Get Cholesterol Management in Brooklyn, NY

Being told that you have high cholesterol levels mean that, if you want to have good health, you will need to do something about it. Seeing a doctor for an effective and personalized cholesterol management program is important to avoid potentially serious medical complications later on.

Checking Cholesterol Levels

If you have high cholesterol levels (called hypercholesterolemia), you may be totally unaware of it. There really are no symptoms to look for, but when and if there is a problem because of it, it could be serious – and even fatal. It could result in either a stroke or heart attack.

A doctor can provide you with a blood test that will reveal how much bad cholesterol (LDL), good cholesterol (HDL), and triglycerides are in your bloodstream. All that is needed is a simple blood test.

Why You Need to Be Tested

Cholesterol, when not in good proportions, can lead to blockages in your blood veins and arteries. The bad one – LDL, tends to build up on the walls of your veins and arteries. HDL cholesterol will clean up most of it, but there must be sufficient amounts of the HDL. When you have high levels of LDL and triglycerides, along with low levels of HDL, it will be accumulating in your veins.

Eventually, the amount of blockage can be enough to greatly reduce the flow of blood, and possibly even stop it altogether. Most likely, this will result in heart disease, angina, a stroke, or a heart attack.

Managing Cholesterol

Once you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol levels, the doctor will help you develop a plan for effective cholesterol management. It will primarily be recommendations for some lifestyle changes, but it may also include one or more medications.

Learn About Fats

A very important factor in controlling cholesterol levels is to learn about the various kinds of fats that are in everyday foods. Once understood, it will enable you to avoid the kinds that will raise your levels out of proportion, such as foods that are fried, and products made with whole milk.

Other Important Lifestyle Changes

Being overweight is another factor that can lead to higher cholesterol levels. Losing a few pounds, ideally about 10% of your weight will help you get better control. It may even enable you to reverse the cholesterol problems. Keeping up with a regular exercise program of between 30 minutes to an hour for at least five days each week will also help.

If you stop smoking, and drink alcohol only moderately, it will also help. Smoking hurts your efforts to control cholesterol because it lowers your HDL levels.

Medications

Several types of medications are available to help manage cholesterol levels. Some experimentation may be necessary to discover which one will benefit you the most.

Children may also need to be tested for cholesterol, particularly if they are overweight or if there is a family history of it. Helping them stay active and eating right is important, but having them tested around nine or ten years old may be a good idea.

Dr. Abdul Malik, MD can help analyze your cholesterol levels and provide you with a workable personalized plan for cholesterol management. He is a Cardiologist who has been practicing for 24 years, and has also trained many young doctors in the fields of Internal Medicine and Cardiology.