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Posted by David | Posted on 02-08-2010
Category : Blood Testing, Corporate Wellness, DNA analysis, Direct to Consumer Lab Testing, HealthCheckUSA News, Homocysteine, Vitamin d, Women's Health, blood tests, cancer, cancer screenings, cardiovascular health, health screening, health tests, heart attacks, heart disease, heart disease test, strokes, testing for diabetes, thyroid screenings, thyroid test
Tags: blood, blood test, blood testing, blood tests, cancer, cholesterol, deficiency, diabetes, disease, health, healthcheckusa, iron, lab test, physician, prevention, STDs
Posted by David | Posted on 15-10-2009
Category : HealthCheckUSA News
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Low Cost Lab Tests From HealthCheckUSA
Swine flu (H1N1) Symptoms and Self CareThe following information is from the Mayo Clinic.
Swine flu (H1N1) symptoms: Self-care for the flu
Question: What are the usual swine flu symptoms? What should I do if I start to have them?
Answer: from James M. Steckelberg, M.D. at the Mayo Clinic
Swine flu symptoms are pretty much the same as seasonal flu symptoms, experience so far has shown. The illness starts one or two days after your exposure to the virus, and symptoms may seem to hit you suddenly. Among healthy people, seasonal flu and swine flu symptoms vary in severity.
Swine flu (H1N1) symptoms include:
- Fever, which is almost always present and which may rise above 103 F (39.4 C) in the first 12 hours of illness
- Chills
- Muscle aches
- Loss of appetite
- Extreme fatigue
- Eye redness and burning
- Stuffy or runny nose
- Dry cough
- Sore throat
- With swine flu, some people also report nausea and vomiting.
Swine flu symptoms can make you feel awful, but if you’re basically healthy and you’re not pregnant, take care of yourself at home rather than going to your doctor.
Try these remedies:
- Take acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) to reduce fever and muscle aches. Don’t give products containing aspirin to children or young adults, as these drugs may cause Reye’s syndrome.
- Drink clear fluids, such as water, broth or sports drinks.
- Rest as long as you continue to feel tired, and sleep as much as you can.
Question: I’m pregnant and am concerned about swine flu. What should I do if I think I may have swine flu?
Answer: from Roger W. Harms, M.D. at the Mayo Clinic
The combination of H1N1 influenza (swine flu) and pregnancy is potentially risky. If you’re pregnant and think you may have H1N1 flu or you’ve had close contact with someone who has known or suspected H1N1 flu, contact your doctor immediately. He or she may recommend treatment with an antiviral medication known to be effective against the virus — oseltamivir (Tamiflu), which can be taken in pill or liquid form, or, less often, zanamivir (Relenza), which must be inhaled. Ideally, the medication should be started within 48 hours of developing symptoms.
Although the specific effects of H1N1 flu and pregnancy are unknown, anyone at high risk of complications from seasonal flu is thought to be at high risk of complications from H1N1 flu — including pregnant women.
Pregnancy puts extra stress on your heart and lungs. Pregnancy can also affect your immune system. These factors increase the risk not only of getting the flu but of developing serious complications of the flu, such as pneumonia and respiratory distress. In turn, flu complications may lead to miscarriage, premature labor or other pregnancy problems.
The symptoms of H1N1 flu are similar to those of seasonal flu, including fever, cough, sore throat and body aches. Although researchers haven’t studied the safety of oseltamivir and zanamivir during pregnancy, for most women the benefits of preventing serious illness or complications from H1N1 flu outweigh any potential risks of the medication. It’s also important to rest as much as you can and drink plenty of fluids.
HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available by fax to you or your doctor, or by mail to you (please allow 10 working days for mailing). Results are also available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days. An information sheet with an explanation of each test, including normal reference ranges, accompanies all results.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
Posted by David | Posted on 15-10-2009
Category : HealthCheckUSA News
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Low Cost Lab Tests From HealthCheckUSA
Swine flu (H1N1) Symptoms and Self CareThe following information is from the Mayo Clinic.
Swine flu (H1N1): How serious is the global threat?
Question: What’s the real story about swine flu? I’ve heard it called a pandemic, but I’m not sure what that means.
Answer: from James M. Steckelberg, M.D. at the Mayo Clinic
You’re not alone in your confusion about swine flu — specifically, the flu caused by novel swine influenza H1N1 virus, which was identified and designated a global pandemic in spring 2009. Because this is a new flu virus, everyone is vulnerable to infection.
Swine flu is one of the many type A influenza viruses. It’s unusual for humans to catch swine flu, but occasional cases occur, usually in people who have contact with infected pigs. Like other flu viruses, the swine flu virus changes its DNA as it spreads, giving rise to a number of subtypes.
A new vaccine has been developed to protect against H1N1 swine flu. To reduce your risk of catching and spreading the virus:
- Keep tabs on respiratory symptoms. If you or someone in your family develops symptoms suggesting a cold or the flu, avoid crowds, and be alert for persistent or worsening symptoms, particularly a high fever.
- Stay home if you’re sick. If you have swine flu or seasonal flu, don’t go to work, school or public gatherings until you’ve had no fever and taken no fever-reducing medication for 24 hours. Unless your infection is unusually severe, fever and other symptoms should end in three to five days.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. Flu viruses can survive for two hours or longer on surfaces, such as doorknobs and countertops.
- Be prepared. Ask your health care provider or county health department about immunization and infection-control plans.
Question: Why is swine flu a pandemic? Has H1N1 flu turned out to be much worse than expected?
Answer: from James M. Steckelberg, M.D. at the Mayo Clinic
It’s not actually worse, just — as predicted — widespread. That’s why the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a level 6 influenza pandemic alert — the highest level alert of its kind.
A World Health Organization phase 6 pandemic indicates that influenza due to the novel H1N1 swine flu is occurring in multiple countries around the world and that human infection is widespread. The classification does not reflect the severity of individual infections.
The alert level is also notable because:
- The swine flu H1N1 virus is globally widespread at the community level.
- The chain of person-to-person transmission is no longer clear in some areas, so testing all suspected cases is not feasible.
- The groups most severely affected differ from those who typically develop seasonal flu complications.
- Rates of severe illness and death from novel H1N1 influenza may be unusually high in the developing world.
- The WHO continues to recommend against travel restrictions, quarantines and border closings.
HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available by fax to you or your doctor, or by mail to you (please allow 10 working days for mailing). Results are also available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days. An information sheet with an explanation of each test, including normal reference ranges, accompanies all results.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
Posted by David | Posted on 26-08-2009
Category : blood tests
Tags: assessment, bioidentical hormones, bioidentical s, blood, blood test, blood tests, brigham and women, cancer, chlamydia, cholesterol, complete, count, deficiency, diabetes, disease, diseases, doctor, Dr. Oz, estradiol, estrogen, female, harvard medical school, health, healthcheckusa, heart, hepatitis, herpes, hiv, hormone, hormone therapy, infertility, iron, lab, low cost blood testing, menopausal symptoms, menopausal woman, menopause, metabolism, oprah, oprah magazine, oprah thyroid disease, oprah winfrey, panel, physician, prevention, preventive medicine, progesterone, prostate, psa, results, risk, saliva, std, STDs, syphilis, test, testing, testosterone, tests, thyroid, thyroid blood tests, type, types, webmd, wellness, work
Low Cost Lab Tests From HealthCheckUSA
Low Cost Lab TestsBy Miranda Hitti, WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Jan. 15, 2009 — Oprah Winfrey says menopause caught her “off guard” and that she’s taking bioidentical hormones that have made a big improvement in how she feels.
Bioidentical hormones are one form of therapy for menopausal symptoms. Winfrey, who turns 55 this month, writes in February’s edition of O, The Oprah Magazine that she felt “out of kilter” and had “issues” for two years that she suspected were hormonal. Upon a friend’s recommendation, Winfrey went to a doctor who specializes in hormones.
Winfrey writes that the hormone specialist told her that her “hormonal tank was empty” and gave her a prescription for bioidentical estrogen.
“After one day on bioidentical estrogen, I felt the veil lift,” Winfrey writes. “After three days, the sky was bluer, my brain was no longer fuzzy, my memory was sharper. I was literally singing and had a skip in my step.”
Winfrey isn’t recommending bioidentical hormones for every menopausal woman. Instead, she urges women to “take charge of your health” and says it’s time to “start the conversation” about menopause and bioidentical hormones.
Oprah writes that bioidentical hormone therapy is controversial and confusing to many people.
What’s the controversy about? Are bioidentical hormones better or safer than other hormone therapy? WebMD has answers from experts.
What Are Bioidentical Hormones?
“There is enormous confusion about the meaning of the term ‘bioidentical,’” JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH, tells WebMD via email.
“Bioidentical hormone preparations are medications that contain hormones that are an exact chemical match to those made naturally by humans,” says Manson, who is chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the Elizabeth F. Brigham Professor of Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School.
Some bioidentical hormones are made by drug companies, are approved by the FDA, and are sold in standard doses. Other bioidentical hormone preparations are made at special pharmacies called compounding pharmacies, which make the preparations on a case-by-case basis for each patient. Those “custom-made” preparations aren’t approved by the FDA.
Why Aren’t Compounded Bioidentical Hormones FDA approved?
The FDA doesn’t approve any compounded products, for any condition, because those products aren’t standardized.
That doesn’t mean that compounding is bad. Compounding can be useful for patients who are allergic to an additive in an FDA-approved product, says Kathleen Uhl, MD, the FDA’s assistant commissioner for women’s health.
But “the purpose of compounding is to do it on a patient-by-patient basis, so there’s nothing that’s submitted to FDA to evaluate, so they’re not FDA approved,” Uhl explains.
And because compounded products don’t go through the FDA approval process, they don’t bear the same warnings as other hormone therapy.
A woman who gets a prescription for an FDA-approved hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms is “going to get a lot of warning information,” but if she gets a compounded product instead, “you don’t get any of those warnings,” Uhl says. “There’s no requirement for them to provide that because those products are not FDA approved.”
Why Aren’t Compounded Bioidentical Hormones FDA approved? continued…
L.D. King, executive director of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists, suggests that patients look for accredited compounding pharmacies listed on the web site of the Pharmaceutical Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB).
“They make sure those accredited pharmacies are adhering to a very high level of practice, which would include pretty extensive quality control,” King tells WebMD. He also suggests that because there aren’t a lot of PCAB-accredited compounding pharmacies, patients should ask compounding pharmacies what types of quality assurance procedures are in place.
Manson points out that with FDA-approved “bioidentical” drugs available, “most women interested in bioidentical formulations do not need to take custom-compounded products (exceptions would be women with allergies to ingredients, or intolerances to doses, in commercially available products).”
Does That Mean Compounded Bioidentical Hormones Are Safer?
“There is no reason to think that these bioidentical compounded [products] would have a different safety profile than the FDA-approved ones,” Uhl says. She points out that some compounded pharmacies have gotten warning letters from the FDA for false and misleading claims about safety and other benefits.
Isaac Schiff, MD, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Massachusetts General Hospital, agrees.
Schiff led an American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) committee that reviewed the scientific evidence on compounded bioidentical hormone therapy in 2005. That committee concluded that there wasn’t scientific evidence to support claims of increased efficacy or safety for compounded estrogen or progesterone regimens. The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) and the Endocrine Society have issued similar statements.
“It may be safer, but that study hasn’t been done yet,” Schiff tells WebMD. He says he would like to see a large, lengthy, rigorously designed study on the topic.
“I’m not inherently negative about it,” Schiff says. “I hope they’d be good … and if it turns out to be safer, fabulous. I would like, as a physician, to prescribe the safest hormones to my patients who want to be treated.”
Erika Schwartz, MD, a New York doctor who prescribes FDA-approved biodentical hormones and compounded bioidentical hormones, says there have been studies that support the safety of bioidentical hormones, compared to other hormone therapy.
Schwartz asks, “If NAMS or ACOG says there are not enough studies, well, why haven’t you done the studies if you think you need more? If this had been men’s health, would we be having this conversation, or would we have answers?”
Schwartz says she has long wanted to see large, government-sponsored studies compare bioidentical and other hormone therapies head to head.
“She’s allowed to have her opinions,” Uhl says. “The evidence that FDA has seen and what’s available in the medical literature leads us to believe that there are the same concerns” with bioidentical and other hormone therapy for menopausal symptoms.
Uhl adds that “the FDA is not prohibiting the compounding of bioidentical hormones. There is definitely a niche for them and certain patients do need this, but it’s not for everybody, and the people who are taking it need to realize that the risks are probably the same for the FDA-approved drugs as they are for the [compounded] bioidentical.”
Can You Take Bioidentical Hormones Indefinitely?
Hormone therapy has been linked to increased risk of breast cancer, so most health experts recommend that women take the lowest dose for the shortest time, if they need it.
That research wasn’t done on bioidentical hormones. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s safe to take them for a longer time, Schiff says.
“If you have the exact same estrogen as one’s own body makes, it doesn’t mean it’s any safer,” says Schiff.
Schwartz counters that bioidentical hormones are chemically different from the hormone therapy drugs that were linked to health risks, saying “there is no reason to compare recommendations because they’re not the same product.”
Schwartz says she’s been prescribing bioidentical hormones for 14 years and takes them herself, having switched from other hormone therapy years ago. “I feel great and the women I work with feel great,” she says. “I have no complaints.”
Schiff doesn’t dismiss bioidentical hormones. “If I have a patient who says she wants a bioidentical … then I personally would prescribe a hormone like estradiol, which is what her ovaries made, and I would give it to her in a skin patch by one of the drug companies that I know; it has oversight by the FDA and it has the exact dose that I want her to have,” says Schiff, who has no ties to any drug companies. If a patient is already on a bioidentical hormone, “I try to find out exactly what she’s taking and try to make sure that it’s a safe dose and that she could be followed carefully,” Schiff says.
Schwartz says she gives her patients a choice between standardized bioidentical hormones or compounded products made by a lab she has vetted. She stresses the importance of doctors being trained about bioidentical hormones by other physicians who are knowledgeable about bioidenticals. “The physician has to work with the patient and the compounder,” Schwartz says.
Are Saliva and Blood Tests FDA Approved?
Yes, those tests are FDA approved for diagnostic purposes — but not to tailor hormone treatment.
“The tests are not approved for use to measure hormone levels to adjust hormone therapy,” says Uhl, who points out that hormone levels can fluctuate throughout the day.
Schwartz says she doesn’t believe saliva testing is appropriate and only uses blood tests with her patients.
Recommended Blood Testing Panels for Women
- Women’s Basic Hormone Panel
- Women’s Comprehensive Blood Testing Profile
- Total Health and Wellness Lab Assessment
- Ultimate Health and Wellness Lab Assessment
What About Oprah’s Experience?
“I’m happy that Oprah feels better,” Schiff says. “Every experience is an important experience … but everybody’s individual and they have to work that out with their doctor.”
Some women, Schiff notes, feel better when they start hormone therapy, but he’s not sure if bioidentical hormone therapy would give them an additional boost.
Compounded or not, bioidentical hormones are only part of the picture, Schwartz says.
“A lot of people just want to follow the celebrity,” she says. “Sometimes people come in and what they really need is to address their diet, their exercise, their lifestyle.”
“I think bioidentical hormones are great,” Schwartz says. “But if you don’t address them in the context of the whole person — with her diet, her exercise, her lifestyle, with her relationships, with her stresses — and you don’t work with everything, you’re not really going to be able to come up with the results that women would like to see.”
HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available by fax to you or your doctor, or by mail to you (please allow 10 working days for mailing). Results are also available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days. An information sheet with an explanation of each test, including normal reference ranges, accompanies all results.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
Posted by David | Posted on 19-08-2009
Category : Blood Testing, std testing
Tags: Antibody, blisters, blood, blood test, blood tests, cancer, cells, cervix, check, chlamydia, cholesterol, complete, condom use, count, deficiency, diabetes, disease, diseases, DNA, doctor, female, genital, health, healthcheckusa, heart, hepatitis, herpes, herpeselect, hormone, hpv infection, human papillomavirus, intercourse, iron, lab, lab testing, lab tests, low cost blood testing, low cost STD blood work, low cost STD testing, low cost thyroid testing, mayo clinic rochester, metabolism, multiple partners, obstetrics and gynecology, panel, pap smear, physician, precancerous changes, prevention, prostate, psa, risk, saliva, screening, sexual partners, sexually, std, STD locations, STD testing centers, STD tests, STDs, syphilis, testing, testosterone, tests, thyroid, type of cancer, urine tests, virus
Low Cost STD Lab Tests From HealthCheckUSA
Save Money with HealthCheckUSA on STD TestingSTD Testing Recommendations: Part 1
By Mayo Clinic staff , Mary Gallenberg, M.D.
STD testing: What to know before your appointment
Not all doctors perform the same lab tests for sexually transmitted diseases, known as STD testing. Learn which STD lab tests you may need, which you might have to ask for and the limitations of STD testing.
If you’re sexually active, particularly with multiple partners, you’ve probably heard the following advice many times — use protection and make sure you and your partners receive routine STD testing. But what’s included in routine STD testing? Not all doctors test for the same STDs. And some STDs — some of which can’t be fully prevented by condom use — can’t be tested for. So even if you ask your doctor to test you for everything, this doesn’t mean that you or your partner will be screened for or clear of all STDs.
The only way to fully protect yourself against STDs is to abstain from sex. However, if you’ve decided to be sexually active, routine STD testing is important to managing your health. Mary Gallenberg, M.D., a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., helps clarify what kinds of STD tests are important and how to ensure you get them.
If you’re sexually active, what routine STD lab tests are most important?
STD Lab Testing For Women:
At a minimum, get a Pap smear — a simple procedure that collects cells from your cervix to test for cancer or precancerous changes. This type of cancer can arise as a result of a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection — a common STD. Pap smears are recommended for women who are age 21 and older or no later than three years after a woman’s first intercourse. If you’re a woman between age 30 and 69, you may only need a Pap smear every two to three years if you’ve had three normal Pap smears in a row and have had no new sexual partners.
STD Lab Testing For Men:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines don’t suggest routine STD screening if you don’t have any symptoms, unless your sexual practices include having sex with men.
If you are a man who has sex with men, annual screening for HIV, syphilis, Chlamydia and gonorrhea is recommended. HIV and syphilis can be life-threatening if untreated, and Chlamydia and gonorrhea can put you at greater risk of acquiring HIV and other STDs.
STD Lab Testing For Men and Women:
Also see your doctor for STD testing if you have any signs such as genital sores, including fluid-filled blisters, ulcerations or warts, or if you have unusual discharge from your penis or vagina. If you’re a woman, abdominal pain or fever along with unusual discharge may indicate pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) — an STD-related condition that can cause infertility.
The CDC also encourages voluntary HIV testing, at least once, as a routine part of medical care if you are an adolescent or adult between the ages of 13 to 64. The CDC advises yearly HIV testing if you are at high risk of infection, for example if you’ve had unprotected sex with more than one sexual partner since your last screening.
What other STD testing do you recommend?
First, don’t assume that during an annual exam or Pap smear that you’re also receiving STD testing. This may not be the case. If you think you need STD testing, you must request it from your doctor. Talk to your doctor about your concerns and what tests you’d like or need.
Gonorrhea and Chlamydia STD Testing
If you are a sexually active girl or woman under age 24, or a woman older than 24 and at risk of STDs — for example you are having sex with a new partner or multiple partners — get screened annually for gonorrhea and Chlamydia. If untreated, these infections can cause PID in women. Gonorrhea and Chlamydia can also significantly increase your risk of acquiring other STDs like HIV. If you are a man who has sex with men, get tested for these infections at least annually.
Gonorrhea and Chlamydia screening is either done through a urine test or through a swab inside the penis in men or from the inside of the cervix in women. The sample is then analyzed in a laboratory. Screening is important, because you can be unaware that you have either infection. For example, approximately 80 percent of women and 50 percent of men diagnosed with Chlamydia don’t have symptoms at the time of diagnosis.
Syphilis, hepatitis and HIV STD Testing
If you test positive for gonorrhea or Chlamydia, you’re at greater risk of other STDs such as syphilis, HIV and hepatitis and should get tested for these infections.
In addition, request HIV, syphilis and hepatitis testing if you:
• Have had more than one sexual partner since your last screening
• Use IV drugs
• Are a man who has sex with men
• Are concerned you’ve been exposed
Your doctor tests you for syphilis by taking either a blood sample or a swab from any genital sores you might have. The sample is examined in a laboratory. A blood sample is taken to test for HIV and hepatitis A and B.
It’s possible that you may test negative for syphilis or HIV if you’ve only just recently acquired the infection. If you or your doctor suspects this is the case, you may need to be rescreened at a later date. Talk with your doctor if you have concerns about this.
Consider vaccination for hepatitis A and B. You can prevent these infections by receiving the vaccines.
What about other common STDs like genital herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection?
Genital herpes and STD Testing
Unfortunately, no good screening STD test exists for herpes, a viral infection that can be transmitted even when a person doesn’t have symptoms. Your doctor may take a tissue scraping or culture of blisters or early ulcers, if you have them, for examination in a laboratory. But a negative test doesn’t rule out herpes as a cause for genital ulcerations.
A blood test may also help detect a herpes infection, but, again, results aren’t always conclusive, particularly if you’re not experiencing signs and symptoms of an active stage. Some blood tests don’t distinguish between types 1 and 2 of the herpes virus. Type 1 is the virus that more typically causes cold sores, although it can also cause genital sores. Type 2 is the virus that more typically causes genital sores. You may ask for a “type-specific” IgG blood test, which differentiates between the two, measuring antibodies to the viruses in your blood. Still, the results may not be totally clear, depending on the sensitivity of the test and the stage of the infection. False-positive and false-negative results are possible.
HPV STD Testing
HPV, an infection that can be transmitted even when a person doesn’t have symptoms, is a condition contracted from one of a group of more than 100 related human papillomaviruses (HPVs). Some of the viruses cause cervical cancer, others cause genital warts. Some never cause any problems. At least 50 percent of sexually active men and women will acquire an HPV infection within their lives, and that number jumps to 80 percent of women by age 50.
Being infected with certain types of HPV is the most important risk factor for developing cervical cancer. Women over age 30 may choose to receive a Pap test (to test for cervical cancer) every three years along with a human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA test. The HPV test is collected with a brushing from the cervical canal. Women with both a negative Pap test and a negative HPV DNA test are at low risk of developing significant precancerous changes of the cervix over the next three years. The combination of Pap smear and HPV DNA testing is not Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for screening women younger than 30 because HPV infections that will ultimately clear up on their own are more common in this age group, and a positive test result may lead to unnecessary additional testing and treatment.
The HPV DNA test can test for both low-risk types of HPV, which may cause genital warts, and high-risk types that may cause cervical cancer. Your doctor may recommend testing only for the high-risk types because of their threat to your health. Since no treatments exist for HPV itself — although treatments do exist for genital wart outbreaks caused by HPV — paying for a test to find the low-risk types may be of little use to you.
No HPV test is available for men with the exception of visual inspection or biopsy of genital warts if they are present.
Girls and women ages 9 to 26 can help prevent HPV infection by receiving the HPV vaccine. This vaccine protects against the two strains that cause 70 percent of cervical cancers and the two strains that cause 90 percent of genital warts.
STD testing: What to know before your appointment
Are all STD tests always done?
No, as mentioned earlier, men should receive STD testing if they have symptoms, have sex with other men, or if a partner tests positive for an STD. In women, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis testing may be done if other STDs are present. Testing for herpes is only usually done if symptoms are present. And HPV testing isn’t available for men, and only sometimes done for women older than 30.
Ask to be tested for other STDs if you’re concerned. Some tests may be expensive and your insurance may not cover them.
What STD tests are commonly covered by insurance?
Insurance companies differ in what services are covered. Check with your insurer, and if STD testing isn’t covered and you can’t afford to pay, consider testing through HealthCheckUSA. HealthCheckUSA provides affordable STD lab testing that is totally anonymous, confidential and convenient. HealthCheckUSA has over 5,000 locations nationwide for STD Lab Testing Services.
What do you suggest to someone considering having sex with a new partner or who may be at risk of an STD?
If you can’t trust a partner not to give you an STD, you may not want to have sex with that person. You can ask them to be tested for gonorrhea, Chlamydia, HIV, syphilis and hepatitis, but negative tests for these may mean the infection is just in too early of a stage to detect. Also, there are no good screening tests for herpes, and HPV testing is limited — men can’t be tested unless they have visible warts, and HPV testing generally isn’t recommended for women younger than 30.
If you decide to have sex, use condoms. Condoms help protect you against life-threatening infections like HIV. However, condoms don’t fully protect you against every STD. For example, condoms may not cover all of the skin that might contain an HPV or herpes virus, so the condoms may reduce, but not eliminate, the chance of such a virus being transmitted to you. In fact, you can be exposed to these viruses through genital to genital or mouth to genital contact, not just through intercourse.
If you have sex, you put yourself at some risk even with the most thorough STD testing and condom use, and you have to accept that risk.
If a person tests positive for an STD, what’s the next step?
If you test positive for an STD, the next step is to consider further testing and then to get treatment as recommended by your doctor. In addition, inform any partners. Your partners need to be evaluated and treated, because you can pass some infections back and forth.
Expect to feel various emotions. You may feel ashamed, angry or afraid. These are all normal feelings. Some STDs are very common so you aren’t alone. You’ve done the right thing by getting tested and you can now discuss treatment and how this might affect current or future relationships. Talk with your doctor about your concerns.
HealthCheckUSA offers many STD lab tests that are affordable and do not require a doctor’s prescription. We have over 5,000 lab locations throughout the United States.
Recommended STD Lab Tests
HealthCheckUSA has packages that make it simple for consumers to measure, monitor, and improve their health by being able to order their own lab tests without a doctor’s order. HealthCheckUSA serves customers without insurance, have high deductible insurance plans, and taking control of their health because their doctor won’t order the test.
The blood tests available through HealthCheckUSA are the same medically accepted lab tests ordered by doctors for their patients. The blood tests are analyzed by an accredited medical reference laboratory. The results are confidential, and are available by fax to you or your doctor, or by mail to you (please allow 10 working days for mailing). Results are also available on the HealthCheckUSA Web site within 3-4 business days. An information sheet with an explanation of each test, including normal reference ranges, accompanies all results.
Popular types of blood and lab tests include: thyroid testing, complete metabolic testing (CMP), complete blood count testing, heart disease testing, cholesterol testing, diabetes testing (HbA1c), prostate cancer testing (PSA), vitamin D testing, vitamin B-12 testing, testing for osteoporosis, iron deficiency testing, testosterone testing to check for Low Testosterone (Low T), erectile dysfunction, estrogen testing for low levels of estrogen, male hormone testing and female hormone testing for hormone imbalances, drug testing, STD testing for herpes, hepatitis A, B and C testing, HIV, Chlamydia, syphilis, and EBV, herpes type 1 and type 2 testing, fertility testing in men, fertility testing in women, infertility testing in men, infertility testing in women, pregnancy testing, blood test for pregnancy, blood test for herpes, blood test for HIV, blood test for thyroid, and many more. Please go to www.HealthCheckUSA.com or call 800-929-7044 for complete details.
Posted by David | Posted on 31-07-2009
Category : Uncategorized
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Low Cost Blood Testing From HealthCheckUSA



