ARE YOU PASSING THE RIGHT TEST?

Simple blood tests are often overlooked when trying to determine one’s health and wellness.  Quite often, they’re the very key to your general good health.  The following tests should be considered when blood work and diagnosis don’t provide the answers you seek.

Fasting Glucose versus Hemoglobin A1C

The usual protocol for blood work is the Fasting Glucose test.  Here, the person fasts from the night before and has blood drawn in the morning.  This could allow ample time for glucose levels to stabilize to show a normal, healthy range but does not provide a true, day-to-day picture of glucose burden put on the body.  In effect, it may mask potential diabetic issues.  The Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) tests and evaluates long-term blood sugar control, a significant advantage over the traditional fasting glucose test. The HbA1C test has low variability from day to day, levels are not as affected by stress and illness, it offers greater results stability and the patient is not required to fast before the test is performed.  In simple terms, it is possible to see people show good to moderate fasting glucose levels, but whose HbA1C levels are not in a healthy range.  If these people did not have the HbA1C test, they would be unaware of their very real possibility of diabetic issues.

Lipid Profile versus VAP™

People jump to quote their cholesterol numbers but are often unaware what they really mean.  A typically used lipid profile test offers information about your triglycerides, high density lipoproteins (HDL’s or good cholesterol) and low density lipoproteins (LDL’s or bad cholesterol).  However, it fails to tell you how dangerous or safe those numbers really are.  This is where a VAP™ test can make the difference, as it tells you what you need to know about plaque-forming particles, LDL density patterns and particle size and measurement of the most-to-least protective forms of your HDL.  Size of LDL particles, density of LDL particles and types of plaque-forming particles are very important to know.  These different measurements will tell you the level of danger you may be in, as well as whether or not statin drugs might be the correct course of action.

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) versus Homocysteine and PLAC®

C-Reactive Protein (CRP) blood tests measure one’s level of systemic inflammation.  Most use this information to determine the amount of inflammation in the arterial pathway.  This is not the case -- it measures inflammation throughout the whole body.  CRP test pick up on inflammation in the joints (arthritis), intestines (colitis, IBS, Crohn’s) or even from a heavy duty workout from which the body has not recovered.  If you want to determine arterial damage, turn to overlooked homocysteine and PLAC® tests.  It is theorized that high blood levels of homocysteine may directly damage the delicate lining of arteries and result in vascular inflammation and arterial plaque rupture.  PLAC® testing measures Lp-PLA2, an enzyme that promotes inflammation inside the arteries, leading to the formation of unstable, rupture-prone plaques.  The combinations of these two tests are significantly better markers of vascular health than CRP test results.

Sadly, many people rely on minimal blood testing for their health, not knowing better.  The result is they suffer discomforts and diseases that are correctable and preventable by making simple adjustments – adjustments with which information from better blood testing options may provide.  The tests mentioned in this article are not the only advanced screenings which can be used to support optimal health.  Not sure which tests you should consider for maximizing your health?  Not to worry, contact Key to Wellness (http://www.facebook.com/key2wellness) to learn more about the different blood testing available to optimize your life, as well as other ways to unlock your potential for health and wellness.