The exploration here is to try to get very clear about how LABS and their associated datasets can inform the average person’s curiosity about their general well-being.

Obviously, this is a highly technical subject, and not one that I am trying to master – I just want the basics.

So any good “well-being assessment” begins with MARVELS (see JCR Post on MARVELS).

This post focuses on the “L” – LABS.

The “L” in MARVELS is for “LABS” – in this domain, there are blood, stool, urine, saliva, HAIR LABS. Specimens need to be collected and shipped per protocols that can be very stringent. Costs are incurred accordingly.

An interesting distinction is this: which tests are cellular and which are blood tests? See THIS ARTICLE FROM WOMEN’S SPORTS NUTRITION, which argues that cellular tests are better for well-being assessments while medicine addresses disease in advanced stages and therefore relies on blood, which reveals a progression that is not evident in healthy people (even though their cellular assessment might reveal important deficiencies).

Hundreds of Tests Available

Just as there are hundreds of medical tests for diagnosing disease, there are hundreds of scientific nutritional tests available to Advanced Clinical Nutrition to identify the causes of nutritional deficiencies, biochemical imbalances and organ/gland dysfunctions.

Because blood, urine and stool are the primary specimens collected and analyzed for medical diagnosis, some people may not be aware of saliva and hair testing. Advanced Clinical Nutrition utilizes all of these specimens for clinical nutrition analyses. Below, we have provided an Analogy on how saliva, urine and hair analysis differs from blood testing.

Any Fluid or Tissue Can Be Analyzed

It is important to note that any fluid or tissue of the body can provide insight into its level of malnutrition, deficiencies, imbalances and dysfunctions, and pattern of or existing disease.

Single Tests and Testing Profiles Available

There are single tests and testing profiles. For example, one of the female saliva hormone profiles for a woman in menopause, or who has had a hysterectomy, includes six individual saliva tests, the three estrogens, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA.

Note: when obtaining blood testing for medical purposes, your physician may order from 16 to 25 blood tests in their profile. At Advanced Clinical Nutrition, we order 44 different blood chemistries in our profile. Due to insurance and Medicare cut-backs and new regulations, physicians no longer order the comprehensive blood chemistry profile (44 blood tests), as they did years ago. However, we do.

In blood, 200 test protocols have been identified – see below.

Reference: LAB CORPS DESCRIPTION OF SPECIMEN COLLECTION
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See this post below at: JCR Post on Blood Testing 101
Blood Testing 101
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Here are the basics….

See this post below at: JCR Post on Blood Testing 101

LABS (blood testing, etc)
CDC Blood Test List

There are about 200 tests that require blood samples.

The basis metabolic panel is widely used.

40-50 test for allergies.
18 are useful for male related general health screening
18 are useful for female related general health screening
7 are for detecting viruses
18 are for rheumatic evaluations
7 are hormonal related – men
7 are hormonal related – female

Some labs group the tests. An example is:
Blood test types and panels

References:
LABS revolution
LABS By Disease
Quantified Self Movement

http://www.austinmedclinic.com/lab-pricing.html”>Austin Example of LABS
Note this example underlines that stool, urine, saliva, and blood are all specimens.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized, Well-Being, Well-Being – PersonaL and tagged LABS on February 1, 2009. Edit