Why advanced health tests are more revealing than routine tests
Lab tests are a valuable tool for those wanting answers about their health. You may have suffered symptoms for a while, with multiple visits to your GP, and yet your symptoms remain a mystery because your blood test results are all “normal” or “within reference range”.
Routine NHS blood tests generally only tell us part of the picture and can essentially give us an inconclusive or confusing result – they may confirm the presence or otherwise of certain compounds, nutrients, hormones etc in the blood but this won’t necessarily tell us whether the body is functioning efficiently and can access, activate and utilise these substances. The body runs on a series of chain reactions. If one part doesn’t happen due to a nutrient deficiency, or a functional or genetic disorder, the subsequent reactions won’t occur or be optimised, but a routine blood test may still show a “normal” result for a particular nutrient.
Advanced health tests not only assess a much wider range of analytes than routine NHS blood tests, but they will identify functional disorders, nutrient deficiencies and genetic variations – mutations (SNPs) in our genes. These can all be a cause or driver of illness and disease, irrespective of dietary intake. It is important therefore to identify imbalances and insufficiencies which may not become apparent in standard lab tests offered by a GP practice until some time later, if we are to prevent illness and disease. Your Health Tests provides testing in all of these areas.
Is it in my genes?
Genomic testing will identify whether you have genetic variations which may be causing your symptoms, disease or illness. Gene mutations can interfere with processes in the body, leading to functional disorders and nutrient deficiencies, which can result in imbalance and ultimately disease. Genetic testing also offers you the opportunity to try and screen against future health conditions and illness – if your test reveals that you have the genes which pre-dispose you to certain conditions like cancer, osteoporosis, depression, Alzheimers, then this knowledge can be used to help you take appropriate action. Food is a powerful tool for moderating the expression of our genes, we can switch them on and off.
Testing standards
Genova Diagnostics are a global leader in functional laboratory testing and a pioneer in innovative approaches to personalised medicine. Unlike traditional laboratories that focus solely on disease pathology, Genova offers comprehensive panels that combine standard and innovative biomarkers to provide a more complete understanding of various biological systems. As more patients take an active role in managing their health and practitioners focus on prevention, these diagnostic tests provide a more complete picture of the health of the individual and help identify problems before chronic conditions and disease develop. Combining 30 years of experience, the laboratories in both the USA and the UK are committed to the highest professional standards, with teams of medical experts providing technical support to healthcare professionals, as well as a robust array of educational resources.
Genova are fully licensed by The Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), a federal agency regulating clinical laboratory testing on humans. Genova testing is only available through your nutritionist, functional medicine practitioner or doctor.
Medications
If you are taking prescription or over the counter medications and supplements, these can sometimes influence your test results. In order to get readings which reflect your true health status, it is therefore advisable to stop taking certain medications and supplements up to 4 weeks prior to carrying out the test.
However, please note that we do not advise you to stop taking your medications or supplements without first discussing this with your doctor. Alternatively, please contact us info@yourhealthtests.co.uk to discuss.
