Welcome to my blog!!! I have been an herbalist & an aromatherapist for over 20 years!! My blog is over 10 years old & there are over 100 informative blogs here. Not only do I have hopes of teaching the masses, I too, have learned a lot during my research on different topics! There's always new & updated information in the herbal & essential oil worlds. There are blogs on herbs, essential oils, nutrition, supplements, different modalities of healing and just a little bit of everything!! Maybe in reading my blogs, just one person will come away with a bit of knowledge that they might be able to help themselves or another human being, I would consider that to be a great blessing.....

Over the years I have had several businesses. It seems I can't get away from seeing if a certain herb or essential oil can help a fellow human and that's usually how it starts. I am now in Arizona and I was asked again if I would be interested in starting another herbal business!! We now have Herbs 4 Health!! Providing numerous herbs....herbal blends....single essential oils...essential oil blends....minerals....tinctures all to help the body to heal itself.

The information in these blogs is not meant in any way shape or form to plagiarize, for I have never said this is all MY work. It is a compilation of reputable informative websites, my 'go to' books I have always depended upon & my own knowledge. I gather & put together information to help people learn & this way they can come back here to help remind themselves of said information instead of 'where oh where did I find that on the world wide web'. Seems to me it's just better & easier.

DISCLAIMER: All the information in these blogs do not diagnose, treat or heal any type illness or disease.

























Monday, July 10, 2023

Cholesterol - Bad, Good, What??


Cholesterol is a waxy substance, or a lipid, made by your liver but it also comes from the animal foods (meat, dairy, poultry) you eat. It's not inherently bad & your body needs it to build cells, Vit. D & certain hormones. Those foods are also high in saturated & trans fats & those foods can cause the liver to make an excess of cholesterol. so it's that added production of it than can cause a health issue as can smoking, kidney disease, diabetes, genetics, inactivity & hypothyroidism.

Cholesterol does not dissolve in water. To help it move through the blood, the liver makes lipoproteins. These are made from fat & protein. Many don't even realize these are issues until they develop serious complications, which is why you should have it checked & get a routine cholesterol screening.

So all that being said...why is it important?? Well it circulates in the blood. so as it increases in the blood, so does the health risk. There are 2 types of cholesterol LDL (low density lipoproteins) the bad kind & HDL (high density lipoproteins) the good kind. This cholesterol, along with other substances can form a thick, hard deposit on the inside of the arteries also called plaque & causes them to be less flexible, which is called arteriosclerosis. If a clot forms & blocks one of these narrowed arteries, the result could be heart attack of stroke.

The HDL helps return the LDL back to your liver to be removed from your body. This helps to prevent it from building up in your arteries.

There are several types of statins that one can take which can have negative side effects. There are also other mediations they can give you that can have bad side effects.

There are diet, lifestyle changes you can make too along with certain supplements & foods that can help lower your cholesterol levels. For example: garlic, hawthorn, astragalus, red yeast rice, psyllium, ground flaxseeds, rosemary, turmeric, ginger, holy basil, yarrow, artichoke leaf extract, fenugreek seeds & leaves. 

Concerning one's diet: limit foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, trans fats. Chose lean protein such as chicken, fish & legumes. Eat a wide variety of fruits, veggies & whole grains. Choose baked, broiled, steamed, grilled or roasted foods instead of fried foods. Avoid fast food & high sugared pre-packaged food whenever possible.

According to Harvard Health, these foods can help to lower cholesterol. Whole grains such as oats, barley, oat bran, beans, eggplant, okra, almonds & other assorted nuts, fruits, fatty fish that are loaded with omega 3's  & of course lots of fiber.

So, in conclusion, on can make dramatic changes to their lifestyle & possibly make great improvements to their cholesterol levels. The answer isn't always in prescriptions.