Any Tests I Should Include in My Routine Physical?

[mbozard]

I'm having my annual physical next month and getting all the routine blood work. Are there any additional tests I should ask my Primary Care Doctor to include? I've had the EnteroLab and the Genova Diagnostics testing done. Just wondering if there is anything additional I should request.

[Gabes-Apg]

Hi There
If i have not said welcome yet- welcome!

my suggestion is
Vit D3
B12
calcium
Iron


if he is open minded
zinc/copper level would be useful...

hope this helps

[mbozard]

Great advice Gabes! You are literally a life saver!
My doctor did all the tests and everything came out ok, except Iron - turns out my body is absorbing too much (hemochromatosis)! So, that's being addressed. If not for your advise we would not have checked this and not caught it before damage ensued. I really appreciate your advice!!!

[Gabes-Apg]

you are welcome

what were the results of the other items?
if you are close to the bottom (or the top) of the ranges it can sometimes be an indicator of something...

[mbozard]

Dear Gabes,

Here are the other results:

Zinc 74 (Reference Range 56-134 (ug/dL)
Copper 110 (Reference Range 72-166 (ug/dL)
Arsenic 6 (Reference Range 2-23 (ug/L)
B12 597 (Reference Range 180-914 (pg/mL)
Mercury 2.7 (Reference Range 0.0-14.9-134 (ug/L)
Lead 2 (Reference Range 0-19 (ug/dL)
Magnesium 2 (Reference Range 1.7-2.8 (mg/dL)
Vitamin D 64.8 (Reference Range 30.8 - 80.0 ng/mL)

I'm not seeing the Calcium so that may have been missed so I will need to get that one separately. Thanks for your attention to this because I'm such a novice at understanding what all this means.

Margaret

[mbozard]

Also, in case you may have some insight on this:
My Creatine Kinase (CK) also know as CPK runs high. This latest test came out at 417 HH with a Reference Range of 26-174 (IU/L). My doctor thinks this just runs high for me and I'm not on any statins so we are just ignoring it for now. Does that make sense?

[tex]

Hi Margaret,

It's certainly possible that your doctor may be right when she or he speculates that you are just prone to having a higher-than-normal CK level, but there is virtually always a reason for every abnormal result. As you are probably aware, CK indicates muscle damage. Long, strenuous exercise sessions can cause elevated CK levels, and so can physical trauma such as running a marathon, or being involved in an auto accident.

But it can also be a sign of damage to the heart muscle. I'm guessing that your doctor has already determined that your heart is in good condition, and if that's the case then there is no point in doing additional tests.

My guess is that the elevated CK level is due to intestinal damage associated with MC. Your doctor could confirm that by testing your CK-BB level. Normally, CK-BB is found in the brain, but when it's found in the blood, it indicates smooth muscle damage, typically associated with the intestines or uterus (or placenta, during pregnancies). Many doctors do not seem to recognize that MC actually causes physical damage to the intestines, probably because they believe that damage on a microscopic level is irrelevant. It's not.

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

with the Zinc Copper results

wholistic doctors /nutritionists/naturopaths prefer that the Zinc level be higher than the copper - ideally a 2:1 ratio of Zinc:Copper.

as your results fall 'in range' many doctors do not see a copper result higher than zinc result as an issue.

I would recommend starting zinc supplementation (along with magnesium and Vit C) as this will help to clear some of the extra copper.
(Although your magnesium result shows you as being in range - this is not a good indicator of what is actually happening with the Cells. )

keep in mind that Iron also affects Zinc absorption. starting zinc supplementation now will protect you from further issues down the track.

That is a great Vit D level, especially post winter! well done.
good idea to keep copies of your results and track outcomes as time goes on. even if they are 'in range' it is good to track if things are dropping or rising etc.

[Gabes-Apg]

some good info about copper zinc levels etc

http://www.drkaslow.com/html/zinc.html

Clinical observations and research indicate the copper/zinc ratio appears to be more important than either copper or zinc levels alone. Zinc deficiency often results in elevated blood levels of copper, due to the dynamic competition of these metals in the body. Elevated blood copper has been associated with episodic violence, hyperactivity, learning disabilities, and depression. Zinc is antagonistic to cadmium, lead, and mercury.

Zinc deficiency is hard to confirm since no single laboratory test is always low. For example, blood levels are sometimes normal in zinc deficient persons due to homeostasis. Urine and hair tissue levels are often elevated in zinc deficiency because of "short circuiting" of zinc through the body and high rates of excretion. The demand for zinc increases under psychological and physiological stress.

http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-dise ... c-fatigue/

Copper and Zinc in Foods

Copper-zinc imbalance with its attendant digestive problems and danger of adrenal insufficiency provides a major challenge to lowfat and other “light” diet systems which reduce or eliminate animal foods. Nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman in her book on this problem, Why am I Always So Tired? reminds us of the biological facts of the human diet: “Human beings evolved on animal protein and it’s virtually impossible to obtain adequate amounts of zinc any other way. Beef, for example, has a fourfold greater bioavailability of zinc than do high fiber cereals.”1

The ratio of copper to zinc in our tissues should be 1:8.2 Because stress, some medications (particularly oral contraceptives) and environmental copper can interfere with this balance, we need to maximize zinc in our diets to offset the copper found liberally in natural foods. Zinc cannot be stored,3 so we must rely on red meats, eggs and poultry as our optimum food sources.4 The zinc in these foods is not only more bioavailable than in plant sources, the ratio of zinc to copper is much higher, providing a buffer for other foods higher in their ratio of copper. The only plant food with an advantageous ratio of zinc over copper is pumpkin seeds.5

Once digestive vigor has been reduced and copper buildup has affected liver function, foods high in copper, or those that interfere with zinc, can be troublesome. Gittleman states that vegans, who often combine plant protein sources to increase protein intake, can be especially susceptible to copper toxicity.6 Soaking and sprouting of foods high in phytates should be a given, but while these methods make zinc more available, the ratio of zinc to copper is still low. Developing new sensitivities can be a high-copper tip-off if you are reacting to high-copper foods like soy, yeast, nuts, mushrooms and shellfish.7 Even low-copper foods such as dairy products can be problematic in excess; the calcium in these foods is a zinc antagonist, that is, it works against zinc in the body.8

Those looking to reduce stimulants have another reason now to do so; alcohol, coffee and sugar are all strong depletors of zinc, while chocolate and tea are problematically high in copper.9 Beyond foods already mentioned, many favorite health foods are strong copper contributors. Most grains and legumes, wheat germ, molasses, bran, dried fruit, sunflower seeds and organ meats carry copper ranging form .5 milligrams to several milligrams per serving.10 Needed in only trace amounts, copper has an RDA of only .6 milligrams for infants, 1 milligram for children under four and 2 milligrams for older children and adults.11

Given the many depletors and antagonists working against zinc, the RDA of 5 mg for infants, 8 mg for children under four and 15 mg for older children and adults12 is probably too low. At the root of our problems with copper and zinc is a generation of heedless nutritional guidelines which have produced widespread dietary imbalance and deficiency. We may have to avoid some nutritious high-copper foods while restoring digestion and reducing excess copper levels, but once we have succeeded in placing nutritious, high-density animal foods at the center of our food supply, the multiplying problems of copper-zinc imbalance can cease to be a cause for concern.

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[mbozard]

Turns out my body is not absorbing too much (hemochromatosis). Yay! Based on the genetic test, I have two abnormal copies of the gene, but because I don't have iron overload (based on the ferritin test), I am unlikely to develop any problems. The abnormal gene mutation (H63D) I have 2 copies of confers a lower risk than the C282Y mutation. Only about 1% of women with my genes will have iron overload (versus 50% of women (and 85% of men) with 2 copies of C282Y). I plan to donate blood periodically since my iron levels are slightly high and I will get my ferritin & iron levels checked at my annual physical. Glad I don't have this to worry about. Now I can go back to just worrying about my gut

I did begin magnesium with zinc supplementation and that seems to be going well.

[tex]

That's certainly good news.

And thanks for the update,
Tex