Dr. K.S Kishore

1. Eat heart-healthy foods

Even if you have years of unhealthy eating under your belt, making a few changes in your diet can reduce cholesterol and improve your heart health.

Choose healthier fats. Saturated fats, found primarily in red meat and dairy products, raise your total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (ldl) cholesterol, the" bad" cholesterol. As a rule, you should get less than 7 percent of your daily calories from saturated fat. Choose leaner cuts of meat, low-fat dairy and monounsaturated fats — found in olive and canola oils — for healthier options.

Eliminate trans fats. Trans fats affect cholesterol levels by increasing the" bad" cholesterol and lowering the" good" cholesterol. This bad combination increases the risk of heart attacks. Trans fats can be found in fried foods and many commercial products, such as cookies, crackers and snack cakes. But don't rely on packages that are labeled" trans fat-free" in the united states, if a food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat in a serving, it can be labeled" trans fat-free"

Even small amounts of trans fat can add up if you eat foods that contain small amounts of trans fat. Read the ingredient list, and avoid foods with partially hydrogenated oils.

Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids don't affect ldl cholesterol. They have other heart benefits, such as helping to increase high-density lipoprotein (hdl, or" good") cholesterol, reducing your triglycerides, a type of fat in your blood, and reducing blood pressure. Some types of fish — such as salmon, mackerel and herring — are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Other good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include walnuts, almonds and ground flaxseeds. Increase soluble fiber. There are two types of fiber — soluble and insoluble. Both have heart-health benefits, but soluble fiber also helps lower your ldl levels. You can add soluble fiber to your diet by eating oats and oat bran, fruits, beans, lentils, and vegetables.

Add whey protein. Whey protein is one of two proteins in dairy products — the other is casein. Whey protein may account for many of the health benefits attributed to dairy. Studies have shown that whey protein given as a supplement lowers both ldl and total cholesterol.

You can find whey protein powders in health food stores and some grocery stores. Follow the package directions for how to use them.

2. Exercise on most days of the week and increase your physical activity

Exercise can improve cholesterol. Moderate physical activity can help raise high-density lipoprotein (hdl) cholesterol, the" good" cholesterol. With your doctor's ok, work up to at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.

Adding physical activity, even in 10-minute intervals several times a day, can help you begin to lose weight. Just be sure that you can keep up the changes you decide to make. Consider:

Taking a brisk daily walk during your lunch hourriding your bike to workswimming lapsplaying a favorite sport

To stay motivated, find an exercise buddy or join an exercise group. And remember, any activity is helpful. Even taking the stairs instead of the elevator or doing a few situps while watching television can make a difference.

3. Quit smoking

If you smoke, stop. Quitting might improve your hdl cholesterol level. And the benefits don't end there.

Within 20 minutes of quitting, your blood pressure and heart rate decrease. Within one year, your risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker. Within 15 years, your risk of heart disease is similar to someone who never smoked.

4. Lose weight

Carrying even a few extra pounds contributes to high cholesterol. Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your weight can improve cholesterol levels.
Start by evaluating your eating habits and daily routine. Consider your challenges to weight loss and ways to overcome them.
Small changes add up. If you eat when you're bored or frustrated, take a walk instead. If you pick up fast food for lunch every day, pack something healthier from home. For snacks, munch on carrot sticks or air-popped popcorn instead of potato chips. Don't eat mindlessly.

And look for ways to incorporate more activity into your daily routine, such as using the stairs instead of taking the elevator or parking farther from your office.

5. Drink alcohol only in moderation

Moderate use of alcohol has been linked with higher levels of hdl cholesterol — but the benefits aren't strong enough to recommend alcohol for anyone who doesn't already drink. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than age 65, and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger.

Too much alcohol can lead to serious health problems, including high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke.

If lifestyle changes aren't enough.

Sometimes healthy lifestyle changes aren't enough to lower cholesterol levels. Make sure the changes you make are ones you can continue to do, and don't be disappointed if you don't see results immediately. If your doctor recommends medication to help lower your cholesterol, take it as prescribed, but continue your lifestyle changes. Lifestyle changes can help you keep your medication dose low.

The Homeopathic medicines have been made use of even before the 18th century, but the systematic investigation and thorough study on these medicines were carried out by the German physician Samuel Christian Hahnemann. Homeopathic medicines are very useful in strengthening the resistance of an individual to an illness and medications are provided after studying the sick patient and not the disease. The medicines prescribed do not mainly depend on the diagnostic testing or blood chemistry analysis. They are, in fact, prescribed on the basis of direct observation of the symptoms reported by a patient.

How effective is homeopathy in treating cardiovascular diseases?
Homeopathy medicines are widely used to treat several medical conditions. Homeopaths prescribe constructional remedies for illnesses that are chronic in nature and these mainly include cardiovascular complaints. It is after understanding the cardiac symptoms of a patient are homeopathic medicines prescribed. The different cardiac complaints for which homeopathic medicines can be taken include congestive heart failure, palpitations, angina and syncope.

The homeopathy medicines are used to treat even many clinical and cardiovascular diseases. Many random trials have been done to prove that homeopathy treatment is effective in treating conditions like childhood diarrhoea, allergic conditions and post-operative conditions. These medicines are also used to treat respiratory, nervous cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. High blood pressure can also be treated using the homeopathy medicines. This is because an increased blood pressure is very risky as it can cause heart troubles and there are possibilities of an individual having a stroke.

Cardiac problems that can be Treated By Homeopathy Medicines

1. Conditions like nervousness and worrying are the main cause of hypertension and it results in high blood pressure. Hence, this condition should be checked on time.
2. It is very important that right medications are taken and that are prescribed by a qualified doctor. The homeopathic medicines that are prescribed for high blood pressure include Nux vomica, Calcarea carbonica, Sanguinaria, Plumbum and Phosphorous.
3. Use of homeopathic medicines unlike the prescription medicines does not cause any side effects, and they are of great use in decreasing hypertension.

However, homeopathic medicines should also be taken after consulting the Doctor. The blood pressure and cholesterol level of an individual are lowered using homeopathic medicines, and these are of great use in preventing a heart attack. There are many cardiologists who even prescribe homeopathic medicines to their patients for treating a cardiovascular disease. The depiction of cardiac symptoms is quite different and these include bursting, aching, cold, cramps, heaviness, jerks, pulsation, spasm, oppression and throbbing and depending on the symptoms, homeopathic medicines are provided to treat the health condition. If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult a homeopath.