with Pantethine,. The only side effect with Niacin is a short term hot flash that is harmless, and can be avoided by taking time-release Niacin or taking an aspirin fifteen minutes before taking the Niacin.
Why hasn’t the doctor told me about Pantethine? Well, the answer is, he may just not know about it. Unlike drugs companies that spend millions of dollars on advertising and have sales reps whose only job is to push their statin drug, Pantethine and Niacin are naturally occurring compounds. Because they are natural and common compounds, nobody can patent them. Because a drug companies cannot patent and therefore have exclusive right to sell the compounds, no significant investment in marketing or education for Pantethine and Niacin has been made. Subsequently, your doctor may just not know.
The final compound that has been demonstrated to have a dramatic effect on cholesterol levels is Policosanol. This compound is a waxy substance taken from sugar cane or beeswax. It has been demonstrated to significantly reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol and to raise good (HDL) cholesterol levels in the blood stream. The specific mechanism that Policosanol uses to improve cholesterol levels is not as understood as that of Niacin and Pantethine. However, it is believed to both increase the elimination of LDL cholesterol in the blood stream and aid the liver in creating good (HDL) cholesterol in a manner similar to Pantethine.
What does all of this mean? Well, if you have high cholesterol, it means you have choices. Statin drugs are highly effective. However, side effects for statins range from muscle atrophy to loss of short term memory to significant heart damage. Because statin drugs block your body from producing an enzyme that makes an essential heart health vitamin as well as cholesterol, the potential for negative side effects can be significant. Alternatively, supplementation with Pantethine, Niacin, Policosanol, or all three simultaneously has been shown to have no damaging side effects and can be just as effective as statin drugs.
Barrett Niehus is a principal at IP Ware http://www.freetrainer.com and is a technical associate of Compound Solutions, http://www.compoundsolutions.com in Escondido, California.
Written By: Barrett Niehus

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