Five Recommended Tests for the New Year
Each January, people across the country resolve to get fit and improve their health. From increasing exercise and reducing stress to taking vitamins and eating right, people understand the importance of taking care of their bodies and minds. Taking care of oneself is a goal that has positive impacts on every area of life.
Of course, any time you set a goal, it is important to figure out how you will track your progress and measure the impact of the actions you take to reach the goal. When it comes to goals related to good health, there are tests that can help you evaluate where you are today and what your personal areas of focus should be.
In 2017, the top five suggested tests for men and women are:
Basic Check-Up Panel – This grouping of tests helps you evaluate your overall health. From liver function to blood pressure, this panel gives you a high-level view of your health today so that you can better pinpoint what is working well, what isn’t, and identify areas for improvement.
Comprehensive Female Panel – This is the most comprehensive panel for women. Not only does it evaluate your overall health, as in the Basic Check-Up Panel, but it also measures hormone levels, nutrition status and thyroid function.
Male Panel – Like the Basic Check-Up Panel, this gives you a good overview of your health. In addition, however, it evaluates adrenal functions that are specific to men and testicular health.
Nutritional Panel – Often, health and wellness issues can stem from having too much or too little of a nutrient in one’s body. Evaluating and monitoring the level of various nutrients in your body is a good first step to making sure your body has what it needs to perform at its best.
Cortisol Total Test – Cortisol is the hormone your body releases in response to stress. When cortisol levels are too high for an extended period, they can contribute to health issues. Monitoring your cortisol level is a good starting point if your goal is to reduce stress.
When it comes to good health, making the decision to take control is step one! Step two is learning about how healthy your body is today so that you can find specific areas for improvement. From there, you can establish a plan that meets your personal health needs. Then, when 2018 rolls around, you are sure to find yourself fitter and healthier!
Last Minute Gift Ideas — Take Home Hormone Kits
The world is full of balance — Yin and Yang, day and night, good and evil. Without balance, we have chaos and unpredictability. And just as the world needs balance, so does your body in order to thrive. Many people have a hormone imbalance in their body and don’t even know it — all they know is that something just feels…off.
They may feel like they’ve been battling unexplainable skin ailments, and that nothing they do seems to work. Or maybe they suffer from insomnia and just can’t achieve a restful, relaxing night’s sleep no matter what they do. Perhaps they struggle with overwhelming levels of stress, anxiety, allergies or even illnesses. They may struggle with maintaining a healthy weight, or even experience sudden weight gain despite every effort to maintain a healthy lifestyle. All of these problems can seem vastly unrelated, yet they all have one thing in common: they may be caused by a hormone imbalance.
If someone in your life is experiencing these or other unexplainable health issues, they may be suffering from a hormone imbalance. This holiday season, consider helping your loved one finally take control of their health, once and for all, with a Take Home Hormone Kit from Any Lab Test Now. Show your loved one that you’ve been listening to their concerns, and that you care about their health and happiness.
Give the gift of good health with any of these hormone testing kits available at Any Lab Test Now:
The Skin Vitality Take Home Hormone Kit is perfect for the loved one who feels betrayed by their own skin. Imagine the happiness they will feel when they can finally understand why they have been suffering from excessive dryness, wrinkling, discoloration or acne.
The Sleep Balance Take Home Hormone Kit is ideal for the loved one who just can’t get a good night’s rest. Bring joy to their holiday season by helping them finally learn why they are suffering from insomnia, and giving them the help they need.
The Adrenal Stress Take Home Hormone Kit is the perfect gift for the loved one who feels overwhelmed by stress and unexplainable health problems, from anxiety to allergies and even infertility.
The Elements-Thyroid Take Home Hormone Kit is a great option for those who are wondering if they are experiencing undiagnosed thyroid disease or dysfunction, which can present itself in many different symptoms.
The Weight Management Take Home Hormone Kit is a wonderful choice for the loved one struggling to maintain their ideal weight, despite every effort to do so. Show your loved one you care about their concerns by helping them take the first step toward a real solution and a happier life.
This holiday season, help your loved ones start feeling better all year long. Contact the experts at Any Lab Test Now to learn which hormone testing kits are right for you.
The 5 Best Tests to Use Your FSA On
HSA and FSA accounts can help you budget for your healthcare, and ensure you always have the money you need to pay for any unexpected health events. But if you still have money in your FSA, it will expire at the end of the year. Instead of letting your money vanish, put it to use by getting some testing or immunizations you’ve been putting off. Wrap up lingering health concerns now so you can start fresh in the new year.
Allergy Test
The holidays coincide with peak cold and flu season, but if your sniffles won’t go away, you might look into allergy testing. Up to 50 million Americans suffer from allergies. If you experience emotional or physical reactions after you eat, or if you frequently have symptoms like a stuffy nose or trouble breathing, you might have an allergy to something you ate. The Allergy Test goes through as many as 45 different foods and 45 environmental triggers to identify the root of your symptoms.
Intolerance Test
If you’ve been noticing symptoms that aren’t associated with an allergic reaction, then you might have a food intolerance. If you experience fatigue, gas or diarrhea, depression or anxiety, weight gain or a general chronic discomfort, you may want to get a food intolerance test. This becomes especially important as you grow older, because you can develop new food sensitivities or intolerances later in life.
Blood Cortisol Test
If your stress levels are through the roof, the holiday season will likely only make it worse — it can seem like your to-do list never ends! To see if your stress is starting to cause problems for your body, get a blood cortisol test. High levels of cortisol are dangerous, because over time they can lead to high blood pressure, inflammation, compromised immune response and weight gain.
Thyroid Test
The holiday meals sure are delicious, but do you know what isn’t so great? The holiday pounds. If your weight gain tends to stick around a bit too long after the holidays, you should get your thyroid tested. Your thyroid controls metabolic activity, which is vital for maintaining a healthy weight. Poor thyroid health is associated with symptoms like fatigue, short attention span, weight gain and numbness or cold intolerance. Thyroid disorders can also cause conditions like osteoporosis and heart disease.
Proof of Immunizations
Are you traveling for the holidays or early next year? The first thing on your list should be to make sure your immunizations are up-to-date, which you can do by getting a proof of immunization test. These tests ensure that you have gotten the immunizations you need and provide valid paperwork to prove that you are immunized, which can be helpful if you’ve lost any documentation.
Don’t wait for the new year to address your lingering health concerns. If you have an FSA that is going to expire soon, get the important lab tests you need before 2017! For more information, visit your local Any Lab Test Now.
What You Need to Know About Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer found in American men. Despite this, many people remain unaware of the disease and do not monitor their prostate health on an on-going basis. It is imperative that men continue to learn about prostate cancer and take the necessary steps to catch the cancer early on.
What is prostate cancer?
It is a form of cancer that grows in a man’s prostate. The prostate is an organ located just below the bladder that is responsible for the production of seminal fluid. This is a slow growing cancer that often occurs without obvious symptoms, making routine testing a critical self-care resource.
Who is at risk for prostate cancer?
All men are at risk for developing prostate cancer, although it is rare for it to occur before the age of 40. As men age, however, their risk increases. About 60 percent of cases occur in men who are over the age of 60.
While all men should be tested for prostate cancer, African American men and those with a family member who was previously diagnosed with cancer should be even more vigilant. In fact, African American males are 56 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than Caucasian men of a similar age.
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
As cancer develops in this region, it often grows without noticeable symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they tend to include issues with urination and sexual function. In some cases, men may experience discomfort in their hips or lower back too.
How can men protect themselves?
Men of all ages should routinely schedule a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. While uncommon in younger men, early testing provides a baseline against which prostate health is measured in later years. Certainly, by the age of 50, men should seek testing every two to four years.
Like most forms of cancer, prostate cancer is more successfully treated when caught in its early stages. The absence of noticeable symptoms makes it more difficult to do this, which is why testing is an important component of men’s health care. Any Lab Test Now offers a quick walk-in PSA Test that provides men insight into their prostate health and allows them to address any concerns with their doctor more quickly.
Introducing Any Lab Test Now’s Take Home Hormone Kits!
Hormones are natural chemicals that direct most of your body’s functions such as moods, sleep, hunger and your response to stress. When the body has too much or too little of a particular type of hormone, it creates a hormone imbalance, and it can cause problems that negatively impact your quality of life. People suffering from hormone imbalances often struggle to feel their best. When an imbalance is suspected, it’s important to do all you can to get to the bottom of what you’re feeling because time spent feeling ill is time you can never get back.
Any Lab Test Now understands the importance of living each day to the fullest and wants to help you understand what’s going on in your body. We are happy to introduce our new convenient Take Home Hormone Kits! These simple take home kits can evaluate your hormone levels overall or can target specific issues that you may be having, including those related to:
Why do you need hormone testing? It is important to remember hormones trigger numerous vital body processes. This means that a hormone imbalance can have a myriad of symptoms. Sleep and wake cycles, metabolism, brain function, sexual and reproductive health are all controlled by the activity of these hormones.
Hormones affect both men and women. Men and women typically experience hormone imbalances differently. For men, their testosterone levels tend to decline slowly as they grow older, which can lead to a loss in muscle mass, a decrease in energy and low libido. For women, their varying levels of testosterone and progesterone, the two primary sexual hormones, can cause symptoms that mimic menopause. These women report experiencing hot flashes, lethargy, bone loss or an increase in body hair. Doctors typically treat hormone imbalances through dietary changes, vitamin and mineral supplements, changes in physical activity and hormone supplements.
If you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms of hormone imbalance, consider a Take Home Hormone Kit today. All you have to do is purchase a kit at your local Any Lab Test Now, complete the test at home at your convenience, and put the kit in the mail. Postage and shipping materials are even included with the kit!
At Any Lab Test Now, we can help you find the answers you need to finally address your troubling symptoms and live your best life!
The Importance of Cholesterol Testing
Is your heart healthy? You may think the answer is “yes”, but do you really know? If you are an American male with an average American diet and lifestyle, the odds are not in your favor. In fact, the CDC says that 73.5 million adults (31.7%) in the United States have high LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol. And of those people, fewer than 1 out of every 3 adults (29.5%) has the condition under control.
You might be thinking, “So what? Who cares if my cholesterol is a little high?” YOU should care, and here’s why:
1. It can kill you. People with high total cholesterol have approximately twice the risk for heart disease as people with ideal cholesterol levels. Additionally, lowering your cholesterol can reduce your risk of having a heart attack, needing heart bypass surgery or angioplasty, and dying of heart disease.
2. Even if it doesn’t kill you, it can lessen your quality of life. You’ll suffer countless possible health problems, including chest pain, circulatory problems, digestive problems and gallstones.
So what is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that travels through your blood on lipoproteins and is necessary for important bodily functions such as making hormones and digesting fats. Everyone needs cholesterol, but certain factors like poor diet can cause a person to have too much of it, and this can be a very bad thing. When you have too much cholesterol in your body, or high cholesterol, it will start to build up in plaque deposits along the walls of your blood vessels. Over time, this build-up causes the blood vessels to become narrower and narrower, allowing less blood flow to reach your heart and other organs. This can cause angina or even a heart attack if an artery becomes fully blocked by plaque.
Even if you think you’re healthy, it’s a good idea to get your cholesterol checked so that you can establish a baseline for monitoring your cholesterol in the future. And if you have high cholesterol, the sooner you learn about it, the better, so that steps can be taken to lessen your risk of death from heart disease.
At Any Lab Test Now, there are several options to choose from when it comes to cholesterol testing.
Our Lipid Panel provides a comprehensive look at your cholesterol levels, including testing for your total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, HDL/LDL ratio and triglycerides. The Lipid Panel is a great option for establishing a baseline from which to continuously monitor your cholesterol levels.
href=”https://www.anylabtestnow.com/tests/cholesterol-maintenance-panel/”>The Cholesterol Medication Maintenance Panel and Basic Check-Up Panel are also excellent testing options for measuring your cholesterol levels. Talk to our experts at Any Lab Test Now to learn which cholesterol testing is right for you.
Celebrating Men’s Health Month!
Societal expectations promote the idea that men should be tough and self-reliant, causing many to avoid visiting their doctor for routine check-ups and screenings. This June, the Men’s Health Network is celebrating Men’s Health Month to raise awareness about preventable causes of death in men and to encourage men to seek screenings that can help them live longer healthier lives.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the top five preventable diseases that affect men are:
1. Heart disease. The number one killer of men is heart disease. Sadly, about 47% of the deaths from heart disease occur outside of the hospital. This means that men are not reacting to, or not experiencing, cardiac distress symptoms, like chest pain, nausea, cold sweats, upper body discomfort, lightheadedness or shortness of breath. So that men are better prepared to make a decision about seeking care, it is critical that they understand their heart health today and be aware of how it is changing over the years. We recommend you consider the LPP Basic or LPP Plus Test!
2. Cancer. While men can be affected by many forms of cancer, skin and prostate cancer are the two most common. In fact, about one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, prostate cancer is a relatively slow-growing cancer, and with early detection survival rates after five years are at 90 percent. We recommend you consider our PSA Test.
3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases. Smoking is the primary cause of chronic lower respiratory diseases. For this reason, men should quit smoking, or work with their doctor to get help in doing so. Chronic lower respiratory disease includes both chronic bronchitis and emphysema and is commonly referred to as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
4. Stroke. Every four minutes someone in the United States dies from a stroke: strokes are also the leading cause of preventable disability in the country. Strokes are caused by blocked blood vessels or from blood leaking into the brain. A health lifestyle that limits alcohol and avoids smoking may help to prevent a stroke from occurring.
5. Diabetes. Routine monitoring of diabetes symptoms is critical for living well with diabetes. By staying on top of the body’s needs, the 1.4 million people living with diabetes can help to stave off serious complications, such as nerve and kidney damage, cardiovascular problems or death. We recommend our Glucose or Hemoglobin A1C Test!
Men may feel that society dissuades them from seeking routine medical care and screenings. In reality though, by taking advantage of walk-in tests, like those offered by Any Lab Test Now, and gathering information about their health men may actually live stronger and more self-reliant lives longer.
Do You Know The Signs and Symptoms of Low T?
More men than ever are realizing that getting older doesn’t have to mean losing your energy, vitality and fitness. Thanks to increased diagnosis of a condition known as low testosterone, or low T, men who have been struggling with low energy, depression or loss of muscle mass now have treatment options that can help them stave off what most people used to think were the natural signs of aging. Low T can be a tough condition to deal with on your own, but for many patients, it can be completely reversed. Read on to learn the symptoms and treatment methods for low T, and find out if you should get your testosterone levels tested!
Low T occurs when levels of testosterone produced in the body are too low to maintain its necessary functions. This can occur in males or females and in children or adults. However, the condition is most common in men who are older than 30. Testosterone levels are supposed to peak during development in the womb and during adolescence, with levels beginning to decrease about one percent per year after age 30. But sometimes they drop faster than that, or the drop begins to seriously impact a man’s daily life, and that’s when low T needs to be treated.
Low T can cause a wide range of symptoms, because it’s involved in so many processes in the body. Most people know it as the primary male sex hormone, responsible for the development of sexual organs and the response to sexual stimuli. While that is its primary function, testosterone also acts as an anabolic steroid, fueling muscle growth and maintaining bone density. It also regulates energy and mood, and can even influence how well you sleep. So even if you haven’t experienced erectile dysfunction or other directly sexual symptoms, you still could be suffering from low T.
To treat low T, doctors usually recommend some form of hormone replacement therapy. For most men, either gels or patches can provide a sustained increase in testosterone. For men struggling with fertility, a doctor might recommend testosterone injections, which quickly increase sperm motility. Doctors also recommend that men alter their diets to include more fresh produce and unprocessed foods, because the complex processes that influence hormone production are easier for your body when it has the proper fuel.
If you think you’re struggling with low T, help is just a quick hormone test away! Any Lab Test Now offers the Comprehensive Male Panel, which can tell you if your exhaustion, loss of muscle or low libido are the result of low T. Contact your local Any Lab Test Now to start taking control of your health, and be one of the men who doesn’t accept that aging means losing out on quality of life.
The Dangers of High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is a medical condition that rarely has noticeable symptoms but can have an outsized impact on your body’s systems. High blood pressure damages your heart and arteries, since the condition is a problem within the circulatory system. But your blood supplies every part of your body with oxygen, so when flow is affected it takes a toll on the body. For example, did you know high blood pressure could lead to memory loss? Read on to discover some of the more hidden dangers of high blood pressure.
Kidney damage
Your kidneys filter and remove the waste from your bloodstream. When a person has high blood pressure, however, the arteries in the kidneys become damaged, keeping oxygen from reaching the finger-like projections that filter the blood. Damaged kidneys also produce less of the hormone renin, which helps the body regulate blood pressure. The damage from high blood pressure then continues to affect the body.
Fluid in the lungs
If your heart is not able to pump oxygenated blood effectively, it will push fluid back into the lungs, in a condition known as pulmonary edema. This fluid prevents the full absorption of oxygen from inhaled air. This can cause a buildup of fluid in other parts of the body, as the heart becomes weaker and less able to transport blood. In the worst cases, the fluid buildup in lower extremities can cause liver congestion and swelling, which damages the liver. Pulmonary edema can be fatal.
Erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction has two main types of causes — psychological and medical. Proper blood flow is absolutely vital to the function of sexual organs. But with damaged arteries, the body is unable to provide adequate blood flow to achieve and sustain an erection. In fact, most medical causes for erectile dysfunction have roots in the circulatory system.
Memory loss
If you feel like you’re constantly in a fog or forgetting things, the cause could be your blood pressure. Pressure and damage to the arteries and blood vessels in and around the brain often begin to deprive the brain of oxygen, which can lead to fatigue, memory loss and an inability to focus. In the worst cases, it can even lead to a stroke, which can destroy a person’s ability to speak, dress and feed themselves. In the worst cases, a stroke can lead to a coma or death.
Vision loss
High blood pressure can subject the eyes to heavy force from the movement or buildup of blood, causing damage to blood vessels and optic nerve. Over time, this can cause swelling of the optic nerve or degradation of the parts of the eyes, like the rods and cones that help detect movement and color. This is a scary effect of high blood pressure, and its only treatment is to lower blood pressure. And because the eyes are so sensitive, any damage to them is likely to be permanent.
So here are five really good reasons to get your blood pressure checked frequently! The lack of direct symptoms of high blood pressure can make it hard to detect, until it starts damaging other organ systems. So if you’ve noticed any of these changes in your body, it’s a good idea to get your blood pressure tested!
Spring Is Right Around the Corner, and So Are Allergies
Prepare Yourself for Spring Allergies
Birds chip, flowers bloom, trees bud and little bunnies appear. It’s spring! As the days grow longer and warmer, people spend more time outdoors, and windows slide open to let in a breath of fresh air. It’s a time for picnics, long walks in the woods and cleaning up the yard from winter’s mess.
Unfortunately for some people, spring can be an uncomfortable time of year. People with seasonal allergies find themselves rubbing at itchy eyes and battling a continuously running nose. They may experience wheezing, if allergies trigger an asthma attack. They may also suffer from headaches or see dark circles under their eyes. These people feel like they have a cold that won’t ever go away!
While various foods, mold or pets can trigger allergy symptoms, the cause of springtime allergies is typically pollen. With so much new plant growth this time of year, pollen wafts through the air and settles on every surface. When someone with a pollen sensitivity or allergy inhales the pollen, the body perceives it as a threat and releases antibodies to protect itself. Antibodies are the same mechanism the body uses to fight off a cold, which is why allergy sufferers experience symptoms that are similar to colds.
Fortunately, general allergy testing for adults and kids is much simpler now than in years past. Years ago, testing involved hundreds of needle pricks to determine the allergy cause. Today, testing only requires a simple blood sample to determine which pollens, foods or other triggers are causing the allergy symptoms. To further help springtime allergy sufferers, regional environmental allergy tests can help identify which area plants may be triggering an allergic reaction, making allergy control simpler.
While seasonal allergies can encroach on one’s quality of life, they are not typically severe enough to be dangerous. They can, however, impact your ability to sleep, contributing to a loss of productivity and mood disorders, so attending to the symptoms is important. In addition to both over-the-counter and prescribed medicines, there are a variety of lifestyle changes that can help minimize symptoms, such as:
- Wearing a mask while mowing the lawn or doing yard work.
- Closing the windows and using air conditioning.
- Avoiding outdoor activities early in the morning when pollen is at its worst.
- Washing your hands when you come in contact with pollen or other allergens.
- Changing your comfort system’s air filter regularly.
- Taking your shoes off to avoid tracking pollen through the house.
Once you have taken your seasonal allergy test, you’ll be better able to identify the cause of your symptoms. From there, you can put a plan in place to start minimizing your exposure to the allergen and start feeling better so you can enjoy the beauty of the spring season!