blood tests – Hello Doctor

Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced naturally by your liver and is used for many different things in your body. Cholesterol is one of the most important contributing risk factors leading to the development of heart disease and stroke. Others include age, gender and genes.

What is cholesterol, exactly?

Have you heard your doctor talking about LDL and HDL cholesterol? LDL (Low density lipoprotein) is known as the ‘bad’ cholesterol because it contributes to heart disease by ‘sticking’ to and narrowing the arteries supplying blood to your heart. HDL (High density lipoprotein) cholesterol is known as the ‘good’ cholesterol because it keeps LDL levels in check.

How do I know if I have elevated levels of cholesterol?

Most people who have elevated cholesterol levels surprisingly have no signs or symptoms. Dr Russell Thomson from Hello Doctor advises that you check your cholesterol levels if you have a family history of elevated cholesterol or have been following a poor diet and lead a sedentary lifestyle. If you wait too long, your first symptom might be heart attack or stroke.

How do I get tested?

Your doctor will ask about your family history, carry out a physical exam and take a blood test. You can also get your cholesterol screened at some pharmacy chains, like the Dischem MHealth programme.

Tips for lowering your cholesterol

For most people, abnormal cholesterol levels can be traced to an unhealthy lifestyle – from spending too much time sitting down, and eating an unbalanced diet. Quitting smoking, eating a balanced diet and getting some regular exercise are ways to combat problems with cholesterol.

Dr. Russell Thomson from Hello Doctor suggests choosing healthier unsaturated fats found in foods like avocados, certain nuts like walnuts and oily fish. He also recommends reducing the amount of saturated and trans-fats you eat including chips, processed foods and fried foods.

Find out more about cholesterol

If you want to talk to a doctor about your risks or how to manage your cholesterol, you can do it at any time. Simply sign up on our website. download the free Hello Doctor app from the Google Play or iTunes store. You can contact our doctors 24/7, 365 days of the year!

Questions to ask your doctor (or ours)

What are the dangers of high cholesterol
How can exercise help to lower my cholesterol?
How often do I need to get my cholesterol level checked?
What lifestyle changes can I make to help reduce my cholesterol?

Few of us enjoy being jabbed with needles, but a blood test is an important indicator of how healthy you are. A blood test usually involves taking blood samples from a blood vessel in your arm. Your arm is used because it can be easily covered up after a blood sample is taken.

The usual place that blood is taken from is the inside of your elbow or wrist, where your veins are close to the surface and easy to find.

You should have a blood test done at least once every year, to check for any health issues. Doctors use blood tests to evaluate different things regarding your health and may request that a blood test is done to check for specific issues.

Blood tests help doctors to:

Check how well your organs like your heart, lungs and kidneys are functioning.
Determine whether you may be at risk for heart disease.
Decide if the medication you’re taking is working.
Assess how well your blood is clotting.
Do checks for symptoms of diseases like cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, coronary heart disease and anaemia.

Your blood is made up of several kinds of cells, compounds, salts and certain proteins. The biggest liquid portion in your blood is called plasma, and the remaining part is serum which can be used to find out how your immune system fights diseases.

All the different parts of your blood can measure and check for various issues that you wouldn’t think a blood test could help your doctor see.

Your blood will indicate:

Your dehydration levels
As an average adult, you are made up of 50-65 percent water, so it’s no wonder that dehydration could cause health problems. Dehydration could put stress on your heart, increase fatigue and make it difficult for you to think clearly.

If your nutrients and minerals are balanced
Nutrients play a big role in the healthy functioning of your body. Deficiencies in critical minerals like magnesium can result in body odour, constipation, muscle cramps, insomnia, headaches, and fatigue. Blood tests can pick up defects like this, so it’s important to have your annual blood test.

Whether you have allergies and triggers
Your annual blood test is also a way to check if you have allergies and its triggers.

If you have an infectious disease
A blood test is the best way to detect infectious diseases early, which will make treatment more effective. The most common conditions that blood tests are used to check for are sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis, HIV/AIDS, herpes and Hepatitis B, and C. Blood tests can also be used to check for other infectious diseases which are hard to detect like tuberculosis.

If you’re pregnant
If you are unsure about whether you are pregnant or not, a blood test is the best way to confirm it. It can also check if you are at risk for pregnancy-related diseases and conditions like gestational diabetes.

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