I don’t remember what complaint had initiated the appointment that November day in 2019, but I remember the doctor’s alarm, which he tried not to show too much, pronouncing hubby’s blood pressure as incredibly high.

This was promptly followed by blood tests, which found high cholesterol, too. He’s half-Scottish, so this wasn’t a huge surprise.

The doctors prescribed medication for both. As my husband and I always do, we researched both new medications before any tablets were taken. We respect pharmaceuticals: both the help they can bring and the harm they can cause. I know that doctors and pharmacists are overwhelmed, and that ultimately, whilst they have hundreds or thousands of patients, I only have one body in this lifetime, so I need to watch out for it.

The blood pressure medicine raised no concerns, but for the high cholesterol, the doctor had prescribed statins. There are enough troubling statin side effects that hubby decided he’d rather try other methods first. The doctor was extremely dubious that lifestyle changes would bring about the level of change needed, but we tried it anyway.

I dove into research mode , spending that month reading a great deal of academic research on cholesterol, to find out what we actually know – and eliminate the myths.

We threw everything at it to see what would stick. Exercise, more fibre, less saturated fat, plant sterols, other supplements, and much more went into our efforts.

I created spreadsheets, including a food diary, to track what we were doing and our readings (we bought our own cholesterol tester). We found what worked.

When the doctor next tested, 3 months later, LDL (bad cholesterol) had dropped by almost a third (31%), and total cholesterol had dropped by three-fifths (62%).

The doctor was blown away. “What did you do?!”

We told him.

He could hardly believe that lifestyle changes had made such a difference.

But then, his typical patients probably don’t throw spreadsheets at their problems.

He was happy that my husband doesn’t need statins, and said he’d see him back in 5 years.

One year after that, hubby’s LDL had dropped by half (since that first measurement). This is the most that is generally hoped for with statin use, but he’d done it by empowering himself with data.

I read in an excellent article recently, “If your high cholesterol isn’t down to genetics, you are entitled to say that you’d like to trial lifestyle changes before medication.” The implication of that horrifies me: that they expect readers to be too scared to suggest trying lifestyle changes if their doctor doesn’t bring it up first. And they’re probably right to expect that.

I know this isn’t my usual business-related story. I want to share this story about how understanding and using data well can truly help empower you.

That translates into every domain:

The guru who believes their way is the only way doesn’t have your customers, your audience, your product, your market. Research thoroughly – and then use your own data to find the path that works for you.

Empower yourself!

Links & Inspiration

The biggest outgoing in many small businesses is payroll.

I like this idea from Enterprise Nation to help you manage your profitability whilst delivering what you need to: hire students.

Their guide is well thought through, including practical tips, success stories, and solutions to common problems. It’s well worth a read if you’re wondering how to affordably expand your operations.

The Office of the Small Business Commissioner has recently launched the Fair Payment Code to crack down on late payments between businesses. It replaces the previous Prompt Payment Code.

From Vanity to Value: The Next Era of Marketing Measurement

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“In this livestream, we’ll hear from brand and demand generation leaders from Nielsen and AuditBoard to learn how they’re implementing data-driven strategies to understand and maximize marketing impact.”

There are no affiliate links in this or any of my emails or blog posts. I simply enjoy sharing resources that could help move your business forward.

Using your numbers to help make your business better

Do you wish you understood how to use your data to make decisions more confidently?

That's what I'm here to help with.