I recently ordered a set of blood tests as an annual health check.
I asked Matt whether he’d like a test ordering and he responded with… ‘meh, not really’
I understand why, we’ve just paid out for some car and home repairs so he wasn’t keen on any ‘unnecessary’ expenses right now.
‘So you MOT the car but not your own body’’, I pointed out.
‘Yes, because it’s illegal not to’, he replied.
Fair enough.
But I reminded him how we took our perfectly fine Ford KA for an MOT last week and one look inside discovered the entire chassis was completely corroded.
The car was a write off.
Yet on the surface everything looked fine.
I’ve been able to help many of my private clients catch health issues via regular checks and preventative testing.
You can also find simple causes of health issues that can be easily corrected.
I’ve lost count of the number of clients who have wasted time and money on supplements, hormone tests, food intolerance tests, thyroid tests or pursued a long COVID diagnosis.
Yet basic blood tests have revealed something as simple as iron deficiency or a body in need of rest and recovery.
It’s really worth setting aside a small budget for an annual test that could save money and a lot of worry.
Here are some hopefully helpful tips on choosing a test:
- Make sure you find a reliable company, here’s a few pointers
- Look for a UKAS/CQC accredited lab (Thriva and Medichecks have a good range of options)
- Costs range from £70-200 depending on what you need
- If you have an existing health condition (e.g heart disease, diabetes, thyroid) it maybe helpful to monitor your blood results more frequently.
Here’s some biomarkers I use to assess an individuals health:
Immune system, nutritional status and oxygen delivery
- Complete blood count
- Full iron panel with Ferritin
- Hs-CRPESR
- Antinuclear antibodies
- Active B12 *not serum B12 typically run by GP’s
- Vitamin D
- Serum magnesium
- Serum folate
Metabolic health
- Fasted glucose and HbA1c
- Blood lipids including triglycerides
- Thyroid TSH, T4, T3 and antibodies
- HDL:Triglyceride ratio
Heart disease risk and inflammation (private tests only)
- Blood lipids including ApoB like this one
- Homocysteine
- Hs-CRP
- Also complete a Qrisk assessment with blood pressure, waist circumference and BMI
General health
- Liver function
- Kidney function
- Sex hormones: free testosterone index
If you’d like more guidance on what tests would be appropriate for you and to have your tests interpreted alongside a comprehensive assessment of your diet, lifestyle and symptoms I provide numerous consultation options.
You can book a free call to discuss working together.
You’ll be pleased to know Matt eventually purchased a test in the Medicheck sales!
