September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month: Know your numbers
VMH Lab offers Walk-In Wellness Testing for cholesterol ... September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month. The Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) Lab, pictured in the surrounding photos, offers community wellness testing including cholesterol lipid panels, at a low upfront cost, to help accommodate individuals that may forgo these important tests due to the high cost of health insurance premiums and deductibles. For more information, call the Laboratory at 563-568-3411. Submitted photos.
September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) explains cholesterol as a waxy, fat-like substance made by your liver. Blood cholesterol is essential for good health. Your body needs it to perform important jobs, such as making hormones and digesting fatty foods.
Your body makes all the blood cholesterol it needs, which is why experts recommend that people eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible while on a healthy eating plan. Dietary cholesterol is found in animal foods, including meat, seafood, poultry, eggs and dairy products.
Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). When you go to a health care professional to get your cholesterol checked, this test (also called a lipid panel or lipid profile) will usually check the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in your body.
• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol. Having high levels of LDL cholesterol can lead to plaque build-up in your arteries and result in heart disease or stroke.
• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol. HDL is known as “good” cholesterol because high levels of it can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Triglycerides, a type of fat in your blood that your body uses for energy. The combination of high levels of triglycerides with low HDL cholesterol or high LDL cholesterol levels can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.
• Total cholesterol is the total amount of cholesterol in your blood based on your HDL, LDL and triglycerides numbers.
The Veterans Memorial Hospital Laboratory provides community wellness testing at a low upfront cost, offering this service to help accommodate individuals that may forgo these important tests due to the high cost of health insurance premiums and deductibles. Individuals can select from a menu of wellness tests during select hours, including a full cholesterol lipid panel.
A physician’s order is not required for these tests. Anyone can call the VMH Lab to set up an appointment between the hours of 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday- Friday. Results are then mailed to the individual within five business days.
For more information on community wellness testing, call the Laboratory at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon at 563-568-3411.
