Why do you bother measuring CHOLESTEROL ?

[goodsamaritan]

Guys, please educate me.
I'm not a fan of blood tests.
And I don't buy the cholesterol scam one bit.

If artery blockage is the issue, isn't there an artery blockage measuring device?

Why do you bother with measuring cholesterol at all?
What is in it for you?
Health insurance?
Peace of mind you are normal?
You really think cholesterol is a bogeyman for heart disease?

[Ioanna]

here's my example:

i started working for a place that offers health insurance from a specific company that has a campaign a few times a year called "know your numbers".  the testing is free, takes about 5-10min and there is a financial incentive to participate.  so people just go do it for the money.  the  numbers being tested are: height, weight, waist measurement, bmi, blood glucose, total cholesterol, and hdl.  i did this the first year, but haven't done it since.

as for others.. i think if anyone sees a doctor for a routine checkup they order an array of blood tests to include cholesterol.. at least i think that's what it is.  once someone has high cholesterol, they are advised to continue testing to monitor it.  my mom falls into this category.  she had it checked as part of routine check up, it was high, and now she checks it couple times per year as advised by her doctor.  she refuses to take any drugs, but she doesn't allow herself to eat very much fat.  she's already thin and exercises daily     

[sabertooth]

I think triglyceride levels are a better indicator of health than cholesterol.

Take me for instance; my triglycerides are low and my cholesterol is a little elevated 207, which isn't all that high.

High cholesterol can actually be a sign of good health as long as you don't have elevated triglycerides or scarred arteries. Cholesterol is produced by the body naturally and protects the walls of the arteries against damage as well as protects the individual cells against deterioration.

High levels of triglycerides, blood sugars, heat generated toxins, ect are the main culprits behind heart diseases; these things damage the arterial walls which then triggers the body to form cholesterol scabs over the damaged areas as a last resort. Cholesterol is just a scapegoat, its not the cause of disease its an essential element of life.

The only reason cholesterol got a bad reputation is that cholesterol is the main component of plaque build up on the arterial walls that was found in autopsy's of people who died of heart disease. What the establishment doesn't tell you is that those plaques will only form as a protective layer that builds up around already damaged tissue. Its like a scab over a wound. Cholesterol is not responsible for the damage, in fact arterial plaques are actually the bodies desperate attempt to protect itself . Because cholesterol based plaque builds up and seals off damaged tissue after damage has already occurred, it somehow gets the blame for heart disease, when in fact if cholesterol wasn't there to protect the walls of the arteries then there would be much more devastating conditions that would arise.

People with low cholesterol may not have blocked artery's but they accumulate much more overall damage and suffer from a wide array of health problems than someone with higher cholesterol would be protected from.

[wodgina]

here's my example:

i started working for a place that offers health insurance from a specific company that has a campaign a few times a year called "know your numbers".  the testing is free, takes about 5-10min and there is a financial incentive to participate.  so people just go do it for the money.  the  numbers being tested are: height, weight, waist measurement, bmi, blood glucose, total cholesterol, and hdl.  i did this the first year, but haven't done it since.

as for others.. i think if anyone sees a doctor for a routine checkup they order an array of blood tests to include cholesterol.. at least i think that's what it is.  once someone has high cholesterol, they are advised to continue testing to monitor it.  my mom falls into this category.  she had it checked as part of routine check up, it was high, and now she checks it couple times per year as advised by her doctor.  she refuses to take any drugs, but she doesn't allow herself to eat very much fat.  she's already thin and exercises daily    

High cholesterol is healthy and Dr's shame you into getting tested all the time...

They tried to get my Grandad to take statins recently he told them no, I'm too old. They then told them he had high blood pressure and told them 'no I don't it's white coat syndrome!'   heheh

I reckon if he had taken those statins it would of been the end.

[ys]

If artery blockage is the issue, isn't there an artery blockage measuring device?

there is such device, they insert it along with tiny camera in there to see how much blockage there is.  it costs a fortune.

[goodsamaritan]

there is such device, they insert it along with tiny camera in there to see how much blockage there is.  it costs a fortune.

How about something non invasive like ultrasound?  Or those TSA scanners?

[eveheart]

As Ioanna stated, cholesterol testing is "covered" by health insurance. It's part of the beloved US health-care system.

To critics of the system like myself, this system is based on early detection and a heightened state of awareness, hence, we have awareness campaigns and screenings for every dread disease imaginable.

Without these programs, many citizens here would not be able to carry on a conversation with family members or co-workers, for lack of anything to talk about. Many outsiders are put off when a person starts discussing their hormonal levels with complete strangers, but this clearly shows what an advanced civilization we are.

JMHO

[sabertooth]

Even if they discover blocked arteries that doesnt mean that they know the best way to correct the problem .

Stints and statins are a last resort effort that doesn't correct the underlying problem. Statins and blood pressure meds are harmful to the body.

Early detection and diet/ lifestyle modification should be the standard treatment for circulatory problems. If you quit eating the junk that sludge's up your circulatory system then your body can begin to heal the arterial walls and the plaque build up will dissolve away with time.

The raw paleo diet may offer the most immediate results for people who begin it at the early onset of such circulatory disease.

[RawZi]

    I get my lipid panel done which includes all the cholesterols to show medical doctors, family, SAD dieters, vegetarians, vegans and low fat dieters that eating my high saturated animal fat diet maintains and brings about perfect ratios of the lipids.  I don't get it done for my friends; because they bother to know me well enough that they know I wouldn't eat this if it wasn't good for me.  They also respect me to eat what I choose, whether some of them consider the same stuff healthy or not.  Of course I have family members too who are friends in that they respect that I have this choice in diet, or that it's healthy etc.

[bharminder]

I bother measuring cholesterol because people like AAjonus vonderplanitz, for example, fabricate and falsify statistics and data to prove their points. Some allegations made by Aajonus are simply too outrageous to believe, and thus his entire dogma and point of view becomes questionable.

Getting cholesterol measured isn't going to harm you, directly. I don't have to go out of my way to get my cholesterol levels checked, in fact it is fairly simple for me to get it done.

Yes, there are artery blocking measuring devices, but for some people like me they are far more expensive to get tests done with.

[ys]

cholesterol numbers do not indicate in any way how much arteries are blocked or how much they are going to get blocked.  that's why they call it lipid hypothesis.  it's just a guess with no proof.

[donrad]

Cholesterol is a molecule that transports lipids (fats) to and from cells. The good cholesterol is associated with transporting fat away from cells and using it for energy, the bad cholesterol is associated with transporting it to cells for storage. You can have a high total cholesterol but high good cholesterol which is really good: you are clearing out the excess fat.

People eating a lot of sugar and starch end up with a lot of bad cholestorl in the blood because the excess sugars are being converted to fat for storage. Scientists blindly made the association cholesterol = heart disease. It should have been sugar+starch = fat storage = heart disease.

Eating foods with cholesterol does not have the same association, and should not raise blood cholesterol more than briefly.

Watch what you eat not the cholesterol in the blood. We need cholesterol, it is good stuff.

See Westonprice.org to help dispel the cholesterol myth.

[achillezzz]

ermmm there is def some difference in cooked and raw cholesterol.
Also when your body is constantly under stress it produces more cholesterol so this may indicate that this stuff is actually good for you!