Looking at a person’s cholesterol has become a major part of determining health problems, most notably heart disease. Ask anyone who has had high cholesterol and heart problems and he/she would be able to tell you how important it is that you know your level and what to do about it.
Basically, in order to prevent having a life full of heart disease and other problems, you will want to do at least three things on a regular basis. You will definitely want to eat foods that are heart-healthy. In addition to eating healthy, you will also want to get regular exercise and, finally, you will want to stop smoking (if you already do so) and avoid tobacco smoke altogether.
There are a few ways to look at a person’s cholesterol, what of which being the cholesterol ratio. Some physicians prefer actual cholesterol numbers as opposed to a cholesterol ratio because it is easier to determine the appropriate treatment methods using those numbers. However, some physicians prefer to use the cholesterol ratio.
What Exactly Is A Cholesterol Ratio?
A cholesterol ratio is the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol in place of the total blood cholesterol. By dividing the HDL cholesterol into the total cholesterol, you will come up with your desired ratio.
Example: if a person has a total cholesterol of 200 mg/dL and an HDL cholesterol of 50 mg/dL, then the cholesterol ratio is 4:1. Ideally, you will want to keep this ratio below 5:1. The best cholesterol ratio that you would want is 3.5:1. Even if you cannot reach that optimum level, do your best to keep it as close as possible to that number.
No matter what, the most important thing for you to do is lead as healthy a life as you possibly can. Even if you cannot reach the optimum cholesterol levels and ratios right away, don’t panic or give up. Plenty of hard work and determination, along with the willingness to try and stay healthy, you can bring down your cholesterol ratio and make your heart less at risk for disease.
The cholesterol ratio is not used by every physician, as some believe looking at actual numbers will help them more when determining which route to take when it comes to treatment. Either way, you may want to get a ratio as well just so you can have all the information possible on your health. It may end up helping you more in the long run.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Cholesterol Medications Help In Different Ways
When the doctor has determined that diet and exercise are not going to help you achieve optimal cholesterol levels, there are prescription cholesterol medications that are showing success in reducing the bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels while helping to increase the good cholesterol level. Different drugs will help in different manners, and which one is right for you should be determined through consultation between you and your doctor.
Some of the most common and widely prescribed cholesterol medications, which help keep the bad cholesterol moving through the blood stream include Lipitor, Zocor and Crestor, although there are others on the market, these are the most widely prescribed. These cholesterol medications work to lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides while showing a slight increase in good cholesterol level. Statins essentially stop the cholesterol from stopping while in the blood stream and helping them be flushed through before they can clot and cause problems.
Another group of beneficial cholesterol medications to decrease LDL and triglycerides in the blood while increasing good cholesterol are absorption inhibitors. Drugs commonly prescribed include Vytorin and Zetia. This class of drugs inhibits cholesterol from being absorbed into the body from the blood stream, effectively eliminating cholesterol before it has a chance to become a part of the blood stream.
Sources Of Cholesterol May Prompt Medicine Choice
Cholesterol essentially has two sources, one the food being consumed and the other genetics. It is now known that high cholesterol levels can be inherited and it is mainly that form of cholesterol that a change in diet and exercise may not help. In some cases cholesterol medications will be needed to supplement the effects of diet and exercise to help fight cholesterol from both sources.
When a person is determined to have high cholesterol, they will be encouraged to eliminated other risk factors for heart disease, such as quitting smoking, regular exercise and eating a heart healthy diet. A combination of lifestyle change and cholesterol medications can bring a persons levels into a healthy range. Working with your doctor can determine the right drug and right dosage for each individual.
A sedentary lifestyle can exacerbate a cholesterol problem as even if you have a bad cholesterol level that is considered borderline, a low good cholesterol level can cause the bad cholesterol level to be worse as well as the triglyceride level joining it to create havoc on the coronary system. With the available cholesterol medications and the knowledge of how exercise can help maintain healthy levels, there are several options to meal maintain a healthy heart.
Some of the most common and widely prescribed cholesterol medications, which help keep the bad cholesterol moving through the blood stream include Lipitor, Zocor and Crestor, although there are others on the market, these are the most widely prescribed. These cholesterol medications work to lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides while showing a slight increase in good cholesterol level. Statins essentially stop the cholesterol from stopping while in the blood stream and helping them be flushed through before they can clot and cause problems.
Another group of beneficial cholesterol medications to decrease LDL and triglycerides in the blood while increasing good cholesterol are absorption inhibitors. Drugs commonly prescribed include Vytorin and Zetia. This class of drugs inhibits cholesterol from being absorbed into the body from the blood stream, effectively eliminating cholesterol before it has a chance to become a part of the blood stream.
Sources Of Cholesterol May Prompt Medicine Choice
Cholesterol essentially has two sources, one the food being consumed and the other genetics. It is now known that high cholesterol levels can be inherited and it is mainly that form of cholesterol that a change in diet and exercise may not help. In some cases cholesterol medications will be needed to supplement the effects of diet and exercise to help fight cholesterol from both sources.
When a person is determined to have high cholesterol, they will be encouraged to eliminated other risk factors for heart disease, such as quitting smoking, regular exercise and eating a heart healthy diet. A combination of lifestyle change and cholesterol medications can bring a persons levels into a healthy range. Working with your doctor can determine the right drug and right dosage for each individual.
A sedentary lifestyle can exacerbate a cholesterol problem as even if you have a bad cholesterol level that is considered borderline, a low good cholesterol level can cause the bad cholesterol level to be worse as well as the triglyceride level joining it to create havoc on the coronary system. With the available cholesterol medications and the knowledge of how exercise can help maintain healthy levels, there are several options to meal maintain a healthy heart.
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