This is my part three in my 2024 guide to nutrition & wellness trends where I discuss new and emerging innovations in the wellness sphere. Up third I’m discussing at home health testing and direct to consumer health testing (where you can order your own labwork but need to visit a lab to have it done). At-home health tests are great because it gives you the direct power to monitor your health. That said, you should always share your results with your doctor.
You can see installment one in my series on the sobriety movement here and the second in the series on how women’s health is evolving here.
Now, onto the evolution in home health testing.
In the olden days, you would go to a doctor once per year (maybe) and get sent down to the lab to have some blood drawn, then usually nothing would happen, or if there was an abnormal marker, you’d get called back to discuss it. These days, the lab test landscape has changed, and for the better. With direct-to-consumer lab kits that come to your home, and the ability to order your own lab tests online (some require a lab visit), we have the ability to order whatever labs we want without a doctor’s requisition. This is pretty cool. These companies are helping you take charge of your health without relying on a doctor. And these days you really do have to be your own health advocate.
This is all amazing because you don’t have to fight with your doctor to order labs you want. That may sound funny to you, but let me tell you why this is going to improve (mostly women’s) lives everywhere. I’ve been in the health industry for 20 years. I’ve seen many, many lab tests, including metabolic, hormones, stool, and organic acids.
Typically what happens is the person (usually a woman) has some nagging symptoms. Goes to the doctor; he/she runs labs; says everything is normal. But the person doesn’t feel normal.
I’ll look at the labs and notice that maybe the numbers aren’t out of range enough to be flagged as abnormal, but they’re way outside what we consider optimal. There is a huge difference between “normal” and “optimal.” This difference can be very noticeable with thyroid and glucose, for example. There’s a very wide “normal” range for measuring thyroid hormones but a very tight optimal range. (read more about that here). I can tell you from both personal experience and working with clients that even edging outside the optimal range is enough to cause symptoms.
So what usually happens is the person is sent on her way and she continues to feel worse. By the time she seeks more advanced help, there usually IS an imbalance. That’s the importance of scouring your labs to spot what we call subclinical imbalances: You want to catch them before they turn into actual abnormal readings.
So, back to at-home lab tests. I always request to see a person’s labs because I see this scenario play out again and again. Yes, everything may be in a normal range, but the person still doesn’t feel right. Let’s take a closer look. Often there will be some suboptimal numbers. I’ll recommend further testing. Person will request additional labs from doctor. Doctor will refuse to order for whatever reason (sometimes insurance related). If this goes unchecked, the actual imbalance manifests, and the person is given some type of med. But if we can do more advanced testing to see other markers or pinpoint a cause, we can head off further developments with diet and supplemental support in some cases.
And that’s the beauty of being able to order your own labwork. At-home lab tests save you the hassle of fighting with your doctor or insurance to get you the labs you need.
At-Home Health Tests
These tests are great for people who cannot easily access a doctor’s office (if you live in a remote area, for example), or if you have mobility issues that make it difficult to see a doctor for regular testing.
So, how does home health testing work?
At-home blood tests—which allow you to monitor your health without visiting a doctor’s office or laboratory—use a simple finger prick (typically) to collect a small blood spot sample which is then sent to a lab for analysis, similar to many physician-ordered blood tests. The results are often delivered through an online platform or mobile app. Saliva, swab, and urine tests are also available depending on the test.
These are kits that come to your house. There are a wide variety of tests available like food sensitivity testing, hormones (including a thorough thyroid panel), sexual health, metabolism, heart health, nutrient status (like vitamin D tests), Lyme, allergies, fertility, colon cancer screens, and even Covid tests. But I’ve never seen a CBC (complete blood count) home test.
I most often use and recommend EverlyWell (link here with discount to check out their menu). The other main company I like is Let’s Get Checked.
Kits come to your house.
everything you need for at-home testing
These companies also offer Telehealth appointments, that are often covered by insurance, to discuss your results.
In terms of accuracy, EverlyWell states “All of the laboratories that process our tests are CLIA-certified; some are also CAP-accredited. These labs comply with all federal and state regulations regarding laboratory testing in addition to performing frequent internal quality checks and testing, as well as regular inspections and validation of the accuracy of their testing.”
You can also order more sophisticated labs like full CBCs from companies like Ulta or Direct Labs. See my recommended Direct Labs test menu here. I most often recommend the ’10 Most Important Tests’ and the ‘Comprehensive Wellness Panel.’
At-Home Health Tests Pros & Cons
Pros, as we’ve discussed, are mainly testing from the privacy of home and having the ability to order whatever test you need. The directions are clear and easy to understand, and the companies make packaging easy so all you have to do is apply the shipping label and send it off via USPS. It’s discreetly packaged.
Other benefits include early detection of a medical condition when no symptoms are present and the ability to easily track health conditions (like testing thyroid levels in the case of hypothyroidism).
The cons are the possibility of user error that could affect results, false positives or negatives that can cause stress, and results can take longer to come back than walk-in labs. You should also share results with your doctor or other health practitioner to ensure you’re getting results correctly interpreted.
Personally I’ve been very happy using the EverlyWell thyroid kit to track my thyroid levels. I’ve also used and recommended the women’s health test. I also order my own labs from DirectLabs, typically the Wellness Panel or the 10 Most Important Tests to track my health status. I am trained to interpret lab results which does help.
Conclusion
I’m a big fan of at-home and direct to consumer lab testing because of the ease, privacy factor, and ability to order your own labs and easily monitor health conditions. It’s great that we can take charge of our health and our own care, as it can occasionally be difficult to get the labs you need. You do need to make sure you get the test properly interpreted so nothing is missed. There are large reference ranges on labs and more narrow optimal ranges, so you need to know this info or have a professional help you navigate.
I use EverlyWell & DirectLabs most often, but there are numerous options out there.
Do you take advantage of direct to consumer lab tests?
Mary Vance is a Certified Nutrition Consultant and author specializing in digestive health. She combines a science-based approach with natural therapies to rebalance the body. In addition to her 1:1 coaching, she offers courses to help you heal your gut and improve your health. Mary lives in San Francisco and Lake Tahoe in Northern California. Read more about her coaching practice here and her background here.
