Heart Disease Symptoms

Health professionals have recognized the nutritive and the health benefits of wine for years even centuries. Hippocrates recommended specific wines to purge fever, disinfect wounds, as diuretics, or nutritional supplements, around 450 B.C. Many books have been written about the curative properties of wine as early as 1410 A.D. Many studies worldwide have concluded that most healthy people who drink wine on a regular basis and with moderation live longer. Wine, for centuries, has been considered as a remedy rather than a toxin. In America, for a whole generation, mainly following the Prohibition years, the potential health benefits of wine were denied. But, in 1991, the medicinal properties of wine begin to return when the French Paradox was publicly revealed following a closed scrutiny on the diet of people in Southern France. It was found out that they had a much lower rate of heart disease than in America notwithstanding their intake of high proportion of fatty foods. Since then, over three thousands studies have broken out all over the World, most importantly in America and provided evidence that wine has positive health effects.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF WINE

Many medical studies have showed multiple benefits of regular moderate wine drinking, including lowered risks of stroke, colorectal tumors, some types of cancers, senile dementia, and even the common cold. A Harvard research has indicated that moderate intake of red wine is very beneficial for heart health. The cardio protective effect has been attributed to antioxidants present in the skin and seeds of red grapes. Scientists believe that the antioxidants, called flavonoids, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Other researches have found that moderate red wine may also inhibit tumor development in some cancers and may as well be helpful in the treatment of diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. At the University of California, reasearchers have determined that Cabernet Sauvignon has the highest concentration of flavonoids. Sweeter the wine, the fewer flavonoids. Dryer red wines are the best bet for a flavonoid boost.

They have also found out that grape juice or non alcoholic red wine contains the same antioxydant profile as red wine. However, grape juice does not lower LDL cholesterol the Bad cholesterol) levels compared to red wine. Flavonoids increase HDL cholesterol(the Good cholesterol) and prevent blood clotting , plaques formation in arteries and reduce the blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits. It is very important here to mention that wine consumption should be limited to two servings per day for Men and one serving per day for Women to reap the maximum benefits. Moderate amounts of wine should be limited to individuals with a clean bill of health. People with medical and social conditions worsened by alcohol should not consume alcohol at all.

Since the evidence seems clear now that red wine is beneficial for our health, here is a toast to your health! Cheers!

Gilles Coulombe B.A. B.LL D.S.A.

Cholesterol is also found in some of the foods you eat. Cholesterol is a lipid found in the cell membranes of all animal tissues, and it is transported in the blood plasma of all animals. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver and found in certain foods, such as food from animals, like dairy products (whole milk), eggs and meat.

When you have too much cholesterol, it can be dangerous to your health. Managing high cholesterol may be different for each individual depending on your medical history and your health. Lowering your cholesterol level decreases your chance for having a plaque burst and cause a heart attack.

Below are some suggested natural ways to reduce your cholesterol:

Reduce Your Fat Intake. Saturated fat elevates your blood cholesterol count, polyunsaturated fats lower blood cholesterol, and dietary cholesterol can also contributed to elevated blood cholesterol levels. Out of all of these, the saturated fat has the most impact on your cholesterol level. You will want to cut back on saturated fat foods such as meat, butter, cheese, whenever possible. Replace these with fish, poultry, low fat dairy products, and polyunsaturated oils such as corn, sunflower, and soybean.You will want to reduce the amount of eggs you eat. You might want to limit yourself to 3 whole eggs a week to be on the safe side. Since egg yokes contain the cholesterol, the eggs whites are ok to eat freely.

Legumes (Beans) are nutritious and don’t cost a lot. Beans and other legumes contain water-soluable fiber which helps to transport cholesterol out of your system before it can cause problems. You can try eating kidney beans, pinto beans, soybeans, lima beans, navy beans, lentils, etc. All of these are excellent sources of fiber as well.

Oats appear to to lower serum cholesterol levels. Eating oat bran does as good a job of reducing your cholesterol levels as legumes do.Carrots(which contain calcium pectate) can also help to reduce cholesterol, but not to the extent which legumes and oats do.

Corn is as effective s oats and beans in lowering your cholesterol. Using about one ounce of corn meal with each meal can really help to bring down high levels of cholesterol.Its important to drink lots of skim milk. Cutting out fat-bearing milk will help to bring down your cholesterol.

Raw garlic can help to reduce harmful level of blood fat. If you take one gram a day for 6 months, you cholesterol levels should fall an average of 40 points within six months.Vigorous exercise has been proven to raise your level of HDL(good cholesterol) when modestly lowers your level of HDL(bad cholesterol).

As part of the natural ways to reduce cholesterol mentioned above, you will want to avoid, coffee, cigarettes, and most red meat (for now).

Elevated Cholesterol has been conclusively proven to be an independent risk factor for heart disease and strokes. The importance of screening, evaluating and treating elevated cholesterol levels cannot be stressed enough. Research has clearly shown that reducing elevated cholesterol levels can reduce the risk of heart disease. 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women develop heart disease at some point of their lives and annually millions of people are succumbing to fatal heart attacks the world over. It is thus imperative that one gets his or her cholesterol levels checked and institute appropriate measures to reduce elevated cholesterol.

What makes Cholesterol levels high? Several factors are involved in a complex relationship to bring about the ultimate end point – Elevated Cholesterol levels.

• Heredity: Chances are pretty high that an individual has elevated Cholesterol levels if a blood-relative has the same problem. Genes influence how much ‘bad’ Cholesterol (LDL) is present in the body, how fast it is made and removed from the body.
• Diet: Saturated fats and animal products influence the levels of bad cholesterol in the body.
• Obesity: Excess weight increases the amounts of LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and reduces the ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL) in the body.
• Exercise: Regular physical activity increases the good cholesterol and lowers the bad cholesterol and the vice-versa happens in sedentary people.
• Stress: High levels of stress can affect the levels of cholesterol.
• Alcohol: In moderation alcohol has some beneficial effects but when consumed in excess alcohol is detrimental to overall heart health.
• Age and sex: After menopause women tend to follow the same patterns as men in terms of cholesterol metabolism.

How can you lower elevated cholesterol levels?
Simple lifestyle changes like watching what you eat, undertaking some form of regular exercise, shedding extra kilos, reducing alcohol intake, cutting down on smoking can help reduce the cholesterol levels. These measures cannot alter your genes or sex but are nevertheless extremely important. Medications to lower elevated cholesterol are available on prescription and should be resorted to if there is a definite need.

Herbs and natural products have been around for quite some time and interest in them have been renewed especially in the light of some prescription medications coming under the scanner for detrimental side effects. Following is a list of natural products that are proven to reduce elevated cholesterol levels.

• Vitamin B Complex: These reduce the oxidization of LDL cholesterol which is the first step in the formation of plaques in the arterial walls.
• Carnitine increases HDL levels and reduces total cholesterol levels.
• Chromium: Reduces LDL and increases HDL.
• Coenzyme Q 10: Reduces total cholesterol.
• Fiber: Fiber in diet binds to cholesterol and decreases their intestinal absorption.
• Garlic: Has been widely used for its cholesterol-lowering potential.
• Pantothine: Reduces total cholesterol and increases HDL.
• Grape seed extract, Soy and Vitamin C: Reduce total cholesterol levels.
• Royal jelly: Reduces cholesterol levels by blocking the cholesterol-elevating effects of Nicotine.
• Red yeast rice: Contains a natural form of the Statin – Lovastatin. Lowers cholesterol levels.

The primary initiative on the part of the person with elevated cholesterol levels should be lifestyle modifications before resorting to prescription drugs. Natural remedies are an attractive safe and effective alternative to prescription drugs to lower cholesterol.

The HDL LDL ratio is an indicator of your risk for heart disease. The better the ratio, the less likely you are to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular problems. I will show you how to increase HDL and the foods to raise HDL.

About the Ratio

High Density Lipoprotein is a substance that carries cholesterol particles from your artery walls back through the bloodstream and into the liver where some of it is metabolized and some excreted from your body in the form of bile salts. Statistics show that when the ratio is favorable, your risk of heart problems is minimized, so it makes sense to learn how to increase HDL, and keep the HDL LDL ratio as good as possible.

The ratio is determined by taking your LDL, (low-density cholesterol) number, and dividing it by your HDL (high-density cholesterol) number. The result is what doctors use to determine your risk of cardiovascular disease.The higher the HDL, the lower the risk. Lets look at some numbers to give you an idea of how this works.

For example:

* Total cholesterol is: 200
* HDL is: 50
* LDL is: 150

The ratio would be: 3 This would be considered a good ratio, indicating the person would have a lower than average risk of heart disease.

Over time, what was considered to be good or safe levels of cholesterol have been adjusted downward, in part due to the push to get more people on cholesterol lowering medications. Foods to raise HDL have not been emphasized for this reason. The current medical model for prevention of cardiovascular disease focuses on drug therapy. This is why you must learn how to increase HDL and get the optimal HDL LDL ratio to prevent heart disease.

High-density lipoproteins have recently been found to have potent antioxidant activity, and this may well be the reason for its “protective” role in regards to vascular disease. See the notation below:

Vohl MC, Neville TA, Kumarathasan R, Braschi S, Sparks DL: A novel lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase antioxidant activity prevents the formation of oxidized lipids during lipoprotein oxidation. Biochemistry; 1999 May 11;38(19):5976-81

Several things that are known to raise HDL levels.

* Aerobic or interval training exercise
* Dietary changes – with balanced fat intake
* Eat for your blood type and metabolic type
* Specific nutritional supplements

The foods to increase HDL do it in several ways. Some foods like healthy fats, provide the raw materials or (precursors) your body needs to make HDL. Other foods such as high fiber foods and low glycemic fruits and vegetables may indirectly raise HDL by preventing inflammation, boosting antioxidant status, and lowering blood sugar and insulin. Some of these foods may also possess antioxidant activity themselves and work synergistically with HDL to protect against cardiovascular disease.

Specific supplements that will raise HDL levels and help optimize the HDL LDL ratio are:

* Fish oil
* Pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5)
* niacin – (vitamin B-3)
* Gugulipid
* Coenzyme Q-10
* Carnitine
* Vitamin-C
* Magnesium
* Polycosanol
* Vitamin E-complex
* Alpha Lipoic Acid
* N-Acetyl-Cysteine
* CLA – conjugated linoleic acid

All of these supplements help increase HDL levels, however niacin (B-3) and calcium pantothenate (B-5) are the most effective. Focus on them first, and add others if needed.

Foods to Raise HDL

There are a number of foods that are claimed to raise HDL levels. Among these are:

* Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines
* Raw nuts and seeds such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, and flaxseeds
* Whole eggs
* Onions
* Fresh raw low glycemic vegetables – especially dark leafy greens
* Oat bran
* Alcohol – 1 or 2 drinks per day maximum

Action Steps

* Get your HDL LDL ratio tested to establish baseline levels
* Work in 3 sessions of circuit weight training or interval training per week
* Eat for your blood type and metabolic type
* Avoid of refined foods as possible – stick to raw fruits and vegetables
* Be sure to get plenty of good fats in your daily diet
* Supplement with niacin (B-3) and calcium pantothenate (B-5) to raise HDL

The HDL LDL ratio is one of the cornerstones of wellness and antiaging. It’s a benchmark that will help you really reduce your risk of heart disease and ensure a long and healthy life!

Symptoms of heart attack vary greatly.

The symptoms you experience may be different from the one experienced by a relative or a friend. For instance, you may have only minor chest pain while your relative or friend has violent pain……

A heart attack is, what can I say, a traumatic and frightening event. You probably don’t want to think about it. But, if you know the symptoms and know what to do, you can save a life – your friend’s; neighbor’s; colleague’s or even your own life.

You may think a heart attack is sudden and intense, like a usual heart attack scene potrayed in a movie or TV show – a person clutches his or her chest and then collapses……

It might be like that but you’d be surprised to know that most heart attacks begin slowly as a mild pain or discomfort in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. You feel an uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in your chest.

However, you won’t be sure of the symptom; even those who have had a heart attack before may not recognize their symptoms, because the next attack can have entirely different symptoms.

What are the typical symptoms of a heart attack that you can “rely” on then?

1. Chest Discomfort or Pain

This chest discomfort or pain can feel like a tight ache, pressure, fullness or squeezing in the center of your chest lasting more than a few minutes. It may come and go.

2. Upper Body Pain

Pain or discomfort in your shoulders, arms, back, neck, teeth or jaw.

You may have upper body pain but no pain in your chest.

3. Stomach pain

Pain may extend downward into your abdominal area and may feel like heartburn.

4. Shortness of Breath

You may pant for breath or struggle to take in deep breaths. This often happens before you get chest discomfort.

5. Anxiety

You may feel a sense of doom or feel as if you’re having a panic attack for no good reason.

6. Dizziness

You may feel dizzy or feel like you might pass out.

7. Sweating

You may suddenly break into a sweat with cold, clammy skin.

8. Nausea And Vomiting

You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.

My advice is this: even if you’re not sure it’s a heart attack, you should still have it checked out. Fast action can save your life or someone else life……

While there are many illnesses that fall under the umbrella of heart disease, one that receives little attention is Cardiomyopathy. This disease is caused by long term alcohol abuse and leads to heart failure in the victim.

The symptoms of this debilitating disease usually start to occur after the disease has advanced. The symptoms are swelling of the ankles, feet and legs; loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, fatigue, shortness of breath, decreased concentration, cough with mucus or pink material, need to urinate at night, palpitations, and irregular or rapid pulse. Once these symptoms have begun to present themselves the disease has already advanced.

The treatment course for this disease is a complete abstinence from alcohol. A restricted diet and medications will also be prescribed. The most difficult part of the treatment may be the abstinence from alcohol. If a patient has abused alcohol to the point of causing heart disease they have probably suffered with the disease of alcoholism for most of their life. It is absolutely imperative that the patient seeks treatment for alcoholism as part of their overall treatment plan.

Finding the correct course of treatment for alcoholism is not always easy. The patient must understand and be willing to treat their abuse of alcohol in order for treatment to be successful. The connection between the heart disease and the alcoholism must be clear to the patient for them to understand the ramifications of their continued drinking. While the heart disease may never be able to be reversed its progress can be slowed or stopped.

Many alcoholics fail to see the correlation between their physical problems and the alcohol they consume. One of the most frustrating aspects of alcoholism is the denial that usually accompanies it. Families and friends of alcoholics are usually guilty of this denial as well. Many families will cover up for a loved ones drinking so that they do not feel any ill effects from their disease. This must stop in every case but most especially in the case of alcoholic heart disease.

The patient is suffering from two diseases and both must be treated successfully for the patient to survive. Families must understand that they are not helping the alcoholic by covering up their problems and allowing them to drink uncontrollably. It will be necessary for every member of a family to participate in their loved ones recovery. By participation it may mean that family members will no longer cover up drinking and not allow the alcoholic to lie about their drinking. Facing their responsibilities is the best medicine a family can provide to the alcoholic.

While alcohol may have caused the heart disease the patient is suffering from it does not have to continue to add to further deterioration. Heart disease that is caused by excessive and chronic drinking is a wake up call to the alcoholic. It is a message from the body that their continued abuse must stop. They must heed the warnings that their body is telling them before it is too late.

The best time to consider a bypass is before you have any symptoms of heart disease.Though weighing only about ten ounces, a healthy heart is capable of pumping 1,000 gallons of life sustaining blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels by beating an incredible 100,000 times a day for as much as 100 years or more.

Understanding Your Heart

To get an idea of the intensity of your heart’s job, let’s do an experiment. Take a tennis ball and fold your fingers over it. Now squeeze the ball every second for an entire minute – sixty times. It’s an exhausting job, isn’t it?

That’s the work your heart has to do for your whole life – 60 to 70 times every minute, 4,000 times every hour, 24 hours a day, all day – every day.

Maybe you’ve been taking your heart for granted!

This highly efficient pump is the most amazing organ in your body. It’s also probably the most abused, although I’m sure nobody does it intentionally.

But the fact is, heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S. and in over 50% of the cases, there are no prior indications – the first symptom of the disease is death.

Cardiovascular Disease and Your Heart

Many types of coronary diseases are known. Some are caused by an infection, some are congenital but most heart problems are caused by hardening of the arteries.

And if you add oxidized cholesterol to the blood, you get an even more serious condition. Both hardening of the arteries and oxidized cholesterol restrict the flow of blood to the body’s cells, causing major health concerns for your heart.

Different cardiovascular conditions can vary by degrees, but may have common signs and symptoms. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, poor LDL ratios, elevated triglyceride and homocysteine levels are the most common indicators of trouble ahead.

Common symptoms include angina (chest pain), shortness of breath, irregular heartbeats, faster heartbeats, dizziness, nausea and sweating.

Here’s Good News for Your Heart

Changes in your lifestyle – diet, exercise, stress management – can prevent, control and even reverse many of these problems to help you have a healthy heart.

To bypass heart disease and to have a healthy heart, start by cleaning up your lifestyle. Stop smoking, cut out caffeine and sugar, manage your alcohol consumption, decrease stress, exercise regularly and drink lots of water – it’s good for your heart.

For next, it’s time to switch to a whole food plan. Eat low glycemic carbohydrates, more whole grains, colorful fruits, vegetables and other fiber rich, nutritious foods.

Also, it’s a good idea to lower your fat intake to around 25% of daily calories. Avoid all processed fats. Stick with extra virgin olive oil and very small amounts of butter instead.

But, even when you do the best you can, it’s next to impossible, to get everything you need from the foods you eat. This is where whole food supplements can help.

Important Supplements for Heart Health

Start with a basic, natural whole food multiple. To this add extra nutrients, such as natural vitamins B, C and E (excellent for cardiovascular health).

Certain B vitamins, for example, help manage the homocyteine cycle. But make sure your B vitamins are in a balanced B complex that includes the whole vitamin B family (isolating one B vitamin can prevent the efficient uptake of all the others).

Omega 3 fish oil that’s high in EPA and DHA has also been proven to have many benefits for heart health and should be part of everyone’s daily nutritional program.

Heart disease is a topic that gets plenty of attention in the media, and for good reason. After all, it is the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States. Heart disease is a vast topic, and a variety of risk factors come into play. Today, I want to narrow the subject down to the issue of cholesterol, which is one of the greatest-yet most manageable-risk factors for coronary heart disease.

I make it a point to discuss cholesterol in depth with my patients because anyone can take control of their health when it comes to keeping cholesterol levels in a healthy range. It’s true that a tendency for high cholesterol may be inherited through genes, but there are still many natural options available in such cases.

Making the effort is well worth it: studies have proven that lowering cholesterol decreases your chance of developing heart disease. Furthermore, people who currently have heart disease can decrease their risk of suffering nonfatal heart attacks and dying from heart disease by lowering their cholesterol levels.

Your Healthy Answers To Lower Cholesterol

To help you fight heart disease, I have combed through the latest research and put together this list of natural ways to begin lowering cholesterol levels today.

Vitamins – Look for a vitamin supplement formula that helps keep your cholesterol ratio in the normal range. Vitamin E and selenium are two nutrients crucial to cholesterol health. Vitamin B3 (niacin) is another nutrient believed to lower LDL, the bad cholesterol.

Herbs and Spices- The seeds and leaves of fenugreek may lower total cholesterol. Look for supplements with at least 500mg of this potent herb. Guggulipid, the gum resin of a myrrh tree common in India may also lower LDL. Other studies suggest that artichoke leaf extract, yarrow, holy basil, ginger, turmeric, rosemary and garlic can have cholesterol-lowering effects.

Quitting Smoking – Smoking causes high cholesterol, but quitting can raise the good, HDL, cholesterol and reduce your risk of developing heart disease.

Dietary Fiber – Foods from plants, especially oat bran, barley, psyllium seeds, flax, apples, citrus fruits and legumes, contain soluble fiber that favorably impacts cholesterol levels.

Phytosterols – These compounds found in small amounts in plant foods interfere with intestinal absorption of cholesterol. Get them in vegetable oil spreads, like Promise, Smart Balance and Benecol; vegetable oil-based salad dressing; and fortified foods, like Minute Maid Heart Wise orange juice and CocoVia chocolates.

Soy Foods – Tofu, tempeh, soy milk, edamame and soy nuts are just some of the soy products that have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids – These cholesterol-lowering nutrients are found in walnuts, flax seeds and fish. Aim for 2 servings per week of salmon, mackerel, herring, tuna or sardines. Fish oil capsules are another way to get your daily dose.

Diet- Cutting down on saturated fat keeps LDL cholesterol in check. People with heart disease should aim to eat less than 200mg of cholesterol from animal products (meat, dairy, eggs), and those who wish to maintain healthy cholesterol levels should stay under 300mg, according to the American Heart Association. Trans fats, which increase bad, LDL, cholesterol and decrease good, HDL, cholesterol should be completely avoided.

Exercise – Aside from the many health benefits associated with exercise, moderate physical activity can increase levels of good cholesterol.

Now that you know how many easy options exist for managing cholesterol health, I’m sure you are eager to get started! Work with your doctor and don’t be discouraged. As long as you practice moderation through diet, add some helpful vitamins and herbs, and stay active everyday, you can be well on your way to a healthy number at your next cholesterol screening.

Tomatoes – are they fruits or vegetables?

According to the dictionary, tomatoes are fruits because they contain seeds.

Eating tomatoes have many medical benefits, like lowering cholesterol, supporting the immune system, reducing the risk of heart disease and combating cancers such as:
Breast, cervical, colon, esophagus, pharynx, prostate, mouth, rectum and stomach cancer.

Can tomatoes prevent or treat all these ailments? Yes. The reason is because tomatoes are made up mostly of water. Their nutrients include vitamin A and C, traces of several other vitamins, beta carotene, small amount of iron, other minerals, a little fiber and a very small amount of protein.

Like all fruits and vegetables, tomatoes contain a tiny amount of fat, but no cholesterol.

Well, if you want to lower your cholesterol and prevent other ailments why not start eating good, delicious and natural tomatoes to start lowering your ‘bad’ ldl cholesterol.

Do you know that eating your tomatoes can lower your cholesterol level in your blood? I didn’t know until I read an article about them. This is because tomatoes contain lycopene and it is this substance that give them the color.

Besides, tomatoes come with vitamin A and natural fiber. It is also good for the prevention of prostate problem in men.

A study also found that women with high blood lycopene levels had a reduction in heart disease. In the research, scientists gave half their subjects ketchup and the other half tomato juice. At the end of the study both group taking ketchup and tomatoe juice had their cholesterol dropped by an average of 6%.

Why not try taking more tomatoes and tomato juice. In fact there are so many different ways you can consume them.

You can eat tomatoes; canned, juiced (v-8), bottled (ketchup), fresh (tomato sandwiches… yummy!). You could eat tomatoes raw as a salad, like it’s an apple. They are delicious and healthy for you. Give them a try, see if they make a difference in your health.

Nowadays, it is very important to know if you are taking too much cholesterol when you are eating. In fact, people did not really concern about the cholesterol level in the past. However, more people are aware that a high cholesterol level will have real harm to our health. As a result, we will need to maintain a healthy cholesterol level.

First of all, you may want to know what cholesterol actually is. In fact, it is a kind of lipid which is vital to our body. All of the cells in our body are surrounded by cholesterol. It will insulate nerve fibers and this will help to make sure that the nerve signal can be transmitted through out our body properly.

However, it will be a problem if you have too much cholesterol. It will lead to heart attacks. As a result, we have to control our cholesterol level so that it will not be too high.

As mentioned, a high cholesterol level can increase the risk of having heart attack. You should check with your doctor to see if your level is too high. As a matter of fact, you should have a regular body check so that you can know if you are able to control the level. You should discuss with your doctor as early as possible if you find that the level of your cholesterol in your body is considered too high.

So, what can you do if you find that the level is too high? The first thing you should do is of course to eat healthy. You should try to eat healthy food. Quit smoking is also a most. Apart from the above, it is very important for you to lose some weight if you are overweight. Exercises are also extremely essential. It will help to lower your cholesterol level and at the same time protect you from heart diseases.

Generally, a low fat diet should help to lower the level. Of course you should make sure that the diet you are on should be healthy enough. You should avoid any unhealthy diets. Again, exercising is a must when you are on diet. However, if you find that the level is still too high after being on diet and exercising for six months, you should consult your doctor right away. In this case you may need to take some medications in order to lower your cholesterol level.