July 2022

Questions Raised Over Popular Cholesterol Drug

A new study has shown that for people already taking statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs, an expensive cholesterol medication is less effective at lowering cholesterol than the cheap vitamin niacin.

Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study is the third to raise questions about how effective two drugs manufactured by Merke and Co, Zetia and Vytorin, are. In the UK they are sold under the brand name of Ezetrol.

While statin drugs like Crestor and Simvustatin have been proved not only to lower cholesterol but reduce mortality rates for heart disease, the study claims that the two drugs do not prevent heart attacks, strokes or other cardiovascular problems.

Both are currently extremely widely prescribed in America, with doctors writing 29 million prescriptions them. Worldwide, sales have totaled more than $4.56 billion according to figures released by Merke. They are considered to be fairly expensive drugs so are generally used a last resort. Niacin is comparatively cheap.

Current guidelines recommend their use when someone’s cholesterol is not sufficiently lowered through statin use alone, or when a person can not take statins. They prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol from the food they eat, which is meant to prevent a build-up of cholesterol in the arteries.

Too much cholesterol can cause fatty deposits to build up in the arteries, known as ‘plaques’. They can block the flow of blood to the heart and eventually lead to heart attacks, stroke and cardiovascular problems.

The study showed that while exetimibe did lower cholesterol it did not prevent the arteries from narrowing. However those people who were given the vitamin niacin, long used as a cholesterol treatment, saw not only their cholesterol levels improve but also their arterial thickness.

The pharmaceutical firm has refuted the findings of the study, with the vice-president Richard Pasternak saying, “I don’t think a clinician or a doctor or a patient should use this as a basis for any decision-making whatsoever. “I worry that people might unnecessarily come off a drug that is approved and accepted.”…

Common Breastfeeding Positions

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that the best and healthiest choice for babies is for them to be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and breastfeeding with complementary solid foods until the age of two and beyond. Unicef also made it clear that mixed feeding or the introduction of other foods or liquids before six months can cause certain health problems such as respiratory infections, dehydration, diarrhea, and allergies. Exclusive breastfeeding has many benefits for your baby. To make it possible, you should learn the different breastfeeding positions that is compatible to your comfort level and health condition. By having a step by step guide, you can be breastfeeding in no time.

How Is The Baby Placed At The Breast?

Cradle Hold

This is the most common position for breastfeeding mums. The cradle hold positions your baby against your abdomen, while his face and body facing you. Make sure that your baby is in a straight position and tuck his lower arm around your waist. In this position, the baby’s head is in the angle of your elbow, and his mouth facing towards your nipple.

Cross Cradle Hold

This position is closely the same with the cradle hold. First, make sure that your baby is placed at the level of your breast with his mouth directed to your nipple. You should hold the infant in the arm opposite the breast from which your baby will suckle. This position is recommended to mothers if your baby is too small for his age or you are encountering problems latching on.

Lying Down

This position can be done by placing pillows behind your back for comfort and support. After that, place your baby’s stomach parallel with your body and adjust to a position where the baby’s mouth is directly facing your nipple. If you are afraid that your baby may roll backwards, place a small pillow or blanket behind your baby’s back.

Football Grip

Football grip is recommended to women who have c-sections, infants who are having difficulty latching on, and small sized babies. This position is closely similar to cross cradle hold but your will be holding your baby under your arm and resting on the side you will be feeding him. The baby is not lying on your abdomen. Just like the lying down position, you can use a pillow and place it beside you. In the palm of your hand, you will position the posterior part of your baby’s head while his back is carried by your inner forearm. Position your baby above the pillow, with the support of your arm.

How To Take The Baby Off Your Nipple

If you get the baby to let go of your nipple, the nipples may become sore and painful. But if you are not comfortable with your baby latching on, don’t be afraid to gently take the baby off and do it again. Do it by placing the tip of your little finger in the side of …

Stress And High Cholesterol – What You Need To Know To Stay Safe And Healthy

Do you deal with a lot of stress on a day-to-day basis? Do you constantly find yourself feeling stressed out about family, work, financial issues, or any other problems that you are faced with day in and day out?

You may not realize it, but stress and high cholesterol are often times linked together. If you have high cholesterol, you might want to consider whether the stress in your life is causing it.

Cholesterol is an essential item that your body needs to function properly, so there is no getting around the fact that we have to have cholesterol in order to survive.

We can control the levels of good and bad cholesterol that are present in our bodies.

More importantly, we want to control the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) that is present in our arteries.

This is done through many different things such as our diet, exercise, and the elimination of bad habits such as smoking and consuming alcohol excessively.

Stress has an effect on the level of cholesterol that is present in our bloodstream, and if we are faced with highly stressful situations on a day-to-day basis, the level of cholesterol will continue to go up, so it’s important that we find a way to manage the stress that we face.

We have to try to address stress and high cholesterol from a preventative standpoint.

Many natural techniques can be used to prevent or reduce the level of stress that we face.

Perhaps one of the most effective techniques for eliminating stress is exercise. When you exercise, you are taking all of the energy that would otherwise be focused on anger and frustration and focusing all of that energy on the exercise that you are performing.

What types of exercise can you practice?

Anything that helps get your heart rate up is a good means for exercising. You can do things like walking, rollerblading, biking, dancing, skiing, swimming, or any other low impact activity.

Stress and high cholesterol reduction techniques available that don’t involve exercise

Basically, you can do anything that you enjoy if it helps reduce your stress levels. There are a number of every day activities that you can participate in such as playing music, meditating, yoga, reading, or any other activity that gives you the opportunity to let your worries go, even if only for a couple hours.

Regardless of the relationship between stress and high cholesterol, you need to manage your cholesterol levels at all times.

The reason being that high cholesterol, as well as stress, is linked to heart disease, so put steps in place to keep yourself safe.…

Don’t Ignore Low Good Cholesterol Levels

It is not often you hear a person in casual conversation mention their low good cholesterol (HDL). In fact, I can’t remember one single time when a relative or friend of mine brought this up. On the hand there have been numerous discussions covering the many facets of bad cholesterol.

What is good cholesterol

HDL is made up primarily of protein, and in the world of lipoprotein is considered to be very lean. Not only do these molecules have little fat they seek out excess cholesterol and other fats and make sure they are transported out of the body through solid waste or bile. Most studies suggest that if a person has 1 good cholesterol molecule for each 2.5 bad cholesterol molecules their overall cholesterol levels are considered to be heart healthy.

How does a healthy bad to good cholesterol get out of whack?

Actually it can happen quite easily. The obvious reason would be consuming a diet which is too high in saturated fat and cholesterol. But while tilting our ratios out of whack, this cholesterol no-no would have little to do with why we might be struggling with low good cholesterol.

What factors have been shown to cause low good cholesterol?

Lack of exercise: This is one that can sneaks up on almost anybody, until one day our health starts to deteriorate right in front of our very eyes. As we grow older other priorities take precedence over daily exercise. Perhaps we no longer have someone to exercise with; we are now focused on our kids and grand kids; we are comfortable in our relationships; our energy levels are not what they used to be; or maybe even our work schedules brought about by tough financial times leave little motivation or energy for exercise. In other words we just slowly slip into a state of inactivity which in turn produces low good cholesterol and increases the chances of having a heart attack or stroke.

Packing on the pounds: Weight gain occurs one pound at a time until one day a person wakes up to find themselves way overweight. This also skews cholesterol ratios in a negative way and reduces good cholesterol.

Smoking: Smokers are between 2 and 4 times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than non-smokers. It also damages the arteries, lowers HDL cholesterol (good), and raises LDL cholesterol (bad) levels.

Other factors that can contribute to low HDL cholesterol levels are heavy drinking, consuming foods high in trans fatty acids, consistently high stress levels, not getting enough sleep, and consuming an unbalanced high protein, high saturated fat diet.

Turning the tables on low good cholesterol through supplementation

Supplementation alone won’t do the trick but along with diet and exercise they may help. The three supplements my family and I use to turn the tables on low good cholesterol are vitamin B supplements, omega 3 rich fish oil, and a cholesterol reduction products containing policosanol and lecithin oil. …

Fats – Are You Eating Enough?

Fats are often the “bad word” when it comes to dieting. However, fats are needed as part of your healthy diet as there are many benefits associated with them. You just have to know the good, from the bad, and the ugly.

The Bad (also ugly)

Saturated fat – This is the fat, that becomes hard, and whitish in color at room temperature and is found mostly in animal products. Think about a cooked steak that you’ve left out for a while. It’s that yucky white stuff you scrape off when you go to reheat it later. Saturated fat is the stuff that is implicated in the increase of LDL or “bad” cholesterol.

When shopping look for the leanest cuts that you can find. Most meat departments will even trim the meat for you at no cost if you ask them. Grilling meat is the preferred way to cook it, not to mention very tasty. The fat will drip off into the bottom of the grill allowing the steak to become healthier to eat.

The Good

Unsaturated fat – is implicated in HDL or “good” cholesterol. This can be found in products like olive oil, canola oil and almond oil. Mono-unsaturated fat is a double bond in its chain. Poly-unsaturated fat has more than one in its double-bonded chain. These are found in peanuts, macadamia nuts, safflower oil and corn oil. Don’t worry if this is starting to sound overwhelming just remember that unsaturated fat is good.

The benefits of these fats are:

Provides energy

Transports fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K

Provides regulation and excretion of nutrients in the cells

Provides organ protection

Initiates the release of the hormone cholecystokinin, which is a hormone that signals satiety (feeling full)

A recap of what your suggested macronutrient intake should be are as follows:

Carbohydrates should make up the bulk of your food intake at 50-60 percent

Protein should only be about 25-30 percent of your diet

10 to 15 percent is left for fats

And don’t forget the Law of Thermal Dynamics – You lose body fat when you burn more calories than you take in.…

What is dialectical thinking, and how does it influence the therapist’s approach to treatment? Dialectical thinking is a method that emphasizes change and acceptance as central elements of treatment. First, the treatment is done in one-on-one sessions with a licensed therapist. Then, the therapist uses dialectical thinking to determine the best approach for each client. Here are some vital elements of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

Dialectical thinking influences the therapist’s approach and style

The work of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, who formulated genetic epistemology and later developed the concept of dialectical thinking, has influenced psychology. They helped to create a dialectical point of view on psychological processes, which led to studies in the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to its historical origins, dialectical thinking has become a popular psychological approach in recent years.

The development of dialectical thinking must be central to any epistemically sound approach to psychological inquiry. In this way, dialectical thinkers can influence the therapist’s approach and style. Therefore, those who believe in dialectical thinking should be highly regarded in psychotherapy. Here are some benefits of applying dialectical thinking to therapy:

Acceptance and change are essential elements

The principles behind Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) focus on accepting and changing problematic behaviors. It was initially addressed for borderline personality disorder and suicidal behavior, but is now used to treat everything from anxiety to substance abuse. Using these concepts, a therapist helps clients develop skills to cope with their problems in various settings. As a result, the client learns new behaviors that will make the treatment more effective. The results are more lasting than a one-time fix.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) works for almost anyone, regardless of biological or demographic factors. However, it has been most effective for those suffering from mental health conditions and complex emotional patterns. This is because it helps clients synthesize opposites and helps them avoid extreme positions. While these concepts are universal, each one is rooted in a particular philosophical or psychological concept. Hence, understanding the concept of dialectics is necessary for the treatment.

Support and supervision

When it comes to providing effective therapy for clients with borderline personality disorder or emotional regulation issues, the role of support and supervision is critical. Effective treatment for such clients requires careful training and supervision. The supervisory process mirrors the therapeutic process and strikes the right balance between acceptance and change. This article examines the role of supervision, the relationship between supervisor and therapist, and techniques used to ensure adequate control. This article will give you an overview of the role of supervision in DBT.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) involves using acceptance-based strategies and problem-solving skills to help patients develop the skills necessary for effective treatment. It uses dialectical thinking to help clients break down walls commonly associated with challenging conversations. Dialectical thinking requires flexibility and a willingness to acknowledge another’s point of view. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) also promotes healthy communication and self-esteem by teaching people to recognize and respect the validity of …

Why You Have to Start Lowering Cholesterol – 3 Risk Factors of High Cholesterol Diets Revealed

Lowering cholesterol is important for so many reasons. People today are constantly trying to get healthy by trying all of the different products available. They drink energy drinks to get more energy.

They take medications constantly for every little ailment. They spend three hours at the gym pushing themselves to the limit. While all of these things are great, these same people will eat whatever they want. They think that because they spent 30 minutes at the gym, they can eat pizza every night.

They go to fast-food restaurants constantly. This is just simply not the case. If you have a high cholesterol diet, the exercise you do everyday is going to be worthless.

If you are still not convinced that you need to be more concerned about your diet, you should consider the risk factors of high cholesterol diets.

1. Risk of heart attack. Heart attacks occur when your coronary arteries become blocked due to excessive buildup that constricts the blood flow to your heart. Heart attacks can be minor, or you can have a massive heart attack and die instantly.

2. Risk of stroke. A stroke can be a life altering event. A stroke could easily affect you for the rest of your life. You may not be able to do any of the things you normally do ever again if you have a stroke.

3. You could develop diabetes. Once you become a diabetic, you can not reverse the condition. You will have to drastically change your diet. If you are going to have to change your eating habits, you might as well change everything while you still have your health.

These are just some of the risk factors you need to try to avoid by lowering cholesterol. A high cholesterol diet will affect you in many ways. As you grow older, you are more and more prone to developing a number of different conditions.

You want to learn how to eat right now so that you will not have to deal with these conditions as you move into your senior years. I also recommend taking natural supplements to help control your cholesterol levels. If you do all of these things, you can significantly reduce your chances of developing a debilitating disease.

It’s easy to push things into the future, but think about your health right now. Even if you are seeing only the smallest of signs, you should take steps to fix it before it becomes serious.…

The Hidden Benefits Of Cholesterol

With the onslaught of heart diseases and hypertension in today’s times, people tend to blame one innocent victim, and this is cholesterol. It is often a common notion that cholesterol is the number one in the most wanted list in terms of heart attacks, high blood pressure and even diabetes. But is it really?

Well, for those who do not know, the level of cholesterol in the body and even the food rich in cholesterol are not to blame for such diseases but rather food or any other substances that causes inflammation inside the body. So what then does cholesterol do?

The Good Side

To begin with, cholesterol is waxy substance that can be seen along-side the fats in one’s blood stream and throughout all of the body’s cells. This area of coverage makes cholesterol very important in the body since it is also used to form cell membranes, and helps in the production of bile, which in turn helps digest fats. This assumed-criminal is also important in the proper absorption of soluble vitamins like vitamins A, E, K, D and different various steroid hormones.

Wrong Accusations

With all the good benefits mentioned, how come cholesterol has been dubbed as a killer? This is because when someone who has a high risk of having a heart attack, his arteries usually would have a high cholesterol build-up. But, its presence there is actually for repair purposes. The inflammation in the artery on the other hand, is what causes the damage. This is proven by the fact that coronary disease is usually caused by chronic inflammation.

So blaming cholesterol is a wrong move, and it has been proven.…

Type 2 Diabetes – Breastfeeding After Receiving a Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes

One reason breastfeeding is recommended for every mother, is that it helps to take away some of the calories or weight gained during pregnancy. Researchers at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, investigated whether breast-feeding could have any effect on mothers who had been diagnosed with Gestational diabetes or diabetes of pregnancy.

Their study, reported on in the European Journal of Endocrinology in January 2013, included 144 women who had Gestational diabetes during their pregnancy. Women who breastfed their baby had:

lower blood sugar levels,

lower blood insulin levels, and

higher insulin sensitivity

than those who did not. Those who breastfed for 10 months or more, had better blood sugar control than those who breastfed for less than 10 months.

From this information, it was concluded breastfeeding for longer time periods was associated with lower blood sugar levels and a lowered resistance to insulin.

Other studies have linked breastfeeding to a lowered risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes in mothers, as well as a lowered risk for postpartum depression, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer in women.

Breast milk contains antibodies to help protect babies against respiratory and digestive system infections, and it contains the right type of protein for babies. Children who have been breastfed have a lower incidence of asthma, and at least some studies show higher grades among school children who were breastfed when infants.

Breastfeeding is also a healthy way for mothers and babies to bond naturally. During an emergency, breastfeeding can be life-saving when cow’s milk is unavailable, when the water supply is contaminated, or when warm mother’s milk is the only way for mother to keep her baby warm.

Breastfeeding classes and lactation consultants are available to teach about breastfeeding before, and after the baby arrives. Mothers who have instruction are more likely to be successful.

Doctors often continue to prescribe prenatal vitamins for women who breastfeed, to make sure both baby and mother do not suffer deficiencies. Eating dark green, leafy vegetables is another way to get the calcium needed to build baby’s bones. If enough calcium is taken in through diet, the mother’s body will not need to take calcium out of her bones to feed her baby.

Vitamin D helps our body to absorb and use calcium, and the skin makes vitamin D when it is exposed to sun. Taking your baby for a walk in the baby-buggy will help both mother and baby to make enough vitamin D.…

Normal Cholesterol Levels – What Are They?

What are normal cholesterol levels? To understand the answer to this question you must first of all understand a little about cholesterol in general, and how it functions in your body.

Cholesterol — It’s Not the Enemy!

The first thing to know is that cholesterol is not bad. Your body needs cholesterol. It travels around your body in two proteins, that are called high density and low density proteins.

The high density cholesterol is the good type, and once your body has all that it requires, these high density proteins take the bad cholesterol (low density) back to your liver to deal with and flush out of your body. Under normal conditions your body has its own way of maintaining balance.

Here’s a way to remember which is good and which is bad:

HDL — you want this kind of cholesterol to be High.

LDL — you want this type of cholesterol to be Low.

But Watch Out for LDL Cholesterol

However, if you have too much bad cholesterol in your system then this cannot be gotten rid of effectively by the good cholesterol and it builds up, this is what causes the problems. It can clog up your arteries. Too much of this bad cholesterol can cause heart problems, heart disease, strokes and even diabetes.

Why a Balance is Important

This is why it is so important to maintain normal cholesterol levels in your body. You need to have enough of the good stuff to handle the bad stuff. You can do this making sure that you do not put to many fatty foods into your body and by exercising regularly to help burn up any excess fat that you may be storing. In general a healthy diet and lifestyle should in itself maintain normal cholesterol levels in your body.

Your blood cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood, often shortened to mmol/L.

Getting Your Blood Cholesterol Levels

But how do you know what your cholesterol levels are? A blood test will tell you your levels. Sometimes you can buy these yourself but most people have their doctor or nurse carry out this simple painless procedure. You should have these tests regularly, and take remedial action if you see any rise in levels so that you can catch it and treat it early.

Numbers to Shoot For

The numbers to shoot for for healthy blood cholesterol levels are:

Total Cholesterol — 200 or less

HDL — at least 60

LDL — 40 or lower

Cholesterol Levels are for Everyone!

A common misconception is that only overweight or obese people will have above normal cholesterol levels. Weight is not necessarily an indication of high cholesterol, and while obesity may sometimes be linked with unhealthy amounts of cholesterol in the body, the slim and thin are by no means exempt.…

Exercise To Lower Your Cholesterol

In the modern society nowadays, many of us do not manage to find time to exercise. The exercise which what I mean here is a certain amount of high intensity exercise. That means most of us today is at higher risk towards developing cardiovascular disease.

You can avoid surgery if you make significant changes to your lifestyle by watching your diet and regular routine of moderate workout or exercise. Evidence shows that regular, moderate physical activity like aerobic, cycling, jogging, brisk walking and weight training has favorable effects on our blood vessels and they can have effect on our cholesterol level by themselves. Exercising also I would prefer a combination of mountain biking and weight training. I choose mountain biking because of its high level of cardio intensity without hurting my joints. Well, don’t get me wrong. The category of mountain biking is cross country, cycling on trails and dirt track.

Cholesterol is energy rich fat particles in our blood stream. Working out appears to change these to larger size particles and so in this case the bigger the better. The smaller size particles are detrimental and it is more likely to cause blood vessel disease. The American Heart Association states that people who stick to a regular physical activity can improve on their level of good cholesterol (HDL) which will lower the risk of heart disease. The other benefits of exercising are it can reduce elevated triglyceride levels besides stimulating the actions of enzymes that remove cholesterol and fatty acids from the blood.

Aerobic and cardiovascular exercise is the best for reducing your LDL levels. So what is this exercise? This form of exercise is an activity that you are panting for breath and sweating and requires you to maintain your elevated heart rate at a certain level. The elevated heart rate level differs in our age. Normal healthy individual heart rate is about 75 beats per minute and so please consults your physician or a sports doctor to determine your maximum elevated heart rate. It’s also good to wear a heart rate watch to monitor your heart rate so that you do not push it to the maximum or otherwise could pose a danger to your heart.

So let us take a step to develop an exercise program. Any form of physical movement is good but as I’ve mentioned, I choose mountain biking and weight training as my program and work on the schedule of 3 times per week of 1 hour of weight training and 2 days usually during the week ends of mountain biking. You don’t have to follow my schedule but you can start off with 30 minutes of jogging, brisk walking or cycling and try to incorporate a strength training program 2 times a week to strengthen your muscles. This is just a guideline and it is advisable to start slow and build up gradually to avoid strain and injury. This is the lasting that you want and please …

Tips on Breastfeeding Your New Baby

One of the greatest bonding times that a mother will have with their new baby is during feeding. Choosing to breastfeed is a great decision that will have many rewards. Mothers are closer to their children and can supply them with the proper nutrients and nourishment they need to properly develop throughout life. Most mom’s however when they decide to breastfeed have lots of questions surrounding the topic. How do I hold my newborn? How will I know when they are full? How often should they be fed? All of these questions are of course legitimate, in fact, when you’re a new mommy all questions are legitimate and deserve an informative answer. Here are a few breastfeeding basics to help you and your little bundle of joy get the most out of the experience.

Holding Your Baby

There are several positions in which you can hold your newborn while breastfeeding. Number one rule however, is to make sure that you are comfortable and fully supported. If you’re not comfortable the baby will pick up on this and feeding could go wrong. The first pose is more traditional called the cradle hold. In this position you are to sit in a chair and place baby in your lap with your arm cradled around them so that the front part of their body is facing your body and begin to feed. The cross over hold is placing your baby on your lap and supporting them with your hand and one arm. The football hold is when you place baby underneath your arm and support their head with your hand while breastfeeding. The reclining position is when you and your baby lay facing each other and you support their head with your arm as the feed. Choosing the right position is about what makes you and baby most comfortable.

Breastfeeding Schedule

In the beginning your doctor will tell you that it is best to feed your child every 2-3 hours which would be between 8-12 feedings per day. It may seem like a lot but your baby needs all the nutrition that they can get. It is also important to remember that breast milk is much lighter and thinner than formula therefore baby may demand more. Feeding your child also allows your breasts to generate more milk. As your baby gets older the feedings will spread out to about every 4-6 hours per day. Moms are to feed their baby approximately 5-10 minutes per breast depending upon certain factors like milk production and your baby. In most breastfeeding cases, your little one will let you know that they are finished by pushing off, wiggling, or simply letting go of the nipple.

These are just a few tips on how to best feed your baby. Every mom and every situation may vary. If you’re having trouble getting baby to latch, or you’re not producing enough milk speak with a lactation specialist or your pediatrician for advice. This time …

Cholesterol Calculator – Smart Way to Monitor Cholesterol Levels

Just because you are young, it does not mean that you are immune to many health problems in life. As much as you’d like to think that people at a younger age won’t get sick easily and die, the truth speaks otherwise. It is therefore important for you to monitor your health condition closely – especially if your family have a long history of diabetes, hypertension or heart disease. These are diseases that are often linked to a high cholesterol level in the body. To keep it on the safe side, you should consider investing in a cholesterol calculator as a simple yet accurate way to keep track of your cholesterol level.

Experts believe that genes play an important part when it comes to certain diseases. Instead of regretting not doing any preventive measures, getting a cholesterol calculator seems like a logical choice to make. If you start caring for your health condition at a young age, the habit will continue well into your 30s and 40s. Remember, it is always best to prevent a disease rather than curing.

There are many types of calculators that you can get to measure your cholesterol level. Most of these devices offer an accurate measurement, while still keeping it easy enough to be used by anyone. It is recommended though to consult your doctor about getting calculator that suits your needs the most. This would also help you gain more understanding on cholesterol, so that you actually know what to monitor with the device.

There are two types of cholesterol, LDL as the bad one and HDL as the good one. Knowing which is which is valuable so that you can avoid the bad ones. Don’t hesitate to ask your doctor questions that can help shed some lights on things you don’t understand clearly about. If you are well versed on the subject, you will feel more confident about doing the monitoring at home.

In addition to talking to your doctor to get better understanding on the subject of cholesterol, you can also do some research. Dig up medical books in library or browse online for books and articles that discuss about cholesterol.

At the end of the day, the ability to check your cholesterol level at home at anytime of the day and night gives you the upper hand in combating potential cholesterol problem. Equipping yourself with good knowledge of the subject would be the additional bonus.…