1. First Alert for High Cholesterol
Public screening is a first stage alert and not meant to replace a visit to the doctor's office for a full screen. Just because you receive a clean bill of health from a public screening, that doesn't mean that everything is kosher in cholesterol land. Public screenings are most useful to detect high cholesterol in unsuspecting people. Many of the cholesterol tests find those that have yet to visit a doctor for blood tests.
2. Check Momma, Daddy and Kids
Children should get a cholesterol check at public screenings if their parents suffer from high cholesterol. Early signs of high cholesterol show up even in infants. The reverse is also true. If a doctor regularly checks the infant and child's blood for cholesterol levels and finds them elevated, a fatty finger points to the parents. The relationship between the parents and child's cholesterol is huge when you consider that high cholesterol is a potentially inherited trait.
3. Check the Checkers
If you show very different results at a public test site than at your doctor's, you may want to question a few things at the site. The type of equipment and blood sample they use can make a big difference. Blood drawn from the vein may show a different reading than that from a prick. How much training the technicians at the site have makes a difference in the accuracy of the reading and whether they use the equipment properly.
4. If You Know They Are Right
Once you establish the validity of the public check, you may want to use it as a low cost method of cholesterol check. Ask to get a copy of the results for the doctor and use it in place of the higher cost test done at the doctor's office. If you have never had your cholesterol checked at a doctor or public test, use the results as an indicator for further evaluation.
5. Check a Few Things First
Check the site before you get a free cholesterol screening. Look for good sanitation and meticulous attention to the rules of hygiene. Today anything that involves blood is a potential HIV hazard and extra precautions taken. Ask before you allow a needle in your arm or even a prick, whether the testers uses individually wrapped needles and supplies. Make sure the tester disposes of them immediately following the individual test. Find whether a licensed lab equipped for on-site testing sponsors the test. Your doctor should analyze all results.
