Do Your Own Cholesterol Levels

Some good news for those that have concerns regarding their cholesterol levels. You can now try to decrease your co-pays and high deductions for repeated lab tests ordered by your doctor to measure blood cholesterol. This method will help to cut back on the middleman costs by ordering your own assays online. This can help those that are also facing diabetes by monitoring hemoglobin AIC according to an article written by Anna Wilde Mathews in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday January 11^th, as well as cutting back on doctors visits.

In the article there are warnings to stay in touch with your regular physician throughout the self help procedure for their guidance in ordering the most accurate test for your needs, as well as to help interpret the results afterwards. There are many factors that are

Lab tests can be ordered online without the need for a doctor's order. Some of these include:

Lipid Panel- This test will show results for both good and bad cholesterol levels and will measure triglyceride
levels as well.

C-reactive Protein- A substance that is linked to more incidence of heart attacks.

Liver Function- Takes a look at the enzymes within the liver that help with digestion and other functions

Vitamin D- A more valued vitamin everyday to help with immune function as well as many other functions of the body.

Things to watch out for:

Check the lab your using- It's important to be sure that the lab you're using is accredited by a legitimate organization such as the College of American Pathologists

Be Aware- of those companies touting treatments that they base on your lab test results

Be Careful of Boastful Claims- often, a company will try to place more credence to a particular test than it actually has. It's probably important to scrutinize the company well if you begin to hear those sorts of claims.

Ordering your own tests to get your cholesterol levels done is becoming quite popular among those who have elevated cholesterol levels as a concern. Not only can you save yourself some money, but you can navigate your own medical plan.