Accessing the NT Performance data counte

I am developing a utility in VB to keep a check on the performance of the NT Server and my application. I figured out that one reliable way of doing it is through the Performance data helpers. They can be accessed by either the PDH Interface (which the NT performance monitor uses) or the Registry Interface. I am using the Registry Interface – querying the HKEY_PERFORMANCE_DATA key with the desired counter name. I am getting the data for the counter but am not able to make any sense with the data retrieved.
Is there any other simpler way to get the performance data from the NT system?