building ingredient of all: enzymes.  Enzymes are inflammation fighters and immune builders. But they're destroyed within minutes by heat during pasteurization.

Here is a sample of what's lost:

·    Amylase: Amylase breaks down carbohydrates in food as it's digested.

·    Catalase: Catalase is a strong antioxidant that protects cells.

·    Lactase: This is what's missing when people are lactose intolerant. Lactase makes it easier to absorb other nutrients as well.

·    Lipase: Lipase breaks down fats like triglycerides and improves the way your body uses them.

·    Phosphatase: Phosphatase helps your body absorb and use the calcium and phosphorous in milk.

·    Lactoferrin:  Lactoferrin helps protect you from disease. In fact, lactoferrin defends the body against invasion by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.  Lactoferrin has the same protection-fighting power as mother's breast milk for an infant.

Here's how to add raw milk to your diet:

1.    Some states allow you to buy raw milk products. Others do not. Click here to find out where you can buy raw milk in your area.

2.    You can also purchase a share in a cow or in a farm in your area. You pay a monthly fee for board and milking, and in return you receive milk from "your cow."

3.    If these options are not possible, look for a brand of milk that is pasteurized through a "low-heat process." Many health and natural-food stores carry brands that use a lower temperature that does not destroy all the enzymes and nutrients.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD

________________________________________

Mr. Wood,
 
I have successfully received my second order from your company all the way in bush Alaska and again, it was just two days from the date of placing the order.  I am so pleased. 

Everything has such amazing color and texture; I forgot what it was like to eat real food.  Thank you for improving our quality of life and for making it affordable and possible to do so.  

Staci

Cattle grazing in a sea of rich Missouri grasses on a warm  June evening!