DEAR DR. GOTT:
I’m a 73-year-old male. I get flyers in my newspaper every couple of months for Life Line Screening and have forwarded one to you for your comments. Are the tests offered worth the money and do they do a good job?

DEAR READER:
These flyers are extremely useful in directing you to testing offered in your area. The services are offered at a fraction of the cost charged by your local hospital or health care center. The flyer you sent me publicizes screening for carotid artery stenosis (a common cause of stroke), abdominal aortic aneurysm (a potentially fatal thinning and ballooning of the major artery feeding the lower body), osteoporosis (a determination of bone strength in men and women), and peripheral vascular disease (arterial blockages in the legs).

I encourage you to partake in the program offered unless you have had recent, similar testing performed. All procedures offered are non-invasive, completely painless screenings using Doppler ultrasound technology.

A board certified physician who is fully insured and licensed to practice medicine will review and confirm all results. Should you have any abnormal readings, I recommend you take the reports provided to your own primary care physician for interpretation and possible follow-up.

To give you related on two of the conditions mentioned, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports “Stroke” and “Osteoporosis”. Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and $2 (per report) for each report to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s).