subject: High Cholesterol And How To Treat It With Lipitor [print this page] High Cholesterol And How To Treat It With Lipitor
Have you been diagnosed with high cholesterol? Think you need to be tested for your cholesterol levels? Read on to find out more about cholesterol, cholesterol levels and information about treating high cholesterol with Lipitor.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance that the body needs to function for optimum health. Cholesterol is naturally present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the human body, including the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines, and heart.
The body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. Only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood is required to meet these needs. If a person has too much cholesterol in the bloodstream, the excess may be deposited in arteries, including the coronary arteries of the heart, the carotid arteries to the brain, and the arteries that supply blood to the legs. Cholesterol deposits are a component of the plaques that cause narrowing and blockage of the arteries, producing signs and symptoms originating from the particular part of the body that has decreased blood supply.
Blockage to the leg arteries causes claudication (pain with walking) due to peripheral artery disease. Carotid artery blockage may cause a stroke, and blockage of the coronary arteries leads to angina (chest pain) and heart attack. Coronary artery disease is caused by cholesterol and fat being deposited in the walls of the arteries that supply nutrients and oxygen to the heart. Like any muscle, the heart needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients, which are carried to it by the blood in the coronary arteries. Narrowing of the arteries decreases that supply and can cause angina when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen. Cholesterol plaques can rupture, resulting in a blood clot that completely blocks the artery, stopping all blood flow and causing a heart attack, in which the heart muscle cells die from a lack of oxygen and nutrients.
If you have high cholesterol, you may not even know it. People with high cholesterol usually have no symptoms and feel just fine not even knowing they are at risk. A simple blood test can help you and your doctor learn whether your cholesterol is higher than it should be.
More than 1 in 5 adults in the United States has high cholesterol. High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease which is the #1 health problem in the United States. Stroke is the #3 health problem. High cholesterol can lead to a heart attack or stroke. High cholesterol is more common in men younger than 55 years and in women older than 55 years. The risk for high cholesterol increases with age. High cholesterol levels are due to a variety of factors including heredity, diet and lifestyle.
Total cholesterol levels should be less than 200 mg/dL. 200-239 mg/dL is considered borderline high risk and 240 and over is high risk.
If you have high cholesterol, the first step is to make changes in your diet and to exercise. Hopefully, diet and exercise alone will be enough. However, for 2 out of 3 people with high cholesterol, diet and exercise may not be enough and a cholesterol-lowering medicine such as Lipitor may also be necessary. Lipitor is a statin medication. Lipitor is the #1 prescribed cholesterol medication in the world. Statins lower cholesterol in the body by blocking an enzyme in the liver. The body uses this enzyme to produce cholesterol. When less cholesterol is produced, the liver uses more of it from the blood. This results in lower levels of cholesterol in the blood. Lipitor is proven to lower "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides by 39%-60% and it can raise the HDL ("good") cholesterol as well. Lipitor can lower the risk for heart attack and stroke.
Try Lipitor for treatment of high cholesterol as it is one of the most widely studied medicines in the worldwith more than 17 years of research. It has been studied in over 400 ongoing or completed clinical studies that included over 80,000 patients.
For more information or to order Lipitor you can visit RxOvernight.net and find out more about high cholesterol treatment options.
