New Study for Lowering Cholesterol

Keeping total cholesterol levels as well as LDL levels low has been a big focus in the medical community for the past decade. It seems that a new cholesterol drug is introduced weekly to compete for the top spot. The most common type of cholesterol lowering medications are a class of drugs referred to as statins. This class represents such prescription drugs as Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor, among many others. These drug do a fantastic job at lowering overall cholesterol levels. However, as with most prescription medications, there are many side effects to statin drugs. The most common of these side effects is mild to severe muscle pain and soreness.

As with most health conditions, I urge my patients to take an active role in becoming well. For patients with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), I will always advise diet modifications, exercise and nutritional supplementation before conforming to the norm and taking a prescribed medication. There are many supplements available that have shown promise in lowering cholesterol. Most of these supplements are never going to work as well as a prescription drug because they are not as potent. However, these supplements will not have the harmful side effects as their powerful prescription counterparts.

A new study has emerged in the Annals of Internal Medicine about a natural supplement that has been around for a long time. This supplement is called red yeast rice. The study showed very promising results in lowering total cholesterol levels when combined with a better diet and exercise. This was a small study, so more investigation into this supplement is necessary. You can read more about this study by clicking the following link: www.healinghandsofskokie.com/red-yeast-rice-study.html.

In addition to red yeast rice, supplements such as guggulipid (guggul extract), fish oils and pantethine have shown promise for lowering cholesterol. For more information, please visit www.HealingHandsOfSkokie.com/ or call us as (847) 673-6600!

Welcome to the Healing Hands Blog!

I would like to welcome readers to the blog for Healing Hands Wellness & Chiropractic Center. This is the first entry into this blog. The reason I began this blog was to give my patients and other members of the community a place to check in for the latest news in healthcare. Frequently, interesting healthcare studies and other health-related reports are released to the public. When I come across these studies, I will post them on this blog and link any relavent information to them. I encourage everyone to comment on their thoughts about what is reported!

To give a little background on myself, I was born and raised in Quincy, IL. I attended the University of Illinois and then continued into chiropractic at the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, IL. After practicing in other clinics around the Chicagoland area, I established Healing Hands Wellness & Chiropractic Center in Skokie, IL with my partner Dr. Lisa Milosavljevic ("Dr. Milo"). Our clinic offers chiropractic, acupuncture, physical rehabilitation, custom foot orthotics and much more. Both Dr. Milo and myself come from medically-driven families. Between us, our immediate families include a family practice doctor, an OB-GYN, an ER physician, a surgeon and 3 nurses. We feel our expertise and the knowledge of those who surround us allow us to treat patients with a wide array of ailments.

For more information on us or Healing Hands Wellness & Chiropractic Center, please visit our website www.HealingHandsOfSkokie.com/ or call (847) 673-6600.

-Dr. Daniel Wiewel