Cholesterol screening service at your local pharmacy

Well, to be exact it increases the amount of bad cholesterol in the arteries around our heart and kills off the good type. Over time this can cause the onset of vascular disease and even cause a heart attack or stroke. Sounds serious doesn't it? And it is because 10,000 people die every year from heart attacks, quite often caused by high cholesterol.

Having checked out the options for giving up smoking and watching my blood pressure, this month I decided to see what services pharmacies offer for checking my cholesterol. With so many food products out there for keeping levels down, I thought it would be worth finding out what my level was to start with and whether I needed to start taking action now.

When I arrived the pharmacist invited me into the private consultation room for the cholesterol screening appointment. Firstly we discussed my family history when it comes to having high cholesterol and other aspects that could contribute, such as a poor diet, lack of exercise and, of course, smoking.

The pharmacist then tested a blood sample using a special monitor, which involved taking a quick pinprick of blood from my finger and then checking the reading. He told me that my cholesterol level was rather high and that I should consider making some lifestyle changes, such as cutting back on fatty foods, getting at least half an hour's daily exercise and cutting back on how much alcohol I drink.

Before leaving, the pharmacist handed me a 'Healthy Heart' leaflet to remind me of what I needed to do to keep my cholesterol at a healthy level.

I'm now planning on going back in a couple of month's time for another cholesterol screening appointment at the pharmacy. I'm going to put into action some of the steps the pharmacist suggested, and I think it's given me the extra push I needed to start getting more exercise and cutting back on greasy fry ups. I'll certainly be getting my cholesterol checked more regularly in future.