Develop a Hypercholesterolemia Treatment Plan

Cholesterol occurs naturally in the human body. It is used to make up cell walls and is a basic ingredient in certain hormones. Your body produces all of the cholesterol that is needed for these function and with just a little bit of fat in your diet, you’ll have all the cholesterol necessary to stay healthy. The typical diet, however, provides too much fat. The fat you consume is then absorbed by your intestine and sent to the liver. There is converted to cholesterol and sent back into your bloodstream. Too much cholesterol can lead to serious health problems. If those high levels are caught soon enough, a plan of hypercholesterolemia treatment can be developed to prevent further trouble. 

One of the first things your doctor will do is to discuss your health history with you. The medical professional might ask if anyone in your family has suffered from high cholesterol, diabetes, or coronary artery disease. You’ll probably discuss your diet and any exercise routine you have in place. For this situation, your doctor may ask if you have a history of smoking. There’s a good chance that the visit with include checks for your blood pressure, xanthomas, and xanthelasmas (fatty deposits under your skin.) A blood test will let you know if you have high cholesterol. 

After detection and diagnosis, your hypercholesterolemia treatment will probably involve long-term efforts to bring your cholesterol levels down. This will include changing your diet to decrease saturated fats and to increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables. You’ll want to start substituting good fats for bad fats. The specific dietary changes you should make can be discussed with your medical care provider. Once these changes have been made, you’ll want to stick with them. Keeping your cholesterol levels down will be a lifelong challenge.

Adding consistent exercise to your schedule is another important part of treatment. It’s best to add some type of activity to your schedule on a daily basis. Even adding walking to your daily schedule can increase the amount of good cholesterol in your body and will lower your total amount of cholesterol. Aim for a brisk 30 minutes of walking for a start. As you begin to build up your endurance, you may want to add strength training or other types of exercise to your daily workouts. After implementing these lifestyle changes, your doctor may add some other treatment methods. 

Certain types of medication can be used to lower your cholesterol further. The most common type of medication are statin drugs and these are often chosen as the first choice for lowering LDL levels. These medications also decrease the risk of hardened arteries and lower the risk of heart attacks or strokes. 

You could have high cholesterol for years before realizing that you’ve been affected. For this reason, it’s important to have your cholesterol checked periodically. This might mean once every five years. If you’re at increased risk or have a family history of high cholesterol, you may want to be checked more often. Hypercholesterolemia treatment will only be as effective as your dedication to the plan. Work closely with your doctor to protect your health.