First Blood Work And Labs, What Should I Get?

[Soren]

I'm planning on getting my first blood work and labs and am looking for some guidance on what to get.

I want to get an overall picture of my stress levels, metabolic health, hormones etc.

I know many of the indicators of stress; prolactin, cortisol, estrogen, androgen levels, TSH levels etc, but I do not have any knowledge of what specific tests I should ask for or how I should go about getting them done.

Should certain tests be taken certain times of day such as TSH for example, is there a preferable form of measuring hormonal levels test?

I'm based in London so if anyone knows of a specific type of service that is offered in the UK that is good for this kind of testing please let me know.

To sum up, what should I get tested for to determine my overall metabolic health and stress levels.

Thanks.

 

[Simonsays]

You could try Genova Diagnostics or Bluehorizons for various blood/saliva tests in the UK. They can be quite pricey, though.

You can get your GP to do some, but they will only test TSH and T4 regarding thyroid, not T3 or RT3.

I did pay for a saliva cortisol test, (taken at four regular intervals during the day) . No surprise my cortisol level was above range for all four. I was really stressed at the time!

Good luck.

 

[Soren]

@Simonsays Thanks for the advice.

 

[ravster02]

Getting your liver, lipids (cholesterol, ldl, hdl, triglycerides) TSH and prolactin tested for would be a good starting point.

The rest really depends on your budget.

 

[Koveras]

• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)
• Total Cholesterol
• Serum Calcium
• Serum Phosphate
• Prolactin
• Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)
• Albumin
• Carbon Dioxide (Bicarbonate)
• Vitamin D
• Ferritin
• Iron Saturation

 

[Soren]

@Koveras @ravster02 thanks.

 

[skycop00]

I have Functional Medicine training and evaluate labs based on my training. I also use software to evaluate the numbers and look for sub clinical clues to pending dysfunction. They are not 100% based on RP though. I would really like to see a lab crunch program here that would take valuable data per RP and @haidut and others that would do a similar evaluation that my software does.

It would really be a valuable tool for people to use. A reasonable fee could be charged to develop this software. I could forward copies of my reports to use as templates if needed.

People are always asking what labs and what range would be good???? So maybe we can get this done as a positive service.

 

[Suikerbuik]

Any specific health issues?
E1 and especially E1S, according to haidut, are the tests for measuring estrogen burden. If you do TSH also get fT4 and fT3 for a better picture. Total testosterone and SHBG give a proper indication; however free testoterone, preg, DHEA and DHT for example, will logically paint a sharper picture, but it's getting expensive, and I too am not sure which tests to get. Try Dan's site (links to TestProviders: a directory of blood test providers.)
In the morning and sober, the levels are usually higher and give a better indication of your metabolic resilience. For cortisol multiple measurements may be needed.

 

[Soren]

Any specific health issues?
E1 and especially E1S, according to haidut, are the tests for measuring estrogen burden. If you do TSH also get fT4 and fT3 for a better picture. Total testosterone and SHBG give a proper indication; however free testoterone, preg, DHEA and DHT for example, will logically paint a sharper picture, but it's getting expensive, and I too am not sure which tests to get. Try Dan's site (links to TestProviders: a directory of blood test providers.)
In the morning and sober, the levels are usually higher and give a better indication of your metabolic resilience. For cortisol multiple measurements may be needed.

Hair loss, which I have improved drastically with LLLT and ray peat style eating, that was my main indication for things not being right. Bad knees, which I am not sure if it is down to a slowing metabolism or bad posture. Not as resilient to fatigue as I used to be. I used to have weight gain, insomnia, fatigue when I reached my peak of too much dieting and over training. Greatly improved that through ray peat style eating over the past 3 years.

One of the main things I am trying to figure out is why things like vitamin E and thyroid supplementation tend to give me heart palpitations. I think it might be due to high cortisol or adrenaline.

 

[Elchapchapchapo]

I have Functional Medicine training and evaluate labs based on my training. I also use software to evaluate the numbers and look for sub clinical clues to pending dysfunction. They are not 100% based on RP though. I would really like to see a lab crunch program here that would take valuable data per RP and @haidut and others that would do a similar evaluation that my software does.

It would really be a valuable tool for people to use. A reasonable fee could be charged to develop this software. I could forward copies of my reports to use as templates if needed.

People are always asking what labs and what range would be good???? So maybe we can get this done as a positive service.

Surprised no one has answered. I think this would be an awesome idea. I value haidut's knowledge alot, along with other members.

 

[skycop00]

Surprised no one has answered. I think this would be an awesome idea. I value haidut's knowledge alot, along with other members.

I'm suprised too! Incredibly valuable to all of us!

 

[ddjd]

Hi. I'm going to Serbia and whilst i am there i can get blood tests for about £5 -15 pounds each. I've never got any blood work done so I'm going to ask for everything. Can people advise if I actually need any of these as well as the comprehensive list at the bottom;


Total Cholesterol
Homocysteine
Ammonia
Lipid panel
Whole blood serotonin (same as normal serotonin?)
dhea-s ( as well as or better than normal DHEA test?)
zinc
Parathyroid
Lactic Acid
Histamine
Sodium
Calcium
Potassium
Chloride
Glucose


COMPREHENSIVE LIST (from Haidut)

1. Blood:

CBC (complete blood count)
iron,
Ferritin
transferrin
iron saturation
copper
ceruloplasmin

2. Metabolism:

CMP (Comprehensive metabolic panel)
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
LDH (lactate dehydrogenase)
CK (Creatine kinase)
insulin
IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor 1)
NEFA (Non-esterified fatty acids / Free fatty acids)

3. Liver

AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase)
ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase Level)
ALT (Alanine aminotransferase / SGPT)
GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transpeptidase)
PT (Prothrombin time)
PTT (Partial thromboplastin time)
albumin
billirubin
total protein
fibrin

4.
Prolactin
serotonin

5. Steroids:

pregnenolone
DHEA
progesterone
testosterone
DHT
estradiol
estrone
estrone sulfate (E1S)
estriol
cortisol

6.
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone)
fT4 (Free thyroxine)
fT3 (Free Triiodothyronine)
rT3 (Reverse Triiodothyronine)

7. Inflammation:
ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate)
CRP (C-reactive protein)

8. PUFA status:
blood iodine
Mead acid

9.
Vitamin A
25-hydroxy vitamin D test
1,25 dihydroxy-vitamin D
B12