What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is very important fat-like substance that the body needs to function properly. Your body produces the majority of cholesterol in the liver. You also get a small amount of cholesterol through food.
In fact, cholesterol acts as a tire adhesive. In our veins arise on one given moment inflammation. These inflammations must then be repaired and cholesterol plays a very important role in this. Even if you have exercised intensively cholesterol works to get your muscles to recover. We therefore see increasingly that cholesterol is part of a physiotherapist’s treatment plan.
Why should I watch the amount of cholesterol?
A consistently high cholesterol level can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is important to say that you should not only look at the total cholesterol value, but also at the LDL, HDL, Triglyceride and Cholesterol Ratio. These values provide a much clearer picture of where things may go wrong.
What is true about cholesterol?
Much is written about cholesterol, but what is true and not true?
1. Cholesterol is important for our body and is produced in the liver. In fact, cholesterol is the building block for body cells, hormones and even the production of vitamin D. Without this substance, our body cannot work and survive. So high cholesterol is not the primary cause of cardiovascular disease.
2. In the meantime, important scientific studies have shown that all cardiovascular diseases begin with inflammation of the vessel wall. (1) When inflammation occurs, our body produces more cholesterol to repair the affected cells.
3. The so-called ‘bad cholesterol’ LDL is actually vital to repair damage in tissues. But too much LDL cholesterol can settle in the veins, causing blockages with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This is known as arteriosclerosis (arteriosclerosis).
4. However, increased cholesterol production is not the original cause of cardiovascular disease. Agents that lower the production of cholesterol disrupt a natural recovery process of the body. So lowering cholesterol is not the key.
5. In order to protect your body against cardiovascular disease, you must therefore tackle the core of the problem, namely inflammation. By stopping and preventing inflammation, you ensure a balanced production of cholesterol and that means having clean veins.
When should I measure my cholesterol?
The important thing when measuring cholesterol is that you do it consistently at the same times. If you do this yourself at home, the morning is a good time for it, just before you eat. Cholesterol values are not as fluctuating as, for example, your glucose.
You can also have a Health Check of 30 minutes performed. Physiotherapists measure various risk factors, including cholesterol. Based on the results, they give specific advice to improve health. When only the total cholesterol is measured and the other values are unknown, this can often give a distorted picture. This makes the treatment less effective.
What does the result of a measurement say?
In a cholesterol measurement it is important to look at relationships between values and not just the total cholesterol.
As a rule, for adults up to 60 years the HDL must be higher than 1 mmol / l.
The LDL should be less than 4 mmol / l and the total cholesterol should be less than 5.2 mmol / l. When you are older than 60 years, it is important that the total cholesterol is less than 8.3 mmol / l. The ideal HDL-LDL ratio is 1: 4 (LDL is no more than four times higher than HDL).
Increased values: With a total cholesterol higher than 6.3, there is talk of increased values. This is also the case if the LDL values are more than 4x higher than the HDL values or the triglyceride values are higher than 2.30 mmol / ltr.
Too low values: Low cholesterol is almost always harmless. There is no evidence from scientific studies that cholesterol levels can get too low. Or that there are health risks involved.
As long as the LDL-HDL ratio is good (LDL no more than 4x higher than HDL), the total cholesterol level is of little importance (except extremes). That is why it is so important to measure all your values separately.
What should you pay attention to when choosing a cholesterol meter?
The meter reads the amount of cholesterol in a small blood sample placed on a disposable test strip, usually from your fingertip. There are many providers of this type of meter. The following points are important to be aware of.
The measuring range of the cholesterol meter
Not every meter has the same measuring range. It is obvious that you want a cholesterol meter that can measure as much as possible. After all, otherwise you may get an inaccurate result.
Meters with the following range per value are accurate;
Cholesterol 100-500 mg / dL (2.59-12.93 mmol / L)
HDL 15-100 mg / dL (0.39-2.59 mmol / L)
Triglycerides 46-650 mg / dL (0.51-7.43 mmol / L)
The LDL and Cholesterol Ratio is always calculated.
The time until the cholesterol meter gives the result
Of course you don’t want to have to wait long for your result. Especially in today’s busy world. So look at meters that give a quick measurement result. The fastest on the market returns results in less than 1 minute.
How much blood you need to measure your cholesterol
You don’t want to get the feeling that you have to puncture yourself to get a result every time. Therefore, find a meter that needs as little blood as possible to measure your cholesterol. If you have a meter that needs around 35ul it is good. That amounts to a few larger drops of blood.
Whether the test strips are packed loosely
Many cholesterol meters come with test strips that are in a jar. The disadvantage of this is that when you open the jar, the shelf life and therefore reliability decreases considerably over time. In addition, dust or light can be added, which may affect the operation. It is best if the test strips are packed separately.
All values on a strip or per strip value
There are many cholesterol meters on the market that need a separate strip per value. That is of course much more expensive and you also need more blood. So look for a meter that measures all values on a strip.
How easy the meter is to use
Some meters have more complex menu structures or buttons that are difficult to press. Go for a meter with a large LCD Display, larger buttons and as few buttons as possible.
The storage of the number of measurements
You prefer to keep as many measurements as possible on the device. This can help you get a good idea of your values over a longer period of time. This is also something your doctor can help.
Physiotherapy for cholesterol complaints
With an ” elevated ” cholesterol there are different ways to get it back to a healthy level. However, it is important that you get the right advice for your situation. A doctor can determine your cholesterol and give you advice, but does not offer guidance in achieving your goals.
The solution for many appears to be the use of a physiotherapist. The physical therapist does a physical examination, draws up a treatment plan and discusses it with the patient. Many only measure total cholesterol as a starting point at the beginning of the first treatment and the end of the last treatment. But not all cholesterol is responsible for the physical complaints. It is therefore much wiser to measure all 5 values.
Measure cholesterol with the Mission 3-in-1 Cholesterol Meter
Measuring cholesterol at the GP or pharmacy is often cumbersome. Being able to measure yourself offers a solution. This is possible with cholesterol meters such as the Mission 3-in-1 Cholesterol Meter. This meter offers you the possibility to measure cholesterol in your practice. With a few drops of blood and a few seconds of your time, you can measure all cholesterol levels with the accuracy of a laboratory test.
The Mission 3-in-1 now comes with glass capillaries, which makes the absorption of blood easier and the different values can therefore be calculated more quickly. Mission’s Cholesterol Meter is the only meter on the market that accurately measures Total Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides and Cholesterol Ratio with one test strip. The test strips are also packed separately.
In addition, the box of 5 test strips now contains everything for measuring your cholesterol. The box now contains 5 test strips, 5 glass capillaries (for better blood absorption) and 5 lancets.
With the Mission 3-in-1 Cholesterol Meter, someone can measure all 5 values with a single strip. This is not the case with many home meters. These measure 1 value per strip. If you regularly want to measure cholesterol, the number of necessary strips and the costs will increase. You can save yourself that with the Mission 3-in-1 Cholesterol meter.