Staying in the loop concerning your cholesterol levels means knowing the right information to procure from your doctors. Unfortunately, given the hustle that often accompanies a trip to any medical environment, we often leave only to shake our heads later in the day over the questions that we should have asked.
Make your next visit to the doctor a truly enlightening one, especially from your heart’s point of view; here are four important questions to ask your doctor about high cholesterol:
1. What Do Cholesterol Numbers Mean?
While the internet has a slew of information available on the focus and results of cholesterol screening, the best explanation of the myriad of numbers and acronyms involved is likely to come straight from the horse’s mouth. Take the time to discuss what you’re testing for before you give the necessary blood and then sit down for another pow-wow when the results are in, ensuring that you have a complete understanding of your cholesterol levels before you leave.
Proper treatment simply isn’t possible without knowing the details of the shape your body is in, which brings us to our next point…
2. What Treatment Options Do I Have?
Once you and your doctor have a good understanding of the state of your cholesterol levels, it’s time to explore the options available to you in tackling it. Your doctor’s recommendations will hinge on your specific levels and the state of your vascular system in general, ranging from statin medication to simple changes to your diet and exercise routines.
Besides learning about your best option for quick and lasting results, take the time to discuss your diet and exercise regime with your doctor whether they make a point of it or not, being honest about your history and abilities in order to work out a reasonable and adoptable plan that will get you eating healthier and moving more.
3. What Diet and Exercise Approach Should I Take?
High cholesterol typically means that you’re eating too much of foods that you shouldn’t be, but bringing those levels down isn’t as simple as choosing a fattening aspect of your diet and tossing it out the window. True dedication to being healthier means making wholesale changes to the way that you eat and the way that you think about eating and there is no one better to advise you on this path than your doctor.
Be sure to discuss the best options available to you where both diet and exercise are concerned, covering the top five best foods to eat, the top five worst foods to do away with and specific exercises that suit your body size, abilities and, most importantly, your immediate needs.
4. When Should I Come Back?
No matter your test results and eventual treatment plan, you’ll need to meet again with your doctor within a reasonable amount of time in order to allow for another blood screen and measurements of other related factors in order to measure your progress on the road to lower cholesterol levels. The time between your original visit and your next one will depend on what your doctor deems necessary, but be sure to speak proactively about your approach and your desire to effect real results, letting your doctor know that you want to get back in as soon as possible.
Whether you’re returning for subsequent tests, to check in on medication or to establish improved routines as a course of treatment, be sure to visit your doctor on a regular basis as you bring your cholesterol levels down in order to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible throughout the process of becoming a healthier you.
