DIY Lab Tests
Do-It-Yourself books and TV shows have been popular for years, but did you know there’s DIY blood work available? My husband and I started ordering our own annual blood work about eight years ago. Yes, there is such a thing!
We were driven to order our own blood work out of frustration. Frustration with the conventional medical system’s unwillingness to look at our whole health … just looking at standard tests and average reference ranges, which by the way are lacking. The one size-fits-all mentality that dominates healthcare today gets in the way of finding out how healthy you REALLY are.
Getting a decent set of bloodwork can be yours if you are willing to “own” your health and pay cash. No insurance. If you’re like me, I’ll bet you believe that knowledge is power. Important decisions about your health and lifestyle can only be made when you have a clear picture. Data provides that. Knowing where you’re at on the healthy spectrum is an incentive to live well. Without measurement, there is no progress.
Personally, we use Life Extension’s preset panels. The Male and Female Blood Test Panels are quite comprehensive and should fit most of your needs. With just a few small tubes of blood, you’ll get your lipid profile, cardiac markers, key hormones, metabolic profile and complete blood count, as well as your Vitamin D level.
If you need more advanced lab testing, don’t fear. You’re covered. Life Extension offers nearly every kind of panel you could possibly think of and then some. There’s even the latest cutting-edge tests like MTHFR/COMT Genetic Methylation.
The icing on the cake is you can have a brief phone consult with one of their expert Health Advisors (an MD with a focus on wellness and optimal health) to go over your results! The biggest advantage of this phone consult is that the Advisor will discuss with you the optimal ranges for your results, not just the average reference ranges that the lab and the typical doctor look at.
To make it even better, Life Extension has an Annual Blood Test Super Sale that allows you to save up to 50 %. It usually starts in May and ends in early June.
Take the next step in taking charge of your health by getting the data to see how you’re really doing! Maybe there are some early warning signs that you can take action on before it becomes more serious. Over time with labs done annually, you can really see how your lifestyle choices are making a difference. Knowledge is power.
Let me know your thoughts on DIY blood testing … if you’ve done it, what have you learned? If not, what has stopped you from doing it?