Cholesterol is part of the heart disease picture, but it is not the whole picture. Chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, high triglycerides, and small dense LDL particles often predict risk better than total cholesterol alone. The most useful question is not “how high is my cholesterol,” but “what is driving my cardiovascular risk?”. This article explains the evidence, including where the mainstream and functional medicine views agree and disagree. It is educational and not a recommendation to start or stop any medication.