Comparison With Existing Literature
The authors are not aware of other literature concerning the role of blood-test ordering for patients with unexplained complaints in general practice. Earlier research from the present group has already shown that watchful waiting in patients with unexplained complaints is feasible, does not cause additional anxiety or dissatisfaction in patients, and is cheaper than immediate test ordering.
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Making Healthcare Easy With Blood Test Labs
Your health and time are a priority to us which is why we make the process as simple as possible when ordering your laboratory tests online. All types of laboratory tests can be ordered confidentially through our website. When placing your blood work lab order, you can pick the labs test location where you’d like your blood tests performed. Once you’ve paid and set up your account, fax or print your blood lab prescription and take it to your chosen lab location to have the blood test carried out privately and hassle free. A more detailed description of how to order tests can be found here. The actual blood testing procedure is extremely quick and over within a matter of minutes.
*fatigue And Muscle Weakness Panel
$296.61
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Just about everyone has had a complaint or two concerning achy muscles or feeling run down. But when these symptoms frequently recur, persist chronically or even worsen in severity, its really no fun. The range is vast when you consider the number of conditions which may cause fatigue and muscle aches. It could be anything from physical overwork to mental stress to clinical mental conditions such as depression and anxiety, to chronic physical medical diseases such as fibromyalgia, lupus, or chronic fatigue syndrome.Below is a panel of labwork which is designed to capture many possibilities. It considers thyroid problems, anemia, muscle diseases, elevated or low calcium, and autoimmune diseases. They are not meant to replace a full work up like what your health care provider can do for you. It just gets you started.
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What Test Is Like
There is no specific test to diagnose CFS, so it can be challenging for doctors. Doctors usually use the functional medicine approach, where they look at the symptoms and test to see how well your body is functioning. This approach also helps them understand whats causing the problem so that therapies can be targeted specifically for them.
Some of the common tests done include saliva or blood testing to check on adrenal fatigue, food sensitivities testing, endocrine health tests, external stressors, and more.
Saliva or Blood Testing to Check on Adrenal Fatigue
This testing looks at the levels of cortisol and DHEA in your body, which can give a better understanding of how your adrenals are functioning. If theyre low, it might show that you have fatigue or tiredness because your adrenals arent doing their job effectively to produce energy.
Low blood sugar may also be an indicator if you tend to feel fatigued after meals or experience brain fog due to hypoglycemia . These symptoms definitely indicate that theres some stress going on with the endocrine system.
Food Sensitives Test
These tests will measure the bloods reaction to different foods and chemicals . If you have any sort of allergy or intolerance, this testing might help determine what those are so that you can begin removing them from your diet.
Endocrine Health Test
Articles On Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Thereâs no simple blood test or X-ray to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome â also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis . And many of the symptoms of the illness — deep tiredness, unrelieved by rest or sleep, feeling worse after physical or mental exertion, trouble concentrating, feeling worse after standing and remaining on oneâs feet and other symptoms– are also seen in other conditions, too, making the diagnosis of ME/CFS more difficult.
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Next Steps To Consider
If you feel like you’ve tried everything for your own fatigue but gotten nowhere, I hope this post helps you get to the bottom of the issue. I’ve found these tests invaluable on my own health journey include most of these in my comprehensive 3 and 5 month programs.
Have any of these tests helped you uncover the root cause of your own fatigue? Please share in the comments!
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What Is Chronic Fatigue
Fatigue is our bodys way of letting us know that we need to rest and recover. It happens after intense exercise or sleep loss. Normally, we can beat fatigue by sleeping more, letting our bodies recover after exercise, eating healthier, and reducing stress. But what happens when youre still tired all the time even after a full nights sleep and cutting the sugar out of your diet? This is when fatigue becomes chronic. With chronic fatigue, you dont just feel physically tired and weak. You also lack the motivation to accomplish daily tasks, cant concentrate, and may even feel slightly depressed.
If you can relate to this, then its time to dig deeper to see whats really going on. By taking specific lab tests, you can uncover the source of your fatigue and start taking steps to get your mood, focus, and energy back.
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Break Free From Fatigue
Fatigue isnt the same as tiredness. Its weariness, lethargy, apathy, and a general lack of energy all wrapped up into one depressing package that doesnt go away when you sleep or rest.
Unfortunately most people dont understand that. Friends and family can think youre being lazy and might expect you to pull yourself together. But fatigue isnt a condition that you can recover from by trying harder or thinking positively. Thats why weve design this simple chronic fatigue test.
While fatigue can be related to lack of sleep, its also usually related to doing too much, experiencing high stress and having a poor diet. For some people, it can become chronic, making everyday tasks increasingly difficult sometimes impossible.
If youre suffering from fatigue, the challenge is figuring out whats causing it. This chronic fatigue test investigates the underlying factors that can contribute to a general lack of energy. Based on your blood test results, our medical professionals can advise you on simple changes you can make to improve your energy.
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Do I Need To See A Doctor
If you can figure out the reason for feeling tired yourself, and do something about it, then no. If the tiredness is getting in the way of your life, or making you feel unhappy, or you feel unwell, then yes, you should visit your doctor.
You should definitely see a doctor if you feel tired and have lost weight without trying to. Also see a doctor if you have other symptoms as well as being tired, such as coughing up blood, a change in the way your guts are working, heavy periods or a lump somewhere it shouldn’t be.
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The Importance Of Insulin In The Body
Insulin acts as a locksmith who opens up cells, so they can absorb the excessive glucose in the bloodstream and produce energy. When the blood sugar levels return to normal, the pancreas stops producing insulin and the cycle repeats.
However, when too much glucose is detected in the bloodstream on a regular basis, the pancreas is forced to produce higher amounts of insulin which might then drop the sugar levels too low. As a result, your cells and organs wont have as much fuel at their disposal, and you start to feel tired all the times.
Furthermore, when there is an excessive amount of sugar in the blood for several years in a row, the cells in the body start to develop resistance to insulin, meaning that they wont open up as efficient as before to absorb glucose and produce energy. This can lead to diabetes which is a serious medical condition.
What Are The Advantages Of Getting A Fatigue Lab Test Panel
There are numerous benefits of getting a fatigue panel such as:
· All-in-one testing procedure the panel monitors the function of multiple organs and hormones such as the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, blood glucose, total and free testosterone, vitamin deficiencies, etc., so you dont have to do these tests separately
· Order online and get results by email once you get the panel, you go to a lab to offer a blood sample and get the results back by email, usually in just a few business days
· Get a free consultation with a physician not everyone is trained to analyze blood results, so once you get those, you will visit a local physician who will take a look at the results and provide professional guidance and counsel based on these results
· 100% confidential and secure your results are not shared with anyone and ordering a fatigue panel online is completely safe and secure
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Blood Tests For Fatigue
Feeling fatigued is one of the most prevalent symptoms people experience daily. This is not a problem if you just worked out hard or didn’t sleep well for days. Excessive or chronic fatigue is a real thing, and it can have serious underlying causes.
This is when blood tests for fatigue come into play. It’s possible to test a blood sample and find out why you’re feeling constantly tired, even after a good night’s sleep. Please keep reading to learn more about fatigue, what conditions it might hide, and how blood tests could help you.
Here Are The Top 5 Labs Tests I Would Consider When Youre Fatigued:
1) TSH TSH is a measurement of a brain hormone that stimulates the production of thyroid hormone, which contributes to metabolism, energy, muscle repair, etc. There is definitely a better range than the standard on the lab sheet. I prefer to see the result under 2.5. If it is higher than this, it is worth diving into further thyroid hormone testing to explore if the thyroid hormones ratios are good and if youre producing any autoimmune thyroid antibodies.
2) Cortisol Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands that greatly contributes to your feeling of energy and stamina throughout the day. We have our highest levels in the morning when we wake, although this can be different for people who have night shifts. If you have a regular schedule , you would test your cortisol in the morning, as close to waking as possible. This can be tested through blood or saliva. Ideally, your morning cortisol should be towards the top of the expected curve. If its low or towards the lower end, then you can count adrenal fatigue as a contributor to your fatigue.
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Total And Free Testosterone Tests
Testosterone is one of the most important hormones in the body for men AND women. Today, it is a well-known fact that low testosterone levels are responsible for the lack of motivation, low energy, and even mild depression in some cases.
The testosterone is available in 2 ways free and bound to proteins. A high-quality fatigue panel looks at the total testosterone levels as well as free testosterone levels to determine if this is indeed the main cause of excessive tiredness in men and women.
The total testosterone test measures the whole spectrum of testosterone in ones body. For men, this should be between 300 and 900 nanograms per deciliter of blood, but this depends on lifestyle, age, body composition, and other factors.
When the total testosterone levels drop below 350 ng/dl, then a condition known as hypogonadism develops. This diagnosis an be a serious cause of excessive fatigue and other symptoms and body changes such as lack of concentration and male breast development .
The free testosterone test looks specifically at the unbound testosterone levels. It is important to measure those in particular as well because a low amount of them can account for excessive fatigue in men and women of all ages.
What Else Could It Be
Many people who have ME/CFS have other conditions, too. If you get treated for those, it might also improve your chronic fatigue.
ME/CFS can look a lot like âmonoâ , Lyme disease, lupus, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, sleep disorders, or depression. It affects about 2.5 million Americans, but experts believe only about 20% are diagnosed.
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Check Your Calcium And Potassium Levels With Hair Analysis
High calcium can be a true driver of fatigue, as it slows down your body. The average American today gets far too much calcium relative to potassium. Typically, this isn’t because one is in too much calcium from food sources per say , but instead from calcium supplements, calcium fortified food, and/or increased calcium absorption from taking high dose vitamin D3. Part of vitamin Ds job is to tell your body to absorb more calcium from your food, pushing calcium levels even higher in the body, and pushing potassium levels lower. Pair that with a chronically low intake of potassium from fruits and vegetables, and you have yourself some powerful nutritional forces messing with your thyroid hormone’s ability to do its job. This often manifests with symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, low body temperature, blood sugar issues , and sluggish digestion.
Luckily, you can find out what your calcium and potassium levels are with hair analysis. By assessing the ratio of your calcium to potassium levels, you can see how well your thyroid hormones are doing their job. Then, if needed, make supplemental and dietary adjustments to bring the ratio into better balance, supporting healthy thyroid function naturally.
If youre curious if vitamin D supplementation has your thyroid function in hot water by way of high calcium levels, you may want to consider getting a hair analysis, to see how it’s affecting your mineral levels. You can learn more about hair analysis or get started here.
There Are Four Essential Lab Tests That Can Be Run By Your Conventional Doctor In Order To Uncover The Cause Of Your Fatigue
The conventional treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome is wretched. Antidepressants and painkillers are never going to address the underlying or root cause of your fatigue. But before you spend lots of money on a functional medicine practitioner, have your conventional doctor run the following lab tests. These labs are some of the more common causes of fatigue. Unfortunately, even they are seldom tested for in a conventional setting.
Your chronic fatigue could actually be an imbalance in specific vitamins, minerals, and/or hormones. All of which can easily be tested for by your family doctor.
Below, Ill describe each of the lab tests I recommend you have done as well as two different reference ranges you should use to interpret your results.
The conventional reference range is what your doctor will use to determine whether you have a disease/illness. This reference range is not conducive to health. It measures disease. Conventional reference ranges were created using unhealthy controls. Consider diabetes. As more and more people develop diabetes than ever before, the normal blood sugar level continues to increase. This is not reflective of healthy populations. It is reflective of populations with higher numbers of diabetes.
Remember, normal does not equate to healthy.
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Understand What It Is
Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis , is a chronic and complex disease where you have difficulty in physical activities due to extreme tiredness. It can affect multiple body systems, including the nervous system, brain, hormones, immune system, or gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms vary from person to person, but some of the common ones are fatigue that doesnt improve with rest or sleep, muscle pain, and cognitive impairment.
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How Does The Test Work
Prof. Davis shares the motivation for his research, saying, Too often, is categorized as imaginary. He goes on to explain that physicians often misguidedly test liver, kidney, and heart function, as well as take blood samples and immune cell counts from people who seek help for ME/CFS.
All these different tests would normally guide the doctor toward one illness or another, says Prof. Davis, but for , the results all come back normal. The issue, he adds, is that none of these tests look deep enough.
Instead, their new diagnostic test looks at how a persons immune cells react to stress. Specifically, the scientists used a nanoelectronic assay, which measures small changes in energy to assess the health of immune cells and blood plasma, to see how the immune cells and blood plasma process stress.
To develop the test, the team took advantage of advancements in micro/nanofabrication, direct electrical detection of cellular and molecular properties, microfluidics, and artificial intelligence techniques.
The test detects biomolecular interactions in real time by using thousands of electrodes to create an electrical current, and by using small chambers that contain blood samples with only immune cells and blood plasma.
Inside the small chambers, the immune cells and plasma interact with the electrical current, altering its flow.
We clearly see a difference in the way healthy and chronic fatigue syndrome immune cells process stress.
Prof. Ron Davis
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What We Offer Online Blood Lab Test Prescriptions
Since 2005, Private MD Labs is an industry leader providing investigative laboratory blood tests that screen your general health, wellness, measure hormone levels, and test for sexually transmitted diseases. With a full range of blood laboratory tests available from allergy testing to cancer detection screening, we enable you to be proactive in managing your own health. Regular blood testing not only monitors your health but can provide early detection of diseases that may worsen if left unidentified. Hormone, wellness, and full panel blood testing ensure that your body remains in good physical shape and quickly picks up any imbalances or problems that may be leading to you feeling unwell, fatigued, or experiencing symptoms. Regular blood tests are also extremely useful if you want to monitor a chronic problem or keep an eye on conditions such as high cholesterol or diabetes. Disease prevention, early detection, and monitoring are all essential to remaining healthy. At Private MD Labs, we provide you with high quality, comprehensive, and affordable blood work laboratory testing services at your convenience.
