‘There’s no good reason to test that’.
It’s your health!
It’s your right to get them and your right to get a copy of the results, don’t be fobbed off. If your GP is not willing, it’s time to change your GP.
While part of this is their fear of a Medicare audit, most GPs cannot decipher them. On the other hand, degree-qualified Nutritionists or Naturopaths are qualified to read and analyse them.
What pathology tests should I ask for? As a minimum
- E/LFT
- FBE
- Full thyroid profile
- Full Iron studies
- Full Hormone Profile ( day 21)
- Vitamin D
- Lipid Profile
Why request these? What are they?
Not only individual markers but combined results can and do indicate health impacts and outcomes as well.
Ranges need to be more specific, and sudden significant changes (even if in range) are a heads-up that things are changing in a different direction (can be either a good thing or not).
Regular testing means you can gauge if results are ok and what our “normal” baselines look at in health or lack thereof.
Testing should start annually from age 10 to establish a baseline for the individual if no health concerns have occurred.
- E/LFT: Liver function test: basic test that all GPs will request at any time; results can indicate the need to further tests other aspects
- FBE: or FBC Full blood count; testing of the status of your blood cells, both white and red, and the different types within those two categories
- Full thyroid profile: This needs to be tested regularly to demonstrate if this is part of the overall picture.
- Full Iron studies: Very relevant for women and commonly not ok. Test before taking iron supplements, as high and low iron symptoms can be similar. It would be best to get the ‘Full Iron profile’, as the “Iron” marker in isolation only tells us the amount of Iron circulating at any time. The Ferritin result is the primary indicator as it demonstrates the “stored” Iron level. The other markers are indicators to a health expert as to why this may be the case (not for the layperson this one)
- Full Hormone Profile (day 21): This should be tested yearly from at least ten years of age or at the onset of puberty/menstrual cycles so that problems can be addressed and corrected earlier and easier.
- Vitamin D: a lead indicator in disease and ill health, and also deficiency is very, very common; research shows that this needs to be higher than 125 for health, yet the “acceptable range” currently is flagged much lower. Along with Iron, this is one that, even with supplements, can take months to correct.
- Lipid Profile: this is more about establishing your “normal”, and as well as being an indicator of cholesterol, I would suggest it is often more of an indicator of systemic inflammation. The current testing does not test the more relevant forms of lipids that impact your health.
It’s your health and your body to prioritise. Let’s not leave that option to a third party.
Taking ownership … It’s an empowering choice.