Is Your Diet Putting You at Risk of Anemia?

Do you feel constant fatigue you can’t explain?
Do you frequently get dizzy or lightheaded?
Do you suffer from chest pains or shortness of breath?


These are all signs that you may have ANEMIA. 

 

What is Anemia?

Anemia is a condition where the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells to transport oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. There are several types of anemia. Some, like sickle cell anemia, are hereditary, but others, specifically iron deficiency anemia, and vitamin deficiency anemia can be caused by an improper diet.  For 20 years, doctors have seen a growing number of iron deficiency anemia cases in America. Iron deficiency anemia, the most common form of the condition, is caused by low levels of iron in the body. Your body needs this iron to produce hemoglobin, the protein that makes up red blood cells.

According to a recent study by the American Society for Nutrition, the rise in iron deficiency anemia coincides with a decrease in the amount of beef people are consuming. Between 1999 and 2018, Americans ate 15.3 percent less beef, an iron-rich protein, and 21.5 percent more chicken, thus not getting all the iron their bodies need.

As the name suggests, if you have vitamin deficiency anemia, your diet is deficient in the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to produce healthy red blood cells. According to the Mayo Clinic, you can develop vitamin deficiency anemia if you don’t eat enough foods containing folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin C, or if your body has trouble absorbing and processing those nutrients. 

Eating to Treat Anemia

If left untreated, anemia can cause serious health problems, such as having too little oxygen in your body, which can damage your organs. Having a diet consisting of the right foods is the first step to treating a deficiency.

Foods that can help prevent and treat iron deficiency anemia include:

• Beef and other red meat
• Dark, leafy greens like spinach
• Beans
• Seafood
• Iron-fortified cereal and pasta

Foods that can help prevent and treat vitamin deficiency anemia include:

• Fruits and leafy green vegetables
• Eggs
• Milk
• Broccoli
• Citrus fruits

How Do You Know If You Have Anemia?

Before you change your diet or start taking vitamin supplements, you need to make sure that the problem is anemia and not something else. The signs and symptoms of anemia may be subtle at first, so the best way to know for sure is with a simple blood test. You don’t need to wait for an appointment with your doctor in order to be tested for anemia. Any Lab Test Now offers a complete Anemia Panel for fast and accurate diagnosis. 

We offer one simple blood panel that includes several tests, including a reticulocyte count to determine if your body is producing enough red blood cells. This can help determine not only if you have anemia but also the type of anemia you have. A ferritin test, that will screen your blood for the protein that indicates how much iron you have in your body. Your blood will also be checked for the levels of vitamin B-12, and folic acid to determine if you have vitamin deficiency anemia. 

 Where to Get Tested

Any Lab Test Now has 190+ locations nationwide, dedicated to providing you with the information about your body designed to help you Take Control of Your Health®.
You can schedule an appointment online or by phone, or walk-in for same-day testing. Each location is sanitized several times a day, in accordance with CDC protocols so you can be confident your lab work is being done in a safe, clean facility. 

Any Lab Test Now is a committed partner in helping you manage your family’s healthcare. Click here to find an Any Lab Test Now location near you.

COVID-19 AND UNDERLYING CONDITIONS

We’ve heard it ever since COVID-19 came on the scene. People with underlying conditions who contract the virus are at higher risk of developing more severe cases of COVID-19 cases that can seriously impact their lives. According to surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control, hospitalizations have been six times higher and deaths 12 times higher among those with reported underlying conditions compared to those with no reported preexisting conditions. There are more than 26 different underlying conditions included on the Centers for Disease Control’s COVID-19 warning list. However, three underlying conditions are known to show a strong connection to COVID-19’s worst outcomes. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, nearly two-thirds of people hospitalized with COVID-19 were attributable to hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. In other words, these hospitalizations might not have occurred if these conditions had not been present.

Let’s take a closer look at a few common underlying conditions and learn how Any Lab Test Now® can help you Take Control of Your Health™.

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND COVID-19

COVID-19 has been linked directly to multiple heart-related issues. According to the American Heart Association, it has contributed indirectly to deaths among people who had cardiac problems but delayed getting treatment.

Conditions include: 

• Heart failure – a condition in which the heart does not pump blood effectively
• Coronary artery disease – which leads to blocked arteries
• Cardiomyopathy – a weakening, thinning, and/or thickening of the heart muscle

These conditions can lead to more severe cases of COVID-19. One of the main concerns for people with underlying heart conditions is that the virus could cause respiratory stress that would worsen those conditions. The best solution is to continue taking usual medications and frequent observation. Our Heart Health Panel includes four tests to monitor your cardiac status. This panel can be used to gain a baseline assessment of your heart health or as a monitoring tool to reveal possible risk factors.

HYPERTENSION and COVID-19

Blood pressure is the pressure that comes from the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. If blood pressure remains high for a long time, it can damage the heart and cause other health problems, including heart attack and stroke. People with hypertension or high blood pressure have a decreased immune response, putting them at higher risk of severe complications related to COVID-19.

Nearly half of adults in the United States have hypertension and are prescribed medication to treat it. However, reports from the CDC show that only about one in four adults with hypertension have their condition under control.

Uncontrolled hypertension has been found to:

• Lower your immunity: High blood pressure suppresses the immune system, increasing the risk of contracting an infectious disease like COVID-19
• Increase the risk of lung injury: Uncontrolled high blood pressure has also been found to increase the severity of lung injury and mortality in those afflicted with COVID-19.

Taking medications as prescribed and using a blood pressure monitor to track levels are keys to living a heart-healthy life.

Experts suggest the following protocols to prevent or reduce hypertension:

• Exercise
• Eat heart-healthy foods like colorful vegetables and whole grains
• Lose weight
• Manage stress
• Avoid alcohol
• Quit smoking

Laboratory testing does not diagnose hypertension, but routine lab tests like a Urinalysis or Comprehensive Metabolic Panel are recommended before beginning treatment of high blood pressure to detect conditions that may cause and/or make high blood pressure worse and to evaluate and monitor organ function over time. 

COVID-19 and DIABETES

One in every 10 Americans across all ages — that’s more than 34 million people — are dealing with this metabolic disorder. It’s estimated that people with diabetes are more likely to have worse complications and severe symptoms when infected with the virus, apparent in individuals with both type 2 and type 1 diabetes. 

Types of Diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes is a disorder in which the pancreas stops working, and most of the insulin-producing cells in the body are destroyed by an immune process. Type 1 typically develops in childhood. 
• Type 2 shows up later in life. Type 2 diabetics don’t respond to insulin as well as they should. Lifestyle factors, including being overweight and inactivity, may play a role in the disease.

Viral infections such as COVID-19 can increase inflammation, or internal swelling, in people with diabetes. Inflammation can also be caused by above-target blood sugars and could contribute to more severe complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a condition that can be experienced by people with type 1 diabetes. DKA can make it challenging to manage fluid intake and electrolyte levels — which is vital in managing sepsis. Sepsis and septic shock are some of the more severe complications that some people with COVID-19 have experienced.

Your risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 is likely to be lower if your diabetes is well-managed. Many diabetics use Any Lab Test Now to help them effectively control their condition. The Diabetes Maintenance Panel provides diabetics with a lot of important information about their condition. 

• Complete Blood Count (CBC) – Tests for blood disorders such as infection or anemia.  
• Hemoglobin A1C – This is a key test for diabetics. It measures the average blood sugar levels over the past three months.
• Diabetic Urinalysis – Determines if albumin (protein) is in the blood, which would indicate a problem with the kidneys.

STAY SAFE

Adherence to social distancing protocols can help lower the risk of catching the coronavirus. These include:

• Limiting the number of people you come into contact with
• Wearing a mask, especially around people
• Washing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Wiping surfaces with sanitation wipes
• Using hand sanitizer 

BE AT EASE

Any Lab Test Now wants you to be at ease when it comes to seeking out any type of lab work. We provide you a safe and clean alternative location for lab work. Each of our 190+ stores is sanitized several times a day, in accordance with the CDC’s protocols. Any Lab Test Now is a committed partner in helping you manage your family’s healthcare so you can make educated decisions that will directly affect your quality of life. We want to put you at ease during the coronavirus outbreak. We are here to help. 

Find your closest Any Lab Test Now store at www.anylabtestnow.com.

Taking Charge of Your Health in Uncertain Times

Taking Charge of Your Health in Uncertain Times

Just one scroll through your social media feed and it does not take long to find someone with some sort of personal story about how coronavirus continues to change the world around them. You might see kids going to school via ZOOM, parents working 40 hour-a-week jobs from the dining room table or friends asking for advice about something that’s not so easy to find during a pandemic.

During this unusual time, you may have many questions about taking control of your health and maintaining your health.

When Your Health Depends on Regular Lab Testing

How often do you get blood work? Is it just for your annual checkup? If you suffer from an acute illness, like diabetes or a thyroid condition, you are probably rolling up your sleeve a lot more than once a year.

As always, you want to be sure that you have a trusted option for routine lab work, so it’s important to know that during the pandemic, Any Lab Test Now is not testing for COVID-19. If you are required to get frequent lab tests, you can rest assured that we do provide a safe and clean location.

Diabetes is not something you can take lightly. According to the CDC’s most recent report, more than 34 million Americans are living with the disease. It is essential and potentially lifesaving for diabetics to continue to monitor their condition. During the COVID-19 outbreak, many diabetics are getting a Diabetes Maintenance Panel at Any Lab Test Now instead of risking exposure at a medical provider’s office.

If you know anyone who suffers from thyroid issues, you know living with it is a constant battle to stay balanced. There are two types of thyroid disorders. Hypothyroidism is the most common thyroid disorder and it consists of dealing with weight gain, mood swings, fatigue and even hair loss. On the other end of the spectrum, hyperthyroidism causes you to lose weight unexpectedly. Finding a treatment that works for you is crucial in order to feel your best and avoid further issues. Most likely, your doctor is going to require that you consistently get blood tests like the Thyroid Panel at Any Lab Test Now to monitor your levels.

No matter if it is thyroid disease, diabetes, or another acute illness, we make it easy to get the required tests that you need to help you and your doctor determine whether your prescriptions need to be adjusted.

Limited Exposure

Mid-March 2020 is when most of the country started adjusting to coronavirus quarantine life. As you probably know very well by now, all that time sheltering in place limited your exposure to sunlight and now your vitamin D levels could be out of whack. If you are struggling to keep your eyes open or experiencing leg cramps you could have a Vitamin D deficiency.  

Why is Vitamin D Important?

• Builds strong bones
• Helps to improves lung function
• Protects against heart disease
• Reduces risk of diabetes
• Prevents depression

Low levels of Vitamin D can increase your risks for potentially fatal conditions like heart disease, vascular disease or stroke. The best way to know if you are getting enough Vitamin D is to get a specific blood test that we offer at Any Lab Test Now. You can get most test results back within 24-72 hours, and you can share those details with your physician.

If you are Vitamin D deficient, you should keep in mind Vitamin D is not a natural ingredient in many foods. You can talk to your doctor about either taking a supplement or adding foods rich in Vitamin D, like salmon, mushrooms, or yogurt to your diet.

During the coronavirus pandemic and beyond, Any Lab Test Now is a safe, affordable location for you to check your Vitamin D levels, as well as get access to more than 1,000 other lab tests that we offer.

We are committed to helping you manage your healthcare so that you can make educated decisions that can improve your quality of life. There has never been a more critical time for Americans to take control of their health. Any Lab Test Now is here to help you Be at Ease during this challenging time.

Tackling Food Intolerance With a Simple Test

If you need a nap on Thanksgiving after indulging in all the delicious food, you’re not alone. But if tackling a big plate of turkey with all the fixings makes your stomach ache, overeating might not be the reason for your discomfort.

One in four people have a food intolerance, but many are unaware because they already tested negative for food allergies. A food allergy sparks an immune system reaction and can produce life-threatening symptoms. A food intolerance, on the other hand, causes a host of digestive issues, including nausea, cramps, diarrhea and gas. In many cases, a person with a food sensitivity lacks the enzymes needed to digest the protein found in certain foods. The most common culprits of food intolerance are dairy and gluten, according to Mayo Clinic.

Don’t miss any Thanksgiving football games by continuing to eat the same foods that send you to the bathroom this holiday season. A visit to your nearest Any Lab Test Now location can help alleviate some of your holiday stress by helping you learn what foods you need to avoid during the season and beyond. Any Lab Test Now provides walk-in medical testing without a trip to the doctor’s office.

A certified medical assistant at your local Any Lab Test Now location can consult with you on your symptoms to determine which simple blood test is right for you. The Gluten Allergy Tests lgE will let you know whether you have a food intolerance to gluten. If you don’t think gluten is responsible for your stomach woes, Any Lab Test Now offers a 50 food panel, which will get to the bottom of your discomfort.

Aside from lacking enzymes needed to digest certain foods, other causes of food intolerance include:

• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Sensitivity to food additives
• Stress
• Celiac disease — an autoimmune disease that flares when a person eats gluten. Approximately 3 million Americans suffer from this disease, according to WebMD

Key triggers to avoid

While gluten and dairy are the top sources of food intolerance, they are not the only two foods that give people grief. Chemicals added to food to prevent bacteria growth and add flavor, like MSG, wreak havoc on the digestive tract, revealed Cleveland Clinic. Sulfites hide out in red wine and occur naturally in some foods. Dried fruits, canned food and baked goods often contain sulfites. And the bad news is, many of these food triggers are part of your Thanksgiving spread in the form of pies, casseroles and alcoholic beverages.

Long laundry-list of symptoms

Most people with a food intolerance complain about digestive distress — nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, gas and bloating are all common. But the symptoms of food sensitivity do not end when the toilet flushes. Food intolerance can also cause heartburn, headaches, irritability and nervousness, Cleveland Clinic reported. Some patients report joint pain and overall fatigue. Patients with sulfite sensitivity can suffer from mild wheezing to a more serious breathing problem requiring medical attention, WebMD revealed.

The diagnosis of a food sensitivity does not have to ruin your holiday fun. There are three simple strategies you can take once you know your food intolerances.

Find a food substitution

Gluten-free substitutes for pasta, breads and sweets can be found at any grocery store. If you’re diagnosed with an intolerance to dairy, make your mashed potatoes with a non-dairy alternative such as oat milk or lactose-free milk. Relying on food substitutions is trickier during the holiday season because someone else is often doing the cooking, but paying attention to ingredients and making alternatives of your favorite dishes will pay off.

Cut back on portion size

Holiday tables typically welcome elastic pants and loosened belts. Eating big meals, finishing the bottle of wine and sneaking cookies all add to the magic of the season. Don’t be afraid to indulge, but cut portion sizes on your food triggers. Many people with food sensitivities can alleviate unpleasant symptoms simply by eating smaller portions of the offending food. This Thanksgiving, take half a piece of pumpkin pie if you have a sensitivity to gluten, instead of double helpings. Your stomach will thank you.

Read food labels

Gluten and dairy are easy to spot. But some of the other food triggers are difficult to identify. Reading food labels is an easy way to make sure to avoid many of the problematic flavor enhancers and food dyes causing your food intolerance. If you think a food you typically serve on Thanksgiving might contain one of these hidden ingredients, take a few minutes away from the flurry of preparations for the big meal to read the label.

Knowing your food triggers can help you manage your diet and put a halt to embarrassing and uncomfortable symptoms. Visit your local Any Lab Test Now to get your diagnosis before the holiday season arrives.

Know Your Status – A Sickle Cell Solution

If you have a student-athlete headed to their first year of college or university, then you probably have a lot on your mind. You’ll be figuring out what supplies they’ll need as they start this exciting new chapter in their lives. You and your student both could struggle with mixed emotions of excitement and anxiety about the unknowns of the upcoming semester. With so much going on, it might be very easy to forget about NCAA rules concerning student-athletes and the required Sickle Cell Screening.

What is Sickle Cell?

So let’s start with a reminder about what sickle cell is. Sometimes referred to as sickle cell anemia, sickle cell disease is actually a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Healthy red blood cells are round and move around your body carrying vital oxygen. It’s not the same for sickle cell disease sufferers. Their red blood cells have a “C” shape to them, sort of like a farm tool called a “sickle,” hence the name. But these cells don’t just look different; they act differently as well. The sickle cells are hard and often clump together in small blood vessels causing problems with blood flow. Sickle cells also die sooner than healthy red blood cells, which means your body can be in a constant shortage of red blood cells. That can lead to a wide variety of issues ranging from something as mild as fatigue to something as serious as stroke. And it turns out, student-athletes are at particular risk.

Competitive Athletes at Risk

Newborn babies should be screened for sickle cell status shortly after birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Testing shows if you have sickle cell disease (SCD) or if you have sickle cell trait (SCT). A diagnosis of sickle cell disease is important because an early diagnosis means doctors can watch for and help manage symptoms which can range from mild to severe.

On the other hand, you can have sickle cell trait and never show any physical symptoms at all. The danger comes when a person with SCT puts their body under extreme conditions — like those often encountered by student-athletes. That’s why the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) took action:

“While sickle cell trait is not a barrier to playing competitive sports, athletes with sickle cell trait have experienced significant physical distress, including collapse and death during intense exercise. Heat, dehydration, inadequate acclimatization, altitude, and asthma can increase the risk for medical complications in athletes with sickle cell trait.”

Because sickle cell trait can be present with zero symptoms, it’s a silent threat that can have deadly consequences. It’s why a Sickle Cell Screening is required for all student-athletes and why Any Lab Test Now is happy to provide this valuable service.

If you’re a student-athlete, and if your sickle cell screening wasn’t performed at birth or if the results are unknown, the Sickle Cell Screening is available for your convenience and your safety at Any Lab Test Now. Knowing your status can allow coaches and doctors to work with athletes to prevent complications and take the necessary precautions.

Do You Know Your Status?

According to the CDC, the occurrence of sickle cell trait varies greatly from state to state, and among different races and ethnicities. While primarily an issue affecting African-Americans, there are cases in the Hispanic, Caucasian, and Asian communities. Still, the CDC says that many are unaware of their personal sickle cell status, and that puts people at risk. Any Lab Test Now knows that being informed means being in control of your health.

Getting Personal About Prostate Cancer

The decision about whether or not to undergo prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening is one every man should make for himself. Those are the latest findings by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. There is no question that testing can save lives. Screening can help find many prostate cancers early; when the disease is in a more treatable stage than if no screening were done at all.

If you’ve made the decision to be screened, Any Lab Test Now can help. We’re here to help you take control of your health, and taking this proactive step may be a smart move for you. With the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) screening test, you’ll know where you stand, and you’ll be able to make the most educated decision on how to move forward.

Some Facts About Prostate Cancer 

The American Cancer Society reports: “Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, not counting skin cancer. It is also one of the leading causes of cancer death among men.” Those are some pretty sobering facts! There are some risk factors that will increase your chances of developing prostate cancer… some of them are beyond your control. The American Cancer Society points to:

• Age
• Race
• Family History

And possibly:

• Diet
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Chemical exposures
• Prostatitis
• STDs
• Vasectomy

These can all potentially play a role in the development of prostate cancer or be factors with a possible effect on prostate cancer risk. Take obesity for example: Being obese does not seem to increase the overall odds of developing prostate cancer BUT, some studies have found that obese men have a higher risk of getting a more aggressive form of the disease. The reasons are still not clear.

Testing as “Active Surveillance”

The concept known as “Active Surveillance“is emerging as a viable option for men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer, but decide not to undergo immediate radical treatment. That would include surgical options or radiation therapy. It’s a plan that’s not too different from the “baseline option” that Any Lab Test Now has been suggesting for years. The idea behind our “baseline” theory is that all men, no matter what their age, should take a PSA Test so they can establish a baseline. Through the years you continue to take Prostate Specific Antigen screening tests and therefore be aware of changes in levels. Similarly, if you are considering Active Surveillance, as described by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, you’ll continue with PSA testing once or twice a year to watch for signs of disease progression as opposed to surgery or radiation therapy.

Helping Put You in Control of Your Health

The key is education. If you’re a man, you can read about prostate cancer, know your risk factors, and then decide for yourself about screening. If you think establishing a baseline is a good idea for you, you can count on Any Lab Test Now to be affordable, quick, and convenient. If you’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer and have decided to pursue Active Surveillance, Any Lab Test Now can be your partner in managing your disease and a reliable source to monitor progression.

How Student Athletes Can Benefit From Lab Testing

Many parents and students are starting to make preparations for heading back to school, but for elite athletes and those looking to make serious performance improvements, the preparations have never really stopped. Summer leagues, camps, and training have probably been a regular part of the routine over the summer, but what about lab testing?

Lab testing and athletics? You might wonder how those two go together. Any Lab Test Now can become your student-athletes’ partner in training. We offer a variety of tests that can help improve performance and recovery so your athlete can reap all of the benefits of their hard work.

When it comes to tracking your fitness and health progress, there are a lot of avenues you can take. If you’re not sure which way to go, just ask one of our knowledgeable health professionals. Let them know what you want to achieve and they will guide you to the proper tests. Any Lab Tests Now has a few suggestions that can help you get started down the right path toward your fitness goals.

Basic Nutritional Panel

Your diet is a great place to start your journey to better performance. The Basic Nutritional Panel provides you with information about vital and energizing vitamins and nutrients like ferritin levels. Ferritin is an intracellular protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled fashion. If the levels are low, that could mean your iron levels are low. Remember, iron plays an important role in carrying oxygen to all parts of your body. To athletes, oxygen is fuel! Endurance would likely be affected.

Along with ferritin levels, the Basic Nutritional Panel offered by Any Lab Test Now will check vitamins B12, D, and C along with zinc and homocysteine levels. You’ll also receive a Complete Blood Count, which will give you a decent snapshot of your overall health, as well as a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP). The CMP alone makes this test worth it for the elite athlete. It includes testing for multiple electrolytes and metabolites, which can frequently be abnormal in athletes. It can let you know if you are taking in enough (or too much!) water. Low albumin levels can be a sign of inflammation in athletes. All in all, the Basic Nutritional Panel is a good place to start when considering lab testing for athletes.

Performance Hormones

Hormones play a critical role in athletic performance and are vital to the recovery process. If your hormone levels are out of whack, then your performance could suffer. Some key hormones to watch:

• DHEA-Sulfate – Associated with immune and stress response.
• Free Thyroxine –Abnormal levels are associated with overtraining.
• Cortisol – Called the stress hormone, it’s an important hormone to athletes. Overtraining and insufficient diet can all affect the levels.

Food Sensitivity and Intolerance Testing

Let’s face it, if you’ve got a food allergy, chances are you already know about it. But intolerances are more subtle — and can have a huge impact on athletic performance. An undiagnosed food intolerance can cause inflammation, which can slow down your recovery time. It can impact your breathing and diet, causing you to gain weight. It can even keep you from fully absorbing nutrients if you experience digestive problems. Any Lab Test Now offers a variety of food intolerance tests to choose from.

That’s just a sampling of what Any Lab Test Now can offer athletes. Also consider, that in some cases, you may benefit more with repeat testing, particularly nutritional testing. Visit your local Any Lab Test Now location to get started on reaching your peak performance before the school year starts.

Presumptive Evidence of Immunity – Why It Is Important To You

So what is “presumptive evidence of immunity” and why should you care about it? In honor of National Immunization Awareness Month, Any Lab Test Now wants you to take a moment to think about measles, mumps, and rubella (also known as German measles). These aren’t diseases that too many of us spend time thinking about because we were most likely immunized against them when we were very little.

But how do you know that an immunization is still effective when you received it so long ago that you can’t even remember it? The CDC recommends that children get two doses of the MMR vaccine with the first dose starting at age 12 to 15 months. The second dose is usually given between the ages of 4 through 6. For most of us, that’s a pretty long time ago! If you received the shot as a child and you still have proof of it, you have “presumptive evidence of immunity.”

That’s not good enough for some people. Some people in high-risk situations may want more concrete evidence. Any Lab Test Now offers you a way to see if your vaccine is still protecting you — keeping you from worrying or from receiving an unnecessary shot. It’s called MMR Titer Testing. Simply put, it’s a blood test that checks to see if you are immune to measles, mumps, and rubella.

MMR Titer Testing

For some people, MMR Titer Testing provides peace of mind; for others, it might be required. No matter which category you fall into, Any Lab Test Now can provide you with certified lab results that will either prove you are safe — or let you know that you need to take action. Who might consider MMR Titer Testing? Turns out, a surprising number of people!

College Students – According to the CDC, students at post-high school educational institutions who do not have presumptive evidence of immunity need two doses of MMR vaccine, separated by at least 28 days.

International Travelers – Each year, unvaccinated people get infected while in other countries, bring the disease into the United States and spread it to others. Each year, an estimated 10 million people are affected by measles, and the disease kills almost 110,000 people around the world! Measles, in particular, is so contagious that if just one person has it, up to 90 percent of the people close to them who are not immune will also become infected.

Healthcare Personnel – People who work in hospitals and doctor’s offices are at high risk and have to have documented proof of protection.

Women of Childbearing Age – If you’re thinking about becoming pregnant, you might want to check for evidence of immunity before pregnancy. Another important point: women should avoid getting pregnant for at least one month after getting the MMR vaccine.

If you’ve managed to keep your childhood immunization record then you have presumptive evidence of immunity. Also, if you were born before 1957, you should be covered as well. Otherwise, your local Any Lab Test Now is available to provide you with the proof of protection you need.

Magnesium Deficiency — Is the Culprit in Your Medicine Cabinet?

Big things can come in small packages, and one of those is the mineral magnesium. In fact, magnesium plays a role in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate some pretty important functions in your body. These include protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation. Your body wouldn’t be able to produce energy without it. It contributes to your body’s bone structural development. Magnesium even plays a role in the normal beating of your heart. No doubt about it, this tiny mineral plays a big role in your health, but there are a shocking number of factors that can deplete your body of magnesium. Any Lab Test Now wants you to be aware of them!

BECOMING MAGNESIUM DEFICIENT

If you are an otherwise healthy person who isn’t taking any medications, it would be almost impossible for you to become magnesium deficient. Your kidneys are at the control center of magnesium levels. If things are operating normally, you’ll actually excrete magnesium daily. If there’s not enough magnesium, then your kidneys will reduce that. (Just another good reason to keep your kidneys in good health!)

If you have habitually low intakes of dietary magnesium due to certain health conditions, then you may be at risk. People with gastrointestinal diseases like Crohn’s disease or celiac disease can be at risk. Having type 2 diabetes can be a problem because your kidneys may excrete too much magnesium. Alcoholism and the strain that puts on your body’s systems can contribute to decreased magnesium. Even the process of aging can make you more susceptible to magnesium depletion. There’s even thought that ingesting sugar, caffeine, and carbonated beverages daily could contribute to the problem.

If you are magnesium deficient, the culprit may be in your medicine cabinet. Certain medications have been shown to reduce magnesium levels in the body because they cause the kidneys to excrete more. You might be magnesium deficient if you take:

• Diuretics
• Heart medications
• Asthma medications
• Birth control pills
• Estrogen replacement therapy

RECOGNIZE THE SIGNS — GET TESTED

If you are deficient of magnesium, the early symptoms are fairly vague and include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness. As the magnesium deficiency worsens, so do the symptoms; numbness, tingling, muscle contractions and cramps, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasm can occur. You don’t want to let it get to this point! The Magnesium Test offered by Any Lab Test Now is a simple blood test that will measure the level of magnesium present in your blood. You won’t be required to fast for the test, and you’ll usually get your results within 24 to 72 hours after your specimen is collected.

DEFICIENCY AND DISEASES

Researchers believe that habitually low intakes of magnesium can cause biochemical changes that can increase the risk of illness over time. They are looking very closely at the role magnesium deficiency could play in the development of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and migraine headaches. In the meantime, reduce your risk by eating plenty of magnesium-rich foods like nuts, legumes, and dark leafy vegetables. If you’re concerned you may be at risk, drop by your local Any Lab Test Now for testing today.

Hormones: The Boss of Your Body

If you think about your body as a factory, then your hormones are the “upper middle-management.” Researchers often refer to hormones as chemical messengers. That’s because they basically are in the business of telling other hormones or organs what to do! There are many different hormones, and some of them play a bigger role in your health than others.

When everything is in proper balance, the factory is working like a dream — meaning your body is at optimal health. But even a small imbalance can create serious and sometimes life-altering issues. Hormones control most of your major bodily functions from the simple to the complex: everything from reproduction to your emotions. So when it comes to weight gain and obesity, it makes sense to consider your hormones as a possible culprit. Any Lab Test Now can help you understand the message your hormones are sending.

HORMONES AND YOUR WEIGHT

The Weight Management Take Home Hormone Kit consists of a dried blood spot test and a saliva test. It will provide you and your doctor with a lot of information by measuring your bioavailable hormone levels. Your results might explain weight gain, obesity, abdominal fat, low metabolism, and a high BMI (Body Mass Index).

The Weight Management Take Home Hormone Kit is actually nine tests in one.

• Estradiol (E2) – this is basically a form of estrogen. It is found in both women and men. This hormone helps to regulate metabolism and body weight. Low levels of it may lead to weight gain.
• Progesterone (Pg) – another hormone found in both men and women.
• Testosterone (T) – also found in both men and women. This hormone has a role in helping with muscle growth and remember — muscles burn more calories than fat.
• DHEA–S (DS) – helps in evaluating your adrenal gland function.
• Diurnal Cortisol (Cx4) – helps determine your level of cortisol, a steroid hormone released by your adrenal gland.
• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) – checks your body’s production of TSH, which helps regulate how your body uses energy.
• Vitamin D (D2, D3) – low levels of this vitamin may lead to weight gain according to some studies.
• Insulin (In) – this test measures your insulin production. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and used by the body to transport and convert glucose into usable energy.
• Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) – checks your blood glucose levels and can detect pre-diabetes.

If you’ve been watching what you eat and getting plenty of exercise, but you’ve still got stubborn weight and fat (particularly in the abdomen) then you should really consider the Weight Management Take Home Hormone Kit. With the results, you’ll be able to identify specific hormonal imbalances that contribute to excess weight gain or obesity, which lead to a whole host of concerning health issues. That includes things like insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. With Any Lab Test Now’s  Weight Management Take Home Hormone Kit, you’ll have early detection of these markers that will allow you and your doctor to address the issues early.

Make sure your hormones are sending the right messages to your body! Any Lab Test Now can provide you with this simple kit that you can take in the privacy of your own home. You’ll get the answers you need to take control of your journey towards better health.