What Is Heavy Metal Toxicity?

Heavy metals are not necessarily bad. In fact, we’re exposed to many natural elements every day, including some heavy metals. Certain heavy metals such as chromium, iron, and zinc are actually important to regulate bodily functions. But too much of a good thing can be bad. Heavy metals in high doses can be toxic.
This heavy metal toxicity can be very harmful to you, your family, or your employees. It can result in the following outcomes:

• Damage to the vital organs
• Neurological and muscular degeneration
• Cancer
• Allergies
• In extreme cases, death

Occupational exposure and your diet and lifestyle are the two most common ways you can become exposed to heavy metals. When you do become exposed, the body can’t metabolize the metal substances that you have ingested or absorbed. Those metals will then accumulate in your soft tissues leading to toxicity.
If you’re concerned that you’ve been exposed to heavy metals or need to test your employees for OSHA, Any Lab Test Now can help. We offer a Heavy Metals Panel as well as tests for arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, copper, and zinc. We can help you get the answers you need, especially since identification of the heavy metal is paramount to treatment. Only by identifying which metal you have been exposed to can you go to your doctor and begin the treatment to have it removed from your body’s system.
Our reliable testing services will help you get the peace of mind you need if you think you’ve been exposed to dangerous heavy metals.

The Dangers of Being Vitamin D Deficient

Sunny days can make us feel amazing. Studies have proven, time and again, that a little sunshine can have a serious positive impact on your mood and mental state. And the good news is the sun can also be your best source for vitamin D! But what you may not know is that if you’re using lots of sunscreen, you may actually be vitamin D deficient regardless of how much time you spend in the sun.

Applying sunscreen daily is highly recommended for preventing skin cancer, and it’s a great idea to protect your skin from damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays. But sunscreen can also block beneficial UV light that allows the skin to make vitamin D. So if you are being too careful in the sun, you may actually be causing more harm than good.

You’ve Heard of it, But What is it Really?

Vitamin D plays an important role in our body. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that our body needs for important processes such as the absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate and zinc – all nutrients your body needs to survive.

The sun is your body’s best and most efficient source of vitamin D. The body makes vitamin D from exposure to sunlight or UV light on exposed skin, but it can also obtain the vitamin from plants, supplements or foods fortified with the vitamin. If your body does not get enough vitamin D, you will develop a vitamin D deficiency.

Some people may be more susceptible to developing a vitamin D deficiency due to little sun exposure, diet and other factors. Sunscreen blocks UV light from being absorbed by your skin, which is why people can sometimes over-protect themselves from the sun. People who are obese, have dark skin and those who are older than 65 are also at higher risk. Symptoms may include tiredness, weakness, bone pain, general aches or even frequent infections. However, some people show no symptoms at all.

A long-term vitamin D deficiency can put you at risk for any number of dangerous and even deadly health problems including coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, stroke and diabetes mellitus. A vitamin D deficiency can also cause your bones to become thin, brittle or misshapen over time. This is why it is important to know your vitamin D levels so you can take the steps to correct or prevent a vitamin D deficiency.

What Can You Do About It?

A vitamin D deficiency can be treated with increased sun exposure as well as vitamin D supplements. To reach your necessary vitamin D levels, try getting at least ten minutes of unprotected sun exposure every day — but make sure to apply the sunscreen after that!

If you suspect you may have a vitamin D deficiency, it’s important to get tested to find out for sure. Any Lab Test Now’s Vitamin D Test is a great place to start if you’d like to find out more about your vitamin D levels. By equipping yourself with the knowledge you need, you can begin taking the first steps towards better health.

 

Using Athletic Testing to Monitor Your Progress

Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just starting your journey to fitness, you know that the more information you have about your performance, the easier it will be to build your diet and activity to yield maximum results. The superficial information is easy enough to get — it’s obvious when there are changes in your energy levels and appearance. But to know how your lifestyle is impacting your body’s internal systems, you need more thorough testing. At Any Lab Test Now, we have a series of tests that will help you determine where your body is starting from before you begin your fitness regimen, and ongoing testing to help you see what changes are going on under the surface as you train. Here are some ways Any Lab Test Now can help you in your athletic endeavors.

There are myriad tests you should undergo if you are starting a new fitness program, especially if you haven’t exercising regularly and are looking to make a dramatic change. In addition to giving you a full picture of the impact your current lifestyle is having on your body, comprehensive athletic testing can reveal underlying health issues that might make exercising or changing your diet challenging or risky. For example, if you have heart trouble that hasn’t been addressed, strenuous exercise can cause a heart attack. You should also get detailed information on your dietary intake by testing for nutrient deficiencies. This will help you build a targeted and detailed diet plan to meet your body’s needs.

You should continue testing to monitor your progress over time. Exercise and proper diet are known to lead to a reduction in risk factors for cardiovascular problems and metabolic disorders like diabetes, so continued testing should show a decrease in those panels. The micronutrient panel should show improvements, as should the hormone test, indicating that your body’s systems are functioning better. Another reason to continue testing is to help you make course corrections during your training. By helping you catch problems while they’re still relatively minor, these tests can save you time and discomfort, and help you keep your training on track.

This might sound complicated, but at Any Lab Test Now, we make it easy to keep track of what’s going on inside your body. So don’t stay in the dark about your health! If it’s worth going to the trouble of starting a fitness program, it’s worth knowing what would serve you best in your efforts. So find your local Any Lab Test Now to take a peek at your body’s inner workings with athletic testing!

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.

Summer Health Tips from ANY LAB TEST NOW!

It won’t be too long before we’re fully immersed in summer. Not only does summer bring a lot of fun activities for you or your family, but it’s the perfect time to get or stay healthy!

This year, follow these tips to stay healthy all summer long:

1. Stay hydrated

It should come as no surprise, but it’s vital to stay hydrated during the summer months. Most people need two to three quarts of water a day. You may need even more than that if you’re sweating in the summer heat. So, keep a filtered water bottle with you to stay cool and hydrated all day.

2. Eat seasonally

There are so many delicious fruits and vegetables that come into season during the summer. Take advantage of that to clean up your diet and add some much needed nutrition to your plate each day.

3. Get outside to exercise

The warmer weather makes it easier to get in some exercise right outside your doorstep. Hop on your bike, go for a run or even try out some rollerblades again for a quick and fun way to get in some aerobic exercise without straying too far from home. Feeling a little more adventurous? Go for a hike, take up swimming at a local pool or find a nearby tennis court for some healthy fun in the sun.

4. Take a vacation

You probably don’t have to be told to take a vacation! But there are more health benefits to taking some time off than you probably realized. Taking some time to relax, wherever that might be, can help lower your heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones; all of which contribute to an increased risk of heart disease. You’ve never had such a good reason to book that beach vacation before.

5. Monitor your health with ANY LAB TEST NOW!

The first four tips are all great ways to stay healthy during summer, but don’t forget to monitor your health! Whether you want to measure your hormones, test allergies or check your heart health, we want to remind you that we have more than 8,000 lab tests to help you take control of your health! Have the perfect summer, and have the perfect health!

Do You Know the Facts About Lyme Disease?

You have probably heard of Lyme disease by now, and you probably think you know a few things about it. But do you really know the truth about this common disease, or have you fallen victim to believing the myths?

What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is spread by infected ticks when they bite you. The symptoms of Lyme disease can be tricky to spot because they are often mistaken for the flu. Symptoms can include:

• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Sore muscles and joints
• A round, red rash at the site of the bite

If left untreated, Lyme disease can cause a wide range of health problems such as:

• Meningitis
• Joint pain
• Weakness and numbness of the arms and legs
• Memory problems

These health issues can appear months or even years after the initial infection occurs if not treated in the early stages of the disease. For this reason, it is extremely important to catch the disease early.

Now that you have the facts straight, let’s debunk some of those common myths about Lyme disease!

Myth	Fact
All ticks carry Lyme disease.	Only two types of ticks carry Lyme disease in the U.S.: the deer tick and the Western black-legged tick.
If you have been bitten by a tick with Lyme disease, you will get Lyme disease.	It typically takes more than 36 hours for Lyme disease to be transmitted to you through an attached tick, so if you can find and remove the tick from your skin before then, your risk of contracting Lyme disease is low.
You are likely to get Lyme disease anywhere in the U.S.	Lyme disease is common in the United States but only in certain areas. Ninety-six percent of all Lyme disease cases occur in the northeastern, mid-Atlantic or north-central United States.
There is no cure for Lyme disease.	Lyme disease can be easily treated with antibiotics, and most long-term complications from Lyme disease are the result of not receiving treatment in the early stages of the disease.
You can get Lyme disease from other people.	There is no evidence that Lyme disease can be transmitted between people. Often, when two related people get the disease, it is simply because they were bitten by the same tick.
You will start seeing symptoms almost immediately after contracting Lyme disease.	It can take anywhere from three days to a month for symptoms to appear, and around 25 percent of cases don’t show symptoms at all.
If there is no rash around the site of the bite, you do not have Lyme disease.	While many people with Lyme disease do develop this round, red rash around the site of the tick bite, it does not appear in every case of Lyme disease.

It’s important to get tested for Lyme disease as soon as possible after being bitten by a tick or if symptoms develop. By catching and treating the disease early, you may be saving yourself from a world of health problems, and that’s a fact.

Top Five Diseases That Affect Women’s Health

As women race through their days, many don’t stop to focus on their own health and well-being. For this reason, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health has designated May 8-14 as Women’s Health Week. This marks the 17th time the week has been recognized in an effort to encourage women to take ownership of their health.

While women’s health concerns may change as they age, five of the top health concerns faced by women include:

Heart disease. Heart disease accounts for more than 22 percent of female deaths according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are multiple contributing factors to heart disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Exercise and other healthy lifestyle choices can help reduce your risk of heart disease.

Cancer. The Susan G. Komen foundation shares that one in eight women who lives to the age of 85 is at risk for breast cancer. Fortunately, with early detection, survival rates can be quite high. To protect themselves, women regularly should be completing self-breast exams, scheduling routine mammograms and seeking testing to see if they have any markers that could signify malignant tumors in any area of the body.

Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases. This is often more recognizable as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and includes both emphysema and chronic bronchitis. While pollutants and chemical toxins may contribute to the development of these diseases, smokers get COPD nearly 12 times as frequently as non-smokers.

Stroke. Strokes are caused by blood clots that prevent blood from reaching the brain. According to Harvard Medical School, high blood pressure is the No. 1 risk factor for developing blood clots. Be sure to have your blood pressure checked regularly, especially if you are a smoker or using oral contraception. In addition, having a healthy lifestyle, which includes not smoking, can help reduce the chance of developing a blood clot.

Alzheimer’s disease.  According to the Alzheimer’s Association, women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Age, family history and heredity are the most common risk factors. While there is still much to learn about the disease, scientists are looking at the impact of exercise, diet and brain-engaging activities as potential ways to help keep the disease at bay.

So, ladies, celebrate Women’s Health Week by becoming more informed about the state of your own health, working with a doctor to address any issues and making lifestyle changes that will help you live your healthiest life yet!

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!

How do I find out if my liver is healthy?

When was the last time you thought about your liver? Chances are you don’t think about your liver on a daily or even a weekly basis. But it plays a vital role in your health. The football sized organ sits just below your rib cage and helps you digest food and rids your body of toxic substances, like alcohol.

You liver can become damaged, too. In fact, liver damage can be genetic, but it can also be caused by a variety of factors such as viruses, alcohol abuse and obesity. When the liver becomes damaged, your overall health could be seriously impacted.

What are the complications of liver damage?

• Pain and swelling in the abdomen
• Decreased appetite and weight loss
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue
• Dry mouth and increased thirst
• Yellow color in the skin, mucus membranes or eyes (jaundice)
• Small, red spider-like veins on the skin
• Problems with thinking, memory and mood
• Fainting and lightheadedness
• Numbness in legs and feet

Eventually, liver damage can lead to liver failure, which is a life-threatening condition. The important thing to remember is that liver damage often happens over a long period of time, so it’s important to keep a close watch on the health of your liver.

How do I find out if my liver is healthy?

The only way to know if your liver is functioning properly is to get tested. At Any Lab Test Now, we offer a liver function panel (hepatic function) that will help you determine if your liver is damaged. This panel measures the blood levels of seven tests that check to see how well your liver is working. High or low levels in one of the seven tests may indicate that liver damage or disease is present. Then you can talk to your doctor to determine any steps you need to take.
Note: it’s also important to establish a baseline for these tests. So if you’re not concerned about liver damage at the moment, you should get the panel to determine how your liver functions under healthy conditions. After that, semi-regular tests can keep a watchful eye on your liver’s functionality so you can have the knowledge you need to stay on top of any possible damage.