Do you know what your vitamin levels are? What about Vitamin B12 in particular? How about thyroid status? Why not order your own blood tests so you can have data on TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), free T3 or T4?
When Doctors Were In Control:
There was a time when you had to go to a doctor’s office for everything. If you wanted a pain reliever, you needed a prescription for ibuprofen (Motrin) or naproxen (Naprosyn). Even acetaminophen (Tylenol) was once only available by prescription. Those days are long gone and few people remember them.
The same thing was true for tests. If you wanted to know your blood pressure you had to make an appointment for a nurse or the physician himself to take it using a mercury sphygmomanometer and a stethoscope.
People with diabetes had to have their blood sugar tested at a clinic as well. And a woman who wanted to know if she might be pregnant would also need to go to the doctor and wait at least a day for the results.
The New Paradigm: Order Your Own Blood Tests:
Everything has changed. Over the last several decades there has been a revolution in both home tests and treatments.
Not only can women get highly accurate pregnancy test results within minutes in the privacy of their own bathroom, but anyone can easily keep track of blood sugar or blood pressure with digital home monitors. Although some health professionals initially resisted the idea of patient participation in such testing, most have come to accept the importance of regular monitoring.
One or two blood pressure (BP) readings in a doctor’s office will not reflect real-life measurements. That is why it can be helpful for people to monitor their blood pressure regularly in a variety of settings: home, work, stressful, relaxing. With this information a health care professional can better tailor a successful treatment program that involves exercise and non-drug approaches to controlling hypertension. A diary of BP readings can determine the success of various strategies.
Why Home Testing Can Save Lives:
People can even test themselves at home for blood in their stool that might indicate possible colorectal cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends the newer, highly sensitive versions of the guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) for screening. A positive result should be brought to the doctor’s attention.
A Revolution: Order Your Own Blood Tests:
The latest frontier in self-care involves patient-initiated blood tests for a range of biomarkers, from cholesterol and vitamins to hormones like thyroid and testosterone. In some cases people go to a nearby laboratory to have blood drawn. In other instances a nurse will come to the person’s home to draw blood.
Not surprisingly, this new development is controversial. Some doctors worry that the results will not make sense to patients. Others fear patients may waste money and challenge the physician’s interpretation of the results.
But people who are taking acid-suppressing drugs that they can buy over-the-counter like Nexium 24HR or Prilosec OTC could run into nutritional difficulties after many months. The instructions warn people not to take them for longer than two weeks unless directed by a doctor. Many physicians do approve long-term use because this option is cheaper than a prescription for esomeprazole or omeprazole.
If the patient is taking such an over-the-counter drug for months or years, the physician might not remember to order tests of nutrients that can be affected. Either vitamin B12 or magnesium could become depleted.
Conscientious patients could use one of these independent testing services to track their progress. Out-of-range results could and should be brought to the doctor’s attention.
Thyroid Function Misunderstandings:
Many patients are tested once a year, if that, for thyroid function. What few health professionals realize is that the thyroid gland can fluctuate over time. For example, we have heard from thyroid experts that levels may be different in summer than in winter and require different levels of supplementation.
Some people have a hard time converting T4 (levothyroxne) to T3 (the active form of thyroid hormone). It is estimated that one out of six thyroid patients may not feel optimal on standard levothyroxine treatment. Learn more about this important topic at this link.
How Can You Order Your Own Blood Tests?
Some states have made it really easy to order your own blood tests. Others may require your doctor to give you the green light. Here are some links to companies that offer patients this service:
Vitamin D Test Kit from Vitamind D Council
A visitor to our website (Howard from Florida) offered this suggestion:
“Check your local hospital’s website, since many offer ‘direct access’ lab services and may even post their ‘menu’ form online with the tests available and the cost of each. A couple other websites to check are walkinlab.com and directlabs.com.”
People’s Pharmacy Bottom Line on Your Own Blood Tests:
We are pleased that people now have more access to information about their health than ever before. Like any tool, these testing services will need to be used wisely if patients are to get worthwhile results. We are confident that people can learn how to make such decisions for themselves and consult their health professionals for appropriate follow-up.
We offer a range of information on what to do with the testing information. For example, our Guide to Thyroid Hormones provides details on how to interpret laboratory results and what approaches may be helpful for people who have had problems with standard tests and treatments.
Our Guide to Blood Pressure Treatment provides a number of non drug approaches to helping maintain a healthy blood pressure range.
Our Guide to Heart Health and Cholesterol Control puts some context into the lab values. And you can download for free our Guide to Drugs and Nutrients.
We would like your thoughts on whether you think you should be able to order your own blood tests. If you are a health professional do you find this idea heretical? Let others know what you think below in the comment section and please vote on this article at the top of the page.
