Once upon a time, you’d visit your doctor for a yearly checkup and some routine tests. If you were experiencing any symptoms, there might be more tests. And if all checked out, you would be good for another year.
Thanks to innovations in testing, you can get an in-depth picture of your health without leaving home. A wide variety of affordable home health testing kits make it easy to learn more about your body between doctor’s visits.
Here are 5 of the best on the market.
1. 23 and Me
Heavily advertised, 23 and Me is a DNA test kit. You provide a saliva sample, send it to their certified laboratory, and the results are sent to you. You can learn what inherited health risks you may have, as well as if you carry genetic traits that can affect you and your children. This knowledge is helpful when making health-related food choices, or in family planning.
23 and Me is also an ancestry-exploration kit that can take you back 8 generations to learn who your ancestors are and what health issues they may have passed on to you.
2. Everlywell Food Sensitivity Test
Food sensitivity issues are on the rise, and affect about 2.5% of the world’s population. If you experience frequent head or stomach aches and have ruled out other causes, food sensitivity could be a possible culprit.
Everlywell’s test shows your body’s antibody response to 96 common foods, such as nuts, cow’s milk, and wheat. If food sensitivity is shown, you should eliminate that food, and re-introduce it back into your diet slowly over time. While this test is not a complete food allergy test, it will give you a good sense of what foods might be problematic for you.
3. Let’s Get Tested Thyroid Test
20 million Americans deal with either an underactive (hypo) or overactive (hyper) thyroid gland. This gland at the front of your neck is responsible for regulating your metabolism, and should you have a thyroid issue, it can be treated with medication.
Let’s Get Tested offers two thyroid test kits, with the more comprehensive kit checking most thyroid hormone levels. The company’s lab is also certified, and results can be back as soon as 2-5 days. If your results show a possible thyroid condition, then you should check-in with your doctor for treatment.
4. Health Testing Centers Hormone Panels
Although hormone levels are usually associated with women’s health, men are beginning to pay attention to their own hormone levels.
Health Testing Centers offers a number of different tests to check for both male and female hormone levels via saliva or pinprick blood sample. For example, in men, a lessening of the testosterone hormone can be detected, and women can find out if they are approaching perimenopause. When a hormonal balance is found, your doctor can prescribe medicine for treatment.
5. Full Scan Home Health Testing Kits
A bioenergetic scan test can provide all the above tests and more in one basic kit.
Using saliva and hair samples, this test can show areas of the body that are overstressed. Bioenergetic tests measure energy resonance from your samples, in order to find the areas of the body you need to address with better self-care.
A full-scale test like this is an excellent “first-step” into home health testing, as it provides a much more comprehensive blueprint for your health plan than any single test.
Stay on Top of Your Health
Knowledge is power, and getting as much knowledge of your own health is easier than ever with these home health testing kits. Knowing your body and its tendencies will help you and your doctor better address any future health problems.
Want to be even more proactive with your health knowledge? Bookmark this site for information you can use to live well in great health!