High cholesterol has always been considered by many as an important tool to determine cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. After all, too much cholesterol can contribute towards the development of plaque in the arteries. But even individuals with healthy cholesterol levels may already have CVD. In fact, 48% of individuals with healthy total cholesterol have other heart disease factors. One study shows that among patients with a normal total cholesterol level of under 200, 37% already had CVD. Among the 37%:

• 19% had high homocysteine,
• 13% had high Lipoprotein a, and
• 8% had high C-Reactive Protein

More than 5% of them had 2 out of 3 of these factors elevated. This means that homocysteine, C-Reactive Protein (CRP), and lipoprotein a (Lp(a)) may be more specific predictive markers of CVD.

Further studies have demonstrated that heart attack and heart disease risk increases with these markers.

• If homocysteine is high - associated with 3-fold heart attack risk
• When homocysteine increases by 5 points, heart attack risk increases 16-fold in men and 18-fold in women
• If CRP is high - associated with 2-fold heart disease risk
• If Lp(a) is high -associated with 3-fold heart disease risk
• With smoking, hypertension, Diabetes, this increases to 7 to 20 times the risk
• If homocysteine is also high, the risk increases to 31.7 times

So it is really important to not only focus on cholesterol as a predictive marker for CVD. Checking other clinical markers like CRP, homocysteine and Lp(a) can provide a clearer picture of cardiovascular risk. Table 1 provides a reference of ideal levels of these markers and recommended supplements.

When homocysteine is high, it causes hardening and thickening of the arteries, leading to atherosclerosis and blood clots. Many lab tests consider homocysteine below 11 umol/L as normal; however, an ideal homocysteine level should be around 6 umol/L (Table 1).

Homocysteine is synthesized into methionine and cysteine with the help of certain B vitamins like Vitamin B9 (folate), B6 and B12 (Figure 1). If these vitamins are deficient, then homocysteine can increase and accumulate in the blood. So it is important to supplement with these vitamins. Take Asparagus Extract and Vein Lite to help correct this.

Lipoprotein (a) is a type of cholesterol and is determined genetically. Specifically, it promotes the absorption of LDL (or bad cholesterol), into the blood vessel walls, causing inflammation and increasing the risk of plaque and blood clots. While not routinely tested, Lp(a) may be a more important risk factor of heart disease than total cholesterol. We’ve seen earlier that with other risk factors like smoking, diabetes and hypertension as well as high homocysteine, the risk for CVD can be as much as 31-7-fold.

To naturally lower Lp(a), total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, take Wine Extract and Vein Lite.

Wine Extract is an effective natural supplement for reducing total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides while increasing the good cholesterol, HDL. It is a special red wine extract containing polyphenols that decreases the liver's production of cholesterol and balances the body's levels of unsaturated fatty acids and triglycerides.

One clinical study demonstrates that Wine Extract reduces total cholesterol (88%), triglycerides (80%) and atherosclerosis index (84%) while increasing HDL, the good cholesterol (65%) after 3 months (Figure 2).



Many people use prescription statins to reduce cholesterol; however, there are risks and side effects involved with it. Statins can cause muscle pain. In addition, it also lowers the body’s levels of coenzyme Q10, which leads to muscle breakdown. Wine Extract does not have these side effects.

Wine Extract also contains over 50% resveratrol, which research has shown to be involved in mechanisms that combat anti-aging. One of these mechanisms is it mimics calorie restriction and was found to extend the life span of yeast, worms, flies and fish. It also activates the SIRT1 enzyme, which promotes activity of mitochondria. The presence of new mitochondria can boost the body’s metabolic rate and produce slow-aging effects. Resveratrol also reduces insulin by 47%.

Many people though are not aware of their cholesterol level unless they get a blood test. But there is a way of determining high cholesterol just by look at physical markers.

If you see yellow fatty deposits in the skin, these are called xanthomas which signify high cholesterol and heart disease. These can develop anywhere in the body. But if you see them around the eyes, called eyelid plaque (Figure 3), this indicates a risk for atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease and stroke ( British Medical Journal. 2011; 343:d5497). Studies show that those with xanthomas have a 48% higher risk of myocardial infarction than those who do not have it. If present in individuals under 30 years old, xanthomas signal 5 times the risk of arterial plaque. In those over 30 years old, it is associated with 50% increased risk.

Sometimes xanthomas can develop in the creases of the palms. This condition is called palmar crease xanthoma (Figure 4) and is seen in 20% of patients with genetically high cholesterol ( JAMA Dermatology. Nov 2016; 152(11:1275-76). Often this marker appears early, so if you see this you can check cholesterol as well as apolipoprotein levels.

In some people, a cholesterol ring called arcus senilis can develop around the iris (Figure 5). It is a cloudy or white deposit that signifies high cholesterol or triglycerides.

Xanthomas can also be located in other parts of the body. In this case of a 47-year-old male, for example, he has cholesterol deposits on the arm, elbow and knuckles (Figure 6).


If you have xanthomas, you can take a blood test to check for your lipid levels (Table 2). Total cholesterol should be less than 199. LDL cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol, should be under 99. And the cholesterol ratio, the ratio of your total cholesterol to HDL, the “good” cholesterol, should be under 3. Check also the Lp(a), especially if you are a younger adult who has xanthomas. This may be a sign of genetically high lipids. Apolipoprotein B is another important marker. It binds fat and cholesterol to lipoproteins, which then transports cholesterol and triglycerides to different tissues.

When you see xanthomas anywhere in the body, or if blood tests show you have elevated levels of total and LDL cholesterol, you can take Wine Extract immediately. For elevated lipoprotein(a) and apolipoprotein B, add Vein Lite.

The following are examples of how the protocol above can help manage cholesterol as well as other markers.

If you see yellow fatty deposits in the skin, these are called xanthomas which 

CASE 1: M. Perkins, LAc from FL, has a 55 y/o/m patient with cardiovascular problems. After 3 months on Vein Lite, OxyPower and Wine Extract, this patient’s cardiovascular profile showed significant improvement. His CRP and homocysteine levels reduced and, in particular, there is already a significant reduction in his Lipoprotein(a) and LDL levels (Table 3). It is important to note that statins do not reduce small LDL particles (dense LDL III and dense LDL IV). In this case, Wine Extract was able to do so significantly (Table 3).


CASE 2: P. Schwarz, ND from CA, has a patient with high cholesterol and taking a statin for it. She stopped taking the medication when her cholesterol kept increasing. Dr. Schwarz put her on Liver Chi in December 2014 and Wine Extract in May 2015. Her cholesterol levels showed much improvement after 3 months (Table 4).

With what we know about cardiovascular (CVD) factors, it is not enough to rely on cholesterol level alone to determine cardiovascular disease risk. There are more important specific factors that we can check, such as CRP, homocysteine and Lp(a).

• CRP should be under 1 mg/L. If you have high CRP, take Vein Lite and OxyPower

• Homocysteine should ideally be around 6 umol/L. If you have elevated homocysteine, take Asparagus Extract which is high in natural folate.

• Lipoprotein (a) may be a genetic factor but if your Lp(a) is over 30 mg/dL, you can take Wine Extract to lower it. Wine Extract can also reduce total cholesterol, triglycerides and the bad cholesterol, LDL.

While CVD may already exist even if cholesterol levels are normal, we still need to be aware if we do have high cholesterol. There are physical markers that we can check for this. Xanthomas around the eyes (Figure 3), cholesterol deposits on the palm creases (Figure 4) or the iris (Figure 5) all point towards high cholesterol and triglycerides and should be taken as a warning. If you are under 30 years old and have xanthomas, the risk for arterial plaque is 5 times higher than older adults. Take Wine Extract to lower cholesterol and triglycerides.

 
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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration.
These products are not intended to diagnose, prevent, treat or cure any disease.

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