The present invention is a treatment for reducing serum cholesterol levels. The method involves analyzing a patient's lipid levels to determine a therapeutically sufficient amount of laser energy to apply to reduce a patient's LDL level while preserving his or her HDL level. The therapeutically sufficient amount of laser energy is determined by conducting a standard blood draw from the patient, conducting a lipid panel, and analyzing the results. In the preferred embodiment, a laser having a wavelength of about 635 nm is used to apply a therapeutic amount of laser energy of approximately 6.6 J/cm.sup.2, provided over six treatments, each laser treatment two days apart.