Health Screening Tests

A number of health screening tests are available, here are some of the most popular:

• Cardiovascular disease risk
• Osteoporosis risk
• Bowel cancer screening
• Inflammatory bowel disease screening
• Bowel health assessment
• Thyroid health assessment
• Nutritional health assessment
• PCOS screening

All of these tests are processed at a licensed laboratory and, if you so wish, results can be forwarded to your doctor. It is often possible to reclaim the cost of a test from private health insurance companies. To arrange a test see arranging a test.

 

Cardiovascular Disease Risk

This test provides a detailed assessment of your risk of developing cardiovascular disease (atherosclerosis) which, if untreated, may lead to heart attack or stroke.

This test is much more thorough than a simple total cholesterol test as is often available on the high street. A blood test arranged by your GP is better because it differentiates between the different types of cholesterol (LDL, HDL etc). This test however goes further, by not only testing for different sub-classes of HDL, LDL and VLDL cholesterol (only some of which are significant) but also by measuring the levels of other substances in the blood which have been found to be highly sensitive markers of cardiovascular health. The accuracy of detection of cardiovascular disease risk from a standard GP blood test is considered to be about 55%. This test raises that to 85%.

Another test is also available which reports genetic (i.e. inherited) factors related to cardiovascular disease. Please ask for more information if you are interested in this.

 

Osteoporosis Risk

This test assess your risk of developing osteoporosis. The material in your bones is constantly being broken down and rebuilt and under normal circumstances the rate at which these two processes occurs is roughly equal, although it is normal for bone density to fall gradually as we get older.

Research has now established that although measurement of bone density, as typically provided by hospitals and many independent testing services, shows the state of your bones at the present time, it is not a reliable indicator of your risk of suffering a fracture due to osteoporosis in the future. What is a more reliable indicator is measurement of the rate at which bone is being destroyed, as revealed by this test.

Another test is also available which reports genetic (i.e. inherited) factors related to osteoporosis. Please ask for more information if you are interested in this.

 

Bowel Cancer Screening

In the UK, every year about 35,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and about 16,000 die of it, making it the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK (after lung cancer). However, bowel cancer is highly treatable and often curable – provided it is detected early.

The risk of developing bowel cancer increases with age. The average age for men is 67 and for women it is 72. Those who have a family history of bowel cancer have a higher risk and there are also certain predisposing genetic factors.

Symptoms of bowel cancer may include:

• Repeated bleeding from the rectum or blood-stained stools.
• A persistent change in bowel habits to looser bowel motions, to severe constipation or to alternating loose movements and constipation.
• Needing to go to the toilet more frequently.
• Severe abdominal pain.
• Unexplained tiredness or weight loss.

Conventional Diagnosis
There are two main procedures your GP can offer for diagnosing bowel cancer: sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy (they differ in how far into the colon the endoscope is inserted). These however can be uncomfortable and embarrassing, making patients understandably reluctant to undergo such an invasive procedure.

Faecal occult blood testing is another method, but has the limitation that only around 30% of bowel tumours bleed, the 60% that don’t will go undetected. There is also a problem with false positives. Overall this method of testing will only detect about 23% of cases (about 76% when used in combination with sigmoidoscopy).

This Test
The test offered here is new and detects chemical markers that only tumour cells produce. Levels of these markers increase with the presence of any tumour in the gastrointestinal tract and so even oesophageal cancer can be detected. The test has been shown to detect 84% of cases.

The test is suitable for those who may be experiencing one or more of the symptoms listed above and/or who know there is a history of the disease in their family. It may help you decide whether you need to consider undergoing a colonoscopy.

Should this test provide a positive result you would be strongly advised to consult your doctor as a colonoscopy would then be necessary in order to make a firm diagnosis.

 

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Screening

This test looks for the presence of chemical markers which indicate inflammatory bowel disease (most commonly Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis). The test may help to distinguish between these serious conditions and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). If an inflammatory condition is detected the test provides an indication of its severity and thus it can also be used to monitor the progress of any treatments.

 

Bowel Health Assessment

This test assesses the overall health of your gastrointestinal tract, from your stomach downwards.

• It assesses the health of your digestive and absorptive processes, including the production of stomach acid and digestive enzymes - i.e. it shows how well you are digesting and absorbing your food.
• It assesses whether there is a good balance and sufficient levels of beneficial bacteria in your gut flora (the population of bacteria which live in your gut and which are vital for maintaining good health), revealing possibly unhealthy alterations.
• It checks for the presence of unwanted intestinal parasites which you may have picked up (e.g. on holiday) and which can have detrimental effects on your health.
• It includes the inflammatory bowel disease screening described above with the addition of providing other indications of bowel disease.

 

Thyroid Health Assessment

This test provides a full assessment of the health of your thyroid gland. It measures many more parameters than the test that most GPs or hospitals usually provide and thus it helps to reveal many different thyroid abnormalities, including sub-clinical hypothyroid and hyperthyroid conditions.

 

Nutritional Health Assessment

Tests are available to assess nutritional status in order to detect any possible nutritional inadequacies due to poor dietary consumption or absorption. A broad spectrum of analytes can be measured including vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants.

 

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Screening

This test helps to assess whether you may be suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). A proper diagnosis can only be provided by your doctor but the results of this test may be useful to him in reaching a decision.

PCOS is closely associated with metabolic syndrome (also known as "syndrome X") a condition which may, if untreated, develop into type 2 diabetes. A strict nutritional protocol can be an effective way to treat this condition or at least manage it so that it does not worsen.

 

Arranging a Test

Please contact me to arrange a test. All of these tests are offered as part of the normal consultation process, this enables me to check whether a particular test is suitable, or indeed necessary, for you and your individual health circumstances, and afterwards, to fully explain the consequences and the steps you can take to best deal with them.

 

 

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