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Doctor

Australia

"Natural ways to lower cholesterol"

Source: Daily Telegraph

Published: 25 Mar 2012

Category: Complementary and Alternative Medicines

Rating: (2 stars)

Keywords: lower cholesterol

what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

Before resorting to medications, try these natural methods for reducing cholesterol levels

The original article can be found at: http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health+healing/news+features/natural+ways+to+lower+cholesterol,17243

how did it rate? (more information)

Criteria	Rating
Total Score	3 of 9
Novelty of remedy	Satisfactory (?)
CAM classification	Satisfactory (?)
Availability of Treatment	Not Applicable
Treatment Options	Satisfactory (?)
Disease Mongering	Not Satisfactory (?)
Evidence	Not Satisfactory (?)
Quantification of Benefits of Treatment	Not Satisfactory (?)
Harms of Remedy	Not Satisfactory (?)
Costs of Remedy	Not Satisfactory (?)
Sources of Information	Not Satisfactory (?)
Relies on Press Release	Not Applicable

what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

The biggest problem with this story is that it presents cholesterol as a disease. It's not, it's a symptom and it's something that needs to be looked at in the context of overall health. Therefore it needs to be examined and discussed with a GP. By all means talk about alternative methods of treatment but ask for the evidence supporting these interventions and think about the differences in cost. Many so called natural therapies have little evidence behind them and cost a lot more than those proven to make a difference. The same thing goes for harms and benefits. Just because something is natural dosen't mean it's not dangerous - think arsenic and uranium.

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