Verbatim response from Claude
Essential Annual Blood Tests
Here's a practical overview of what to consider, along with where to get them:
Core Panel (Most Important)
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) - checks for anemia, infection, immune issues
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) - kidney, liver, blood sugar, electrolytes
- Lipid Panel - cholesterol and heart disease risk
- Fasting Glucose + HbA1c - diabetes screening
- Thyroid (TSH) - thyroid function affects energy, weight, mood
Worth Adding
- Vitamin D - deficiency is extremely common
- Vitamin B12 - especially if you're vegetarian/vegan
- Iron/Ferritin - energy and anemia
- hsCRP - inflammation marker
- Testosterone (men) / Hormones (women, especially 40+)
Where to Get Tested
- Your primary care doctor - often covered by insurance annually
- Labcorp or Quest Diagnostics - order through your doctor or directly
- Function Health - comprehensive panel (100+ biomarkers), around $500/year, very thorough
- Everlywell or LetsGetChecked - at-home options, convenient but pricier per test
My Recommendation
Start with your primary care physician to get insurance coverage, then consider Function Health if you want a deeper dive.
Always review results with a doctor for proper interpretation.