Lab Tests
There is no caste in blood - Edwin Arnold
image by: Jeremy L. Grisham
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Should Consumers Be Allowed to Order Their Own Lab Tests?
A growing number of Americans are taking control of their medical information, obtaining electronic records from their health-care providers so they can more easily keep track of their care and discuss it with their doctors.
But originating health information through lab tests is still mostly under the control of doctors. Aside from a few tests that can be done at home, like those for pregnancy or HIV infection, lab tests typically require a doctor’s order.
Some consumer advocates want to change that, arguing that people have a right to decide what information they want about their health—and how to act on it—without the expense…
Resources
Blood test can spot DNA from eight different types of cancer
A simple blood test can detect eight different types of cancer. It does this by detecting the various sizes of tumour DNA fragments that flow through the body. At the moment, most cancer screening tools are limited to specific areas of the body – for example, mammograms for spotting breast cancer and faecal tests for detecting bowel cancer. Whole-body MRI and CT scans can identify tumours throughout the body, but only once they have grown large enough to see. As a result, many research groups are working on developing blood tests that can detect multiple different cancer types while they are still in early, treatable stages.
For the first time, a blood test helped doctors find and treat multiple types of cancer in seemingly healthy people
For the first time, doctors have used the results of a liquid biopsy test to detect and treat cancer in otherwise healthy people, according to a study unveiled this week in a leading journal and at a major oncology meeting.
This new blood test can figure out what time it is inside your cells
There are tiny clocks inside you, and they're all out of whack.
‘Amazing, Isn’t It?’ Long-Sought Blood Test for Alzheimer’s in Reach
Scientists say such tests could be available in a few years, speeding research for treatments and providing a diagnosis for dementia patients who want to know if they have Alzheimer’s disease.
Blood tests and diagnosing illness: what can blood tell us about what’s happening in our body?
About 7% of our body weight is our blood, and our heart spits out about five litres of blood every minute. In about two tablespoons of blood there’s a lot we can tell about our health.
How Blood Tests Are Changing Medicine
New advances have scientists banking on the idea that the most revealing medical test might be a single drop of your own blood.
A $10,169 blood test is everything wrong with American health care
A lipid panel is one of the most basic blood tests in modern medicine. Doctors use it to measure cholesterol levels in their patients, probably millions of times each year. This is not a procedure where some hospitals are really great at lipid panels and some are terrible. There's just not space for quality variation: you are running blood through a machine and pressing buttons. That's it. And that all makes it a bit baffling why, in California, a lipid panel can cost anywhere between $10 and $10,000. In either case, it is the exact same test.
A Medical Lab in Your Smartphone
A new app is "trying to democratize healthcare" -- in this case, through urinalysis.
Bezos, Gates Chase Dream of a Blood Test That Detects Cancer
If cancer is an unwelcome intruder in the body, it’s also a careless vandal, leaving traces of its presence sprinkled throughout the blood. And if you believe Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, therein lies both a medical revolution and a pot of gold.
Biochemistry Brings Health Management Up Close And Personal
Blood tests measure biomarkers that can give you a detailed picture of what is happening inside your body. But if all you get is that postcard that says your results are “normal,” you don’t learn very much. If you know exactly what your results are over time, you can see where you are in the normal range and whether the level of a particular biomarker is increasing or decreasing. The key is letting proven science guide an individual’s nutrition and behavior choices. If consumers are provided the data and context they can take appropriate action based on objective and precise insights.
Comparing The Average Cost of Lab Tests
As if undergoing medical testing wasn’t stressful enough, you also have the factor of price to worry about. Medical services are not known for being cheap or affordable, but that does not necessarily mean they have to be expensive either. As a matter of fact, many medical testing facilities are making a move towards more affordable healthcare.
Direct-to-Consumer Lab Tests, No Doctor Visit Required
Home testing services like InsideTracker say they are empowering consumers, allowing them to spot metabolic red flags before they progress to disease. But critics say the services often lack proper medical oversight and convince healthy people that they’re sick, leading to unnecessary testing and treatment.
How Best to Test and Regulate Medical Tests?
Clinical laboratories are extensively regulated under federal law, and have been for decades.
Smartphone spectroscopy kit brings blood test info home
Cor isn't the first company to harness smartphones in a bid to make blood test info more readily available. Previously we've seen them used to monitor diabetes, to detect HIV and syphilis markers and to scan for parasitic worms. Like those examples, Cor uses a smartphone in tandem with additional pieces of kit.
Start-ups selling new blood tests directly to consumers raise safety and accuracy concerns
It’s part of a new frontier of medicine, where tech companies say they are using data, software and genomics to create tools for personalized medicine, letting patients take the lead without always relying on a physician.
The Rise and Fall of Theranos
How did the innovative blood-testing company fall so far, so fast?
This Lab Is Making Sure Your Legal Weed Is Safe to Smoke
We visited a lab that tests weed for harmful contaminants to find out if a batch of cannabis is OK to consume.
What Everyone Should Know about Lab Tests
They aren't always correct and they aren't always useful.
Why the FDA Wants More Control over Some Lab Tests
Every year in the U.S., doctor's offices and hospitals order billions of laboratory tests to measure everything from cholesterol levels in the blood to the presence of a gene thought to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Physicians and patients typically assume that they can trust the results of these tests. And most of the time they can. But not all lab tests are equally reliable,
Should Consumers Be Allowed to Order Their Own Lab Tests?
Convenience and control are among the benefits, but some see a medical danger.
10 Things Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Your Blood Tests
Unravel the mystery of your blood test results by having a frank discussion with your doctor.
6 Essential Blood Tests You Should Have
Order these at your next physical and you’ll be doing more than just kicking the tires.
8 Unexpected Things A Blood Test Can Reveal About You
Cholesterol levels. Red and white blood cell counts. Nutritional deficiencies. You already know that a simple blood test can tell you a lot about your health. But your "biological" age? Or whether you're depressed? You may be surprised at all the information a doctor can draw out of your arm or the tip of your finger.
Request A Test
Whether you are lacking health insurance, need lab results fast, or want a convenient way to monitor your health, Request A Test can assist you in meeting your lab testing needs.
AcessaLabs
We use technology to offer you the most convenient and hassle-free way to get quality medical lab testing close to you.
Chemeleon
Chemeleon is a chemical sensor company that uses complex science to create simple solutions to life’s every day, unsolved problems. We put the lab in the hands of clinicians and consumers alike and enable them to remotely, accurately and quickly identify chemicals, obviating the need for slow, complex and expensive lab analysis
Color Genomics
Color analyzes 30 genes—including BRCA1 and BRCA2—to help women and men understand their risk for the most common hereditary cancers, including breast, ovarian, colon, and pancreatic cancer. Complimentary genetic counseling is included.
Exact Sciences
We are Exact Sciences, and we’re changing lives together through earlier detection and smarter answers.
Grail
The mission of Grail is to enable the early detection of cancer in asymptomatic individuals through a blood screen – with the goal of massively decreasing global cancer mortality by detection at a curable stage.
Guardant
Guardant Health has helped thousands of oncologists learn accurate and actionable information about tens of thousands of patients, while avoiding the costs and risks of tissue biopsies. Our genomic test helps match patients to approved targeted therapies as well as drugs in clinical trials.
InsiderTracker
Sophisticated, science-based blood analytics, tailored just for you. Get your personalized nutrition and lifestyle recommendations now.
Lab Tests Online
Lab Tests Online is an award-winning health information web resource designed to help patients and caregivers understand the many lab tests that are a vital part of medical care. Laboratory and medical professionals, who are experts in the field, develop and review all content, including articles on lab tests, conditions/diseases, screening, clinical laboratory topics, and lab test news.
Pathway Genomics
Focusing on providing users with the most validated and personalized healthcare information delivered to any device, the company’s program with IBM Watson is the first of its kind to merge artificial intelligence and deep learning with precision medicine, applicable to both consumers and providers.
Walk-In Lab
Walk-In Lab offers Home Test Kits from several different specialty labs. In many cases, Home Test Kit specimens can be collected in the privacy of your home and Kit results contain more detailed information than routine lab test results.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Some of the most common blood tests are: •A complete blood count (CBC) •Blood chemistry tests •Blood enzyme tests •Blood tests to assess heart disease risk
NHS
Blood tests have a wide range of uses and are one of the most common types of medical test.
Patient
•Some blood tests require several samples taken over a period of time. For example, they may be done to check how you respond to something. If you require repeated samples fairly close to each other (over the following few hours or so), a doctor may insert a 'butterfly' needle into the vein, which can be taped to the skin. Samples of blood can then be taken without using a needle each time.
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