Dears Pharmacy is now able to provide a Health Check Service, where your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, height and weight will be checked to help identify any factors that may put you at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Our pharmacy teams will discuss your test results with you and offer you lifestyle advice to help you improve your health. This includes providing you with a personalised tailored health check report. This service includes a finger prick blood test, and we may need to refer you to your GP for further tests if we identify that you are at high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Service description
Our pharmacist can then provide you with specific guidance and advice to help you improve your health including a tailored report.
- Blood Pressure Check
- Diabetes Check
- Body composition analysis
- Cholesterol Check
- Lifestyle Advice
- 10yr Risk Assessment to Determine Your Risk of Stroke/Heart Problems
- Medication Review
An appointment is required as this takes roughly 20 minutes. To maximise our time with you make sure you complete our pre health check form so that we have your details before your appointment. It only takes 3 – 5 minutes. Click on the button to the right, complete the form and then book your appointment.
Before you arrive
To ensure accuracy, readings should be taken without clothing and under consistent conditions of hydration. If you do not undress, always remove your socks or stockings, and be sure the soles of your feet are clean before stepping onto the measuring platform. Be sure your heels are correctly aligned with the electrons on the measuring platform. Don’t worry if your feet appear too large for the unit, accurate readings can still be obtained if your toes overhang the platform. It is best to take readings at the same time of day. Try to wait about three hours after rising, easting or exercising before taking measurements. While readings taken under other conditions may not have the same absolute values, they are accurate for determining the percentage of change as long as the readings are taken in a consistent manner. To monitor progress, compare weight and body fat percentages taken under the same conditions over a period of time.
Note: An accurate reading will not be possible if the soles of the your feet are not clean, or if your knees are bent or you are in a sitting position.
Bronze service: £8
Body composition analysis
As part of our health check service we can now offer you body composition analysis to give you a greater understanding of your body and its key measurements. This in turn can give you insight into how to make the changes to improve your health.
Body Fat Percentage and Body Fat Mass
Body Fat Percentage is the proportion of fat to the total body weight. Body Fat Mass is the actual weight of fat in your body.
Body fat is essential for maintaining body temperature, cushioning joints and protecting internal organs. Body composition monitors can help you keep track of your body fat. The energy, or calories, our body needs comes from what we eat and drink. Energy is burned through physical activity and general bodily functions. If you consume the same number of calories as you burn, all the calories are converted into energy. But if you consume more than you burn, excess calories are stored in fat cells. If this stored fat is not converted into energy later, it creates excess body fat. Although you need healthy body fat, too much fat can damage your long-term health. Reducing excess levels of body fat has been shown to directly reduce the risk of certain conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. Too little body fat may lead to osteoporosis in later years, irregular periods in women and possible infertility.
Visceral Fat
Visceral fat is located deep in the core abdominal area, surrounding and protecting the vital organs.
Even if your weight and body fat remains constant, as you get older the distribution of fat changes and is more likely to shift to the abdominal area. Ensuring you have a healthy level of visceral fat directly reduces the risk of certain diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and may delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Muscle Mass
The predicted weight of muscle in your body.
Muscle mass includes the skeletal muscles, smooth muscles such as cardiac and digestive muscles and the water contained in these muscles. Muscles act as an engine in consuming energy. As your muscle mass increases, the rate at which you burn energy (calories) increases which accelerates your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and helps you reduce excess body fat levels and lose weight in a healthy way. If you are exercising hard your muscle mass will increase and may increase your total body weight too. That’s why it’s important to monitor your measurements regularly to see the impact of your training programme on your muscle mass.
Total Body Water
Total Body Water is the total amount of fluid in the body expressed as a percentage of total weight.
Body Water is an essential part of staying healthy. Over half the body consists of water. It regulates body temperature and helps eliminate waste. You lose water continuously through urine, sweat and breathing, so it’s important to keep replacing it. The amount of fluid needed every day varies from person to person and is affected by climatic conditions and how much physical activity you undertake. Being well hydrated helps concentration levels, sports performance and general wellbeing. Experts recommend that you should drink at least two litres of fluid each day, preferably water or other low calorie drinks. If you are training, it’s important to increase your fluid intake to ensure peak performance at all times. Read all about body water. The average TBW% ranges for a healthy person are: Female 45 to 60% Male 50 to 65%.
Bone Mass
The predicted weight of bone mineral in your body.
While your bone mass is unlikely to undergo noticeable changes in the short term, it’s important to maintain healthy bones by having a balanced diet rich in calcium and by doing plenty of weight-bearing exercise. You should track your bone mass over time and look for any long-term changes.
Physique Rating
Assesses muscle and body fat levels and rates the result as one of nine body types.
As your activity level changes, the balance of body fat and muscle mass will gradually change, which in affects your overall physique.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
The daily minimum level of energy or calories your body requires when at rest (including sleeping) in order to function effectively.
Increasing muscle mass will speed up your basal metabolic rate (BMR). A person with a high BMR burns more calories at rest than a person with a low BMR. About 70% of calories consumed every day are used for your basal metabolism. Increasing your muscle mass helps raise your BMR, which increases the number of calories you burn and helps to decrease body fat levels. Your BMR measurement can be used as a minimum baseline for a diet programme. Additional calories can be included depending on your activity level. The more active you are the more calories you burn and the more muscle you build, so you need to ensure you consume enough calories to keep your body fit and healthy. As people age their metabolic rate changes. Basal metabolism rises as a child matures and peaks at around 16 or 17, after which point it typically starts to decrease. A slow BMR will make it harder to lose body fat and overall weight.
Metabolic Age
Compares your BMR to an average for your age group.
This is calculated by comparing your basal metabolic rate (BMR) to the BMR average of your chronological age group. If your metabolic age is higher than your actual age, it’s an indication that you need to improve your metabolic rate. Increased exercise will build healthy muscle tissue, which in turn will improve your metabolic age. Stay on track by monitoring regularly.
Body Mass Index
A standardised ratio of weight to height, used as a general indicator of health.
Your BMI can be calculated by dividing your weight (in kilograms) by the square of your height (in meters). BMI is a good general indicator for population studies but has serious limitation when assessing on an individual level.
Muscle quality
indicates the quality / state of the muscle which changes according to factors such as age and fitness.
The muscle quality of young people or those who exercise regularly are normally in a good state. The state of muscles deteriorates in elderly people and those who do not get enough exercise.
DCI – Daily calorie intake
An estimate of how many calories you can consume within the next 24 hours to maintain your current weight.
Daily Calorie Intake (DCI) is the sum of calories for basal metabolism (BMR), daily activity metabolism (activities including daily household chores), and diet-induced thermogenesis (energy used in connection with digestion, absorption, metabolism, and other eating activities). Use this as a guideline in your daily meal planning. Consuming fewer calories that your predicted DCI value will help you lose weight, be sure to maintain a good physical activity so you do not lose muscle mass.
Muscle quality score
The muscle mass is assessed for persons 18 years and older.
Muscle mass is judged by calculating the amount of muscle mass against the persons height and then the amount is classified. The RD-953 displays the muscle mass judgement as a muscle score. The larger the number, the more muscle mass a person has.
Segmental Muscle Mass
Muscle mass rating for five body parts: the core abdominal area and arm and leg.
Monitoring the segmental muscle mass of each of your arms and legs and core abdominal area will help you see and understand the impact of your training programme over time. You can also use this information to correct muscle imbalances and avoid injury.
Segmental Body Fat Percentages
Body fat percentages for five body segments: the core abdominal area and each arm and leg.
Monitoring the segmental body fat percentages of each of your arms and legs and core abdominal area will help you see and understand the impact of your training programme over time.
Blood pressure
Did you know that as many as five million people are undiagnosed with high blood pressure in the UK? High blood pressure causes strain on your blood vessels, which can lead to the narrowing of the vessels, blood clots and an increased risk of heart disease. If the following describes your lifestyle you may be at risk:
- Eating too much salt
- Not eating enough fruit and vegetables
- Not taking enough exercise
- Being overweight
- Drinking too much alcohol
Checking your blood pressure is quick, easy and non-invasive and can be done by our pharmacy teams with no appointment necessary. To receive a blood pressure check, please visit your local Dears Pharmacy today.
Silver service: £15
As per the Bronze service with the addition of the following:
Blood glucose test
Sugar is a vital energy source and is carried to all the cells in the body by the blood, however elevated blood sugar levels may be a sign of diabetes. It is estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of people in the UK who have undiagnosed diabetes. To measure your blood sugar level, pop into your local Dears pharmacy for a quick and simple test*. We can also provide you with healthy lifestyle advice to help you reduce your risk of developing diabetes. For more information or to take the test, please visit your local Dears pharmacy today.
*This service includes a finger prick blood test, and we may need to refer you to your GP for further tests if we identify that you are at high risk of developing diabetes.
Gold service: £20
As per the Bronze and Silver service with the addition of the following:
Cholesterol test
Everyone age 20 and older should have his or her cholesterol measured at least once every five years. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is broken down by the liver from the fatty foods we eat. Two out of three adults have a higher than recommended cholesterol level; which can lead to the development of heart disease and subsequently puts you at a greater risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke. Our test includes checking total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides
Total cholesterol–a measure of the total amount of cholesterol in your blood, including low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
LDL (bad) cholesterol–the main source of cholesterol build-up and blockage in the arteries
HDL (good) cholesterol–HDL helps remove cholesterol from your arteries
Triglycerides–another form of fat in your blood that can raise your risk for heart disease
If the following describes your lifestyle you may be at risk:
- Eating a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol
- Taking little exercise
- Being overweight
- Drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol
- Having a family history of heart disease
For more information or to take a test*, please visit your local Dears Pharmacy today.
*This service includes a finger prick blood test, and we may need to refer you to your GP for further tests if we identify that you are at high risk of developing heart disease.
Platinum service: £30
As per the Bronze, Silver and Gold service with the addition of the following:
HBA1C check
The term HbA1c refers to glycated haemoglobin. It develops when haemoglobin, a protein within red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout your body, joins with glucose in the blood, becoming ‘glycated’. By measuring glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), clinicians are able to get an overall picture of what our average blood sugar levels have been over a period of weeks/months. For people with diabetes this is important as the higher the HbA1c, the greater the risk of developing diabetes-related complications.
Everyone with diabetes mellitus in the UK should be offered an HbA1c test at least once a year. Some people may have an HbA1c test more often. This may be more likely if you have recently had your medication changed or your health team are otherwise wishing to monitor your diabetes control more than once a year. Although HbA1c level alone does not predict diabetes complications, good control is known to lower the risk of complications.
For more information or to take a test*, please visit your local Dears Pharmacy today.
*This service includes a finger prick blood test, and we may need to refer you to your GP for further tests if we identify that you are at high risk of developing heart disease.
Service details
Price: Free service or small charge
Frequency: When required…
