Cholesterol can be controlled and lowered without the use of drugs; you just need to follow some basic steps which will also help you to improve your health now and in the future. Mostly, we use prescribed drug and think that it will cure us from whatever has happened to us and we think in this fashion because we do not know the side effects caused by the drugs taken to control cholesterol. They have both short term and long term effects on your body and health.

Even worse is that when you take the prescribed drugs and even then your cholesterol may not be under control which is what it is supposed to be. Sometimes the cholesterol levels rise as soon as the medications are discontinued. That becomes a very dangerous and unsafe situation for a person. Over time, high cholesterol leads to different conditions of heart and arteries, among which atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), stroke or heart attacks are the most common.

You can follow these 5 easy steps to lower down your cholesterol level without the need of drugs.

- Eat healthy diet: It may sound simple but it helps a lot and has a significant impact on lowering down the cholesterol level. It should be the most important factor if your high cholesterol is hereditary. A low fat and cholesterol diet is the first step towards lowering of cholesterol level.

- Regular Physical activity or Exercise: Do regular exercise and physical activities on a daily basis and be a fit person. Exercise itself does not only lower down your cholesterol level but also strengthens the heart and the whole circulatory system of the body.

- Quit Smoking: If you smoke, the plaque build up in the arteries due to high cholesterol goes faster. When this happens, the muscles have to work harder to get oxygen which leads to heart attack. And if the arteries get entirely blocked with plaque then a stroke can be the result. So, it is better that you quit smoking if you want to live a longer and healthier life.

- Take proper rest: Chronic tension also affects cholesterol levels. Even if you are taking a low cholesterol diet but if you are constantly stressed then you won't see any development in cholesterol readings until you learn to get relieved from pressure.

- Discuss with your physician: All physicians don't prescribe medications quickly. In fact, the more enlightened doctors will assist you to make a good diet plan and exercise plan which is appropriate for your existing health and abilities as a first step towards controlling cholesterol. It's always significant to consult your physician to follow a diet plan or exercise plan which is accurate for you. And don't start taking medicines before consulting your physician. Cholesterol level can be controlled with proper diet and exercise under the supervision of your physician and if you practice on the given guidelines provided by your doctor.

It does not take long time to see developments in you cholesterol level. It can be done in just a couple of weeks if you follow the steps regularly.