Interview with Dr. Neal Carl, MD
How does WellcomeMD’s lipid testing panel differ from that of other doctors?
Most doctors do a traditional cholesterol panel, which includes total cholesterol, LDLC (their bad cholesterol count), and HDLC (their good cholesterol and triglyceride count). However that is where they stop. WellcomeMD dives deeper into the key markers with an advanced lipid panel. WellcomeMD doctors look at particle size, particle number, and the particle stickiness.
What difference do these advanced tests make?
Knowing how many particles you have, how big or small they are, and how sticky they are is much better information than what you’ll find in a traditional cholesterol panel. These factors are more accurate predictors of whether or not you’re going to develop plaque and will likely be the standard in the future.
When someone’s tests come up negative, what kinds of things do you recommend?
First and foremost is a change in lifestyle – optimizing diet, exercise, sleep, and stress. These are the four pillars, and we will guide you on the changes you can make to your everyday routine to improve your health naturally. Then we look at certain supplements and which ones we can recommend for you.
What types of supplements do you recommend?
For someone with high cholesterol, we might recommend something like red yeast rice, which is a supplement that decreases the synthesis of cholesterol. It is an alternative to statin, which is great for secondary prevention, but not for primary prevention because it increases risk for insulin resistance, memory loss, and muscle soreness. Omega 3 is another wonderful anti-inflammatory supplement that holds the plaque in so it doesn’t cause a thrombus, blood clot, or an embolic event. Even turmeric is a good anti-inflammatory medication. Bottom line, we have many, many things that we can recommend to patients that aren’t prescription medication but still do the trick.
To learn more about how WellcomeMD can help you achieve optimal cholesterol results, please call (888) 531-3844 to schedule a free tour with our practice.
