Increasingly, doctors are learning that they can provide better patient care for individuals who undergo comprehensive lab tests. Instead of attempting to apply a “one size fits all” approach to medicine, detailed lab tests can help doctors get specific information about organ function, metabolic function, and the overall state of a person’s health. This information can then be used to provide more targeted solutions to improve health and address illnesses and chronic conditions.
An additional benefit to undergoing comprehensive blood, DNA and urine tests is that nutritionists and doctors can identify new and better ways to control illnesses and improve health through diets tailored to an individual’s unique genetic make-up and state of wellness. Personalized patient care through lab testing will soon become the standard in today’s medical world.
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
Sometimes known as a Comprehensive Wellness Test, a Comprehensive Wellness Panel or Comprehensive Wellness Profile (CWP), a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) is a full battery of tests that analyze the levels of various enzymes, proteins, and minerals in the blood.
The results of a CMP help doctors get a big picture view of a person’s overall state of health. Elevated levels or abnormal ratios of different blood components can be critical for helping doctors confirm or rule out a diagnosis of a wide variety of illnesses and conditions.
Most CMP screenings include an analysis of liver function, blood sugar levels, kidney function, electrolyte balance, thyroid function, bone health, and thyroid function.
General Wellness Testing
A general wellness test is a full battery of tests to help give doctors an overall picture of your health. Unlike a CMP, a General Wellness Test usually consists of giving both a blood and urine sample for analysis.
The results of a General Wellness Test can help determine critical factors about your lifestyle, diet and overall health. While not specific enough to pinpoint diseases, a general wellness test is a great way to identify problems before they become serious as well as areas of success.
General Wellness Tests are becoming increasingly popular as part of regular check-ups as they give your doctor baseline information to monitor and track changes in your health.
Genetic Testing for Diet
One of the latest trends in personalized lab testing is undergoing genetic analysis to help determine an ideal diet customized to a person’s unique genetic makeup and metabolic factors.
By taking a swab of cheek cells, the field of nutrigenomics (improving diet through genetic analysis) can help identify a person’s genetic makeup and use this information to create a tailored diet. Doctors already understand that genes play an important role in metabolic function, enzyme production, and hormone levels. It is thought that nutrigenomics can help nutritionists and doctors give personalized recommendations of an ideal diet for maintaining a healthy weight and nutritional intake.
Better Patient Care
A lot of people are now using wearable tracking devices to create extensive records about their daily activity, sleep patterns, and other useful health information. Lab tests have a similar benefit. By regularly getting your blood and urine checked, you and your doctor will be better equipped to understand important changes in enzyme, metabolic function, organ function, and blood sugar levels that could help identify the onset of an illness, organ damage, and other problems before they become serious.
Genetic testing, comprehensive metabolic panels and general wellness tests are also useful methods for analyzing exactly how well your body is functioning, your general state of nutrition, and identifying which factors could be contributing to obesity, illness, or other aspects of poor health. This information can then be used by your doctor to diagnose any problems that you’re having and improve patient care.
Being armed with specific detailed numbers about how well your organs, arteries, and metabolic system is functioning is also a great way to identify areas of success. An important component to maintaining good health is receiving positive feedback about what you’re doing right. Even if you are currently in good health now, comprehensive lab tests are a great tool for monitoring fluctuations and changes as you go through life. If health issues do occur later on, your doctor will have invaluable information about your own unique personal health to help accurately diagnose illnesses or other problems.