Atherosclerosis is the true cause of heart attacks and heart disease-- not cholesterol. This artery disease kills and cripples people by blocking off blood flow to the heart with fatty clots called plaque.

Most people (doctors included) mistakenly believe that cholesterol causes plaque. But it isn't so. Just because doctors found cholesterol in artery plaques, they assumed that high cholesterol was the cause of atherosclerosis. Yet there has never been any medical proof of this.

Far from being the bad guy, cholesterol is absolutely essential to your body. You couldn't survive without it. More than 80% of the cholesterol floating through your bloodstream is produced by your liver. That's its job. Cholesterol breaks down the fats in your diet and helps your body to digest them.

A high cholesterol reading is a warning signal, like the oil light going on in your car. It's warning you that something is making your liver pump out too much cholesterol. Taking drugs is akin to disconnecting the warning light instead of fixing the trouble. Sooner or later your engine is going to be seriously damaged. In the same way, merely treating your symptoms (instead of their causes) becomes a never-ending exercise in futility. You never really get better.

If Cholesterol Isn't The Problem, What Is?
The real villain is whatever is causing cholesterol to clump together into these plaques. That something is too much of the wrong oil and fat in our diet. This is your heart's worst enemy. Here's why ...

Fat Pollutes your Blood
If you've ever had grease stains on your clothes you know how hard they are to remove. That's because fat is difficult to break down. The same is true in your arteries. Consumption of the wrong types of fat makes your liver work overtime, producing extra cholesterol to handle to load.

Fat Damages Your Arteries
Oxygen turns all this extra fat and cholesterol in your bloodstream rancid. (This process is called oxidation.) The same thing happens when you leave fresh meat or butter out of the refrigerator for too long, or your banana or pear turn brown. These rotting fats produce toxins called free radical molecules that damage the smooth walls of your arteries, creating microscopic cracks. Here is the real culprit leading to plaque build up. This rancid fat in your blood makes it flow thick and slow and therefore deposits in those tiny cracks. This is how a clot begins. Over time these fat deposits grow larger. At some point the body lays down calcium on top of them, making plaque. This is called hardening of the arteries... the real cause of a heart attack.

Fat Causes Stroke or Heart Attacks
When plaque begins to narrow the opening of the artery you get high blood pressure, when plaque becomes large enough to block the blood supply to the heart or to the brain you get a heart attack or stroke which can be fatal. But at any time smaller plaques can and do dislodge and obstruct the tiny coronary arteries that supply the heart muscle. This causes terrible chest pain, panic, and irreversible heart damage leading to a heart attack. And oxidation, NOT cholesterol, is the real cause!

The "Cholesterol-Free" Hoax That Could Kill You
Food manufactures are using the cholesterol scare to confuse and trick you. They want you to believe that just because their products contain "no cholesterol" that they are good for you. They aren't so don't you believe them. Polyunsaturated oils from corn, soybean, palm, and coconut oils are just as bad for your arteries.

Even worse, as you probably know, are the products containing vegetable oils that have been "hydrogenated." This process changes the melting point of these oils so they stay solid, even in your bloodstream. You cannot taste it when hydrogenated oils become rancid. This is exactly why they are so popular in cookies, crackers, and so many other packaged foods. But ingesting rancid, oxidized fat is the worst thing you can do to your heart! This is the secret cause of why there's so much heart disease in our country these days.

Want to see just how widespread hydrogenated oil use is? Just read the labels of the processed foods in your pantry and grocery store. You'll be shocked! Up to 75% of all fats now consumed in the U.S. are hydrogenated. They now appear in everything from nondairy coffee creamers to fried corn chips.

Unfortunately, hydrogenation is here to stay. Plans are now being made to hydrogenate omega-3 fish oils and offer it to the public as "heart-healthy" cholesterol-free margarine and shortening. Don't fall for this scam read your labels! There are only a few oils that are good for your arteries and body they are mono-unsaturated unrefined virgin olive oil, flax oil and fish oils that contain omega 3, 6 and 9 essential fatty acids.

The Cholesterol Scare is Nothing More Than A Scape Goat
If cholesterol is innocent, why have doctors focused so much on it instead of condemning plaque and dietary fat? Five reasons...

1. Huge opposition from food manufactures. Doctors would incur the wrath of powerful food lobbies if they blew the whistle.

2. Mistaken assumptions. Because the famous Framingham medical study found that no participant with total cholesterol under 150 had a heart attack during the study, doctors assumed that lowering cholesterol would lower a patient's heart attack risk. But this has never been proven by subsequent tests. In fact, other studies show that two thirds of people with high cholesterol never get heart attacks.

3. Doctors are not educated about diet. They receive almost NO nutritional training in medical school so they're largely unaware of this "fat connection." But even if doctors did know what to tell their patients, they wouldn't have time. The average office visit lasts about seven short minutes!

4. Doctors don't believe you'll change. Doctors are convinced that Americans won't give up their favorite "heart attack foods" no matter what. They've heard so many patients whine that "Life isn't worth living without my (steak, ice cream, potato chips, cigarettes, alcohol, etc.)," that they think everyone is like that. So they don't try.

5. There's BIG money to be made. Drug companies don't have any products that can destroy arterial plaque or halt its oxidation. But they do have drugs that disrupt cholesterol production in your liver. Their bright idea: If we can keep some of this cholesterol out of the bloodstream, less will be oxidized and less plaque will be formed. This way they can legally claim that their drugs fight heart disease.

This is a Colossal Mistake!
That's like putting a filter on the end of a cigarette and claiming it fights lung cancer. What a mistake! The drug industry is using cholesterol as a smokescreen to confuse people so they can make more money. Tragically, their scheme is working. By changing the cholesterol guidelines, drug companies have almost TRIPLED their number of potential customers overnight! Doctors have no choice but to to along. Cholesterol drugs are now the leading prescription written by doctors. The cost? About $80.00 to $135.00 per month. Can you really afford this extra expense which can become a lifetime bill?

These drugs do nothing to correct the underlying reason your liver is producing more cholesterol. So when you stop taking, your levels soar again. Most people who get started rarely get off. This is a marketer's dream...but it could be a nightmare for you. Because all cholesterol drugs produce unpleasant side effects...from bloating, nausea, constipation, and muscle soreness, to cataracts, liver damage, cancer and even death! The most popular drugs (statins) can weaken your heart muscle so severely that they can actually cause a heart condition.

Are You Already on Cholesterol Medication?
You are probably already aware of the importance of CoQ10 for your heart. But what you may not know is that if you are taking any of the popular statin drugs to lower your cholesterol, your heart muscle is being depleted of this important nutrient. CoQ10 supplies the energy for your heart's pumping action. Without a sufficient supply of CoQ10 the heart simply fails. New studies overwhelmingly show that any and all of the statins create dangerous CoQ10 deficiencies that can lead to congestive heart failure. The only way to protect yourself is to make sure you take CoQ10 supplements with your medication.

If you are currently on any cholesterol drug you can benefit from all of the plaque-busting remedies. Each one is so safe that any can be taken with your medication to help them work even better. They'll help drop your numbers faster so your doctor can reduce your dose...or even eliminate it entirely. This is important because most cholesterol medications produce side effects and cause long term damage you your liver, kidneys, and heart. Some can even kill you. So the less you take, the sooner you'll be off them so you can get on with the real job of erasing the plaque in your arteries. Think of the money you'll save! Here's what you can do right now.

Make a deal with your doctor that every time you drop your cholesterol level, he'll cut your prescription dose. When your numbers hit the "safety zone," ask him to take you off the drug altogether and monitor how well these non-drug alternatives are working all by themselves.

Your dose may be too high anyway. Recent studies show that many patients (especially those over 60) do just as well on lower doses of many prescriptions drugs. The extra amount could be what's causing uncomfortable or harmful side effects.) Ask your MD to lower your dose and watch how you feel. Chances are you'll get the same result, yet feel much better.

If your doctor is pressuring you to start on a medication, ask for a little extra time to try some of the non-drug remedies. You may not need drugs at all! Then call me to set up your nutritional consultation either over the phone or in person at Complete Health in Agoura Hills, California.

Alternatives to Cholesterol Drugs
During our nutritional consultation you will learn how to lower your cholesterol but more importantly how to halt the oxidation of your cholesterol. You will also learn how to prevent the formation of plaque in your arteries and most importantly, how to erase the plaque that's already there! You will be given an individualized program based on your needs so you will once again have the vibrant health that your deserve. Remember the solution lies in correcting the cause I, can help you do that. I might recommend Tripticol which is a synergistic formula designed and patented to lower LDL "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides, and raise HDL "good " cholesterol.

You may be required to take a Cardiovascular Risk Assessment this is one of the most comprehensive tests available which utilizes cutting edge research. For instance a component of the test measures homocysteine levels, a recent marker for cardio vascular disease(CVD). High levels of the amino acid homocysteine, for example, have been correlated with mechanisms related to artery damage and blood clotting.

Call to set up a nutritional consultation so that tests can be performed and a comprehensive strategy of lifestyle, dietary modification and nutrient supplementation can be implemented to aid you in reversing this disorder.

For an appointment, call 9818) 707-3126 OR TOLL FREE (800) 956-7083 or go to lab tests and click on appropriate test for information.

Dr. Rispoli, Ph.D., L.Ac. has had a clinical practice for over 20 years. Her programs work because she is so thorough in testing and providing a nutritional approach. Remember that the body can heal itself if given the proper nutrients.

The information herein is not intended as diagnosis, treatment or a cure. Should you have a medical condition please seek the advice of your medical doctor.