Is Your Doctor Doubtful? Developing a Partnership with Your Health Providers

O.K. you have done your homework, and you are convinced that natural cholesterol management can and should be a meaningful part of your personal approach to long term health and longevity.

But you want to engage your doctor in setting up a system to monitor your progress. You know you need to monitor what is working and what is not. This will require periodic blood tests prescribed by your doctor and hopefully paid for by your health insurance.

But you are concerned that your doctor will be dismissive of your desired course of action.

No doubt, some physicians are more knowledgeable than others about natural nutritional approaches to cholesterol management. But most physicians, when presented with the evidence, are willing to explore the options.

So, if you meet resistence, suggest that your doctor read the recommendation of the NIH's National Cholesterol Education Program most recent report of the effecteness of "therapeutic lifestyle changes." In the NCEP recommendations, it is noted that this approach can achieve results similar to that attained by cholesterol lowering medication.

The NCEP reports, plus a listing of related research and studies, can be found on the Kardea Nutrition website.

Your doctor's views about natural cholesterol management also may hinge on concerns about compliance. Many doctors routinely recommended the therapeutic lifestyle changes, but patents often have difficulty changing their habits. It is on this point that you need to be honest with yourself. Can you maintain --- on a daily basis--the steps necessary to be effective with natural cholesterol management.

Sometime this is not easy. I know. I have been working on it. I designed the Kardea Nutrition products to make it easier for me to maintain the program and achieve measurable and signficant improvements in my blood lipid levels.

Give us a holler and let know how you are developing your relationships with your health care provider. Others will find your experience and advice really helpful!