Written by Oliver Samson
Business Mirror Health News
http://www.healthandfitness.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/health-news/165-understanding-cholesterol-and-the-role-of-magnesium-sulfur-in-our-health
Business Mirror Health News
http://www.healthandfitness.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/health-news/165-understanding-cholesterol-and-the-role-of-magnesium-sulfur-in-our-health
CHOLESTEROL is widely thought as bad for the health. But this notorious fat, which is associated to heart problems, is essential to the body, said Mary Jean Netario Cruz, an integrative-health consultant.
“When we talk of cholesterol, what people have in mind is that it is bad to the body,” she told the BusinessMirror. “Then again, it is vital that we know the importance of cholesterol.”
Cholesterol is a substance that belongs to a class of steroids, said Cruz, who went to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, where she was certified as a well-being coach. It is present in the blood and cells in the body. She pointed out that the human body manufactures most of its cholesterol, while the rest are taken from the nutrients we ingest.
“The body cells form up to 85 percent of the fat, which is called endogenous cholesterol, while the exogenous cholesterol, which could be up to 25 percent [that we get from our diet with highly saturated and polyunsaturated fats], is absorbed each day from the gastrointestinal tract.”
According to Cruz, who is a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, cholesterol supports the body in the production and maintenance of cell membranes. It also helps the skin resist the absorption of highly water-soluble substances and inhibits water in the body from evaporating from it.
Cholesterol also supports in the manufacture of steroid hormones, she noted. The ovary needs it to produce estrogen and progesterone and testes to produce testosterone. “These glands can form these hormones from synthesizing their own sterols,” she stressed. “Cholesterol is pro-creation.”
The body also requires cholesterol in the production of cholic acid in the liver, she pointed out. “As much as 80 percent of the total cholesterol in the body is converted to cholic acid, to form bile salts for the digestion and absorption of fats.”
She revealed, one of the many benefits cholesterol gives to the body is the essential role it plays in the synthesis of a hormone known as vitamin D when skin is bared to sunlight. In her book the Magnesium Miracle, Dr. Carolyn Dean, both a medical and naturopathic doctor based in the United States, mentioned that cholesterol builds up when diet is high in saturated and polyunsaturated fats, hydrogenated oils, fried foods, meat, sugar, coffee and alcohol.
She pointed out that cholesterol level rises, especially when diet is deficient in fiber from whole grains and vegetables.
Dean, referred to by her followers as “The Doctor of the Future,” also stated in her book that a sedentary life contributes to high levels of cholesterol in the body. She brought up that most people were conditioned to believe that elevated cholesterol is the “only cause of heart” disease.
According to her, epidemiologists and dental anthropologists had proven that people long ago ate diets high in cholesterol for thousands of years. But these people suffered very little heart disease, she noted.
Once a country started to eat refined and processed foods, health declines in a number of ways, Dean said. On the other hand, Cruz noted that when cholesterol builds up in the blood vessels, the heart is put at risk.
“Cholesterol is dissolved by lipid,” she stressed. “It cannot be dissolved in the blood that it needs a carrier lipoprotein. Low-density lipoprotein [LDL, or bad cholesterol] and high-density lipoprotein [HDL, or good cholesterol] belong to this lipoprotein family.”
Cruz also explained that bad and good are only attributions as cholesterol is cholesterol and the bad and good is when they are in excess or proper amount. The LDL carrier through the bloodstream transports bad cholesterol, Cruz explained. For two-and-a-half days it passes around the blood to bind with LDL receptors. During the process, the bad cholesterol is open to oxidation and harmful reactions in the blood occur. The HDL carrier transports excess LDL cholesterol back to the liver.
“The more the HDL, the better,” she noted.
When cholesterol buildup occurs, macrophages are alerted to protect the blood vessels, she explained. They come to the rescue by ingesting and further oxidizing LDL cholesterol. During the course, the macrophages assume a foam-like form called macrophage foam cells and attached itself in the arteries.
“As foam cells grow bigger and bigger, arteries narrow and blood circulation becomes abnormal,” Cruz explained. “During this action, the macrophages release substance, which is inflammatory.” When inflammation follows, calcium enters into the cell causing the arteries to harden, she said.
Dean cited that cholesterol also builds up due to stress, as it produces toxins in the body that requires cholesterol to act as antioxidant. Physicians usually prescribe statins to lower cholesterol level, Dean quipped, while adding, statins are drugs that inhibit a specific enzyme in the liver, which helps in the production of cholesterol.
Cholesterol lowers when the enzyme is blocked. She said this enzyme does other important roles in the body than just producing cholesterol. Blocking it with statins could lead to unwanted results. She noted that the lower the cholesterol, the lower the libido.
Statin drug has adverse reactions, such as muscle pains, muscle damage, nerve damage, impotence and memory problem, Dean said. It also inhibits the production of coenzyme Q10, which is a fat-soluble antioxidant traced in mitochondria.
She stated that all energy in the body is manufactured in mitochondria. Treatment of statin side effects includes high doses of coenzyme Q10, Dean pointed out.
Dean has successfully helped a 65-year-old Filipino in Hawaii who works as a golf-course lawn mower to bring his cholesterol to its normal level using magnesium and vitamins, Cruz revealed. She also claimed that when a client with gout tried Magiteque Therapy, the attending physician told the patient that he does not know of any medicine, which can lower cholesterol level that fast after seeing the blood test result.
Magiteque Therapy is the full-body repletion of magnesium and organic sulfur via the skin, particularly focused on the affected area, said Cruz. Both minerals in liquid form are sprayed on the affected area until pain and swelling are gone. “It is repeated on a regular basis until the client feels better based on his body’s feedback,” she disclosed.
Dean also divulged that magnesium as a natural statin helps balance cholesterol in the body. It prevents calcium from entering the cells and its buildup, which effect could harden the blood vessels.
“The precursor enzyme to produce cholesterol is called HMG-CoA reductase. The magnesium slows down this enzymatic reaction when it is present in right amount. The mechanism of statin is the same. But magnesium is the natural way to control cholesterol without the side effects of statin.”
Dean noted that when the body has enough magnesium, cholesterol is confined to performing its non-toxic functions.
Cruz, the Magnesium Maven, also believes that cholesterol becomes water soluble when sulfated. Her research on organic sulfur had led her to an article by Stephanie Seneff, a doctor of philosophy. The article highlighted that cholesterol when sulfated can pass freely through the cell membrane, allowing the cholesterol sulfate to easily get into the cell. Cholesterol does not need to be packaged into LDL to be delivered into the cell.
Organic sulfur is a precursor of glutathione, she stated, noting that glutathione is the mother of all antioxidants.
“Capsaicin in chili is also found effective in reducing bad cholesterol, while vinegar acetic acid softens mineral deposits such as lime, which, in turn, softens calcium deposits, noting that lime is composed of the mineral calcite [calcium carbonate],” Cruz claimed.
Cruz identified foods containing magnesium like rice bran, dried herbs coriander, pumpkin seeds, cacao, cashew nuts, pili nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, molasses and soybeans.
On the other hand, she listed foods rich in sulfur, which include egg, dairy products, seafood, nuts, durian, garlic, onion, ginger, turmeric, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, kale and other green leafy vegetables.
“But these food sources may not meet the adequate amount of magnesium and sulfur required by the body, especially when your body is already deficient,” Cruz cautioned. The most effective way to get the right amount of both minerals is by taking them as supplements, she advised.
“The body has a built-in mechanism to address overdose,” Cruz said. “One percent of the total magnesium in the body is in the blood. The kidneys purge any excess, and diarrhea is experienced. It happens when magnesium is taken orally. For intravenous protocol, it has to be administered by a license medical practitioner.”
She, however, noted the transdermal protocol is the safest and fastest way to replace magnesium and organic sulfur in the body via the skin. It is directly received by the cells taking only the amount that they need. She reminded that appropriate physical exercise is also effective in fighting elevated cholesterol levels.
Cruz, who founded and currently chairs the Soup of the Day wellness group, has been helping clients with various health concerns using magnesium and organic sulfur. She works with integrative medical doctor practitioners and tagged by Dean as the “magnesium maven.”
Her clients include people who suffer from migraine, hypertension, adrenal fatigue, insomnia and other health problems. She had successfully helped in many cases of arthritis.
Her approach integrates the state of the mind, social relationship, career, financial issues, traumatic experiences, lack of sleep and other significant unresolved issues together to facilitate understanding of health condition.
“Empowerment through understanding is the best step to take,” she said. “No one is responsible to his well-being but the person himself. If you don’t own the responsibility to your well-being, who else will?”
“When we talk of cholesterol, what people have in mind is that it is bad to the body,” she told the BusinessMirror. “Then again, it is vital that we know the importance of cholesterol.”
Cholesterol is a substance that belongs to a class of steroids, said Cruz, who went to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York, where she was certified as a well-being coach. It is present in the blood and cells in the body. She pointed out that the human body manufactures most of its cholesterol, while the rest are taken from the nutrients we ingest.
“The body cells form up to 85 percent of the fat, which is called endogenous cholesterol, while the exogenous cholesterol, which could be up to 25 percent [that we get from our diet with highly saturated and polyunsaturated fats], is absorbed each day from the gastrointestinal tract.”
According to Cruz, who is a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, cholesterol supports the body in the production and maintenance of cell membranes. It also helps the skin resist the absorption of highly water-soluble substances and inhibits water in the body from evaporating from it.
Cholesterol also supports in the manufacture of steroid hormones, she noted. The ovary needs it to produce estrogen and progesterone and testes to produce testosterone. “These glands can form these hormones from synthesizing their own sterols,” she stressed. “Cholesterol is pro-creation.”
The body also requires cholesterol in the production of cholic acid in the liver, she pointed out. “As much as 80 percent of the total cholesterol in the body is converted to cholic acid, to form bile salts for the digestion and absorption of fats.”
She revealed, one of the many benefits cholesterol gives to the body is the essential role it plays in the synthesis of a hormone known as vitamin D when skin is bared to sunlight. In her book the Magnesium Miracle, Dr. Carolyn Dean, both a medical and naturopathic doctor based in the United States, mentioned that cholesterol builds up when diet is high in saturated and polyunsaturated fats, hydrogenated oils, fried foods, meat, sugar, coffee and alcohol.
She pointed out that cholesterol level rises, especially when diet is deficient in fiber from whole grains and vegetables.
Dean, referred to by her followers as “The Doctor of the Future,” also stated in her book that a sedentary life contributes to high levels of cholesterol in the body. She brought up that most people were conditioned to believe that elevated cholesterol is the “only cause of heart” disease.
According to her, epidemiologists and dental anthropologists had proven that people long ago ate diets high in cholesterol for thousands of years. But these people suffered very little heart disease, she noted.
Once a country started to eat refined and processed foods, health declines in a number of ways, Dean said. On the other hand, Cruz noted that when cholesterol builds up in the blood vessels, the heart is put at risk.
“Cholesterol is dissolved by lipid,” she stressed. “It cannot be dissolved in the blood that it needs a carrier lipoprotein. Low-density lipoprotein [LDL, or bad cholesterol] and high-density lipoprotein [HDL, or good cholesterol] belong to this lipoprotein family.”
Cruz also explained that bad and good are only attributions as cholesterol is cholesterol and the bad and good is when they are in excess or proper amount. The LDL carrier through the bloodstream transports bad cholesterol, Cruz explained. For two-and-a-half days it passes around the blood to bind with LDL receptors. During the process, the bad cholesterol is open to oxidation and harmful reactions in the blood occur. The HDL carrier transports excess LDL cholesterol back to the liver.
“The more the HDL, the better,” she noted.
When cholesterol buildup occurs, macrophages are alerted to protect the blood vessels, she explained. They come to the rescue by ingesting and further oxidizing LDL cholesterol. During the course, the macrophages assume a foam-like form called macrophage foam cells and attached itself in the arteries.
“As foam cells grow bigger and bigger, arteries narrow and blood circulation becomes abnormal,” Cruz explained. “During this action, the macrophages release substance, which is inflammatory.” When inflammation follows, calcium enters into the cell causing the arteries to harden, she said.
Dean cited that cholesterol also builds up due to stress, as it produces toxins in the body that requires cholesterol to act as antioxidant. Physicians usually prescribe statins to lower cholesterol level, Dean quipped, while adding, statins are drugs that inhibit a specific enzyme in the liver, which helps in the production of cholesterol.
Cholesterol lowers when the enzyme is blocked. She said this enzyme does other important roles in the body than just producing cholesterol. Blocking it with statins could lead to unwanted results. She noted that the lower the cholesterol, the lower the libido.
Statin drug has adverse reactions, such as muscle pains, muscle damage, nerve damage, impotence and memory problem, Dean said. It also inhibits the production of coenzyme Q10, which is a fat-soluble antioxidant traced in mitochondria.
She stated that all energy in the body is manufactured in mitochondria. Treatment of statin side effects includes high doses of coenzyme Q10, Dean pointed out.
Dean has successfully helped a 65-year-old Filipino in Hawaii who works as a golf-course lawn mower to bring his cholesterol to its normal level using magnesium and vitamins, Cruz revealed. She also claimed that when a client with gout tried Magiteque Therapy, the attending physician told the patient that he does not know of any medicine, which can lower cholesterol level that fast after seeing the blood test result.
Magiteque Therapy is the full-body repletion of magnesium and organic sulfur via the skin, particularly focused on the affected area, said Cruz. Both minerals in liquid form are sprayed on the affected area until pain and swelling are gone. “It is repeated on a regular basis until the client feels better based on his body’s feedback,” she disclosed.
Dean also divulged that magnesium as a natural statin helps balance cholesterol in the body. It prevents calcium from entering the cells and its buildup, which effect could harden the blood vessels.
“The precursor enzyme to produce cholesterol is called HMG-CoA reductase. The magnesium slows down this enzymatic reaction when it is present in right amount. The mechanism of statin is the same. But magnesium is the natural way to control cholesterol without the side effects of statin.”
Dean noted that when the body has enough magnesium, cholesterol is confined to performing its non-toxic functions.
Cruz, the Magnesium Maven, also believes that cholesterol becomes water soluble when sulfated. Her research on organic sulfur had led her to an article by Stephanie Seneff, a doctor of philosophy. The article highlighted that cholesterol when sulfated can pass freely through the cell membrane, allowing the cholesterol sulfate to easily get into the cell. Cholesterol does not need to be packaged into LDL to be delivered into the cell.
Organic sulfur is a precursor of glutathione, she stated, noting that glutathione is the mother of all antioxidants.
“Capsaicin in chili is also found effective in reducing bad cholesterol, while vinegar acetic acid softens mineral deposits such as lime, which, in turn, softens calcium deposits, noting that lime is composed of the mineral calcite [calcium carbonate],” Cruz claimed.
Cruz identified foods containing magnesium like rice bran, dried herbs coriander, pumpkin seeds, cacao, cashew nuts, pili nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, molasses and soybeans.
On the other hand, she listed foods rich in sulfur, which include egg, dairy products, seafood, nuts, durian, garlic, onion, ginger, turmeric, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, kale and other green leafy vegetables.
“But these food sources may not meet the adequate amount of magnesium and sulfur required by the body, especially when your body is already deficient,” Cruz cautioned. The most effective way to get the right amount of both minerals is by taking them as supplements, she advised.
“The body has a built-in mechanism to address overdose,” Cruz said. “One percent of the total magnesium in the body is in the blood. The kidneys purge any excess, and diarrhea is experienced. It happens when magnesium is taken orally. For intravenous protocol, it has to be administered by a license medical practitioner.”
She, however, noted the transdermal protocol is the safest and fastest way to replace magnesium and organic sulfur in the body via the skin. It is directly received by the cells taking only the amount that they need. She reminded that appropriate physical exercise is also effective in fighting elevated cholesterol levels.
Cruz, who founded and currently chairs the Soup of the Day wellness group, has been helping clients with various health concerns using magnesium and organic sulfur. She works with integrative medical doctor practitioners and tagged by Dean as the “magnesium maven.”
Her clients include people who suffer from migraine, hypertension, adrenal fatigue, insomnia and other health problems. She had successfully helped in many cases of arthritis.
Her approach integrates the state of the mind, social relationship, career, financial issues, traumatic experiences, lack of sleep and other significant unresolved issues together to facilitate understanding of health condition.
“Empowerment through understanding is the best step to take,” she said. “No one is responsible to his well-being but the person himself. If you don’t own the responsibility to your well-being, who else will?”
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