Harvard Medical School Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol

By Mason W. Freeman and Christine E. Junge

From the experts at one of the world's most respected medical schools--your complete guide to managing cholesterol and staying healthy for life

Everybody knows that high cholesterol is something to be concerned about. But what does it really mean when your doctor tells you that your cholesterol levels are high, and what should you do about it? If you're worried about your cholesterol, here's your chance to get the answers you need from a top expert at the Harvard Medical School.

As founder and chief of the prestigious Lipid Metabolism Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dr. Mason W. Freeman treats hundreds of patients each year and oversees breakthrough cholesterol research. In The Harvard Medical School Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol he explains:

• What cholesterol is and the difference between "good" and "bad" cholesterol
• How to assess your risk for high cholesterol
• How to work with your doctor to develop the best treatment plan for you
• Cholesterol-lowering drugs--who should take them, what to look out for, and how to be sure your doctor is monitoring you properly
• How to manage your cholesterol through diet and exercise
• The latest scientific findings on alternative therapies

About the Harvard Medical School health guide series

Each book from Harvard Medical School gives you the knowledge you need to understand and take control of your health. In every book, a world-renowned expert from Harvard Medical School provides you with the latest information on diagnosis, traditional and alternative treatments, home remedies, and lifestyle changes that can make a powerful difference in your health.

• Language: English
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
• Release date: Mar 3, 2005
• ISBN: 9780071466271

Book preview

Reviews for Harvard Medical School Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol

[glennbell_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a relatively short book that is to the point about cholesterol. The author appears to be an expert and he is practical and moderate. The message is the same as most others - diet, exercise, and drugs, if necessary. A take home message is reduction of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet. I strongly recommend this book.

[lauriebrown54 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book doesn’t just cover cholesterol, but heart health in general. It starts with what cholesterol is and how your body manufactures it and the mechanics of heart disease, then moves on to risk factors and what will happen when you visit your doctor about this. Then it goes to how to lower your cholesterol and, thus, your heart disease risk. Diet, exercise, medications. He includes special cases- children with high cholesterol, seniors, people with established heart disease and diabetics. He gives a chapter to alternative and complementary approaches- and doesn’t think much of any of them. It’s a very thorough book- the explanation of heart disease is very good. High cholesterol is not a problem on its own- it’s the things it does to the arteries, and it works by several different mechanisms. Of course, even though the book is only five years old, the results of some of the studies he cites have been overturned by newer ones, but for the most part, it’s a good, solid book.