Cholesterol Screening Locations in Kansas City, Missouri

Ask yourself this question "Do I feel healthy?" Now if you answered no, continue to read this article but if you answered yes read this article as well, as certain health conditions such as high cholesterol don't have any symptoms and although you may feel healthy, inside of your body could be clogged arteries, limited blood circulation and an impending stroke. As a whole, our society focuses mainly on the ills we have that exhibit symptoms whether it be taking cold medicine for that runny nose, Tylenol for that headache or anti inflammatory medicine for those sore knees. Unfortunately since we are a "believe it when I see it" society, the problems that generally could harm us the most i.e. cancers, strokes, and heart attacks could be looming for months and years before they get noticed-and usually by then it is too late. That is why it is pertinent that one gets regular check ups and screenings to verify that they are indeed in good health and if not in good health, find out early enough to counter act anything that isn't healthy. For instance, high cholesterol is one of those unhealthy medical conditions that can easily go un-noticed without regular check ups and can lead to some very serious medical problems such as strokes, heart attacks, etc...

When my grandfather died at the relatively young age of 61 from a stroke caused by unchecked high cholesterol, I started to put more thought into my health and the proactive and preventative steps I am taking to ensure a long, enjoyable life. My grandfather hated doctors and check ups like the majority of people and decided to forgo them and rely only on his personal opinion of his health and in the end that decision proved to be a fatal one that ended his life way before its time. The stroke, which was caused by a piece of plaque created by cholesterol buildup in his blood vessels, got dislodged and found its way to his brain, where a blood vessel burst and caused a hemorrhage. The stroke didn't kill him immediately; instead it left him in a paralyzed semi coma state for over 8 months before he finally succumbed to it. When the doctors explained to me that this all could have been prevented by eating healthier, exercising, and getting regular checkups, I decided I didn't want to have my life ended prematurely and found a place where I could get a cholesterol screening.

Before I decided which cholesterol screening location to visit in Kansas City, Mo, I did some research on cholesterol screening services and what all they entail. During my research I discovered that unlike most other tests which are conducted to diagnose something, cholesterol screening is a preventative test used to estimate the risk of certain diseases and ailments. It generally accompanies a routine physical but for people with pre-established ailments like diabetes, people who are over weight, who smoke, or who are older 45, it is recommended that they get screened a little more frequently. I found a lot of good information about high cholesterol as well as cholesterol in general on the American Heart Association's website and although I am of the male variety, I found the cholesterol screening locator on Womenheart.com very helpful as well. So after doing some research on cholesterol screening I looked around for the local screening locations in my hometown of Kansas City, Missouri.

I found a couple different ways of going about getting the cholesterol screenings in Kansas City as it appears as if you can either go to a CVS pharmacy, Walgreens pharmacy, your regular physician, or PersonaLabs.com's locations. The CVS and Walgreen pharmacy locations are pretty self explanatory. All you need to do is call the nearest CVS or Walgreens in your area and ask if they do cholesterol screenings. It appears as if the locations with in house urgent care facilities as well as clinics all have them. These are located in Kansas City, Mo, Belton, Mo, Leawood, Ks, and Overland Park, KS or basically within 15 miles of each other. These are pretty convenient as there aren't usually long lines to wait in. If that approach doesn't seem viable for you then you could easily set an appointment with your regular physician and have them do a cholesterol test for you. Another option is going onto Personalabs.com, which is an online medical facility that caters to your unique schedule, etc... All you have to do is find the nearest location to you using their location finder, stop by sometime to give a blood sample and then within a few days you can log into their website to get the results. No appointment setting hassles, no long lines, just stop by and give blood and wait for the results to be emailed to you. Although this option is very convenient, you have to pay for the convenience as they are somewhat pricey with just a cholesterol screening costing $50.00. The CVS and Walgreen options are the least expensive, costing almost half of Personalabs but using your regular physician might be the most inexpensive if you have insurance and/or a low co-pay. I opted for the physician route as it was almost time for a routine physical and found the testing to be extremely easy as it consisted only of me giving a small blood sample for analysis. All in all, cholesterol screening is a very vital test that needs to be taken so as to ensure one's health and luckily there are multiple avenues one can take to accomplish it. I am glad I got my cholesterol tested as I found out it was a little high and I was able to get it down to normal levels through proper eating and exercise.

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4504

http://www.personalabs.com/locations.aspx

http://www.womenheart.org/locator/