Health Risk Assessments Determine Disease Risk

Health Risk Assessments are imperative for anyone that doesn’t already have heart disease or diabetes.  A health risk assessment takes into considerations several different risk factors, typically ones that you can control, to determine your potential for disease.

Health Risk Assessment Measures Risk Factors

The risk factors that are measured by a health risk assessment and used to determine your risk of heart disease or diabetes are as follows:

• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Being overweight or obese
• Physical inactivity
• Nutrition
• Alcohol use
• Health history
• Biometric measures

Health Risk Assessments Can Help You Live Longer

A health risk assessment will take all of the above factors and determine your risk of having a heart attack or dying from coronary heart disease within the next 10 years.  A health risk assessment can also gauge whether you have metabolic syndrome.  Metabolic Syndrome is a group of risk factors that greatly increase your chance of developing cardiovascular disease, including stroke and diabetes.

Health Risk Assessments Suggest Lifestyle Changes

You should have a health risk assessment by the time that you are 40 and then should assess your risk at least every few years, or if you think that your risk has changed.  However, if there is a history of heart disease or diabetes in your family, you should know your risks as early as 20 years of age.  Knowing your risk factors and working towards eliminating them as soon as possible is one of the best ways to prevent disease.  Having a periodic health risk assessment allows your physician to help determine the best wellness program for you.

Health Risk Assessment Reports are provided by HealthCheckUSA and contain the results of your comprehensive health risk assessment and biometric tests in 29 easy-to-read and understand pages.   Call one of our customer service representatives to schedule your health risk assessment and start preventing heart disease and diabetes today.

Celiac Disease:  What is it?

Celiac disease is a lifelong autoimmune intestinal disorder that affects genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy on.  Celiac disease is triggered by the ingestion of gluten.  Gluten is a protein that can be found in all forms of wheat, including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn and faro.  Gluten can also be found in rye, barley and triticale.  Persons with Celiac disease must eliminate all gluten from their diet.

Symptoms of Celiac Disease

Celiac Disease is very serious and should be tested for and treated if it is suspected.  Symptoms in children can include growth failure, vomiting, bloated abdomen, and behavioral changes.  In adults symptoms can include one or more of the following:  recurring bloating or gas, chronic diarrhea or constipation, unexplained weight loss or gain, vitamin k deficiency, fatigue, missed menstrual periods, canker sores in the mouth, and tooth discoloration or loss of enamel.

Complications of Celiac Disease

If you have undiagnosed Celiac disease and you continue to ingest gluten, several long-term conditions can occur; as well as some other associated auto-immune disorders, such as Insulin-Dependent Type I Diabetes, liver disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Thyroid disease, and Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

If someone in your family has been diagnosed with Celiac disease or one of the previous mentioned auto-immune disorders, you should take a Celiac Disease DNA test as soon as possible.

Celiac Disease Testing

A Celiac Disease DNA test from HealthCheck USA includes an easy and reliable genetic test; detailed reports with genetic interpretation, recommendations and education; and free genetic counseling for physicians, patients, and families through our partner company Kimball Genetics.

If your test results are positive, the only real treatment for Celiac disease is to completely abstain from ingesting any gluten.  Your physician may suggest other lab tests to check your current health status; and if so, one of our healthcare representatives can assist you with scheduling these.

Nutrition is the Foundation of Good Health

Nutrition has many more important factors to your health than just your weight. Although maintaining a healthy weight or losing those extra pounds are also important for good health; proper nutrition leads to less illness, stronger immune systems and overall better health. Nutrition is very important as a foundation to health; and, in many cases, medical conditions can be treated simply by eating better.

Total Nutrition Panel

HealthCheckUSA has a nutrition panel that will allow you to work with your doctor to build a nutrition and diet plan that is just right for you. The nutritional panel consists of three different parts: CHEM-26, Vitamin B12 with Folic Acid, and TIBC.

Nutrition Panel: CHEM-26

CHEM-26 is the part of the Nutrition panel known as the “Super Chemistry” test. This lab test will check your kidney, heart, and liver functions. CHEM-26 checks your cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as your glucose, calcium, uric acid, electrolyte and iron levels. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels may indicate a need for dietary changes and possibly medications. High glucose levels could indicate diabetes, and high levels of iron could indicate a serious genetic disorder.

Nutrition Panel: Vitamin B12 with Folic Acid

The Vitamin B12 with Folic Acid gives you a thorough analysis of your body’s metabolic functions. B12 levels can help physicians determine if your body is generating enough energy to power all the organs. Low levels of B12 can be an indication of a high-risk of organ damage. This part of the nutritional panel also determines how much folic acid your body is getting. A lack of folic acid can impair protein synthesis and cell division.

Nutrition Panel: TIBC

Finally, the last lab test in the nutritional panel is the TIBC or the total iron binding capacity. Elevated levels of TIBC can indicate that you have an iron deficiency, which means that you need to incorporate more green vegetables and possibly red meat in your diet. TIBC measures how efficiently your blood transports iron through the rest of your body.

Make sure that you are eating properly and getting the right nutrition, call and order a nutrition panel test today.