Baselining to identify changes in nutritional needs

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I did my first full physical last year (@ 39 yrs old) and was surprised what WASN'T included. I was looking for a panel that included information that could help with diet, for example, not just the generic cholesterol numbers. My doctor's reply when I asked him about certain tests was that it was a red flag to insurance companies if more than the basic tests are run...that testing for it flags you in their systems. What a crock. I just want a baseline and can't get it through the doctor's office because asking the question indicates there's a problem. If you don't have a baseline, how do you know when something changes? I think they're so used to treating symptoms that they forget about the preventative. No naturopathic docs where I'm at.

So...this year I want to bypass the doctor to establish my baseline. The problem is that state law prevents me from ordering my own blood tests that I'd pay for at my own expense. How insane is that? I did find a place though called True Health Labs where I can order virtually any test I want, they arrange for me to go to one of the same labs that my doc sent me to, and the results are sent directly to me. Has anyone used them for any blood work? I was looking at their recommended Men's tests but they also have this one:

http://www.truehealthlabs.com/optimal-nutritional-evaluation-one-metabolic-testing/

Any other places you know of like that? Some tests like the VAP test might be good to do every other year, but I'd even be looking at that nutritional eval for maybe an every 5 year test. Any advice from someone that's used this or similar service, or that is a RD or is knowledgeable on the subject of nutrition or medicine?

Btw - I'm on a high-deductible insurance plan so matter whether the doc sends me or I go on my own, I still pay for it...no cost difference except I'm not wasting $ on the doc visit.

Replies

  • Woodrow1234
    Woodrow1234 Posts: 20 Member
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    Well - I take it nobody's done this before, so I went ahead and registered for a couple of tests.
  • Woodrow1234
    Woodrow1234 Posts: 20 Member
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    Aside from the complete lack of help from the doctor on wellness issues, does anyone else find they have trust issues with the way medical records are going? My wife delivered twins and her ankles swelled in the last week of the pregnancy. Once the kids were born, the ankles returned to normal. A doctor on rounds wrote down that it was "chronic," which it wasn't, but when we were getting health insurance they company latched onto that and nothing that we or her 'real' doctor would say could sway them. We had to pay a $60/mo increase for 2 years before we could appeal.