Verbatim response from Claude
Annual Blood Tests for a Complete Health Picture
Here are the key panels to discuss with your doctor:
Core Panel (Most Important)
- 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 triglycerides (heart disease risk)
- Fasting Glucose + HbA1c – diabetes screening
- Thyroid (TSH) – energy, metabolism, mood regulation
Highly Recommended Additions
- Vitamin D – deficiency is extremely common
- B12 – especially if vegetarian/vegan or over 50
- Iron/Ferritin – energy and anemia insight
- hsCRP – inflammation marker linked to heart disease
Worth Considering
- Testosterone (men especially, but women too)
- Hormone panels (women, particularly perimenopause age)
- DHEA-S – adrenal/aging marker
Where to Get Tested
- Quest Diagnostics or LabCorp – widely accepted, insurance-friendly
- Function Health – comprehensive 100+ marker panel, membership model, very popular
- Everlywell – convenient at-home testing
- Your primary care doctor – often the most cost-effective with insurance
Always review results with a physician rather than self-diagnosing.