Verbatim response from Claude
Annual Blood Tests for a Comprehensive Health Picture
Here are the key panels to discuss with your doctor:
Core Tests
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) - checks for anemia, infection, immune issues
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) - kidney function, liver health, blood sugar, electrolytes
- Lipid Panel - cholesterol and heart disease risk
- Fasting Glucose + HbA1c - diabetes screening
Hormones & Thyroid
- TSH (thyroid) - often missed but affects energy, weight, mood
- Testosterone (men especially) / Estrogen/Progesterone (women)
- Cortisol - stress hormone levels
Nutrients Often Overlooked
- Vitamin D - deficiency is extremely common
- B12 - especially if vegetarian/vegan
- Iron/Ferritin - even without anemia symptoms
- Magnesium
Inflammation & Heart
- hsCRP - inflammation marker
- Homocysteine - cardiovascular risk
- ApoB - better heart risk predictor than standard cholesterol
Where to Order These
- Function Health - comprehensive panel (100+ biomarkers), membership-based, great for tracking trends
- LabCorp/Quest - through your doctor or directly via Ulta Lab Tests or Walk-In Lab without a prescription
- InsideTracker - blood testing plus personalized recommendations
Your primary care doctor can order most of these, or you can self-order affordably through the services above.