Hope it helps. Chances are your doc will have never heard of it. I had to find the test and have it done on my own. I've had docs tell me, even though I told them serum tests were no good, "Well, we'll just test and see." And they order a plain ole chem 7 like they always do. Sometimes they throw in a chem 20 for good measure
. Be sure you don't let them tell you that a serum test is good for this. It is not.
Here is where I had it done, and it goes into some details
If a doc won't order it, you can order it yourself. You have to call the company and get the tubes sent to you. I had them delivered to my door. Then you just have to go to a lab and have it drawn and picked up by Airborne Express. Insurance is more likely to cover it if it is ordered by a doc though. It cost me ~$200 to have the 20 or so tests done. It is a blood test, but they measure the levels in your white blood cells (it is similar to a Hemoglobin A1C if you have ever had any experience with that). It will give you an average of what your status in each nutrient has been over the past 3 months (the average life span of a white blood cell). Scientifically, it is a much more accurate test for nutrient status than serum tests, since your body will maintain tight serum levels, even in a deficient status, to protect vital organs. This is especially true with mineral levels. By the time a calcium deficiency shows up on a serum test, it's usually critical.
It may be a little long, but here's my experience. I knew I has some deficiencies and had just guessed at what they were. I was close, but this test clarified and pinned it down for me. I thought it was magnesium and B6 and it was Calcium and B2. (Along with a few others I was unaware of). That really helped because I knew what supplements I needed to research and beef up on. I was surprised to see that my calcium levels were that low. I also learned though that all the deficiencies are usually interconnected somehow -- aborption competition, and deficiency chains set into motion by a series of life events (birth control pill, little sunlight exposure, overworked adrenals...). Having a reference of what I was deficient in helped me get a firmer grip on things. It'll be the year anniversary of my testing in november, and I'm still not completely repleted, but am doing better. The repletion process has been slow, and it has taken finding a healthier woe (TSP) to do it. I went from barely eating anything, to eating balanced and often. I can tell that I am improving more now than when I was just popping supplements. It takes the whole package that way for sure. Just to show you what all it found for me --- I thought I has a magnesium and B6 deficiency. What they found was: deficiencies in calcium, B2, glutathione, zinc, and oleic acid. They also found that my insulin/glucose interaction was not at it's optimum, and that my antioxidant levels could stand to be higher. They also make supplemental recommendations which I thought was great. There are other labs that do the same thing, but they are not common. You can't go to the hospital lab and have this done. It is a special order/send way off sort of thing. But is was so worth the trouble it was. HTH? And hope you find your answer soon.
Bone Density??
Just when I was making some good progess...
Just a bruised ligament (probably from landing wrong during a hi-impact move.) Am I dork or what? Sorry for being such a freak. It hurt like heck at the time. I was sure it was broken. Its almost all better now, just sore. I am a protective freak now over my feet due to all the breaks so sorry for going off like that.
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