<p>The surrounding and environment around us keep on changing and at times you may get exposed to a number of health issues. Obesity is one such problem which has now crawled into the lives of teenagers and young adults.  Similarly, there are many other health related issues which have started to affect us. Whatever you try or do, you can&amp;rsquo;t be completely sure that the disease will not enter into your lives. However, by being cautious and by keeping a regular check on your health, you can prevent yourselves from any disease.</p><p>But with increasing family responsibilities and work which consume most of your time, there is just a short period of time left for yourselves.</p><p>The pressure at work has taken a toll on your health. When health and fitness should be your topmost priority, you often forget to concentrate on it completely. The reason is your fast paced life that leaves us with little choice. But, in this world where you can get everything home delivered, a new change has welcomed by the healthcare industry as you and they have brought us the laboratory tests that can be performed at the convenience of your homes. There are numerous benefits which these home-based laboratory tests offer us.</p><p>The article discusses, in brief, some of the tests that can be performed in the comfort of your own homes and how these home based tests have brought the laboratory on your fingertips allowing us to monitor your health at periodic time intervals without wasting your precious time in commuting to and from to the clinic.</p><p>COMMON HOME-BASED TESTS AND PROCEDURES</p><p>Cholesterol Test: It is a quantitative test that measures the total amount of cholesterol present in the blood.  Sometimes, the triglyceride measurement is also included in the test kit.It is done to assess the risk of heart disease. High cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease by clogging the blood vessels of the heart thus decreasing the oxygen supply to the heart.</p><p>Test Procedure: To perform the test, the finger is pricked with a lancet to get a drop of blood. Then the drop of blood is put on a piece of paper that contains special chemicals. The amount of color change in the paper indicates how much cholesterol is in present in the blood. In some testing kits, a small machine is used which tells how much cholesterol is there is in the sample.</p><p>Hepatitis C Test: Hepatitis C infection is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Untreated, hepatitis C can lead to liver disease. It is a qualitative test that checks whether you have the infection or not.  It does not tell anything about how advanced the disease is.</p><p>Test Procedure: The test kit contains a small piece of filter paper, a lancet, and instructions for taking a blood sample and placing it on the filter paper. To perform the test, the finger is pricked with the lancet to obtain a drop of blood. Then that drop of blood is put on a piece of filter paper and s