Apparently, millions of Americans -- including those at a low-risk of heart attack -- should be on the cholesterol-reducing drugs. In my opinion, this is scary. Don't get me wrong -- statins are a wonderful thing and have helped many, many people. But we are a very medicated society and the fact that the medical community feels the need to medicate the low-risk population is frightening. Especially when healthy living could solve many of the same problems.

People with high cholesterol aren't the only ones who should be paying attention to their numbers. Even if your cholesterol falls in healthy ranges, you should still be taking proactive measures to manage it:

• Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise increases your HDL cholesterol. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the "good" cholesterol because it helps carry the bad cholesterol out of your blood stream. Your HDL levels should be greater than 40 mg/dl.

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September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month, so take some time this month to educate yourself on cholesterol -- the good, the bad, and what you can do about it.

• Get tested. If you don't know your cholesterol levels, visit your doctor. Ask your doctor to explain the results and give you some recommendations if your cholesterol levels needs improvement. Chris recently posted a good overview of the different types of cholesterol and some general guidelines for healthy ranges.
  
• Eat heart-healthy foods. Choose plenty of whole grains, healthful fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), lots of fruits and vegetables, and lean protein. Also, remember to minimize your sodium intake.

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Statistically speaking, who has a greater chance of dying from heart disease - men or women? My guess would be men ... and I would be wrong. There's little harm in me not knowing that women are actually at greater risk than men for heart disease. However, it would do a great deal of harm if I were a doctor and I still didn't know the correct answer to this question.

An article in Men's Health suggests that this is alarmingly the case with many doctors. A study from Rush University found that fewer than one in five doctors knew that women are at a higher risk of heart disease than men, which may serve to explain why women are also six times less likely to be prescribed statins, aspirin, an beta-blockers.

It remains unknown why this presumption of better heart health in women persists, though its implications -- with respect to proper treatment and preventative care -- can be significant.

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Did you know that many prescription drugs have some less than desireable effects? No, I'm not talking about that litany of disgusting physical maladies that are typically rattled off in Micro Machine Man fashion at the end of a drug commercial. Instead, I'm talking about the depletion of nutrients that occurs as a direct result of taking maintenance drugs.

Vasodilators or Beta-Blockers: You may be taking these to help regulate your high blood pressure. If it's helping, great! Keep taking them. But, beware that your consumption of the vasodilators are causing a reduction of vitamin B6 and the beta-blockers are sapping some Coenzyme Q10.

Statins: Yes, statins are a great way to help lower your cholesterol, so do keep taking them if they are working and your doctor suggests that you stick with them. However, please know that the statins also deplete your body of Coenzyme Q10, which can lead to muscle soreness, fatigue, or even elevated liver enzymes.

Diuretics: A popular treatment for hypertension or congestive heart failure. The downside is that they deplete your body of magnesium, zinc, and potassium, which can cause a weakened immunity.

The good news is that you can easily make up for whatever vitamin or mineral you are losing with the medication by simply being sure to eat lean meats, fish, chicken, whole grains, nuts, and leafy green vegetables. And, if you really want to make sure that you're not missing out, you can also talk to your doctor about taking nutritional supplements.