Health hints: cholesterol, kidney stones, shingles

High cholesterol, kidney stones and shingles can be serious medical problems. Here are a few suggestions for drug-free ways to limit their impact on your life – just be sure to consult your doctor before trying them.

Changing your diet and doing more exercise can help you avoid the build-up of cholesterol, a fatty deposit linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke.

• Always eat breakfast and include whole grains in the form of cereals (for example, whole-wheat flakes or rolled oats) or multi-grain bread. It's been found that cholesterol levels are highest in adults who don't eat breakfast and lowest in those who eat a wholegrain cereal.
• Increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. For example, apples are rich in pectin, which helps to reduce your cholesterol level.
• Eat fish such as mackerel and salmon for their beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, which help to lower cholesterol. Choose lean meats and trim off any visible fat; remove the skin from chicken before cooking.
• Take the herb gugulipid (Commiphora mukul), which can lower cholesterol by increasing the liver's metabolism of LDL cholesterol. Note: If you suffer from liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease or diarrhea, consult your doctor before taking this herb.

Kidney stones are crystallized minerals that become lodged in kidney tissue and can be excruciatingly painful. If you're prone to developing kidney stones, try these gentle preventive measures.

• If you're taking a supplement, check with your doctor to make sure it's appropriate. It may include calcium, a substance most kidney stones contain, so you don't want to add to the load you already have. Some antacid formulas, for example, are very high in calcium. The ingredient panel on the packet will provide you with the relevant information.
• Limit your consumption of foods containing oxalate, such as chocolate, chocolate drinks, and cocoa and carob powder.

Shingles are painful blisters caused by the same virus that leads to chickenpox. It mainly affects people over the age of 50. Here are some natural options that may help to alleviate shingles.

• Try capsaicin cream. Based on the ingredient that makes cayenne chilies hot, it blocks the action of neurotransmitters in the skin's nerve endings that help send pain signals to the brain. However, the cream can irritate sensitive skin, so check with your doctor before trying it and patch-test first.
• Take extra doses of vitamin C and B-complex vitamins, which will benefit your immune system and nerves.
• Use an aromatherapy compress. Add six drops of lavender essential oil and two drops each of lemon and geranium essential oils to 500 millilitres (2 cups) of cold water. Dip a soft, clean cloth in the solution, squeeze it out and apply it to the affected area.
• For a soothing effect, throw a handful of cornflour or finely ground oatmeal into your bathwater and have a soak.
• Consider using homeopathy. For itching, burning skin, take Mezereum; for sharp nerve pain that is worse at night, take Arsenicum album.
• If the blisters have healed but you still feel pain, gently stroke your skin with ice cubes wrapped in plastic.

There are many drug-free ways to alleviate the symptoms of high cholesterol, kidney stones and shingles, or to avoid getting them in the first place. However, before trying something new, you should always talk to you doctor first.