Statins work.
Let's start there before somebody's aunt with a Facebook medical degree lights up the comments section.
They lower cholesterol. They can be useful. For certain people, in certain situations, they can absolutely be part of the plan. Fine. Good. We're adults. We can hold two ideas in our head without needing a helmet.
But here's where the whole conversation gets stupid.
Somewhere along the way, cholesterol became the villain. The bad guy. The shady character in the alley. The one we point to and go, "There. That's the problem."
Except cholesterol is not usually the guy who started the fire.
Cholesterol is the fireman.
Inflammation is the fire.
And modern life is walking around with a gas can, a cigarette, and a delivery receipt acting confused when the house smells like smoke.
You eat garbage. You don't sleep. You sit like a folded lawn chair for twelve hours. You run on stress, sugar, alcohol, sugar substitutes, processed food, fake rest, fake movement, fake recovery. Then your body starts screaming internally, and cholesterol shows up as part of the repair crew.
And what do we do?
We blame the repair crew.
Beautiful. Very modern. The building is burning, the fireman pulls up, and everyone starts yelling at the helmet.
Now, does high cholesterol matter? Of course it matters. Numbers matter. Labs matter. Risk matters. Don't be reckless and pretend your bloodwork is just a vibe. If your doctor has you on medication, don't read one spicy column on FF2K.us and start freelancing your cardiovascular plan like you are MacGyver with a supplement drawer.
Talk to your doctor.
But also ask better questions.
Why is the inflammation high?
Why is the body under constant stress?
Why is the diet a chemistry experiment with branding?
Why is sleep treated like an optional hobby?
Why do people think walking twice a week while holding an iced coffee counts as taking care of themselves?
This is the part nobody wants to hear because it is not sexy. It does not come in a bottle. You cannot outsource it. You cannot inject discipline into someone who refuses to change how they live.
The real adjustment is this: stop treating every symptom like an isolated criminal.
Your body is a system. Annoying, I know. Systems require consistency. They require boring stuff. Movement. Real food. Less sugar. Less alcohol. Better sleep. Strength training. Stress management. Sunlight. Hydration. Breathing like someone who is not being hunted by emails.
Very unglamorous.
Also extremely effective.
The medical system is good at lowering numbers. That is valuable. But if all we do is lower the number while leaving the lifestyle fire burning, we did not solve the problem. We just made the dashboard look cleaner while the engine is still smoking.
That is not health.
That is accounting.
So yes, cholesterol matters.
But inflammation is the culprit hiding in plain sight. Cholesterol is often the messenger, the responder, the cleanup crew. And when you spend your whole life eating inflammatory garbage, ignoring stress, avoiding movement, and sleeping like you are hiding from tomorrow, do not act shocked when the body sends help.
Then do not shoot the help.
Put out the fire.
- Dr. Dom Mazza