WHAT I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT CHOLESTEROL WHEN I GO SEE MY DOCTOR?

What do I need to know about Cholesterol?
As a patient, you should know that Cholesterol is good and bad. Why good, because we need it to
survive. Why bad, because when the blood levels are too high due to
bad cholesterol being elevated and good Cholesterol being low it leads
to medical problems.

What is a Lipid Profile?
It is a blood test that your doctor orders to see what your Total
Cholesterol is along with HDL, which is the Good Cholesterol also called
Healthy cholesterol or Happy cholesterol or Garbage truck. H stands for
healthy or happy. The lipid profile also provides information on your Triglycerides levels. These
are called fats in the blood. I call them the ugly Cholesterol.
Triglycerides change with every meal. If you eat a lot of Sugar and
Starch it will raise your triglycerides. That is why you are advised to
go in after fasting for more than 12 hours to get your lipid profile
done. Total Cholesterol = HDL + LDL + TRIG/5. The LDL which are the bad
cholesterol also called Lousy Cholesterol or Garbage can. The lower the
LDL the longer you live. The higher the HDL the longer you live. THE
LOWER THE HDL AND THE THE HIGHER THE LDL THE QUICKER YOU KICK THE
BUCKET.
GOAL: HDL SHOULD BE MORE THAN 60. LDL SHOLUD BE LESS THAN 100 AND PREFERABLY LESS THAN 60 AND
TRIGLYCERIDES SHOULD BE LESS THAN 150 PREFERABLY LESS THAN 60.
**Reddy Bread can help you achieve these goals**

If my lab just shows Total Cholesterol and HDL what should I do?
TOTAL CHOL MINUS HDL(GOOD CHOL) WHAT IS LEFT IS ALL BAD. Ex: total chol
of 200 and HDL of 30. Then 200 - 30 is 170. This is called the NON HDL.
I would want that to be less than 100 preferably less than 80.

Next time when you are at your Doctor’s office, you need to look at the
numbers yourself and should know that LDL is lousy cholesterol and HDL is the
happy cholesterol. Keep the happy or garbage trucks high and lousy or garbage
cans low.

How often should I get my cholesterol checked?
I recommend every 3 months if not, at least every 6 months and keep a
log of it.

My Cholesterol is low so I do not have to worry, correct?
Wrong. 80% of patients who develop heart disease have normal
cholesterol levels or low cholesterol levels.

Then what should I do to find out more about Cholesterol and my risks
for developing Heart disease?
You should get an ADVANCED LIPID PROFILE.

What is an advanced lipid profile?
It is a special test not routinely done in most Doctors offices. This
test gives you more detailed information about your Cholesterol and the
size of cholesterol and the true bad cholesterol in your blood along
with some of the known Genetic factors.

Who should get it?
Every one should get the advanced test at least once.

Do all the labs do the test or is there a specific place to get the advanced lipid profile done?
There are three major labs doing the tests.

1) VAP 2) NMR 3) BERKLEY HEART LABS. THERE ARE OTHER SMALLER LABS BUT
ARE NOT WELL KNOWN. You can ask your Doctor which lab he/she is comfortable
with and if he does not recommend it or know of it or does not do it
then GO FIND A DOCTOR WHO DOES IT.

Why is it so important that I get this test done?
Well if you do not know what abnormalities you have in your labs that
can cause plaque and heart disease then how are you going to take
preventive steps or how are you going to treat the problem.

Which lab do you use?
I routinely do BERKLEY HEART LABS. Reason being, I have been doing this
test on my patients for about 12 years. I like the lab because they are
very particular about quality control and all the samples are processed
at one lab in California. They also give additional Genetic information
which the other two labs do not offer.

If my cholesterol is low what abnormalities should I be looking for and
why?
If your LDL is 110 how much of it is big in size and how much of it is
small in size?

How much of the bad Cholesterol is truly bad?

Do you have the deadly Cholesterol called Lp (a) which puts you at a
very high risk for Heart disease and Strokes?

If your HDL is 45 how much of it is large in size and how much of it is
small in size? Do you want large garbage trucks or small garbage trucks?

Do you have a gene that puts you at a very high risk for Alzheimer’s and
heart disease?

Is your Vitamin D level normal?

Do you have a gene that helps you respond to cholesterol medications
well?

Is the protein that makes the good Cholesterol low?

What is your Uric acid level?

Do you have any inflammation in your arteries?

Is there any stress or strain on your Heart?

What is your fasting Insulin and blood sugar along with HbA1C?

What is your C reactive protein level and what is the level of Lp Pla2
which is the marker for inflammation?

What is your Fibrinogen level?

What is your level of TSH?

DO YOU HAVE ANSWERS FOR ALL THE ABOVE QUESTIONS?

GO FIND OUT WHAT YOUR GOOD (HDL), BAD (LDL), UGLY(TRIGS), AND DEADLY
CHOLESTEROL (Lp a) LEVELS ARE?