Blood Testing for Achieving Optimal Health

Blood testing has been traditionally used for diagnosing diseases; however, some health professionals now realize its vital importance in optimizing health, instead of just in diagnosing disease. I have been counseling clients on how to improve their health for almost thirty years, and I strongly insist that clients receive complete blood work to be able to evaluate their health prevention plans. I will tell you how you can utilize this phenomenal method of building your health and save hundreds of dollars at the same time.n nWhen you go to the doctor for a physical, you will most likely receive blood work that will measure your cholesterol level, white and red blood cell count, liver function, kidney function, and sometimes thyroid function. These tests are good for diagnosing medical problems; however, to improve your health in the future, you must be able to receive additional blood tests that more accurately reveal the direction your health is going and what you can do about it. n nThe problem in the past was that very few physicians were knowledgeable about which tests to order for preventative health, and also, the price of these special tests were normally cost-prohibitive. Now all blood work can be ordered through Internet companies that cut out the middleman profits, and the labs are the same ones that your doctor uses! Your blood is drawn at local labs that are found in every major city in the United States. n nThe tests that are needed after age forty to achieve optimal health are usually not paid for by insurance companies because these companies will often not reimburse for preventative health. This is a responsibility that must be assumed by each individual.n nThe first step is finding the proper lab. I recommend using any reputable Internet blood testing company; however, I have found DirectLabs.com or Lef.org to be very reliable. When you log on to these Web sites, you will be able to choose any tests that your doctor can order; however, since most people do not have knowledge of blood work, the easiest method is to choose the blood test panels that are offered such as a male or female panel. Additional tests that I feel are absolutely necessary to be included in your panels are the following: homocysteine, high-sensitivity C-reactive, fasting insulin, and 25 hydroxy vitamin D. I find that to truly receive the combination of blood work necessary to give you this information, the cost would be approximately three hundred to four hundred dollars. These same tests would cost you over one thousand dollars if you paid for them at your doctor’s office.n nOnce the results are received from your blood work, consultation with a nutritionally oriented physician is important to completely interpret the results. It is important to find health professionals who are willing to work with you on your goals of achieving superior health.n nTraditional physicians may lack the expertise to know how to evaluate blood work from the aspect of knowing the difference between reference ranges and optimal ranges. Reference ranges in blood work values apply to the majority of people and are used only for diagnosing disease; however, optimal ranges are where you want to find yourself on blood values to achieve the best health. The optimal values are much narrower, and these values can be found at Lef.org or from BloodChemistryAnalysis.com. Dr. Weatherby, author of Blood Chemistry and CBC Analysis, offers entire courses for the public and health professionals on the importance of optimal blood analysis and long-term health.n nThe final importance of personal blood testing is that you can follow trends in your year-to-year blood work, and this may be the most accurate way of indicating which way your health is heading. Most people think that when a doctor diagnoses them with a chronic disease, they just got sick, when in fact, they were probably heading toward the diagnosis for many years. Doctors usually only diagnose from blood work when red flags are shown on the tests; however, many times, this is a process that could have been altered if the trends were viewed earlier with proper blood work. One problem, however, is that few traditionally trained physicians ever observe year-to-year trends of patients to follow the direction in which the person’s health is going. n nBlood testing by the individual is yet another example of the need to take responsibility for one’s own health. This responsibility requires some effort and expense; however, the long-term benefits to your health could be tremendous. nn** This article is one of 101 great articles that were published in 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health. To get complete details on “101 Great Ways to Improve Your Health”, visit http://selfgrowth.com/healthbook3.html