Both nontreponemal tests, Rapid Plasma Reagin test (RPR) and Venereal Disease Laboratory test (VDRL), are not definitive tests for syphilis and may have a false positive result due to other medical conditions such as viral infections (measles, hepatitis), pregnancy, and some autoimmune diseases.
Dr. Crandall recommends the following steps to lower cholesterol without drugs: 1. Change your diet. A plant-based diet, which includes large amounts of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, along with meat substitutes like beans, lowers cholesterol naturally. 2. Take a plant sterols supplement.
Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL. Foods fortified with sterols and stanols. Sterols and stanols extracted from plants gum up the body's ability to absorb cholesterol from food.