SOMMET CURO L7 Cholesterol Multi Test Strips TC, TG, HDL & LDL - Included 10 Strips (Device NOT Included)

Being a ME, I am a fan of tools in general and diagnostic tools are a great help to figure out the mechanics of how things work and what effects changes can make. The SOMMET CURO L7 Cholesterol Multi Test system has saved me countless dollars and time spent having my doctor unsuccessfully determine why my cholesterol was high and what I could do to lower it. The only thing my doctor would continuously push was a lifelong course of statin drugs without determining why my cholesterol levels were high. This product helped me figure it out on my own. Diet and exercise is a major factor, but I have always been eating healthy and staying active. Genetics is a factor as well, but most doctors just tag that point as the one factor you are cursed with and that nothing but statin drugs is going to get your high cholesterol levels under control. That is not necessarily true.Being able to test myself, I was able to determine dairy products made my cholesterol levels spike overnight, beyond what would be normal after consuming my morning coffee with a splash of milk. I cut 100% of dairy out of my diet and saw my TC drop from 240 to 190 within a week and continued to drop as low as 140 after several more weeks, having a LDL of 90 and HDL of 50. To confirm my findings, I retested myself a day after eating some plain yogurt and saw my TC spike to 210 overnight, with my LDL at 140. My doctor was unable to explain why so I did more research on my own. Genetics surely plays a big role in this. For me, I found it was likely the breakdown of lactose into glucose and galactose to be my nemesis. The glucose we can use immediately but the galactose needs to be broken down further, but not by the lactase enzyme that broke down the lactose. Another enzyme comes into play to breakdown the galactose, and that is when my LDL cholesterol level spikes. This is my logical presumption based on medical research I read on the subject.I also found that taking a high dose of niacin (vitamin B3), when I consume dairy products, will prevent my body from producing high amounts of LDL cholesterol. It still jumps higher than normal but not the huge spike I would see without the B3. Talk to your doctor and get a lab test of your lipid panel so that you have an accurate baseline to reference. This CURO test will not be as accurate as the lab test but I have found it to be consistent and a good relative comparison to a lab test so that I could figure things out.I have never taken statin medications and, thanks to this CURO test kit and a bit of research, I never will. None of what I have said here is medical advice. Talk to your doctor and figure it out.One bit of advice I can give is to fast for at least 8 hours before testing yourself. 12 hours would be better. Testing in the morning is convenient, after 8 hours of sleeping. Coffee or tea, with no cream or sugar, is acceptable to consume while you fast, or just drink water. Stay hydrated. This is no different than the instructions your doctor will give you prior to having blood drawn for a lab test. Do this to ensure the best accuracy of the test. Consuming any food, even a little cream or sugar, within 8 to 12 hours before the test, will result in inconsistent and inaccurate test results.

Always a good "home" gauge for my levels.... Always within tolerance to actual blood test results.

Be careful. Not accurate.

Be careful about the expiration date. The machine will not read a test result if the strip has expired. I intended to test once a month but had to throw out two strips because they were expired. Also, you need to follow the instructions carefully or the test will be invalid and you’ll waste a strip. At $10 each, that’s can be a costly mistake!

I found a very difficult to get enough blood on to the test strip that I ended up wasting through your four of them before I finally got a result. Now I have to buy a whole new pack of them for $99. So I'd suggest shopping around and deciding if you can accurately get the blood on to the test strip before you purchase this one