PRAIRIE DOC®
  • Home
  • About
  • People
  • TV
  • Perspective
  • Donate
  • Friends/Sponsors of the Prairie Doc
  • Radio and Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Foundation
  • Prairie Doc Publishing

“Make the Change for Yourself. Prevent High Cholesterol”

6/22/2023

 
Prairie Doc Perspective for the week of June 25th, 2023
“Make the Change for Yourself. Prevent High Cholesterol”
By Marissia Schaefer, CNP
Many of us have likely been educated on how to be healthier, which includes the foods we should consume, and the exercise we should complete on a daily basis, so we can achieve being ‘healthy.’ This information is important to know, but have you ever been educated about the risks that your current diet and habits of daily living impose on your health?
An ‘unhealthy’ diet that is filled with excessive amounts of sugars, fast foods, fatty and processed foods, as well as alcohol can increase your risk of acquiring high cholesterol. Tobacco use or exposure to tobacco can also have a negative impact on your cholesterol, as well as a lack of physical exercise. 
When your cholesterol is elevated to a certain level it can be known as hyperlipidemia, dyslipidemia, or hypercholesterolemia. Cholesterol is a fat found within your body. Though it is good to have this, too much of it can cause negative health effects. 
Most people likely do not realize they have this until they are screened within a clinic setting with their primary care provider. Others may find out that they have this disease once a significant event occurs, such as a heart attack or stroke.  These events in specific, can occur as a result of high cholesterol. 
When your cholesterol is too high it can build up in your blood system and cause blockages making it hard for your blood to pass through, or even cause blood clots. 
We commonly start screening for high cholesterol as young as the age of 9, and continue forward based on each individual's risk.
For many people high cholesterol can be preventable, yet for some it is familial. To prevent high cholesterol, we recommend maintaining a healthy weight, daily physical exercise, avoiding tobacco, as well as a healthy diet. 
For those that have been screened and are proven to have high cholesterol levels, we recommend the same lifestyle modifications mentioned above for initial treatment. Making these changes can be beneficial to many other disease states as well. 
If these lifestyle modifications do not demonstrate benefit to your cholesterol level, there are medications that can be taken to help lower your risk of worsening condition and prevent poor health outcomes.
Get screened. Know your risk. Making these changes to your lifestyle now, can help prevent significant medical concerns later. 

Marissia Schaefer, CNP Family Nurse Practitioner practicing in Arlington, SD at the Arlington Medical Center. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show based on science, built on trust for 21 seasons, streaming live on Facebook and SDPB most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.  

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Subscribe to Newsletter
Picture
PRAIRIE DOC® MEDIA IS A PART OF HEALING WORDS FOUNDATION.

Healing Words Foundation logo
  • Home
  • About
  • People
  • TV
  • Perspective
  • Donate
  • Friends/Sponsors of the Prairie Doc
  • Radio and Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Foundation
  • Prairie Doc Publishing