High Cholesterol Treatment
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Meta Medical Center
Ronnie C. Parker, D.O.
Family Medicine & Substance Abuse Treatment located in Pikeville, KY
About 71 million Americans have high cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. High cholesterol treatment helps improve cholesterol numbers and overall health and well-being. Dr. Ronnie Parker, DO, is a board-certified family medicine physician at Meta Medical Center in Pikeville, Kentucky. Dr. Parker takes a patient-centered approach to care, specializing in creating personalized treatment plans for high cholesterol. To lower your high cholesterol, call or schedule an appointment online today.
High Cholesterol Treatment Q & A
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of waxy fat made in your liver. Your body uses cholesterol to make cell membranes, certain hormones, and vitamin D. Your liver creates the cholesterol your body needs to perform these functions.
However, consuming a diet high in saturated or trans fat increases cholesterol production. When you have excess cholesterol in your blood, the waxy fat combines with other substances and sticks to the walls of your blood vessels, a condition known as atherosclerosis.
Over time, the buildup of cholesterol along your blood vessel walls causes narrowing or blockages that affect circulation, leading to serious health conditions like heart attack or stroke.
Who needs high cholesterol treatment?
Anyone with or at risk of developing high cholesterol benefits from high cholesterol treatment. In most cases, management focuses on lifestyle changes.
Knowing your cholesterol numbers helps you take appropriate action. Dr. Parker recommends all adults start cholesterol screenings at age 20 and repeat testing every five years.
A cholesterol screening, also known as a lipid profile, evaluates your:
- Total cholesterol
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
- Very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol
HDL, known as “good cholesterol,” helps remove cholesterol from your blood while LDL and VLDL are known as “bad cholesterol” because they lead to atherosclerosis.
The lipid profile also measures your triglyceride level. Triglycerides are stored calories of fat that travel in your blood. Your blood triglyceride levels may be higher than normal if you’re overweight, have diabetes, drink alcohol, or eat too many sweets.
What is high cholesterol treatment?
Dr. Parker customizes your high cholesterol treatment plan based on your cholesterol screening results and medical history. Initially, he focuses on helping you make lifestyle changes to improve your cholesterol numbers, including:
- Eating a healthy diet high in fiber
- Limiting your intake of saturated and trans fat (butter, marbled meat, fried foods)
- Getting regular exercise
- Quitting smoking
- Losing weight
If lifestyle changes fail to improve your high cholesterol, Dr. Parker may prescribe cholesterol-lowering medication. He monitors your cholesterol numbers and related risk factors and adjusts your high cholesterol treatment plan as needed.
To find out more about high cholesterol treatment at Meta Medical Center, call the office or book an appointment online today.
