Why you should become your own health detective
By Dr Alan Hopkins MD
I’ve been working to understand what’s going on in my patients’ bodies, so I can ‘fix’ their problem or condition and hopefully improve their quality of life.
But something I realized recently was that people are asking more questions. People want to know why they get sick, so they can stop it from happening. People want to know more about how their bodies work so they can live longer, healthier, more productive lives.
But as doctors, we’re so often told to focus on the symptoms at hand. Not the bigger picture. We are highly specialized and by doing so, we miss a great opportunity to understand that patients are more than a sum of their parts.
I’m hoping that by empowering people with direct-access to lab testing, we can start to see a shift in our healthcare system from one of reacting to illness, to optimizing wellness.
Getting better at aging
I’ve been a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician since 1999, but about eight years ago, I did a Fellowship in Anti-Aging Medicine, which was where my interest in advanced diagnostic testing began.
The truth is that up until now, we’ve seen aging as a slow, gradual decline over time. But we can stay active, energized and relevant by increasing our understanding of the aging process and making different choices along the way.
Tools like advanced diagnostic blood tests allow us to intercept disease in the very early stages. This means you can start taking action before you even experience the symptoms you would usually go to your doctor to treat.
Your lab testing options
Up until recently, you weren’t able to order any blood tests on your own. You would always would have to visit your doctor, go through an examination process, and the doctor would order your tests.
The main problem with this process is that it’s rare for the test results to be communicated to you other than, “everything is okay,” or, “maybe your cholesterol is a little bit high”.
People can often leave their doctor’s office with a prescription without really understanding why they need to take the medicine.
But with today’s rising healthcare costs and easy access to information online, people expect more. They’re asking questions and they want to feel more in control of their health and aging.
Direct-access lab testing is something that’s developed in the past 10 years to meet those needs.