A Jacaranda FM listener has a family member who suffers from alcohol addiction and wanted to know what natural products could be used to support his body.

Firstly, alcohol addiction is a serious condition and needs to be addressed from several angles, including rehabilitation and counselling, nutritional support and medicinal support where necessary. It is important to support the body as much as possible, as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

Excessive alcohol abuse over a long period leads to chronic or permanent damage to important organs like the liver, pancreas, kidneys to name just a few.

One needs to consider liver damage first as this is the first organ which has to protect the body from toxins. It works very hard on a daily basis and a natural product like Flora Force Liver Flush capsules may be useful. The specific combination of herbs help to stimulate metabolism and support the liver and gallbladder, pancreas and digestive system. Supporting the digestive system means absorption of nutrients is improved which in turn helps the body to defend itself better and to recover better from damage caused by toxins like alcohol.

A Jacaranda FM listener wanted to know what lifestyle changes may help to manage high cholesterol.

Answer:
One could easily achieve more efficient management of high cholesterol with a couple of simple lifestyle changes. Most of these changes have to do with changes in behaviours which have become ingraned habits. Some changes are easier and quicker to implement than others, but the key is to remember that Rome was not built in a day. High cholesterol is not something that happens overnight, it develops slowly over many years. So be realistic in your expectations as you will unlikely see or experience instant results. Just persist because better health also takes time to develop, so most of the benefits may only start to show or be experienced well after 4 to 6 weeks of consistent implementation.

Tips
- Don’t try to implement all the changes in one go, rather go step by step from one week to the next.
- Going it alone can be very daunting, it may be easier if you make these changes together with your spouse, partner or a friend.

Lifestyle changes to implement
1) Take regular exercise – 30 minutes moderate cardiovascular excercize at least 3 to 4 times per week
2) Eat a balanced diet
- Fresh vegetables and fruit daily (veg should form the bulk of your diet – the dark green & orange/yellow ones!)
- Eat whole grains with high fibre content daily, e.g. oats, whole wheat bread, whole fruits, etc.
- Red meat (lean cuts / low fat) in moderation only 2 to 3 days a week
- Use good quality unsaturated fats like olive oil (don’t cook with olive oil) and coconut oil
- Eat a hand full of raw, unsalted nuts daily (not peanuts or pistachios).
- Avoid processed foods
- Avoid refined flour products (white flour breads, biscuits, cakes, etc)
- Avoid luxuries that are high in sugar – sweets, chocolates etc.
- Avoid fast & junk foods at all costs, especially in the first couple of weeks, as they’re looooaded with salt, bad/damaged fats and refined sugars
3) Drink only water. Avoid fizzy drinks, processed and artificial fruit juices, etc. Replace coffee & tea with rooibos tea or green tea (without sugar or milk).
4) Quit smoking tobacco
5) Reduce alcohol intake – 1 light alcoholic beverage per day MAY be beneficial to general heart health but it does not mean you MUST drink alcohol
6) Lose weight if necessary

Let’s expand on the question about how Cholesterol Aid can help to naturally support healthy cholesterol levels…

First, remember the blood lipid (fat) lowering as well as the circulatory and anti-inflammatory benefits of some of the ingredients in Cholesterol Aid, as mentioned in the previous post.

It is also important to know that one of the complications of high cholesterol is the development of hardening of blood vessels (calcification/atherosclerosis). When that happens, blood vessels are unable to stretch and contract appropriately which in turn may lead to high blood pressure and increases the risk factor for occlusion of blood vessels and/or the rupture of cholesterol plaques. Flora Force’s Cholesterol Aid contains Folic acid as well as Vitamin B6 and B12 – three nutrients which may help to keep bloodvessels supple.

Now, there is another important issue to keep in mind: When a cholesterol plaque ruptures, small pieces of plaque travel in the blood stream and may cause a blockage in small blood vessels in organs or tissues, such as the heart and brain – i.e. a heart attack or stroke! One of the main factors that causes the rupture of such cholesterol plaques is chronic low grade inflammation. That is why some ingredients with natural anti-inflammatory effects are included in Cholesterol Aid.

Some of the herbal ingredients are known to stimulate circulation, but more importantly, to also support liver function.

I want to emphasize again that one should not rely only on medication to manage or control high cholesterol. Lifestyle and nutritional modifications are important for effective management of high cholesterol.