INFRARED SAUNA
Detox Tips
15: Weight Loss and Cardiovascular
Benefits of the Infrared Sauna
As your body increases sweat production to cool itself,
your heart works harder pumping blood at a greater rate to boost
circulation, supplying the conditioning benefits of continuous
exercise. Heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic
rate increase, while diastolic blood pressure drops, for improved
overall cardiovascular fitness.
As reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association
(JAMA), August 7, 1981
"A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat off 500
gms. in a sauna, consuming nearly 300 kcal - the equivalent
of running 2 - 3 miles. A heat-conditioned person can easily
sweat off 600 - 800 kcal with no adverse effects. While the
weight of the water loss can be regained by rehydration with
water, the calories consumed will not be." Since an infrared
sauna helps generate two to three times the sweat produced in
a hot-air sauna, the implications for increased caloric consumption
are quite impressive.
In Guyton's Textbook of Medical Physiology, we find that producing
one gram of sweat requires 0.586 kcal.
Burns 600 or more calories in just one 30-minute session!
Calories a 150-pound person normally burns up in 30-minutes
of exercise:
SPORT CALORIES
Marathon Running 593
Vigorous Racquet Ball 510
Swimming (crawl stroke) 300
Jogging 300
Tennis (fast game) 265
Cycling (10 mph) 225
Golfing (without a cart) 150
Walking (3.5 mph) 150
Bowling 120
The JAMA citation referred to above goes on to state that,
"Many of us who run do so to place a demand on our cardiovascular
system, not to build big leg muscles. Regular use of a sauna
may impart a similar stress on the cardiovascular system, and
its regular use may be as effective, as a means of cardiovascular
conditioning and burning of calories, as regular exercise."
As a confirmation of the validity of this form of cardiovascular
conditioning, extensive research by NASA in the early 1980's
led to the conclusion that, infrared stimulation of cardiovascular
function would be the ideal way to maintain cardiovascular conditioning
in American astronauts during long space flights.
A Soft Heat ® infrared sauna can therefore, play a pivotal
role in both weight control and cardiovascular conditioning.
This would be most valuable for those who don't exercise and
those who can't exercise yet want an effective weight control
and fitness maintenance program. This also allows for more variety
in any ongoing training program.
Some weight loss authorities believe that our bodies use fat
to dilute toxins. As an infrared sauna is an unsurpassed expeller
of toxins, it is also a great way to get rid of any fat our
bodies are using to dilute toxins we are storing.
Achieve Independent Health With Your Optimized
Nutrition Plan: Getting Started
I have broken my nutrition plan down into three phases: Beginner,
Intermediate and Advanced. Success comes in steps, and this
program has been designed to allow you to make your journey
to optimal health in a step-by-step manner.
Almost everyone should begin at the "Beginner" level.
The exceptions are those who are already implementing the advice
found there, and those with serious diseases or other conditions
that may want to - or have been advised to - take the more extensive
measure of implementing the advice found in several or all of
the stages to promote healing and health.
While making every change within phase is ultimately recommended
to help you reach your optimal health, to determine which areas
you may want to put the most initial focus on, you should assess
your "Four Factors" -- insulin, weight, blood pressure,
cholesterol -- as defined below. You should also periodically
update your knowledge of your four factors to determine the
progress you are making.
Each of the steps in these three phases has been placed there
based on my clinical experience: while most people will benefit
from taking the plan stage by stage, if you are just beginning
but there are steps in the Intermediate or Advanced plan that
you are eager (or have been advised) to implement now, by all
means do so. Likewise, if you have achieved many, but not all,
of the steps in the Beginner plan and would like to move on
to some steps in the Intermediate plan while continuing to work
on the unfinished ones in the Beginner, go for it.
If some changes present more challenge than others, just keep
working at them. Remember, health is the greatest commodity
you can ever have, so every step you succeed at taking throughout
these three phases, whether it feels large or small, is a great
leap forward in this most important journey. If you get discouraged
at any point, keep this in mind: It is your one and only body
and mind, and, more than anything else, it is worth it.
One more important point before your proceed, though:
Listen to Your Body!
If any food or supplement that is recommended by me, or anyone
else, makes you nauseous or sick in any way, listen to your
body and stop it immediately! Your body will always provide
you with a better indication of what is good for you. Most people
notice a remarkable improvement in the way they feel in anywhere
from a few days to a few weeks. If you are not doing better,
this may be your body's clue that you will need a knowledgeable
health care professional that understands insulin and fat biochemistry
who can help fine-tune your individual program.
THE FIRST STEP TO HEALTH: ASSESS YOUR
"FOUR FACTORS"
There are four time-tested, clinically proven gauges of health
that you can use to determine your own level of health. They
are:
· Insulin levels
· Weight
· Blood pressure
· Cholesterol levels
These four factors are your signs on the highway to optimal
wellness. You can use these proven health indicators to monitor
your success on the beginner's nutrition plan. Additionally,
you can use these indicators to figure out when to move to the
intermediate level of this nutritional plan. You'll feel comfortable,
confident and psychologically ready to move on to the next level,
and your indicators of health will be in their optimal ranges
Factor #1: Your Insulin Level
So what's the deal with insulin levels? Well, you need
insulin to live, but you probably have far too much insulin
floating around in your body. Most adults have about one gallon
of blood in their bodies and are quite surprised to learn that
in that gallon, there is only one teaspoon of sugar! You only
need one teaspoon of sugar at all times -- if that. If your
blood sugar level were to rise to one tablespoon of sugar you
would quickly go into a hyperglycemic coma and die.
You body works very hard to prevent this by producing insulin
to keep your blood sugar at the appropriate level. This reaction
keeps you from dying when you eat sugar. Unfortunately, it turns
out that high levels of insulin are quite toxic for your body.
Anytime you eat grains and sugars, you are increasing your insulin
levels. If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes,
or are overweight, it is highly likely that you are eating far
too many grains. When I reference diabetes I am referring to
the most common type, type 2 diabetes, which typically occurs
in adulthood and is associated with increased weight. Type 1
diabetes is actually a problem with not enough insulin, as the
pancreas loses the ability to manufacture it.
FBS: The Fasting Blood Sugar Test
To find out your insulin levels, you need to get tested by your
doctor. The test you need to ask for is a fasting blood sugar
test, which can also be called an FBS, glucose test or blood
sugar levels test. It consists of a small withdrawal of blood
after a fasting period of six hours.
Facts about FBS:
· This test is profoundly useful. It's one of
the least expensive tests in traditional medicine, yet it is
one of the most powerful ones. A normal fasting blood sugar
should be around 87 mg/dL.
· Watch out for abnormal levels. When the blood sugar
rises above 100 mg/dL I become very concerned with respect to
the possibility of diabetes. This suggests insulin resistance
and inability to control blood sugar levels. Diabetes is not
usually diagnosed until the blood sugar rises above 126 mg/dL.
However, it is my contention that this is far too late in the
process. A blood sugar over 100 can usually predict future diabetes
that is even 10 or more years down the road.
· FBS can tell you about your insulin levels. A high
fasting blood sugar is a strong indication that your insulin
levels are too high. High blood sugar levels can attach to the
proteins in your body and rapidly accelerate the aging process.
· Look for levels below 90. I think it is safe to say
your fasting blood sugar should be below 90. Once you achieve
this, you can consider advancing to the intermediate level nutrition
plan. Fortunately, a fasting blood sugar is a very inexpensive
test!
Another helpful test would be to actually measure your fasting
insulin level. You can safely ignore the reference ranges from
the lab as they are based on "normals" of a population
that has highly-disturbed insulin levels.
I do these tests regularly in my office. Your fasting insulin
level should be 5 or below -- the lower the better. A fasting
insulin level above 10 suggests profound insulin disturbances;
the higher the number, the worse off you are. It's unusual to
have levels above 20 in someone who is not already diabetic.
When you get tested, if your insulin level is below 5, you can
use this as an indication that it might be safe to progress
to the intermediate level nutrition plan.
Once you normalize your weight and exercise, you can reintroduce
grains into your diet at a lower level to optimize your health.
Factor #2: Your Ideal Weight
This second factor is something we struggle with more and more;
millions and millions of people are overweight in the U.S. and
the percentage just keeps going up. To read about the epidemic
of obesity in America and around the world, please type any
relevant keyword into my search engine and click "search."
You'll find lots of information to help you understand this
truly troubling problem.
One effective and simple method to figure out if you have a
weight problem is as follows: With a tape measure, comfortably
measure the distance around the smallest area below the rib
cage and above the umbilicus (belly button). Waist circumference,
perhaps surprisingly, is the best simple anthropometric measure
of total body fat, is better than BMI (body mass index), and
is also the best simple indicator of intra-abdominal fat mass.
So if you measure your waist, men would be classified as obese
if their waste size was above 40 and women if it were above
37.
BMI is a good tool, however, to find out what your ideal weight
should be. The National Institutes of Health has a good BMI
calculator.
Your ideal weight is important for this nutrition plan. This
is not only because I am committed to helping your body heal
and become healthier, but also because extra body weight and
obesity can have major negative psychological effects that impair
your ability to be optimally healthy. If you are not at your
ideal weight -- overweight or underweight -- you should start
with the Beginning nutrition plan and stay there until you have
achieved your ideal body weight; then I advise you move into
the Intermediate plan, to further optimize your body to fight
disease and live a longer, more energetic life.
Factor #3: Your Ideal Blood Pressure -- 120/80
Your blood pressure ideally should be about 120/80 without medication.
If you are on medication you will be delighted to know that
this nutrition plan tends to normalize elevated blood pressures
in the vast majority of people.
Although elevated insulin levels are one of the most potent
contributors to elevated blood pressure, it's also common for
stress, tension or anxiety to contribute to this problem. After
you begin my nutrition plan and follow it for several months,
if you don't see an improvement in your blood pressure you need
to seek out a health care professional who is well-versed in
using stress-relief methods, such as my personal favorite: EFT.
In my clinical experience, over 95 percent of patients with
elevated cholesterol or triglyceride levels respond to a reduced
carbohydrate and insulin level correction approach. This is
especially true for triglycerides. In over 20 years of practicing
medicine I have never seen an elevated triglyceride level fail
to drop in response to a low carbohydrate program.
Factor #4: Your Ideal Cholesterol Level
Most people are seriously confused about their cholesterol levels.
This is because too much emphasis is placed on the importance
of the total cholesterol. A far more important predictor of
cardiovascular risk is actually the ratio of good cholesterol
(HDL) to total cholesterol.
I use the percentage of HDL and obtain this number by simply
dividing the HDL by the total cholesterol (HDL/Total Cholesterol).
Ideally this number should be above 24%. Levels below 10 are
very dangerous and usually indicate an imminent cardiovascular
problem. Ideally this level should be 30 or higher. It rarely
gets above 50, but to the best of my knowledge, the higher the
number the better. Normally this is not true for a lab value,
but because this is a ratio, I believe we can make this assumption.
It is important to note that some clinicians actually obtain
this ratio by dividing the total cholesterol by the HDL (Total
Cholesterol/HDL). In this case, the numbers should be lower.
The cut-off point for a poor ratio would be any number greater
than 4 with greater than 10 having serious problems. This number
rarely drops below 2.
It's important to note that there are a small subset of individuals
born with a genetic condition called familiar hypercholsterolemia
(about one in 500 people) in which their cholesterols are typically
around 350 or higher. While this program will help to moderate
their cholesterol levels, they usually do not normalize with
a low insulin program such as this. Learn more about hypercholesterolemia.
If you're using your HDL percentage to figure out when to transition
to the intermediate nutrition plan, you must use caution and
consult a trained natural health care clinician if your cholesterol
is above 350.
You can also use the triglyceride to HDL ratio (Triglyceride/HDL)
as another indicator of insulin disturbance. This ratio should
be below 2. The higher this number is the worse your insulin
control may be.
There does not appear to be a similar genetic condition for
triglycerides so you could use the Triglyceride/HDL ratio below
2 as one indication that you are ready to move on to the adaptation
phase.
Achieve Independent Health With My Nutrition Plan
Welcome to the condensed version of my nutrition plan. For
my entire dietary program, which also includes over 150 brand-new
recipes, read about my new book, Dr. Mercola's TOTAL HEALTH
Cookbook & Program (I have guaranteed the book for life
or your money back because it WILL improve your health and weight!)
My program comes from decades of experience -- decades spent
learning from extensive research, conferring with my professional
colleagues, and most of all, successfully treating many thousands
of patients. Whether you are struggling with weight issues,
facing some disease or condition, or you consider yourself reasonably
healthy, I am certain that if you adhere to the recommendations
summarized below and presented in full in my new book linked
above, they will help you achieve the happy and healthy life
you so richly deserve.
So what makes this nutrition program different from all the
other diets you've tried? It's based on fact. There are no miracle
cures here, just tools to help you understand your body and
achieve optimum health.
Many of the world's leading dietary experts adopted one-size-fits-all
dietary solutions that they believe can be universally applied.
While there are indeed certain universal truths, such as the
danger of sugar and toxins, if one adopts this principle, my
experience has taught me that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't
work.
Fact: One person's food may be someone else's poison.
Many diets will reverse one condition in one person but have
no effect, or even worsen the condition, in another person due
to differences in metabolic biochemistry. Just as we all differ
tremendously with respect to our outward physical appearance,
we are also unique on an internal (biochemical and physiological)
level -- we all process foods and utilize nutrients differently.
When you adopt a diet based on your specific "metabolic
type," you will resolve most health disorders and achieve
optimum health.
When your health problems are addressed in a symptom-oriented
or piecemeal fashion, you will often experience temporary relief.
However, your problems never really go away. They frequently
shift to other parts of your body or recur in a short period
of time. In contrast, when you address your metabolic type --
the unique biochemical needs that are based on your specific
genetics -- your health problems will be treated at the causative
foundational level, and you will have a permanent solution for
regaining your health.
For more on metabolic typing including learning your type, and
for the full detail on my entire dietary and health program
versus the condensed version here, I urge you to check out my
new book, Dr. Mercola's TOTAL HEALTH Cookbook & Program
now.
Fact: You won't be hungry.
You need not worry about being hungry on this plan. When you
address your specific nutritional requirements you will not
have any hunger pains. When you finally balance your diet needs,
your food cravings will disappear, and you will wake up each
day with more than enough energy. If this isn't happening, then
this is your giant clue that you are not giving your body something
it needs, and you will have to modify your program.
Fact: You can do it! With my three-level approach, I've made
this program manageable.
The main difference in these levels is a progressively more
rigid adoption of healthy eating principles. These are most
often counter-cultural recommendations, but they are designed
to bring you to optimal levels of wellness and health. All three
levels have the same requirements for carbohydrates, proteins,
and high-quality fats. Normalizing your insulin level will be
a major key to improving your health and is essential for success
in all three levels. One of the major differences will be the
type of proteins that are allowed in each phase. Higher-quality
proteins are gradually implemented as one chooses progressively
healthier levels.
Important: When you change levels, you need to apply any restrictions
from your previous level, as they are not repeated in the higher
levels.
As you progress through the various levels, each one becomes
more difficult, yet more freeing. Soon you will be enjoying
a level of health you never dreamed possible!
Achieve Independent Health With Your Optimized Nutrition Plan:
Getting Started
I have broken my nutrition plan down into three phases: Beginner,
Intermediate and Advanced. Success comes in steps, and this
program has been designed to allow you to make your journey
to optimal health in a step-by-step manner.
Almost everyone should begin at the "Beginner" level.
The exceptions are those who are already implementing the advice
found there, and those with serious diseases or other conditions
that may want to - or have been advised to - take the more extensive
measure of implementing the advice found in several or all of
the stages to promote healing and health.
While making every change within phase is ultimately recommended
to help you reach your optimal health, to determine which areas
you may want to put the most initial focus on, you should assess
your "Four Factors" -- insulin, weight, blood pressure,
cholesterol -- as defined below. You should also periodically
update your knowledge of your four factors to determine the
progress you are making.
Each of the steps in these three phases has been placed there
based on my clinical experience: while most people will benefit
from taking the plan stage by stage, if you are just beginning
but there are steps in the Intermediate or Advanced plan that
you are eager (or have been advised) to implement now, by all
means do so. Likewise, if you have achieved many, but not all,
of the steps in the Beginner plan and would like to move on
to some steps in the Intermediate plan while continuing to work
on the unfinished ones in the Beginner, go for it.
If some changes present more challenge than others, just keep
working at them. Remember, health is the greatest commodity
you can ever have, so every step you succeed at taking throughout
these three phases, whether it feels large or small, is a great
leap forward in this most important journey. If you get discouraged
at any point, keep this in mind: It is your one and only body
and mind, and, more than anything else, it is worth it.
One more important point before your proceed, though:
Listen to Your Body!
If any food or supplement that is recommended by me, or anyone
else, makes you nauseous or sick in any way, listen to your
body and stop it immediately! Your body will always provide
you with a better indication of what is good for you. Most people
notice a remarkable improvement in the way they feel in anywhere
from a few days to a few weeks. If you are not doing better,
this may be your body's clue that you will need a knowledgeable
health care professional that understands insulin and fat biochemistry
who can help fine-tune your individual program.
The First Step to Health: Assess Your "Four Factors"
There are four time-tested, clinically proven gauges of health
that you can use to determine your own level of health. They
are:
· Insulin levels
So what makes this nutrition program different from all the
other diets you've tried? It's based on fact. There are no miracle
cures here, just tools to help you understand your body and
achieve optimum health.
Many of the world's leading dietary experts adopted one-size-fits-all
dietary solutions that they believe can be universally applied.
While there are indeed certain universal truths, such as the
danger of sugar and toxins, if one adopts this principle, my
experience has taught me that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't
work.
Fact: One person's food may be someone else's poison.
Many diets will reverse one condition in one person but have
no effect, or even worsen the condition, in another person due
to differences in metabolic biochemistry. Just as we all differ
tremendously with respect to our outward physical appearance,
we are also unique on an internal (biochemical and physiological)
level -- we all process foods and utilize nutrients differently.
When you adopt a diet based on your specific "metabolic
type," you will resolve most health disorders and achieve
optimum health.
When your health problems are addressed in a symptom-oriented
or piecemeal fashion, you will often experience temporary relief.
However, your problems never really go away. They frequently
shift to other parts of your body or recur in a short period
of time. In contrast, when you address your metabolic type --
the unique biochemical needs that are based on your specific
genetics -- your health problems will be treated at the causative
foundational level, and you will have a permanent solution for
regaining your health.
For more on metabolic typing including learning your type, and
for the full detail on my entire dietary and health program
versus the condensed version here, I urge you to check out my
new book, Dr. Mercola's TOTAL HEALTH Cookbook & Program
now.
Fact: You won't be hungry.
You need not worry about being hungry on this plan. When you
address your specific nutritional requirements you will not
have any hunger pains. When you finally balance your diet needs,
your food cravings will disappear, and you will wake up each
day with more than enough energy. If this isn't happening, then
this is your giant clue that you are not giving your body something
it needs, and you will have to modify your program.
Fact: You can do it! With my three-level approach, I've made
this program manageable.
The main difference in these levels is a progressively more
rigid adoption of healthy eating principles. These are most
often counter-cultural recommendations, but they are designed
to bring you to optimal levels of wellness and health. All three
levels have the same requirements for carbohydrates, proteins,
and high-quality fats. Normalizing your insulin level will be
a major key to improving your health and is essential for success
in all three levels. One of the major differences will be the
type of proteins that are allowed in each phase. Higher-quality
proteins are gradually implemented as one chooses progressively
healthier levels.
Important: When you change levels, you need to apply any restrictions
from your previous level, as they are not repeated in the higher
levels.
As you progress through the various levels, each one becomes
more difficult, yet more freeing. Soon you will be enjoying
a level of health you never dreamed possible!
· Weight
· Blood pressure
· Cholesterol levels
These four factors are your signs on the highway to optimal
wellness. You can use these proven health indicators to monitor
your success on the beginner's nutrition plan. Additionally,
you can use these indicators to figure out when to move to the
intermediate level of this nutritional plan. You'll feel comfortable,
confident and psychologically ready to move on to the next level,
and your indicators of health will be in their optimal ranges
Factor #1: Your Insulin Level
So what's the deal with insulin levels? Well, you need insulin
to live, but you probably have far too much insulin floating
around in your body. Most adults have about one gallon of blood
in their bodies and are quite surprised to learn that in that
gallon, there is only one teaspoon of sugar! You only need one
teaspoon of sugar at all times -- if that. If your blood sugar
level were to rise to one tablespoon of sugar you would quickly
go into a hyperglycemic coma and die.
You body works very hard to prevent this by producing insulin
to keep your blood sugar at the appropriate level. This reaction
keeps you from dying when you eat sugar. Unfortunately, it turns
out that high levels of insulin are quite toxic for your body.
Anytime you eat grains and sugars, you are increasing your insulin
levels. If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes,
or are overweight, it is highly likely that you are eating far
too many grains. When I reference diabetes I am referring to
the most common type, type 2 diabetes, which typically occurs
in adulthood and is associated with increased weight. Type 1
diabetes is actually a problem with not enough insulin, as the
pancreas loses the ability to manufacture it.
FBS: The Fasting Blood Sugar Test
To find out your insulin levels, you need to get tested
by your doctor. The test you need to ask for is a fasting blood
sugar test, which can also be called an FBS, glucose test or
blood sugar levels test. It consists of a small withdrawal of
blood after a fasting period of six hours.
Facts about FBS:
· This test is profoundly useful. It's one of
the least expensive tests in traditional medicine, yet it is
one of the most powerful ones. A normal fasting blood sugar
should be around 87 mg/dL.
· Watch out for abnormal levels. When the blood sugar
rises above 100 mg/dL I become very concerned with respect to
the possibility of diabetes. This suggests insulin resistance
and inability to control blood sugar levels. Diabetes is not
usually diagnosed until the blood sugar rises above 126 mg/dL.
However, it is my contention that this is far too late in the
process. A blood sugar over 100 can usually predict future diabetes
that is even 10 or more years down the road.
· FBS can tell you about your insulin levels. A high
fasting blood sugar is a strong indication that your insulin
levels are too high. High blood sugar levels can attach to the
proteins in your body and rapidly accelerate the aging process.
· Look for levels below 90. I think it is safe to say
your fasting blood sugar should be below 90. Once you achieve
this, you can consider advancing to the intermediate level nutrition
plan. Fortunately, a fasting blood sugar is a very inexpensive
test!
Another helpful test would be to actually measure your fasting
insulin level. You can safely ignore the reference ranges from
the lab as they are based on "normals" of a population
that has highly-disturbed insulin levels.
I do these tests regularly in my office. Your fasting insulin
level should be 5 or below -- the lower the better. A fasting
insulin level above 10 suggests profound insulin disturbances;
the higher the number, the worse off you are. It's unusual to
have levels above 20 in someone who is not already diabetic.
When you get tested, if your insulin level is below 5, you can
use this as an indication that it might be safe to progress
to the intermediate level nutrition plan.
Once you normalize your weight and exercise, you can reintroduce
grains into your diet at a lower level to optimize your health.
Factor #2: Your Ideal Weight
This second factor is something we struggle with more and more;
millions and millions of people are overweight in the U.S. and
the percentage just keeps going up. To read about the epidemic
of obesity in America and around the world, please type any
relevant keyword into my search engine and click "search."
You'll find lots of information to help you understand this
truly troubling problem.
One effective and simple method to figure out if you have a
weight problem is as follows: With a tape measure, comfortably
measure the distance around the smallest area below the rib
cage and above the umbilicus (belly button). Waist circumference,
perhaps surprisingly, is the best simple anthropometric measure
of total body fat, is better than BMI (body mass index), and
is also the best simple indicator of intra-abdominal fat mass.
So if you measure your waist, men would be classified as obese
if their waste size was above 40 and women if it were above
37.
BMI is a good tool, however, to find out what your ideal weight
should be. The National Institutes of Health has a good BMI
calculator.
Your ideal weight is important for this nutrition plan. This
is not only because I am committed to helping your body heal
and become healthier, but also because extra body weight and
obesity can have major negative psychological effects that impair
your ability to be optimally healthy. If you are not at your
ideal weight -- overweight or underweight -- you should start
with the Beginning nutrition plan and stay there until you have
achieved your ideal body weight; then I advise you move into
the Intermediate plan, to further optimize your body to fight
disease and live a longer, more energetic life.
Factor #3: Your Ideal Blood Pressure -- 120/80
Your blood pressure ideally should be about 120/80 without medication.
If you are on medication you will be delighted to know that
this nutrition plan tends to normalize elevated blood pressures
in the vast majority of people.
Although elevated insulin levels are one of the most potent
contributors to elevated blood pressure, it's also common for
stress, tension or anxiety to contribute to this problem. After
you begin my nutrition plan and follow it for several months,
if you don't see an improvement in your blood pressure you need
to seek out a health care professional who is well-versed in
using stress-relief methods, such as my personal favorite: EFT.
In my clinical experience, over 95 percent of patients with
elevated cholesterol or triglyceride levels respond to a reduced
carbohydrate and insulin level correction approach. This is
especially true for triglycerides. In over 20 years of practicing
medicine I have never seen an elevated triglyceride level fail
to drop in response to a low carbohydrate program.
Factor #4: Your Ideal Cholesterol Level
Most people are seriously confused about their cholesterol levels.
This is because too much emphasis is placed on the importance
of the total cholesterol. A far more important predictor of
cardiovascular risk is actually the ratio of good cholesterol
(HDL) to total cholesterol.
I use the percentage of HDL and obtain this number by simply
dividing the HDL by the total cholesterol (HDL/Total Cholesterol).
Ideally this number should be above 24%. Levels below 10 are
very dangerous and usually indicate an imminent cardiovascular
problem. Ideally this level should be 30 or higher. It rarely
gets above 50, but to the best of my knowledge, the higher the
number the better. Normally this is not true for a lab value,
but because this is a ratio, I believe we can make this assumption.
It is important to note that some clinicians actually obtain
this ratio by dividing the total cholesterol by the HDL (Total
Cholesterol/HDL). In this case, the numbers should be lower.
The cut-off point for a poor ratio would be any number greater
than 4 with greater than 10 having serious problems. This number
rarely drops below 2.
It's important to note that there are a small subset of individuals
born with a genetic condition called familiar hypercholsterolemia
(about one in 500 people) in which their cholesterols are typically
around 350 or higher. While this program will help to moderate
their cholesterol levels, they usually do not normalize with
a low insulin program such as this. Learn more about hypercholesterolemia.
If you're using your HDL percentage to figure out when to transition
to the intermediate nutrition plan, you must use caution and
consult a trained natural health care clinician if your cholesterol
is above 350.
You can also use the triglyceride to HDL ratio (Triglyceride/HDL)
as another indicator of insulin disturbance. This ratio should
be below 2. The higher this number is the worse your insulin
control may be.
There does not appear to be a similar genetic condition for
triglycerides so you could use the Triglyceride/HDL ratio below
2 as one indication that you are ready to move on to the adaptation
phase.
To learn more about this fascinating ratio, check out this link:
Pages:
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Infrared Sauna |
far infrared sauna | portable infrared sauna | (C) Copyright 2004 LUXSauna Inc.
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