Cholesterol From a Functional Perspective
ON CHOLESTEROL
If you have personal (or family) history with high cholesterol, this email is for you.
I've noticed that there is unnecessary fear and stress around cholesterol in general and I think it's mostly because it's not thoroughly explained to us in the way that I would. If you don't know what cholesterol actually is, where it comes from, what the body does with it, or why it might increase or decrease, then it's easy to see why you might be unnerved hearing this marker came back lab high when your doctor ran your annual bloodwork.
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in the blood and cells of your body. It's used to build cell membranes, myelin sheaths (insulation for your nerves), digest fats (bile), manage inflammation, produce steroid hormones (like sex hormones) and vitamin D, and it's an antioxidant.
Basically, it's an essential molecule that your body requires to work properly. Full stop.
Most of what is in your bloodstream is produced by your liver, not consumed through dietary sources. This means that a low-cholesterol diet does NOT address hyperlipidemia (high serum cholesterol). GASP!
The body self-adjusts, making more or less based on what we consume. It's smart like that.
HDL and LDL are proteins known as lipoproteins. They are what carry cholesterol throughout the body. Think of LDL as the shuttle that brings cholesterol and triglycerides throughout the body and HDL as the shuttle that brings cholesterol back to the liver so it can be safely removed from the body through the digestive tract.
HDL is protective, while LDL can be damaging to tissues when damaged itself. This damage—or oxidation—is triggered by stress, chemicals, bacterial endotoxins, and inflammatory sugars & oils. So while hyperlipidemia is often a warning sign of disease development, inflammation is the real culprit of disease. POW!
Cholesterol just happens to be at the scene of the crime.
We need LDL to protect nerves and produce cells and hormones. There is no such thing as "good" or "bad" cholesterol, since all forms play important roles in many aspects of metabolism and immune function.
My cardiovascular markers include two additional proteins involved with shuttling known as Apo-A-1 found on HDL and Apo-B found on LDL and VLDL. These Apolipoproteins attach to fats in your body and their ratio gives us greater insight into your cardiovascular risk (but also metabolic dysfunction).
It's unfair for you to leave a doctor's appointment with unknowns, uncertainty, and few options. My approach is education-forward. Your results aren't delivered through a quick phone call and you don't leave empty-handed. Instead, you get 1 hour with me going over all markers that fell out of functional range and you leave with a full report that tells you what the marker is, where we want to see your numbers for optimal health, what it indicates when increased or decreased and then how we will support your results.
If you would like to have me run your bloodwork so you can get the scoop on your current state of health, you can purchase my blood chemistry package here.
Pass this email along and let's take back our health, together.
As always, if you would like to have a conversation about your health concerns you can book a complimentary discovery call by completing the contact form on my website.
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT
This is a new feature, a place where I would like to anonymously acknowledge the hard work of my incredible clients!
"I have to say that going to Aruba was really easy. I did not have any issues choosing food or drinks.
Meanwhile, I have lost more weight, doing my best to keeping to an appropriate diet and been exercising at least 30 minutes most days. I have seen a lot of changes: not as tired and a little more clear headed..."
This update is coming from a 63 year old woman who got her very first protocol just one month ago, we haven't even done labs yet. She was apprehensive about coming on board with me, nervous about what would be required and her bandwidth for doing it. I'm incredibly proud of her and I know that there is so much more GOOD in store for her.
Clients who booked a single service with me don't have to report their updates to me but many choose to and I check in from time to time too because I truly care!
My six month program is a high-level, education-forward, 1:1 container of support and accountability. It's designed to ensure success with 3 up-front labs, custom protocols, 9 check-ins, pre-recorded self-paced webinars, helpful resources, and access to me via chat in between it all. I'm very excited!
