Sep 10, 2007
Testing for High Cholesterol
07th September 2007 Author: Brenda Stokes There could not be another word in the advertising lexicon which is more marketable than ‘Cholesterol’. That word has been thrown around in the mass media to sell products ranging from diet supplements to exotic herbs that claim to make you healthier. As opposed to the popular perception of Cholesterol as being harmful to the point of being labeled toxic, it is a very essential constituent of our physiology. Cholesterol is primarily required to build and maintain the membranes of the cells. It is also required to regulate the fluidity of the cell membrane throughout a range of temperatures. So, how come such a necessary ingredient gets such a bad reputation among the medicos? It is quite justified, as you will shortly see. Excessive cholesterol can result in a mélange of physical problems for the person in question, even cardiovascular disease. This condition of having abnormally high amounts of Cholesterol is called Hypercholesterolemia, a decidedly convoluted name probably derived through an equally convoluted nomenclature procedure. What it means to the patient is a substantially elevated risk of cardiovascular problems and stroke.Though it is recommended that a person undergo Cholesterol tests regularly, people regularly put off cholesterol tests until they have a close encounter with a cardiac arrest and they are put through a battery of tests by their doctors. The diagnosis comes in far too late for it to be of any good. High cholesterol does not display any telltale signs that would lead to its diagnosis. When it does manifest itself in the form of a heart attack, it is usually too late. The best solution is to invest in prevention today to protect against the immense distress a cardiovascular disease would bring.Undergoing cholesterol tests once every 2 years would enable you to keep a tab on your cholesterol level and make adjustments in your lifestyle and diet to rein it in before it becomes too late. In case you are already taking medication to lower your cholesterol level, you should get yourself tested every 3 months to stay safe. There has been considerable innovation in the field of cholesterol testing and the tests are much less expensive today. If the prospect of driving to your doctor’s to get your cholesterol tested puts you off, there are tests available at testcountry.com that you could perform yourself from the comfort of your home. Very economical and easy tests are available which you could undergo to find out your cholesterol level. These tests will inform you the levels of good and bad cholesterol accurately. All you have to do is obtain a specimen in the comfort of your home using the kit and send it to the laboratory using the return postage included in the kit. You will receive a comprehensive result which includes the amount of good cholesterol, bad cholesterol and also the level of triglyceride in your blood. Cholesterol testing has never been easier.The fact that cholesterol builds up in your system without any external symptoms accentuates the need for proper and regular testing to keep your cholesterol levels under control. Frequent testing would be a great investment in prevention that would save you a lot of money and pain in the long run. So get yourself tested for cholesterol today, and let that be a good start towards a healthy new life.About the Author:This Article is written by Lena Butler, the author of TestCountry Health Information Resources, a longer version of this article is located at Testing for High Cholesterol and resources from other home health and wellness testing articles are used such as TestCountry Health FAQ. Source: http://www.a1articles.com/article_211073_23.html |
posted by Morok at 10:00 AM