If your total cholesterol is between 200 and 250 you can probably reduce it to fewer than 200 by dietary changes, and by taking the following dietary supplements each day; one teaspoon of omega three fish oil; one hundred milligrams of coenzyme Q10; at least one thousand milligrams of red yeast rice. The combination of these three nutrients has been shown do reduce cholesterol by around 50 points if taken constantly for a couple of months.

If your total cholesterol is between 250 and 300 your doctor will want to put you on a statin drug. You have a choice to make. If you think you can change your diet dramatically and follow the recommendations outlined in the second paragraph you may be able to get it under 200 without resorting to a statin.

If your cholesterol is over 300 it probably indicates that you have a genetic predisposition for high cholesterol. It often means that no matter what you try diet wise your own body is producing cholesterol and your overall levels will not go down that much without a statin drug. Try to use the lowest dose of statins that you can get away with and take at least one hundred milligrams of coenzyme Q10 everyday which I explain in the post If You Take A Statin You Need Coenzyme Q10.

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There has been a lot interest in chia seed lately for its health benefits so I thought I would relay to you what I know. Chia seed was first cultivated by the Aztecs in ancient Mexico. The Aztecs considered it a power food and used it often in there diet.

Chia is one of the richest plant sources of omega 3 fatty acids, very similar in composition to those found in the better known flax seed. Both chia and flax can be used as an alternative to fish oil as an omega 3 source. And like flax seeds chia seeds are also a great source of dietary fiber. Both can be used in smoothies and sprinkled on all kinds of food such as yogurt, cereal and salads.

I do really like the benefits of chia seed, but there is one point I would like to make. In my opinion it is no better than flax seed, and right now it is substantially more expensive. If you are currently using flax I see no reason to switch. If you are considering a plant based omega 3 I would still recommend flax over chia because of the price difference.

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One softgel of Krill Oil supplies 90 milligrams of Omega 3 fatty acids. From my perspective that is almost worthless to take. What a joke. These companies making these claims should be ashamed of themselves.

Two softgels of a typical Omega 3 product contain 690 milligrams of Omega 3 fatty acids. So by just following the recommended dosage on the bottles you will be getting more than 7 times the Omega 3 by just continuing to use the good old fashioned fish oil.

The sad thing is that many usually reputable supplement companies are advertising this scam. Most notably is Schiff with its MegaRed product. What a bunch of junk that product is! Do your homework and don’t get fooled!

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The main difference between fish oil and cod liver oil is that cod liver oil is high in vitamin D. The cod liver oil has the advantage of providing vitamin D, which is necessary for most of us in the United States in the cold months of winter, when we don't get very much sun exposure on our skin in order to make vitamin D.

Many people get confused about the difference between fish oil liquid and cod liver oil. You can consider cod liver oil as fish oil+. The 2 are the same except that cod liver oil contains natural vitamin D and A.

For people who already take a multiple vitamin that supplies Vitamin A and take supplemental Vitamin D I recommend a fish oil. And for those people that don’t take any additional supplements I generally recommend cod liver oil.

Either one of these sources of omega 3 fatty acids is one of the best things you can do for your health. The list of benefits is ever growing and truly amazing.

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Base Program

Good Multi-Vitamin (2 a day formula)

Vitamin C ( 2000mgs)

Vitamin E ( 400IU)

Vitamin D (2000IU)

Coenzyme Q10,Ubiquinol (100mgs)

Omega 3, Fish Oil  (1 teaspoon)

Resveratrol (125mgs) super antioxidant

Health Specific

Saw Palmetto (160mg extract) for prostate health

Glucosamine/Chrondroitin  (1500mgs/1200mgs)  for joint health

Niacin (2000mgs) cholesterol reduction

DHEA  (25mgs) hormone replacement

Pregnenolone (25mgs) hormone replacement

Testosterone Enathate (200mgs weekly) hormone replacement

Well, there it is. The goal is not to live forever, but just to feel good for as long as possible. And to this point it is definitely working. I will keep you posted.

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Obviously, fish oil is from an animal source, and flax seed oil is from a vegetable source so if you are a vegetarian I guess the decision is easy. But, for those of us that are not strict vegetarians what do we do?

The beneficial components of all omega 3’s are EPA and DHA. Fish oil has both of these components in it naturally occurring. That means that our bodies have to do nothing to make it into a bioavailable nutrient. It is in its usable state naturally and this is a good thing. Flax on the other hand does not have any EPA or DHA in it naturally. Instead, flax must be converted into these fatty acids within our bodies. The studies that I have read do suggest that that conversion does taker place, but my question is in what quantities EPA and DHA are we actually ultimately getting through this biological conversion. I personally don’t see how that can be fully calculated with any accuracy.

I like the fact that when you pick up a bottle of fish oil liquid or soft gels you can look on the label and see exactly how much of these nutrients are contained within. You cannot do the same with flax because it does not contain any EPA and DHA. Therefore unless you are a strict vegetarian I favor fish oil over flax oil for your omega 3 source.

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Omega 3 fatty acids and children’s mental health may offer an explanation as to why all these mental disorders are increasing at a fast pace in our society.  The human rain is about 60% fat by weight, DHA is one of the two essential fatty acids that form the fish oil omega 3 and is the most abundant fat in the brain.

Imagine a child learning at school. The process of learning requires the brain to form new neural connections. DHA is needed in this building process, especially for the delicate neural synapses which are composed entirely of DHA. This child, like the vast majority of U.S. children, eats almost no Omega-3 fatty acids. What does the brain do? Again, it struggles and finally uses other types of fats, which are the wrong type Trans Fats or omega 6.

DHA is particularly important for fetuses and infants; the DHA content of the infant's brain triples during the first three months of life. Optimal levels of DHA are therefore crucial for pregnant and lactating mothers. Unfortunately, the average DHA content of breast milk in the United States is the lowest in the world, most likely because Americans eat comparatively little fish.

The good news is that if you begin to supply adequate amounts of fish oil for kids, they will react quickly to this improved nutrition. Do your children a great favor and make sure they are getting a good omega 3 supplement in their daily diet.

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Let’s compare softgels versus liquid in a popular omega product line:

Soft Gel Omega 3 Total Omega 3’s per serving (2 softgels) = 690 mgs
Retail cost per serving= .50

Liquid Omega 3 Total Omega 3’s per serving (1 teaspoon) = 1725 mgs
Retail cost per serving=.50

1725/690=2.5

As you can see from above, with the same cost per serving you will get 2.5 times the Omega 3’s by switching to a liquid form. You would have to take 5 soft gels each day to equal one teaspoon of the liquid. 

One other fact about omega 3’s-THE MORE THE BETTER! Every piece of research I have ever read involving omega 3’s for treating any kind of preexisting condition has been done on levels much higher than what is recommended on the typical softgel bottle. At the doses recommended on the liquids I have seen great success of Omega 3’s on arthritic conditions, psoriasis, triglyceride balance, blood pressure, and improvement in cholesterol ratios. The problem is that many people think they are taking enough to help with these conditions when they are not. People just don’t want to take 5 pills each day and the supplement manufactures know it. Plus they will price themselves out of the market. That is why they only recommend 2 each day. SWITCH TO A LIQUID!

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