Many people want objective data to ensure their body responds in a healthy way. This article serves as a resource, not a rule book. Depending on your health, decide if any additional lab information would be helpful in your health journey. If so, the following helpful labs are a place to start.
While many of these tests are run by any doctor, some require the provider be partnered with the company to order. Those tests are marked with an asterisk(*).
Rules & Insurance
Under the U.S. healthcare system with insurance company payers, providers must follow certain rules. If they order certain labs without a certain diagnosis code, they are practicing outside of those rules. For example, a lab request for fasting insulin or vitamin B12 must also come with a ICD-10 diagnosis code, and if you’re not presenting with symptoms that warrant those tests (let’s say you have a skin rash), the insurance company may deny paying for it. If your doctor isn’t willing to order for those reasons, it’s helpful to know why. They may not see the connection between a skin rash and those labs and they don’t want you stuck with an unexpected bill.
Consider asking your doctor to write an order for the tests you want and tell them you are willing to pay cash to have the tests done (you just need their order). You can call your insurance or Labcorp to gather information on out-of-pocket costs (or visit www.directlabs.com). If you pay cash, you do not need a diagnosis code.
Below is a list of helpful lab tests to discuss with your provider:
General Wellness
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
- CBC w/ diff
- Insulin, fasting
- Vitamin D 25, OH
- Homocysteine
- hs-CRP
Cardiac and Cholesterol
- Total Cholesterol
- HDL Cholesterol
- LDL Cholesterol
- Lipoprotein Particle Numbers
- Triglycerides
- hs-CRP
- Lipoprotein (a)
- Lp-PLA2
- Homocysteine
- Apolipoprotein A-1
- Apolipoprotein B
- Insulin, fasting
Blood Sugar
- Glucose, Fasting
- Insulin, Fasting
- Hemoglobin A1C
Thyroid Health
- TSH
- Free T4
- Free T3
- Reverse T3
- Anti-thyroglobulin (TG)
- Thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO)
Adrenal and Hormones
We have listed blood tests for cortisol and sex hormones, but beware, they are not the best assessment tests, as they only measure one period in time and don’t provide information on metabolism of those hormones.
- Most recommended test: Dry urine test by www.dutchtest.com *
- Cortisol (am and pm)
- Sex Hormone Binding Globulin
- Estrone (E1)
- Estradiol (E2)
- Estriol (E3)
- DHEA
- FSH
- IGF-1
- LH
- Testosterone, total
- Testosterone, free
- Prolactin
- Progesterone
Inflammation
- Sed Rate
- hs-CRP
- ANA w/ Reflex (autoimmune marker)
Nutrient Specific
- Micronutrient Panel by SpectraCell Laboratories*
- OmegaCheck by SpectraCell Laboratories*
- Organic Acids Test by Great Plains Laboratory*
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin D 25, OH
- Iron panel (serum, TIBC, Ferritin)
- Red blood cell, Magnesium
- Zinc, serum
- Copper, serum
- Fatty Acids Profile by Genova*
- Amino Acids Analysis by Great Plains*
Stool Tests for Bacteria, Yeast, Parasites, Gut Inflammation and SIBO
- Doctor’s Data*
- Great Plains Laboratory*
- Genova*
- SIBO–BioHealth Lab*, Genova*
- H.Pylori, IgG Antibodies
Environmental Toxins
Warning: never attempt intense detoxification on your own. You could make yourself worse!
- Mycotoxins (mold) by Great Plains Laboratory*
- Lead, serum
- Arsenic, serum
- Mercury, serum
- More advanced heavy metal testing by Great Plains Labs*, Doctor’s Data* and Genova*
Genetic Information
Most information for best value:
- 23andme.com
- Ancestry.com
- Genetics specifically related to dietary fat breakdown and ketone conversion:
- APOE and PPAR-alpha
- The raw data from these resources can be imported into other databases like promethease.com or mthfrsupport.com for more information.
- Do not trust an algorithm that populates supplement recommendations.
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