If you
want to lower your
bad cholesterol in
the next thirty
days and
experience a
lifetime of good
health, you will
need to work
effectively with
health care
professionals,
including your
doctor, nurses,
pharmacists, and
(possibly)
nutritionists,
dieticians,
holistic
practitioners, and
lipid
specialists.
Communicating
effectively with
your doctors and
care givers is
very important,
since you will
need to give them
information about
your condition
and symptoms
which could help
them treat
you. In
today’s world,
however, where
many doctors and
care givers are
rushed and
overworked, it
may be difficult
to communicate in
the given time
your doctor
appointment may
take.
You can make it
easier to communicate
with health care
workers by choosing the
right ones.
Choose a doctor and
specialists you feel
most comfortable with
and trust. These
professionals should
have credentials that
make you feel that
you’re in good hands
and should also
genuinely listen to
what you have to tell
them.
If you feel that
your problems aren’t
being taken seriously,
there is no reason why
you shouldn’t find a
health care
professional who’ll
listen and give you the
care you need.
Ask friends and family
members for
recommendations or ask
for a referral for a
second opinion.
Once you have found
a doctor that you
trust, try not to stop
there. Ask
questions often and
from as many people as
possible. Ask
friends and family
members about their
experiences with high
cholesterol, ask the
nurses who take your
blood samples about the
procedures of lab
tests, take the
pamphlets and booklets
that are offered for
free at many
clinics.
The more
professionals and
people that you ask and
the more information
that you gather, the
better you’ll be able
to use your time with
your doctor, since
you’ll know the basics
and will be able to ask
directed and focused
questions in the time
you have with your
doctor.
As you work towards
lower cholesterol over
the next 30 days, also
work to understand all
you can about
cholesterol and
cholesterol
treatments. Research
and knowledge will make
you more able to take
the steps you need to
lower your
cholesterol.
Always come to your
appointments
prepared. Do your
research ahead of time,
so that you don’t spend
the limited time you
have with health care
processionals asking
basic questions such as
“
what is
cholesterol?” which
you could find
elsewhere. Spend
some time with your
doctor raising
concerns, asking for
cholesterol information
which is relevant to
your particular case,
and getting
instructions.
One excellent way to
be prepared to talk to
your doctor is to keep
a journal about your
heart and cholesterol
health. Once your
doctor determines that
you have high levels of
bad cholesterol, buy a
plain notebook. In
it, keep all the facts
and information you
find about your
medication,
cholesterol, and
treatments.
Write down important
contact numbers -
including contact info
for your doctor. Keep
track of all the things
that you do each day -
including diet,
exercise, and medical
treatments - which may
affect your
cholesterol. In
every day’s entry, also
note unusual symptoms
or concerns you may
have. Keep a
running list of all the
questions you may want
to ask your doctor at
your next appointment.
Note down the progress
you are making.
Bring this journal with
you when you visit your
doctor. It will be
invaluable to your
health care
professionals for
helping you develop a
form of treatment that
works best for you.
Keeping a journal of
your eating, exercise,
lifestyle changes, and
cholesterol-lowering
progress is an
important step you make
as you lower your
cholesterol over the
next 30 days.
The most important
thing about keeping
your lines of
communication open with
your doctor is to
always keep
trying. Be
regular with your
appointments, always
voice your ideas, and
follow the directions
that your doctor gives
you.
If you have trouble
following a specific
cholesterol-lowering
treatment - whether
it’s because of side
effects or lack of
motivation – always be
honest with your doctor
about it. Your
doctor needs to
understand what you
aren’t doing that may
be affecting your
treatment. Often,
your health care
professional will be
able to give you some
tips for making the
treatment more
realistic for you or
may even be able to
offer an alternative
treatment for
controlling your
cholesterol.
Always be sure to
tell your doctor about
all medication, herbal
treatments, vitamins,
and over the counter
products you’re
taking. These can
affect your cholesterol
medication and may also
affect some medical
tests.
Doctor
Question
Checklist
There are certain
questions that you need
to answer about your
condition over the next
30 days. Whether
you get the answers to
these questions from
your doctor or from
another reputable
health care
professional, if you
really want to
effectively lower your
cholesterol, it is
important that you
understand the answers
to the following
questions:
• What exactly
am I being treated for
and what is my exact
condition and prognosis
right now?
Never assume that a
level of high bad
cholesterol is what you
are being treated for
primarily. Your
doctor might be more
worried about another
condition that is
related to high
cholesterol - such as
obesity, for example -
and might be focusing
on that in order to
help you achieve
health.
Understanding what
you are being treated
for can help you to
understand what you
should be focusing on.
Getting the exact
numbers and figures
which are related to
your condition - such
as the actual
cholesterol levels -
can also help you keep
track of your progress
as you make the change
you need to make in
order to become
healthier.
• What are
the details of the
medications I am
taking?
Get a list of the
drugs and treatments
you are taking
(including the full
names) as well as their
risks, their side
effects, and exactly
how they should be
ingested. Ask
about any ingredients
or medications these
drugs could react with,
how these drugs should
be taken (on an empty
stomach, with food, or
at specific times of
the day) and also find
out how the drugs
should be kept.
Many chemists now
provide complete
print-outs which tell
you everything about
the medications you’re
taking. It is
well worth your while
to seek out a chemist
or pharmacist that may
give you detailed
information about your
cholesterol-lowering
drugs and can answer
all your questions
about your medication.
Find out what you are
supposed to do if you
forget a dose or
experience some side
effects.
• What
symptoms should I be
looking for that
indicates that I should
look for help right
away?
Medication and
treatments for high bad
cholesterol carry many
risks, and having
higher cholesterol
carries its own
specific risks as
well. Knowing
which symptoms indicate
that you need to seek
some medical help fast
- and knowing where to
seek that help - can
save your life.
Write down the symptoms
you need to stay alert
for and carefully note
down what you need to
do if you experience
specific
symptoms. Review
this until you know it
well.
• What are
the steps I need to
take in order to
improve my
condition?
Your doctor can
recommend specific
steps and instructions
you can follow to
improve your
health. Whether
it’s a specific diet or
a special treatment,
knowing what is
expected of you is
important. Write
these down as goals to
be achieved.
• What diet
and exercise steps are
right for
me?
Whilst a low-fat
diet and moderate
exercise can help you
to lower cholesterol,
your doctor can
recommend specific
routines which can
address specific issues
in your medical
history. If you
have diabetes or food
allergies, for example,
your doctor can help
you determine exactly
what exercise and diet
plan may be right for
you.
If you have
illnesses such as
diabetes or other
health problems that
might affect your diet
and exercise, this is
an especially important
question to ask
yourself as you start
making changes to lower
your cholesterol.
• What
amount of sodium, fat,
cholesterol, calories,
and other elements can
I eat each
day?
Based on your
medical profile, your
doctor can tell you
exactly how much of
what you should be
eating, which may make
it easier for you to
tell what you should be
eating - and in what
portion sizes.
• Who else
may I talk to and what
other resources are
open to
me?
Most doctors are
aware of many of
resources, including
books, pamphlets,
support groups, and
other specialists which
can help you lower your
cholesterol and help
you make the choices
you need to make.
• Am I a
candidate for other
cholesterol treatments
and/or for other
tests?
Understanding which
other treatments and
tests might help you -
in the future, if not
right now - can help
you to see the options
you can have for
treating your high
cholesterol.
Often enough, by
getting your doctor to
explain why you are
getting specific
medication, you can
better understand your
overall health
situation.
• What are
my recent test
results?
Again, write them
down so that you can
see your progress and
evaluate where your
health is now.
• What’s
next?
Before you leave
your doctor’s office,
you must always know
what you should be
doing next to improve
your cholesterol levels
and health.
Whether it’s scheduling
a follow-up appointment
or waiting for the
results of another
test, make sure that
you know what the next
step of your treatment
is.
Click here for the
next step in your free
guide which is about
Common
Cholesterol
Myths
