Many people think that cholesterol is always a bad thing. It has always been associated with many diseases like stroke and heart attacks. That is why many people go to the doctor to get their cholesterol levels checked. Having an idea on how much bad and good cholesterol you have in your body would help you determine how well you body is using the fat and how healthy you are.

But first let's clear up some misconceptions. In general, cholesterol is very important in the body. In fact, without this little guy, we might have a lot of problems like not knowing if you are a man or a woman. Cholesterol helps make sex hormones which gives us the many physical differences between a man and a woman. It also helps keeps our cell rigid and strong. It was also found that this so called bad guy help in making our brain healthy and work properly. Basically, the problem is not with cholesterol itself but it is with us because we do not show control whenever we begin eating and forget how important exercise is.

There are two kinds of cholesterol namely LDL or low density lipoprotein and HDL or high density lipoprotein. The first one is famously known as the bad cholesterol which is called as the LDL cholesterol. This guy carries around cholesterol and delivers it to the cells for proper usage. It delivers cholesterol to the different areas of the body that needs it. But sometimes, when too much of him roam around, some of the cholesterol they carry can stick to the arteries which can lead to clogging. So in order to protect our body from such an event, the HDL cholesterol or the good cholesterol acts as a janitor of the body. It is responsible for carrying extra cholesterol out of the body. These two guys must work hand in hand so a perfect balance must be maintained to avoid bad things from happening.

There are plenty of ways for you to maintain good HDL cholesterol levels while lowering your LDL cholesterol to an acceptable level. In its most basic sense, all you have to do is live healthily. You just need to make healthy choices in your life like getting yourself enrolled in a fitness program. Exercise is very well known to help lower fat in the body. Aside from hitting the gym, you also need to eat properly. You need to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and minimize meats and oils. But you can still eat out but in moderation. Some would also recommend getting your daily dose of vitamins and minerals by taking a multivitamin. Fiber should also be taken as this can also help increase HDL. Most of all eat some fat. That's right. You need to get some fat in and this time I am talking about the healthy kind like omega-3.

Some may also resort to pharmacologic therapy. With the help of your doctor, you can also take certain medications that can lower cholesterol like statins, which are the mainstream anti-cholesterol medicine used by many practitioners. But for those who are in tuned with nature, there are herbs that can be used to lower cholesterol like garlic, chilies, ginseng, Echinacea root and even the humble green tea.

If taken in combination, a healthy lifestyle and the right prescription can pave a way for you to have normal cholesterol levels and soon a better body and life.