Cholesterol: The Real Story

Contrary to popular belief cholesterol is not fat. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is produced by the liver and also ingested through foods we eat. It often has fatty acids contained in it and therefore it is considered to be fat, but it is not fat in and of itself.

Up to 80% of cholesterol is used to make cholic acid which is essential in bile salts that are, themselves, necessary for digestion and absorption of fat from the diet. Additionally, cholesterol is used to make the hormones progesterone, estrogen and testosterone.

There is a significant amount of cholesterol in the skin that helps the skin to resist water absorption and water evaporation. The presence of cholesterol in the skin also helps to decrease the penetration of toxic agents such as solvents etc.

Perhaps one of the most important roles of cholesterol is in the formation and maintenance of cellular function through the integrity of cell membranes as well as many of the membranes of the other structures within the cell including the organelles that produce energy. Membrane integrity is essential for life and for health and the prevention of disease. A breakdown in cell membrane integrity will lead to ill health and disease. In addition to cholesterol benefit in our skin as a protective agent there is scientific evidence that cholesterol protects cell membranes from oxidative/free radical damage. The significance of cell membrane function is covered extensively at our chelation seminars.

Here is a substance that is, in fact, a health enhancing life necessity but purported to be life threatening. Cholesterol has gotten a bad rap.

We are told that we eat too much cholesterol in our diet and that elevated levels in the blood cause hardening of the arteries that, in turn, cause heart attacks and strokes. We are told that lowering cholesterol is essential to decrease the aforementioned disease process and its sequela. Low fat diets are prescribed and if that isn't effective, cholesterol lowering drug therapy is prescribed. This philosophy has been touted for so long as scientific fact that it is accepted without question by the majority of physicians and patients, in spite of the fact that there are thousands and thousands of people who have low cholesterol levels in their blood and have blocked arteries all over their bodies, and those who have elevated cholesterol levels without any problems.

The rest of the cholesterol story explains why these exceptions occur, why cholesterol is a problem for some and not for others. With this additional data you can think for yourself and decide for yourself.

As we stated at the outset, cholesterol is not fat. Cholesterol often has fatty acids, the basic building block of fat, attached to it. Cholesterol/fatty acids are carried from one area to another through the blood stream by a substance called lipoprotein. This is a form of protein that acts as a carrier, a basket if you will, which carries fat around to the cells for use as a source of energy. The two primary lipoproteins are low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL). The LDL principally carries fat to the cells and the HDL carries the fat away from the cell. LDL is considered bad and the HDL is considered good. Herein lies another bit of misinformation. LDL and HDL are not cholesterol at all but simply the carriers that carry the substances of cholesterol and fatty acids to the cells and away from the cells. The good and bad terms are derived from the fact that the HDL is considered good because it carries fat away from the cell decreasing the potential of the fat being deposited, whereas the LDL carries the fat to the cell increasing the potential for it to be deposited. But there is more to this story.

In recent times the terms free radicals, free radical damage and antioxidants have become familiar jargon. Taking antioxidants has become popular but few people understand the importance of free radicals and the damage they create and the antioxidant's potential to prevent that damage. Those of you who have attended one of our chelation therapy seminars have a good understanding of what all of this means.

It is very important as far as cholesterol is concerned to understand that the LDL structure (fatty acids with protein) is the primary source of plague in hardening of the arteries. The HDL form of lipoprotein (protein with fat attached) is not the type of lipoprotein which contributes to plague build up and as we said earlier, actually helps to lower the fat in the area by carrying it away from tissues. It is important to note that LDL, even though considered bad, is an essential part of the body's mechanism for handling fat and as such, is necessary and beneficial. The reason that it could be considered bad is not because of its mere presence, but rather because of changes that take place which alter its natural or beneficial form to an aberrated, detrimental form. The process that alters the natural LDL is called oxidation, caused by free radicals. This damage can be prevented by utilizing anti- oxidants.

To summarize, LDL cholesterol/ fatty acid is normal in the body and has a function. When it becomes altered by free radical damage it is transformed into a detrimental form. The native or normal LDL can pass freely through tissues such as the lining of arteries. The damaged LDL cannot and gets stuck in the artery wall. The scientific evidence of this has been known for years and continues to proliferate.

An article that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1989 entitled "Beyond Cholesterol" spoke directly about this. The article reviewed numerous studies over many years including studies back to the 70s and early 80s.

Blood flow through an artery can be impaired by another major mechanism apart from a blockage of the blood flow from plague. Arteries can go in spasm decreasing blood flow, often significantly. This process is often a cause of angina. A study that appeared in 1990 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, detailed evidence that coronary artery contractions can be caused by oxidative LDL. Evidence also exists that oxidized LDL, not normal LDL, impairs the function of the cells lining arteries that function to initiate blood vessel dilation.

We have previously discussed one of the benefits of HDL is that it carries lipids away from tissues. Numerous research projects are identifying an enzyme associated with HDL that inhibits the oxidation damage of LDL. In other words, this may be a major way the HDL is protective and the so-called "good guy."

The Journal of the American Medical Association published an interesting article in the December 8, 1999 issue entitled "Smoking and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in Men with Low Levels of Serum Cholesterol". The study showed, not surprisingly, that smoking was a risk factor for atherosclerotic vascular disease and also that "a low cholesterol level confers no protective benefit against smoking related ASVD". How does smoking damage the body? Primarily from free radical damage. Cholesterol is not a problem unless it is damaged; smoking damages it and it becomes a problem whether the level in the blood is high or low. Lowering the cholesterol in the blood does not decrease its potential to damage. The article is proof of what some of us have been saying for years and is proof of the known science on the cholesterol subject.

The most important factor is not the amount of cholesterol, or even the type, but whether it is clean or dirty, normal or damaged.

Conrad G Maulfair, Jr DO

New Anti-Aging Treatment Protocol — Lipid Exchange Therapy (LET)

The cell is the basic building block of the body that we live in. There are approximately 10,000 billion cells specialized to perform specific functions. Typically, the cells make up tissues, tissues make up an organ system, and the organ system contribute its function to the entire body's function. There are, therefore, millions of heart cells, blood vessels cells, kidney cells, liver cells, skin cells, glandular cells, etc. The cell is a self-contained unit which produces its own energy. The energy the cell produces is used for the particular function of the cell; such as filtering the blood if it is a kidney or liver cell, or to contract if it is a muscle cell moving the body about, or pumping blood, etc. The energy that the cell produces is also necessary for the cell to protect itself from environmental damage.

There are many constituents within the cell; the mitochondria produce the energy for the cell as an example. The constituents within the cell, called organelles, are surrounded by a membrane. Nutrients needed for the cell to produce energy pass through this membrane; the nutrients include vitamins, minerals, trace elements, electrolytes, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water, and oxygen. It is through this membrane that waste products of cellular metabolism from energy production pass out of the cell. The function of the cell membrane is essential for the health of the cell, and therefore, the health of the tissues, the organs, and ultimately the entire body. The health and integrity of the cell membrane is, therefore, essential in maintaining a good quality of life and to resist disease. Alterations in the cell membrane's integrity, changes in its ability to import nutrients and move waste products out of the cell, or its ability to prevent dangerous things from passing into the cell, cause chronic degenerative diseases and the aging process. The cell membrane is primarily made of lipids (fat). The chief lipid in the cell membrane is phosphatidylcholine (PC). Another lipid present is sphingomyelin (SM). Cholesterol, normally present in the cell membrane, is essential in decreasing damage to the cell membrane and provides some firmness and structure. Changes in the ratios between these three lipids contribute to the aging process and chronic, degenerative diseases. Changes in the structure of these substances contribute to chronic, degenerative disease development and the aging process.

When the amounts of PC, SM, and cholesterol are in correct ratios and are undamaged the cell membrane has a fluid nature. The substances within the cell membrane move about, and enable the nutrients and other substances to pass through easily. As the ratios of the fats change and their structures are altered by free radical damage, the cell membrane becomes more rigid and more resistant to the passage of nutrients and other vital substances into the cell. Studies have demonstrated that pc decreases with the aging process and the SM and cholesterol increase with age. This also is seen in membranes associated with the arterial wall in which upwards of a six-fold decrease in the ratio between PC and SM occurs with aging. The same has been seen in atherosclerosis where there is clear evidence of an increase in the SM fat. Again, all of these changes contribute to decreased function of the cell membrane and as a result, decreased function of the cell; if a cell happens to be in an artery it may decrease ability of the artery cells to protect themselves from buildup of cholesterol, damage from free radicals, calcium deposition, etc.

Lipid exchange therapy is simply the intravenous administration of PC (phosphatidylcholine). This administration makes healthy PC available for the body to use in maintaining healthy cell membranes. The intravenous administration of PC has potential to restore normal function to existing cell membranes and would be available for new cells. The result is enhanced function of the cells resulting in enhanced function of the tissues and the organ systems in which the cells are located. Studies have shown application of intravenous phospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine have been able to reverse age-related changes in the lipid or fat composition of heart muscle cells in animals.

Lab animal studies have also shown a tendency toward increased male sexual competence. Work with patients utilizing intravenous lipid exchange therapy has demonstrated the potential for a significant decrease in the atherosclerotic disease process; even when used as the sole treatment. Utilizing it as a complement to a chelation therapy program could potentially be very advantageous.

PC is the prominent phospholipid of all cell membranes. PC is also a normal constituent of bile that facilitates fat emulsification, absorption, and transport. PC is not to be confused with lecithin. Lecithin is a mixture of phospholipids and other fats.

The basic building block of phosphatidylcholine is choline, which is considered by most to be an essential nutrient. Essential means that the body does not make it; it has to be presented to the body through dietary sources. Most of the choline that is ingested is predominately ingested in the form of phosphatidylcholine.

PC is the main structural support of cell membranes comprising about 70% of the total membrane phospholipids. As we said earlier, it is essential for regulation of the membrane fluidity. PC is essential for normal transport of nutrients etc. through the cell membrane from the external environment to the intracellular environment.

PC has shown to provide antioxidant protection and is also a precursor for other phospholipids. It has also been shown to protect against numerous chemical toxins and pharmaceutical adverse effects.

There is ample evidence to show the ability of PC to ameliorate liver damage; it may be an important factor in preventing numerous liver diseases, including cirrhosis from alcohol, drug-induced liver damage, and impaired liver function that comes from daily exposure to environmental chemicals such as insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, etc. Hepatitis can also respond favorably to lipid exchange therapy utilizing PC.

PC is essentially free from any side effects or toxicity. It is compatible with other nutrients and actually may even enhance their absorption.

The potential benefit of the intravenous use of phospolipids is not new news. A 1957 issue of Protocols of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine discussed a study in which rabbits that were fed a diet which caused the atherosclerotic disease process to occur, were separated into several groups, one group received intravenous phospholipids. After a period of months, the laboratory animals were sacrificed, and their aortas were evaluated. The treated rabbits had no detectable atherosclerotic disease. Those not treated with intravenous phospholipids had widespread atherosclerotic infiltration of the aorta. The summary of this article was "intermittent intravenous infusions of phosphatide emulsion into two series of previously hypercholesterolemic rabbits appeared to affect a marked resolution of their atherosclerotic infiltration and cholesterol deposit as judged by the findings in paired, untreated animals." The news is 46 years old. It is interesting because the magnificent benefits of chelation therapy have also been suppressed for an equal amount of time.

Dr Conrad Maulfair, Osteopathic Physician

Dr. Maulfair's Comments "Its February and It is Heart Health Month."

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, this statistic is not limited to men.  Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, not breast cancer, not uterine cancer.  Although a very common health problem currently, coronary heart disease and heart attack date back to the early 18th century.  The first issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, in 1812, included an article about angina (chest pain from coronary artery disease).  Since that time much has changed in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease; unfortunately most of the currently popular treatment modalities do not address the causes of the disease but rather treat the symptoms (the result of the disease).  There are alternatives, there are choices, and there is a better way.

It is believed by the medical profession, and generally accepted by the public, that high cholesterol is the cause of hardening of the arteries, heart attacks and strokes. There is ample scientific evidence to the contrary.  Currently treatment of hardening of the arteries includes lowering cholesterol levels in the blood by diet and or drugs.  One example of the ample scientific evidence suggesting that cholesterol is not a significant factor in heart disease is a study done by the UCLA medical school citing 75% of people who had heart attacks had cholesterol levels within the acceptable range.

It is a fact that cholesterol is a major constituent of the plaque that builds up in an artery. It is also a generally held belief that there is good and bad cholesterol (HDL and LDL).   The simple presence of LDL cholesterol does not make it harmful.  It becomes harmful when it is altered from its natural form. In an altered form it is more likely to contribute to plaque in the artery wall. Damaged LDL cholesterol, when situated in the arterial wall, gets stuck and over time more is added and plaque progresses.  So a key question to ask is not what the LDL cholesterol level is, but rather what may be going on causing damage to LDL cholesterol?

The answer to this question is of critical importance; anything that contributes to free radical damage is the primary culprit.  Insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, flame retardants, artificial food coloring, artificial food flavoring, sugar substitutes, medical drugs, toxic metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, uranium and others) are especially damaging to normal cholesterol.

The treatment of coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis in general must then include decreasing exposure to all of the above.  As treatment, removing as much of the above contaminants as possible, already accumulated in the body, is key.  The removal of chemicals is achieved via a sauna detoxification program.  The removal of toxic metals is achieved with an appropriately prescribed comprehensive chelation therapy program.  The importance of the removal of toxic metals and metastatic calcium (calcium located in soft tissues, where it is not supposed to be) cannot be over emphasized.

Numerous studies over the 60 years that chelation therapy has been used therapeutically have shown its potential to improve circulation and as a result, decrease the risk of heart attack, stroke and amputation.  A study funded by the National Institute of Health and reported November of 2012 is the latest study proving chelation therapy decreases heart attack and stroke even in people, who prior to the study, had heart attacks.  The improvement shown was especially significant for people in the study who had heart disease AND diabetes.

So if you have coronary artery disease, or if you have coronary artery disease AND diabetes, you might want to learn more.  The Maulfair Medical Center provides free educational seminars.    Our website is drmaulfair.com. 

Our life support system: Better living through chemistry?

You don’t live near an industrial waste site? The truth is that even if you do, you probably get most of your toxins as pesticides and additives in your food or each time you apply various consumer cosmetic products. Your home, your cars and even the water you drink slowly leak chemicals into your life.There has been a staggering proliferation of toxic chemicals produced without due regard for testing for long-term health effects of low level exposures. Thousands of new synthetic chemicals come into manufactured consumer products every year with little to no safety testing or public approval process. According to the World Health Organization, there are over 100,000 synthetic chemicals in use in consumer products today with 1,000 to 2,000 being added to the list each year.
We breathe these chemicals through our lungs, absorb them through our skin and ingest them in the food we eat and water we drink. We are soaking up chemicals that we’d be hard-pressed to spell or pronounce, if we could even find out what they were.

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