HIGH CHOLESTEROL SPECIALIST
If you have high cholesterol, your blood vessels can get blocked, restricting blood flow and increasing your risk for heart attack and stroke. It’s a common condition, but the health risks it poses are serious. Ahmed Family Practice in Forest Park, Georgia, offers the best in high cholesterol management to help you stay healthy. To learn more about how you can manage your condition, schedule your first appointment online or over the phone.
High Cholesterol Q&A What is high cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that your liver produces and is in certain foods like meat and dairy products. It’s an important element of your blood that helps build healthy cells. But too much cholesterol in your blood can cause fatty buildup in veins and arteries.
When fat deposits collect inside blood vessels, it can restrict blood flow to your tissues, organs, and muscles. This restriction can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other health complications.
The two types of cholesterol are LDL and HDL. LDL is known as the bad type of cholesterol because it collects on the walls of blood vessels. HDL cholesterol is the good cholesterol, and it helps remove bad cholesterol from your blood.
Am I at risk for developing high cholesterol?
High cholesterol generally doesn’t have noticeable symptoms. To protect your health, it’s important to learn the risk factors and get regular blood tests to evaluate your cholesterol levels.
Certain lifestyle factors can increase your risk of developing high cholesterol. They include:
- Being overweight or obese
- Eating an unhealthy diet
- Living a sedentary lifestyle
- Smoking cigarettes
In addition to these lifestyle factors, age and family history affect your risk of high cholesterol. Men over 45 and women over 55 are more likely to develop it. If someone else in your family has high cholesterol, you’re more likely to have it, too.
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How is high cholesterol managed?
Once Ahmed Family Practice identifies your high cholesterol, managing the condition can significantly reduce your risk of complications. A combination of lifestyle changes and medication is often effective at getting high cholesterol under control.
High cholesterol care at Ahmed Family Practice is convenient and comprehensive. In-house phlebotomy makes regular blood testing simple, and the practitioners work with each patient to develop a care plan that’s right for them.
Lifestyle changes that improve cholesterol levels include eating a healthy low-fat diet and getting at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. By changing your diet and increasing your activity level, you can naturally lower cholesterol levels.
In some cases, your provider may recommend medication for high cholesterol. Medications either block cholesterol production in your body or improve the way your body processes excess cholesterol.
Trust Ahmed Family Practice to deliver top-quality cholesterol management.