If you have high cholesterol, then you know that you need to get it down to a lower level in order to reduce your risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or other health problem. Sometimes this can be done with lifestyle changes, other times it may require medications.
Usually the medical treatment of high cholesterol centers around the approach of lowering the amount of LDL or bad cholesterol in the body. There also some approach that will add the treatment to increase the HDL or the good cholesterol. We look at the process in which high cholesterol is treated below.
The starting treatment before you start a cholesterol treatment, you need to know what your cholesterol levels are and what are the cholesterol ration. This is found out through a simple blood test at your doctor's office. The numbers will give your doctor an idea of how bad your cholesterol is and how aggressive your treatment needs to be.
Once the level of cholesterol is identified, the first thing your doctor will discussed with you is your diet. More often then not, a diet that is comprised of more fresh foods and vegetables will be recommended that will greatly reduce the intake of trans fats and saturated fats.
The next step of your treatment will often include a look at your activity level. Exercise can help improve your good cholesterol levels and help you lose weight. If you are not following a regular exercise routine already, your doctor may recommend some activities for you to try.
For people with a history of coronary artery disease, high blood pressure or diabetes, medication will be started right away. As people with such profile are at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke.
If you are one of the many people who need to start medication, your doctor will usually start with a statin. These help slow down the amount of cholesterol that your body produces naturally, and can help reduce your risk of many of the complications associated with high cholesterol. Other times doctors choose to use other medications, either with or without a statin. These are often designed to prevent the amount of cholesterol that you absorb from food sources. However, do know that statin have side effects.
Periodic check on the cholesterol level to assess the progress of the cholesterol lowering treatment will be conducted by your doctor. If you have choose to lower cholesterol by diet and exercise, these test will tell if medication is needed as well. If you are already on medication, these test will let your doctor know if the dose of your medication are appropriate.
These checkups are a good time for you to talk to your doctor about any concerns that you might have. For instance, if you have difficulty with the diet, it may be recommended that you see a dietitian. If you have side effects from the medication, your doctor may want to change it. If exercise is hard because of another health condition, he or she can recommend alternatives.
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