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What We Don’t Measure

What is the yearly physical blood panel? Why do doctors order those specific tests?

  • Complete blood count (CBC) — Measures different cells and parts of your blood, which can help detect infections, anemia, blood clots, immune system disorders and blood cancers.
  • Chemistry panel (complete metabolic panel) — Measures the levels of different chemicals in the blood, which can provide detailed information about your bones, muscles and other organs.
    • Calcium, one of the body’s most important minerals. Calcium is essential for proper functioning of your nerves, muscles, and heart.
    • Sodium, potassium, carbon dioxide, and chloride. These are electrolytes, electrically charged minerals that help control the amount of fluids and the balance of acids and bases in your body.
    • Albumin, a protein made in the liver.
    • Total protein, which measures the total amount of protein in the blood.
    • ALP (alkaline phosphatase), ALT (alanine transaminase), and AST (aspartate aminotransferase). These are different enzymes made by the liver.
    • Bilirubin, a waste product made by the liver.
    • BUN (blood urea nitrogen) and creatinine, waste products removed from your blood by your kidneys.
  • Lipid panel (cholesterol test) — Measures the different proteins which carry both good and bad cholesterol in the blood, which can help determine your risk for heart disease, heart attack or stroke.
    • Lipids include cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
  • Blood sugar screen — Measures your blood sugar levels, which can help in the process of diagnosing diabetes.
    • HbA1c, and fasting glucose
  • Thyroid health
    • TSH, Free T3, Free T4
  • Micronutrients
    • B12, Vitamin D, minerals
  • What essential things we don’t measure
    • Kidney function tests BUN, Creatinine
    • Liver function tests ALT, AST
    • CBC
    • Some Micronutrients
  • Is this test a replacement for a yearly physical?
    • No, this is an adjuvant to a yearly physical
    • It’s still important to get your yearly physical in order to monitor liver function, kidney function, and a more comprehensive micronutrient and metabolic overview.
  • Why we chose our specific panel
    • The most informative biomarkers that provide a complete picture of your health when combined with a yearly physical
    • The biomarkers we test would be very expensive if done through a lab service like LabCorp
    • We measure things that change rapidly and require testing more than once a year
    • We test things that are rarely tested on the yearly physical test