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What is cholesterol, anyway?

An overly scientific explanation of cholesterol is needlessly complex, except perhaps for those of us interested in medical school. The definition that makes the most sense to me because it is easy to understand and remember is that cholesterol is simply a fatty substance produced in the liver and found in the blood and tissue of all animals. This means that not only can we consume cholesterol in meats, eggs, and fatty dairy products, but we also produce it in our own bodies regardless of what we eat. This can be a significant problem for certain people whose bodies are “production-happy”.

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GO TO THE DOCTOR! - Part II

With all of the news these days refuting the validity and very existence of an annual physical, you may be wondering if it’s worth it. Yes, it is - conditionally. As I mentioned in Part I, you must have a competent doctor, and it’s imperative that you are prepared to get as much out of the visit as possible.

A good doctor will probe your mind more than your body, by asking you dozens of questions about your health over the past year in the search for anything out of the ordinary. He or she should also spend an appropriate amount of time answering your questions, which means you should have some. Know your health risk factors before you go! Additional, non-standard tests may be very worthwhile, although they could be expensive (such as a heart scan to look for plaque).

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GO TO THE DOCTOR! - Part I

Besides teaching you how to eat better, exercise and reduce your risk of death, I am also going to help you by asking you to listen to someone else. Not instead of me hopefully, but with me. By the headline of this article, you’ve no doubt reasoned that the “someone else” I’m referring to is your doctor.

Don’t have a doctor? You’ll want to find one now, but be careful. I strongly recommend that you do some research beforehand, rather than picking out the first one you see in the phone book or the closest one to your house. The right doctor is worth his or her weight in gold - the wrong one, well, I’ll let your imagination fill in the rest. You’ll want to find a doctor that is competent and one that you both like and trust.

I suggest that you find a doctor based upon a recommendation from someone you respect. This isn’t a full-proof plan, but it works very well for me most of the time, and in all aspects of my life, not just health. Recommendations are great - you’ve leveraged people you trust to save yourself valuable time and energy.

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Don’t Diet - Make a Lifestyle Change Instead

Choosing to be healthier can mean many things to many people. Few of us want to be health zealots who are consumed with eating, exercising and avoiding risks to perfection. Alternatively, the person who lives on junk food, doesn’t exercise and smokes is just as extreme. There is a balance, and it’s unique for everyone.

Millions of Americans are obese for a wide variety of reasons, some of which are legitimate and some of which are not, and there is no shortage of blame to go around. However, my philosophy has always been to not blame others for my bad choices, and believe me, I’ve made some whoppers in my time thus far. People have to truly want to improve themselves in order to be healthier. The funny thing is, it’s far easier than most people think.

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Down to Business - What’s Killing Us?

Perhaps you’re worried about a terrorist attack, a lightning strike, a car accident, or a house fire as a way to meet your end. At times it seems like there are an infinite number of ways to die and that there is no way to survive. The media certainly doesn’t help matters with its sensationalistic reporting.

For example, many people are terrified to fly because of the way the media reports aviation accidents. We are repeatedly bombarded with horrific details of fiery crashes leaving a few survivors that would rather be dead. Come on here, let’s be realistic. Flying is vastly safer than getting in your car and driving to work, but the media capitalizes on our fears very successfully, and this is but one example of many.

I read an article recently that said in the months after September 11, 2001, there was a large spike in automobile fatalities as people jumped in their cars instead of airplanes for fear of a terrorist attack. So instead of rationally focusing on what we can control, many people died needlessly. How awful is that? We must be logical and look at the statistics of our current situation if we want to live a healthier and longer life. In other words, we have to know what’s killing us.

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