Archive for the ‘benefits’ Category

When A Stroke Occurs, Act FAST!

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

Do you know the top three leading causes of death in the United States? The first two are widely publicized — heart disease and cancer. You may be surprised to know that the third leading cause of death is stroke.

May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Established in 1989, the annual campaign is designed to raise awareness about the treatment and prevention of strokes.

A stroke, or a cerebrovascular accident, occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off (an ischemic stroke) or when a blood vessel bursts (a hemorrhagic stroke). Without oxygen, brain cells begin to die and death or permanent disability can result.

There are actually three types of stroke: ischemic, hemorrhagic and transient ischemic attacks, which are commonly called TIAs.

A TIA is sometimes described as a mini-stroke. It starts like a stroke, but clears up within 24 hours, leaving no apparent symptoms or deficits. A TIA is a warning from the body; a person could be at risk for a more serious stroke. Medical attention should be sought immediately.

Most strokes are ischemic. Blood clots are the common cause for artery blockage in an ischemic attack, but they are not alone. A condition called stenosis, narrowing of the arteries, can also cause a stroke.

Why do doctors care so much about your cholesterol levels? One of the reasons is because stenosis is caused by a buildup of fatty substances including cholesterol and other lipids, also known as plaque. So taking preventative steps to lower your cholesterol sooner, will increase your odds of not having a stroke later.

That being said, strokes can — and do — occur at any age. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, nearly one quarter of strokes occur in people under the age of 65. So it is important to know the signs and symptoms of stroke.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has been utilizing the FAST acronym to help community members know the signs of stroke. You may have seen the commercial: “Stroke Heroes Act FAST!”

F is for face: Does the face look uneven? Ask the person to smile.
A is for arm: Does one arm drift down? Ask the person to raise both arms.
S is for speech: Does their speech sound strange? Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase, for example, “The sky is blue.”
T is for time: If you observe any of the above signs, call 911.

Other signs and symptoms include numbness or weakness of the face, arms or legs; sudden confusion or trouble understanding others; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance or coordination; and/or sudden sever headache with no known cause.

It’s important if you recognize these symptoms that you call 911. The emergency services personnel will get the person suffering from a potential stroke to the hospital the quickest and safest way.

There are other risk and lifestyle factors that put people at a higher risk for stroke. The most important risk factors for stroke are high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and cigarette smoking.

Blood cholesterol levels are a risk as mentioned earlier. Cholesterol is a waxy substance produced by the liver. The body needs it, and the liver makes enough for the body. Excess cholesterol usually comes from eating foods that contain high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat.

Reducing Risk

That’s another reason why your doctors and health-care practitioners ask you to look at the labels of the foods you eat. The lower the cholesterol and saturated fat levels the better.

Alcohol can also be a risk factor. Excessive use of alcohol can increase blood pressure, which increases the chance of stroke.

And strokes can run in families. Genes play a role in whether or not you are at risk for a stroke. But it’s not always the gene’s fault; strokes can and will happen to families that lead a sedentary lifestyle or have poor eating habits.

By now you might be asking yourself, how do I prevent a stroke from happening to me? Everyone can take steps to lower their risk for stroke.

* Prevent and control high blood pressure
* Prevent and control diabetes
* Don’t smoke!
* Prevent and control high blood cholesterol
* Drink in moderation
* Maintain a healthy weight and diet
* Get regular physical activity
* Know your genetic predisposition

If you want more information speak to your doctor or attend one of the three local community stroke assessments given by North Adams Regional Hospital at libraries this May.

Local Risk Assessments

The first will be held at the North Adams Public Library on Tuesday, May 6, from 9 to noon. The next is at the Milne Public Library in Williamstownon on Thursday, May 8, from 9 to noon and at Adams Free Library on Tuesday, May 13, again from 9 to noon.

Advance registration is encouraged for any of the screenings. Information about the community stroke assessments can be obtained.

Knowing your stroke risk status is important. Even though stroke is the No. 3 cause of death in the nation, there is a good chance if you suffer a stroke that you will survive. You should know what to expect after you have a stroke.

Rehabilitation can help a person overcome disabilities that result from stroke and also helps to lower the risk of another stroke. There are many types of rehabilitation that a stroke victim may use to help relearn skills.

There also are acute stroke therapies that try to stop a stroke while it is happening. These treatments include trying to dissolve a blood clot causing an ischemic stroke or trying to stop the bleeding of a hemorrhagic stroke. These therapies are most effective when they are given soon after the onset of a stroke. That is why it is so important to act FAST!

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How to Fight Cholesterol

Monday, August 4th, 2008

Dr. Helen is having some cholesterol hell. She wants to keep her LDL cholesterol low and HDL cholesterol high, and having suffered a heart attack in the past this is of the utmost importance. The product she was using was Benecol Smart Chews, which, judging by the nutrition facts, don’t seem to have anything particularly wrong with them. It uses plant sterols, proven to lower LDL cholesterol in the human body. Yet her LDL cholesterol and triglycerides level went up. What gives?

Whatever the reason, cholesterol is something you should try to keep in check whether young or old. Sometimes, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol come from crazy places you wouldn’t even think of. Below are my tips for getting your cholesterol under control through the use of a good diet, exercise, and supplements.

Avoid Processed Foods and Artificial Sweeteners

This is so hard to do nowadays because almost everything is processed and almost everything has corn syrup in it (even the chews!). Processed foods like corn syrup — and even white bread and white pasta — are turned into glucose (sugar) rapidly by the body. Excess sugar that your body doesn’t use fast enough will be turned into fat. In this case, most often these foods will be turned into triglycerides, a kind of fat that is easy to burn off but is detrimental to your health.

Buy truly whole grain products whenever possible to avoid this affect on the body.

Limit Your Alcohol Consumption

Certain alcohol beverages, such as beer and especially wine, have been shown to have incredible health benefits in moderation. A couple glasses of wine a day is no problem. However, when you drink alcohol, the liver prioritizes the metabolism of alcohol over other substances such as glucose. This results in even more glucose than usual being converted into triglycerides. This will happen especially when drinking cocktails that involve fruit juices and syrups. This is especially a warning to all the college students out there!

Eat Your Fiber

This can’t be stressed more. Fruits, vegetables, and legumes have so many different qualities that are amazing that they shouldn’t be passed up on. In terms of helping with your cholesterol, there are some benefits that your greens can give you that few foods can. The soluble fiber in fruits and legumes, as well as oatmeal, form gelatinous substances in the intestine and bind with cholesterol so that it is removed rather than absorbed. Eating just 15 grams of soluble fiber a day can reduce your LDL cholesterol by 10-15% over time.

Exercise and You Won’t Be Sorry

A regular regimen of exercise is extremely helpful in burning off triglycerides and reducing LDL cholesterol while boosting HDL cholesterol. There is no doubt that cardiovascular exercise as well as weight training reduces inflammation, excess fat, and LDL cholesterol. Truly, any amount of exercise is beneficial but those who do it regularly will see the most benefit. You need to remember though that the heart is also a muscle, and while it may seem strange, a whey protein shake after a jog is just what it needs to build itself stronger than ever before.

Get Acquainted with the Good Fats, Throw Out the Bad

A supplement with plant sterols alone is not going to do the trick — essential fatty acids have the most control over your cholesterol levels. Before I say anything, I just wanted everyone to know that I am extremely biased against low/no fat diets. I think they are ridiculous and led to a generation of people coming down with cardiovascular diseases. That’s because fat in your diet is so absolutely necessary that you can’t afford to cut it out. In terms of cholesterol, fat can save your life if you eat the right kinds. So what are they?

Monounsaturated fats are what you want the most of in terms of lowering LDL cholesterol. When eating a salad or some whole wheat pasta, feel free to drizzle a good helping of extra virgin olive oil. Salad dressings based on olive oil are also good. Seriously, olive oil is amazing and shouldn’t be passed up on.

You should also make sure to get a large amount of your essential oils from food sources. Fish have a lot of good fats in them, such as the polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6. Avocado is great. Some coconut oil, a medium-chain saturated fat, has been shown to be beneficial as well. You should also eat a decent amount of nuts, as they contain a great amount of oils that are beneficial to the body.

So what are the bad? Any kind of processed or refined oil. That giant, cheap gallon of vegetable oil should be thrown out immediately. There is no better way to raise your triglyceride and LDL cholesterol count than to cook everything in vegetable oil. When oils are heated they undergo a chemical transformation that makes them much less healthy for you. Basically, anything that says processed, hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated should be thrown out especially if found in packaged food. These are generally trans fats — the biggest culprit in terms of bad cholesterol.

You will also want to trim as much fat off of red meat as possible as, unlike coconut oil which is a medium-chain saturated fat, these are long-chain saturated fats and do have a connection to higher LDL cholesterol. Replace some of your red meat meals with fowl and fish instead.

Some Supplements Do Wonders

There is a reason that bodybuilders and nutritionists are absolutely obsessed with certain supplement products. Their benefits are proven, visible, and effective in everyone.

Flax seeds and flax seed oil are one of nature’s best sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Taken as a supplement or whole, these little guys do wonders for your cholesterol and heart. Cod liver oil is a good alternative, containing these fats along with vitamins A and D naturally.

Like I said, bodybuilders and nutritionists take these because they work. AI put a bit of flaxseed oil in every protein shake I make. While I’m sure the Benecol Smart Chews has had some kind of effect given the plant sterols, I don’t believe that it can have nearly the effect as supplementing with essential fatty acids.

Conclusion

There are many lifestyle changes that you can make in order to boost your cardiovascular health and tackle cholesterol problems. As a natural substance that your body needs, dietary cholesterol itself has very little impact on the cholesterol in your body. When you eat more cholesterol, your body simply makes less. The terms HDL and LDL actually refer to lipoproteins that surround the cholesterol the production of which has much more to do with dietary fat than dietary cholesterol. A good exercise regimen, but most of all a healthy diet full of unprocessed foods and essential unsaturated fatty acids, are essential to raising your HDL and LDL levels, thus preventing the kind of arterial plaque that can lead to so many cardiovascular diseases.

These tips worked for me, and I hope that by following my suggestions you can successfully achieve your goals. Good luck Dr. Helen and everyone else!

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Lipitor and Red Wine

Sunday, July 20th, 2008

There have been plenty of studies done showing the heart healthy benefits of alcohol. But while there are rumors red wine is the best, is it really?

According to a study by Jefferson Medical College researchers, who compared the effects of drinking either red wine or gin on several biochemical markers in the blood, red wine had a much greater effect in lowering levels of substances which are hallmarks for heart disease and stroke.

Subjects in two groups were given two drinks a day of either wine or gin for 28 days. Then, those who received red wine the first time then were given gin. Those who had gin first then received red wine. The researchers measured levels of inflammatory biomarkers before and after each half of the trial.

The red wine dramatically lowered, more than the gin, the levels of molecules involved in inflammation.

While this is a controversial issue, there are many experts who believe the benefits of wine have been shoved under the rug. In fact, this is highly valuable medicinal, as powerful as some of the best drugs we have available today in preventing heart disease.

“Moderate drinking that’s say one, two drinks a day of alcoholic beverage provides as much protection as the statins. It’s about a third reduction in heart attacks, which is very substantial. And alcohol’s a lot cheaper,” said Dr. Emanuel Rubin, a pathologist.

The statins are drugs like Lipitor or Pravachol. Red wine contains many complex compounds including polyphenols, which are absent from gin, and what the researchers believe make the difference.

But Dr. Rubin cautions, regardless of the alcohol, there are true benefits to be gained by drinking daily. “I think it is a reasonable thing for doctors to recommend to patients after a certain age that ordinary social drinking is actually good for you,” he said.

Keep in mind not to overdo it. The research found there’s no benefit when you have more than two drinks per day.

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Lipitor Exercise

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

Exercise and Heart Health

Lack of exercise may contribute to being overweight. This is a risk factor you can manage with your doctor. And your heart needs you to get active—especially if you’ve been diagnosed with high cholesterol. Exercise can help you reach (or stay at) your appropriate weight. It can also strengthen your body to help you fight off illness and may keep you in a healthier, more optimistic state of mind.

Like diet, exercise is something where a few small changes can make a big difference. Here are a few ideas to get you moving:

Walk for 30 minutes a day. Increasing the number of steps you take each day can help your heart. Take your dog to the park, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park in the farthest spot from the store.

Try a new activity. Go ride a bike. Or start swimming. Take a yoga class. Join a hiking club. Learn tai chi. A new activity can reduce your weight and help raise your spirits.

LIPITOR is a prescription drug. It is used in patients with multiple risk factors for heart disease such as family history, high blood pressure, age, low HDL (”good” cholesterol) or smoking to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. When diet and exercise alone are not enough, LIPITOR is used along with a low-fat diet and exercise to lower cholesterol.

LIPITOR is also used in patients with type 2 diabetes and at least one other risk factor for heart disease such as high blood pressure, smoking or complications of diabetes, including eye disease and protein in urine, to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

LIPITOR is not for everyone. It is not for those with liver problems. And it is not for women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant.

If you take LIPITOR, tell your doctor if you feel any new muscle pain or weakness. This could be a sign of rare but serious muscle side effects. Tell your doctor about all medications you take. This may help avoid serious drug interactions. Your doctor should do blood tests to check your liver function before and during treatment and may adjust your dose. The most common side effects are gas, constipation, stomach pain and heartburn. They tend to be mild and often go away.

When diet and exercise alone are not enough, adding LIPITOR can help. LIPITOR is one of many cholesterol-lowering treatment options that you and your doctor can consider.

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Cholesterol vs Saturated Fat

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

When we talk about health and nutrition, the terms cholesterol and saturated fat are tossed about frequently. We should avoid large amounts of them, but I for one still get confused by the differences between the two. So I thought it might be a good time for a little review.

For starters, cholesterol is a waxy substance made by the liver and it’s used by the body to make hormones, vitamin D, and other materials. It is essential to your body to function normally, and your body makes enough. Cholesterol can also be found in food, and then it is called, quite appropriately, “dietary cholesterol,” and it’s only found in animal products such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy. It is especially high in egg yolks and organ meats such as liver, brains, and kidneys.

Blood cholesterol refers to the cholesterol levels in your body, which can be determined by a blood test. Your total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dL — HDL (good) cholesterol levels should be 40mg/dL or greater and LDL (bad) cholesterol should be 130 mg/dL or less.

If you eat too much dietary cholesterol (over 300mg a day) the extra will accumulate in the walls of the blood vessels, making your LDL (bad) blood cholesterol levels rise. Over time, your arteries will become narrower, which can cut off the blood supply to your heart (causing a heart attack) or your brain (causing a stroke).

So that is the skinny on cholesterol, and to review a few facts on saturated fat read more.

Saturated fat is not essential to your body. It is found mainly in animal products such as meat, poultry, and dairy. All of these foods also contain dietary cholesterol. Palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil also contain saturated fats, and a lot of processed foods like cookies and crackers contain these oils. On the box it may say “No Cholesterol,” but if you check the nutritional info, it may still contain saturated fat from those hidden oils. How sneaky. Saturated fats raise LDL (bad) cholesterol levels more than dietary cholesterol itself, so they’re the ones to watch out for. The RDI of saturated fat is 20g or less.

Fit’s Tip: I’m not saying you should ditch the foods you love that contain cholesterol or saturated fat, just make sure you’re staying below the recommended daily level.

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Lower Cholesterol

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Cholesterol Help and Tips

If you have high cholesterol then there are many things you can do to lower it. There are many different medications designed for lowering your cholesterol and there are many things that you can do on your own to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

It is common for doctors to prescribe medications to patients with dangerously high cholesterol levels. These medications include statins, ezetimibe, bile acid sequestrants, and niacin. Statins are very effective in reducing cholesterol because they work inside the liver by interrupting the formulation of cholesterol from the circulating blood. Ezetimibe is known to lower LDL cholesterol and is a relatively newer drug on the market. This drug works inside of the digestive tract reducing the absorption of cholesterol. Some doctors prescribe this drug and a statin to work collectively. Bile acid sequestrants are known to be effective in lowering LDL. These drugs may be effective alone or when used with statins also. Types of bile acid sequestrants include Questran, Colestid, and Welchol. There are side effects to sequestrants that include bloating and gas, abdominal pain, and constipation.

Niacin is a B vitamin that is known to lower triglyceride levels and LDL levels. It is also known to be effective in raising HDL cholesterol levels too. There is a new medication called Advicor that is known to combine niacin boosting the good cholesterol your body needs and lower the bad cholesterol.

There are many things you can do to maintain low cholesterol levels in your body. High levels of cholesterol in your body can result in a heart attack, stroke, and heart disease. If you work to keep your levels low then you can live a healthier life.

Diet is very important when you are concerned about your cholesterol levels. You should focus on reducing the amount of saturated fats and cholesterol you eat which in return will help in lowering your blood cholesterol levels. A diet that is low in saturated fat is recommended. Foods that are low in cholesterol that you should add to your diet plan include fat-free dairy products, fish, skinless poultry, whole grain foods, and fruits and vegetables. Foods that contain higher amounts of cholesterol that you should avoid include egg yolks, livers, and full-fat dairy products. You should also avoid weight gain when you are concerned about your cholesterol levels.

Another way you can help your body avoid heart disease by working toward lowering your cholesterol is by maintaining an active lifestyle. You should regularly assume physical activity which will help raise the good cholesterol levels in your body and lower the bad cholesterol. It will also help you lose weight. If you can be physically active for at least 30 minutes everyday then this can have a big impact on healthier cholesterol levels.

High cholesterol can be dangerous to your body. There are things you can do for your body to work at getting your levels down like eating right and exercising. If your levels are dangerous then a doctor may put you on medications to help with lowering your cholesterol.

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Does Lipitor Block Trans Fats

Monday, July 14th, 2008

Cholesterol isn’t the only factor in heart disease, but one that many people are concerned about. Unfortunately dieting by reducing the intake of saturated, hydrogenated and trans-fats to reduce the cholesterol coming from the food you eat is insufficient to address the problem of raised cholesterol as most of it is manufactured by your liver. You can limit your cholesterol intake all you want, but it won’t reduce the cholesterol (approx 80%) that’s manufactured in your liver. Statins address raised cholesterol by inhibiting the action of the enzyme HMGR (hydroxyl-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase)which produces cholesterol in your liver. Statins block the action of the said enzyme at one significant cost however, and that is at the production of Coenzyme Q10 (Co Q10). CoQ10 is used by every cell in your body in the production of energy. Every muscle is therefore affected by the action of a statin drug. And remember that your heart is a muscle.

There are many other ways that a person can address raisd cholesterol levels throught diet and supplementation. For example, consumption of a whole red grapefruit on a dialy basis has been shown to significantly reduce overall cholesterol by as much as 16%. In addition policosanol, a compound of fatty alcohols derived primarily from sugar cane or beeswax also has shown beneficial in reducing overall cholesterol. In a trial involving 240 post-menopausal women with high cholesterol, 10 mg of policosanol taken daily for six months significantly lowered LDL levels (25.2 percent) and total cholesterol (16.7 percent). The women also experienced an overall 29.3 percent increase in HDL levels.

Even though policosanol is drawn from the same plant that produces table sugar, it doesn’t affect blood sugar levels when ingested. And several studies have shown that it can reduce cholesterol without creating the dangerous side effects associated with statin drugs.

There is a worl of resources out there on the web. Do the research and in place of a common name for a herb, plant etc find the ‘official’ (be it Latin or Greek) to repeat the web search. This should point you in the direction of the more scientifically based studies. And remeber….talk to your doctor. And if you are not satisfied with the answers seek another. Remember…it’s your money you are spending on the service and it is your health.

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Pfizer’s High-Dose Lipitor Reduces Heart Attack Risk in Kidney Disease Patients

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

Pfizer has announced that Lipitor 80mg reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke by 32% in patients who have heart disease and chronic kidney disease compared with patients taking the 10mg dose of Lipitor.

The primary endpoint of the Treating to New Targets (TNT) study was the reduction of major cardiovascular events, including death from heart disease, non-fatal heart attacks, resuscitated cardiac arrest, and fatal or non-fatal strokes. This sub-analysis studied 3,107 patients with moderate to severe chronic kidney disease, as defined using a standard measure of kidney function.

The efficacy results in this analysis were primarily driven by reductions in heart attack and stroke. Both doses of Lipitor (80mg and 10mg) were well tolerated. Lipitor 80mg is not a starting dose. The safety of Lipitor 80 mg in patients with chronic kidney disease was similar to that reported for the overall TNT population, with no unexpected safety concerns identified.

Halit Bander, senior director of Pfizer’s global cardiovascular metabolic medical team, said: “The results of this analysis complement the large body of evidence from multiple clinical trials demonstrating the cardiovascular benefits of Lipitor.”

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Cholesterol Drugs Reduce Blood Pressure

Saturday, July 12th, 2008

Both high cholesterol and high blood pressure are risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Past reviews and analyses of clinical trials have suggested that a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins, lowers blood pressure, in addition to reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (or, ‘bad cholesterol). In a recent article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers from the University of California San Diego reported results confirming these observations that statins lower blood pressure.

In this study, 973 individuals who did not have heart disease or diabetes were randomized into three groups - one group was treated with simvastatin, another was treated with pravastatin, and the last group was treated with a placebo pill. After six months of treatment, individuals who received statins experienced small, but statistically significant, reductions in blood pressure, even if their baseline blood pressure was already within the normal range. Simvastatin produced slightly higher reductions. The researchers also found that the effect on blood pressure was lost within two months after statin therapy was stopped.

Although the observed reduction in blood pressure was small (about 2 mm Hg), this modest reduction may still contribute to significant reductions in the risk of stroke, as well as heart disease. However, this study only included a lower-risk population of people without diabetes or heart disease. Also, the study provided only 6 months of observation and the effects of long-term therapy with statins on blood pressure still need to be studied.

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Lipitor How Much LDL

Wednesday, July 9th, 2008

Cholesterol is a lipid, a type of fat found in the body. Having high “bad” cholesterol means you have too much LDL in your blood. LDL is low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol.

Too much cholesterol in the blood, or high cholesterol, can be serious. People with high cholesterol are at risk of getting heart disease. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Only about 20% of cholesterol comes from the foods you eat. The other 80% is made by your body. Things such as age and family health history affect how much cholesterol your body makes.

Cholesterol levels tend to rise as you get older. Unfortunately, there are usually no signs that you have high cholesterol. But it can be detected with a blood test. These tests can also help your doctor predict what your risk for heart disease may be.

Total Cholesterol

Your blood test report will show your cholesterol levels in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). The total number is based on:

* LDL (”bad” cholesterol)
* HDL (”good” cholesterol)
* Triglyceride (a type of fat found in your blood) levels

Total Cholesterol Levels / What It Means

Less than 200 mg/dL / Desirable
200-239 mg/dL / Borderline high risk for heart disease
240 mg/dL and above / High risk for heart disease

The 2 Types of Cholesterol: LDL and HDL

Bad cholesterol: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

Too much LDL in your blood can clog arteries. This can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Good cholesterol: High-density lipoprotein (HDL)

High levels of HDL can help protect you from a heart attack or stroke. HDL carries cholesterol from the body’s tissues to the liver. So, low levels of HDL can increase the risk of heart disease.

If you’re worried about high cholesterol and heart disease, make an appointment to speak with your doctor. LIPITOR is clinically proven to lower bad cholesterol 39-60%, when diet and exercise are not enough (average effect depending on dose).

LIPITOR is a prescription drug. It is used in patients with multiple risk factors for heart disease such as family history, high blood pressure, age, low HDL (”good” cholesterol) or smoking to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. When diet and exercise alone are not enough, LIPITOR is used along with a low-fat diet and exercise to lower cholesterol.

LIPITOR is also used in patients with type 2 diabetes and at least one other risk factor for heart disease such as high blood pressure, smoking or complications of diabetes, including eye disease and protein in urine, to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

LIPITOR is not for everyone. It is not for those with liver problems. And it is not for women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant.

If you take LIPITOR, tell your doctor if you feel any new muscle pain or weakness. This could be a sign of rare but serious muscle side effects. Tell your doctor about all medications you take. This may help avoid serious drug interactions. Your doctor should do blood tests to check your liver function before and during treatment and may adjust your dose. The most common side effects are gas, constipation, stomach pain and heartburn. They tend to be mild and often go away.

When diet and exercise alone are not enough, adding LIPITOR can help. LIPITOR is one of many cholesterol-lowering treatment options that you and your doctor can consider.

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