Treatment Options

Helping Yourself

One way to have more control over your cholesterol is to know your score. Most people leave it up to their doctor to check their cholesterol but there are devices you can buy that will allow you to measure your cholesterol at home. There are currently two machines available to test cholesterol levels at home. The CholesTrak Home Cholesterol Test requires one to two drops of blood from your fingertip and takes 10 to 12 seconds to determine your total cholesterol. The BioSafe Cholesterol Test is also available, and it provides a total cholesterol reading as well as HDL and LDL levels. Performing this test requires three drops of blood to be placed on a special collection card and mailed to a certified laboratory for analysis. The results are returned to the patient or health care provider.

The guidelines used to treat high cholesterol recommend "Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes" (TLC) to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. These TLC changes include:

• Reduced intake of saturated fats and cholesterol
• Therapeutic dietary options that can help reduce the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL) in your blood
• Weight reduction
• Increased regular exercise

Diet and exercise are key. To keep your cholesterol levels from going up in the first place, eat a healthy diet--low in saturated fat and cholesterol and filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, and exercise regularly, most days of the week. Losing weight if you are overweight or obese is also recommended.

The TLC Diet consists of:

• Saturated fat: Less than 7% of total calories
• Polyunsaturated fat: Up to 10% of total calories
• Monounsaturated fat: Up to 20% of total calories
• Total fat: 25 to 35% of total calories
• Carbohydrate: 50 to 60% of total calories
• Fiber: 20 to 30 grams per day
• Protein: Approximately 15% of total calories
• Cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/day
• Total calories: Just enough to achieve or maintain a healthy weight and reduce your blood cholesterol level (Ask your doctor or registered dietician for your reasonable calorie level.)

The recommendations for cholesterol and sodium are the same for everyone on the TLC Diet. You should eat less than 200 mg of cholesterol a day and no more than 2400 mg of sodium a day.

Changing your diet may be difficult or inconvenient but not changing it can be more problematic and even life threatening in the long run.

More than 75 percent of people who have high cholesterol can control it with diet, exercise, and weight loss. However, 25 percent will need drug therapy to lower their cholesterol levels to the desirable range. These people will typically need to take cholesterol-lowering drugs regularly for the rest of their lives. Since the major risk from high cholesterol is heart disease, it is very important for people with high cholesterol to also reduce their risk by:

1. Stopping smoking
2. Exercise and weight loss
3. Appropriate treatment for high blood pressure and diabetes if present

<< Back

Note: The above information is intended to supplement, not substitute for, the expertise and judgment of your physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. It is not intended to diagnose a health condition, but it can be used as a guide to help you decide if you should seek professional treatment or to help you learn more about your condition once it has been diagnosed.