Preventative medicine: lab tests

General blood and urine tests

We perform the most standard and most common blood and urine tests:

• Cell count and differential of red and white blood cells:
  a clear picture of your blood's oxygen capacity and immunilogical capacity.

• Blood sugar:
  a measure of how efficiently your body uses sugar.  Distorted values can be a sign of diabetes and pose a risk to several organ systems.

• Urea:
  to indicate kidney function and anti-oxidant status. Increased values are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

•  Liver enzymes:
  these give an indication of how well your liver supports your current lifestyle (food, medication, alcohol consumption) and the possible presence of hepatitis C 

• Bacterial and chemical urine tests
  reveal bladder infections and any disorders in kidney function or diabetes.

Cardiovascular risk profile from the blood

These tests provide a picture of the risk factors of cardiovascular disease and premature aging of the blood vessels, measured via circulating markers in the blood.

• Blood lipids:
  by determining the total cholesterol, LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol, the LDL/HDL ratio, Apolipoproteins A & B (fat particles which can be compared to good and bad cholesterol) and their ratio, we get a pretty good picture of the chance of your blood vessels aging prematurely. We also test for triglyceride concentrations, another type of blood lipid which is linked to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• Homocysteine:
  Even though this is a by-product of protein metabolism, it is toxic for the blood vessel function when it occurs in too high a concentration. Increases can be caused by a number of things, but we test on several levels to discover the cause so that we can help you reduce this risk.
• Ultra-sensitive CRP:
  CRP is a protein which is found in higher concentrations in the blood when infection is present, such as with a simple cold. Even though it can clearly only be measured in such situations with a normal CRP test, this test measures for 'subclinical' infection. With some people this can be blamed on underlying causes which can result in premature aging of the cardiovascular system. If we detect this we can further support you to deal with the underlying causes.

Genetic testing

Everyone is different, even though we all possess the same basic genetics.

When we are born we all get a mixture of our parents’ genetic variants. On the one hand this can be compared to a game of cards: you can’t choose which cards you are dealt, but if you are a well-informed player, then you can use the hand you’ve been dealt to your best advantage. Genetic tests can to a certain extent improve the 'game of cards which is life'. It can do so by revealing specific risk factors, which can be given extra attention in daily life.

Some genes, which are critical for vital functions, can be present as different variants. Depending on the type and the number of variants (1 or 2) which a person has, it can alter the risk of different age-related diseases. Up until now we only know the variants shown to have an impact on human health in large population studies .

Genotyping is performed in a fully automated manner and requires only a small number of white blood cells. After receiving the results, we provide you with a detailed list of the genetic variants which were determined for you, their significance and possible impact on your long term health. We can make a number of recommendations for you to better align your lifestyle with your genetic layout if this (from our lifestyle tests and other screenings) proves necessary.

Hormonal tests

Hormones are produced by a number of glands in the body and work together so that simple and complex processes can be carried out as smoothly as possible. Men and women are very different when it comes to hormones, and the levels of some hormones change several times in a lifetime. Sometimes it happens quickly (do you remember puberty?) or slowly. Age-related changes in hormone levels after the age of 18 are fortunately less abrupt than those during puberty.

We can perform a hormone assessment for anyone, regardless of your age. This is to verify if the levels of certain hormones are correct for your age. If there is a deficiency, we can help rectify this in a number of ways. We are absolutely not advocates of the excessive use of hormones. In contrast to most food supplements long-term use of hormones can have dangerous side-effects.

We respect current scientific evidence and not the claims made by those promising eternal life.

Allergy scans: food intolerance

Some allergies to foodstuffs cause pronounced reactions (oedema of the mouth and tongue, sometimes anaphylactic shock and possibly death). This 'classic' allergy can be detected by testing for IgE-antibodies against certain foodstuffs. The symptoms appear quickly and are obvious, making it easy to avoid certain foodstuffs in the diet by 'trial & error'.

Food intolerance on the other hand is much more difficult to clinically diagnose, because the symptoms are much less pronounced and are often less specific. Between 20-35% of people suffer from various symptoms of food intolerance.

It has been scientifically proven that avoiding certain foodstuffs in the diet, based on an IgG-test, significantly improves a number of symptoms:

• Digestion:
  Heartburn
  Stomach and intestinal infections
  Gastritis
  Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  Constipation
  Diarrhoea
  Flatulence
  Nausea

• Muscles and joints:
  Pain from stiffness

• Respiratory:
  Coughing
  Bronchitis
  Asthma

• General:
  Headaches
  Chronic fatigue
  Depression
  Lethargy
  Brain fog
  Fluid retention

Food intolerance testing is fully automated by testing IgG-conditions against specific foodstuffs. Depending on your choice of package, it can be done for a smaller or larger number of unique foodstuffs.

Your screening report comprises a detailed list of all foodstuffs which were tested and a list of foods which contain these foodstuffs.

You will be given a list which each foodstuff is marked: 'no problem for your daily diet', 'best if avoided', 'should definitely be avoided' or 'do not eat'.