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Presumably it's relatively easy for a lab to run a panel of tests on me and say "you're deficient in X, Y, Z; try eating more A B C; spend 30mins extra a week o
by pbhjpbhj 6y ago
Presumably it's relatively easy for a lab to run a panel of tests on me and say "you're deficient in X, Y, Z; try eating more A B C; spend 30mins extra a week outside; drink less alcohol".
How easy is it too get such tests (in UK), I'm surprised we don't seem to have anything like this as part of our health system. I've had blood pressure and height/weight taken a couple of times (I'm middle aged). But that's about all wrt biological metrics, seems lackadaisical?
- Traubenfuchs 6y agoJust measuring those 4 costs 83€ in a laboratory in Vienna. And there are more measurements one should probably take! And you need to test them more than once to see if supplementation works and you are not getting too much. That's not cheap...
- andy_ppp 6y agoI had a load of blood tests done in the uk and the health insurance company were charged over £1000. I couldn’t believe it!
- raverbashing 6y agoDefine "a lot" I remember doing some tests once that had a cost breakdown and they would vary a lot in price (meaning some would be let's say, single digits, some others would be in the triple digits area - think USD/EUR price ranges)
- krageon 6y agoWe're talking an expense of somewhere around 1k total over a period of a few months. While not within everyone's reach (and if a single check is performed say yearly after initial alteration of your diet also an ongoing expense), it's far from an insurmountable cost. Especially considering this directly impacts your day-to-day well-being.
- danaris 6y agoIf shouldered by the individual, an extra $1k over a few months, plus however much it costs to keep re-testing, and the cost of supplements or better food to correct the deficiency, is a staggeringly insurmountable cost for the people who need it most—the poor. As you say, this directly impacts day-to-day wellbeing. It's exactly the kind of thing that should, if it's even moderately effective, be provided free of charge for every human being.
- krageon 6y agoI agree with you, but I must also admit it's not much of a concern if you live in a country with solid health insurance.
- partyboat1586 6y agoIt should be part of the health system. For now in the UK we have lab services like this one: https://thriva.co/ https://thriva.co/ (not affiliated). You send your blood by post and they analyse it.
- tcoff91 6y agoFor some nutrients it’s easy to test for, for others the tests are controversial with regards to accuracy.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- elric 6y agoI can't speak for all nutrients, but it's nearly impossible to detect magnesium deficiency in blood tests. Presumably, other nutrients might be difficult to check as well. Which makes the tests misleading or downright wrong.
- Vrondi 6y agoThe medical school at the university nearest me offers a range of such tests on a walk-in basis for prices ranging from around $15-40 USD each. Obviously, YMMV, but inquire with any medical schools near you that have research hospitals or training clinics.