Post by Arjeta Culaj

Last month I went to the cardiologist to review some blood work. Nothing dramatic, just routine prevention. What shocked me was how little we actually do for prevention! My LDL and other cholesterol markers, which were in the green last year, had moved to the upper limit (this year was tough!). Not alarming, but definitely something I wanted to understand, especially with my family history of heart disease. Mind you, I do live relatively healthy in terms of diet and excercise. Anyways, I voiced my concern. And then my jaw basically hit the floor when my cardiologist said: “Ah, it’s not bad enough yet to give you statins.” STATINS? For someone my age (34)? How is that even the first direction of the conversation??? Why is the default to wait until something gets worse and then “treat it,” instead of helping me bring it back to optimal now so I never end up needing statins in the first place? Why did she not suggest checking my Omega-3 index — a marker that’s actually actionable? Why didn’t she mention ApoB or Lipoprotein(a) to understand my true risk profile? Why didn’t she offer anything that would help me optimize rather than react? So I did what many people end up doing: I went home, researched everything myself, and ordered the tests on my own. ApoB fine. Lp(a) fine. But my Omega-3 index is low — which would’ve been incredibly useful for the doctor to spot. And now, without any clinical guidance, I’m building my own plan to bring my cholesterol markers back to optimal… simply because the system didn’t offer anything between “you’re fine” and “statins.” This is why prevention needs a complete RESET!!! No patient should have to become their own cardiologist just to avoid becoming a cardiology patient later. With that in mind, I will now go ahead and start my Omega-3 supplements, take a long walk at the lake and check again in 3 months to see if my own researched little strategy works. ***Cholesterol markers shortly explained: LDL-C — “Bad cholesterol.” Lower = safer. HDL-C — “Good cholesterol.” Higher protects. Triglycerides — Blood fats tied to metabolic health. Non-HDL — All harmful particles combined. ApoB — Number of harmful particles; strongest predictor. Lipoprotein(a) — Genetic risk marker. Omega-3 Index — Anti-inflammatory protection; low = higher risk.