Our doctors work with you to comprehensively evaluate your heart disease risk and rule out any underlying disease that may be contributing to high cholesterol or risk of heart disease. They will also help you to understand which foods impact your cholesterol levels and what lifestyle changes you can make to improve your heart health.
Assessment and Treatment
Patients seeking treatment for high cholesterol and triglycerides can expect:
- Comprehensive testing that may include highly sensitive C-Reactive Protein, homocysteine, fibrinogen and VAP cholesterol
- Specific advise on how to exercise to protect your heart
- Targeted nutritional supplements that work
- What foods matter when managing cholesterol
- Ruling out underlying disease that may be causing or contributing to your elevated cholesterol
In the Know: Statin Drugs
Contrary to popular belief, statin drugs are largely ineffective in preventing heart disease and are inappropriate for the majority of people to whom they are prescribed. Side effects from statin drugs can be uncomfortable, and may include muscle pain, digestive problems, memory loss, and an increased risk for cancer. For some patients, like those with liver disease, statin drugs carry a high risk of exacerbating damage. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding, or who intend to become pregnant, should never take statins.
There are alternatives to statin drugs. Statins are lipid-lowering drugs. They work by inhibiting production of an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase in your liver; this enzyme in turn helps to produce cholesterol. Diet and lifestyle changes, as well as vitamins and nutritional supplements, can all help address production of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase.
Let the doctors at Paracelsus help you find the best treatment and put you on the pathway to good health.