Re: Best Labs
- Subject: Re: Best Labs
- Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000 23:00:31 EDT
- Yahoo! Message Number: 538
- Onibasu Link: http://onibasu.com/archives/am/538.html
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Where is the best place to get these tests done - the fractionated urine
porphyrin, urine organic acids, abberant plasma amino acids, B12
deficiency anemia on blood count? Do you need a special lab or can a
local place do it? Does the last one require a blood draw?
What do these tests actually do for you, what do you learn from them?
Sallie, I will talk about these and a few other tests.
You will also encounter the response from many doc's of not liking certain
labs because they are "alternative." My experience has been that the
"alternative" labs are much more accurate than the "mainstream" ones, and I
have the lab reports to prove it. Some pretty ridiculous, like where a
friend of mine had two tubes of blood drawn at the same time and sent in.
They got separated and all the same tests were accidentally run on both by a
"major health plan" lab. The numbers were totally unrelated to each other on
those tests.
Fractionated urine porphyrins can be done by any standard lab, like
SmithKline (one of my least favorite for anything else). The important thing
is to get exact instructions for sample handling and DO IT YOURSELF. Any lab
that puts sodium carbonate - possibly with EDTA - as a preservative in the
sample tube or the collection container will be able to do the test OK. The
sample is very sensitive to handling errors and when mishandled comes back
falsely normal. If you have a choice, use a lab that puts the preservative
in the collection vessel itself rather than the sample tube (which is what
SKBL does).
Metametrix is the preferred lab for organic acids in urine.
www.metametrix.com.
Great Smokies is the preferred lab for plasma amino acids. This is more
because they provide a MUCH easier to read report than any other lab than it
is because of any special analysis they do. They can be expensive if they
are off your health plan, so if you can get it done for free by your health
plan and are willing to spend a day or two drawing a nice graph of the
results it is OK. BTW, have the doc write on the test order to run the test
and report the results absolutely no matter how the sample quality index
comes out. They check some ratios and presume the sample wasn't handled
right if the numbers are one particular way - which is good - but one of the
metabolic disorders (elevated ammonia) that some kids have sets of their
index and they throw away the test when it is perfectly good. This is a
blood test - like I have said, don't go sticking your kids for the hell of
it since it is very unpleasant, but if they are really having trouble a few
tests like this can give you a lot of things to do as interventions that will
help them feel better.
There is also a urine amino acid test. It is MUCH less useful and
informative, but does have some info and doesn't require sticking them. It
does require a 24 hour urine collection.
A complete blood count will detect B-12/folate deficiency anemia, and is an
absolutely standard test that all labs will do properly. It is a blood test.
Speaking of sticking kids, or even adults, there is DRAMATIC variation in
the skill of phlebotomists. Ask around and find one who is GOOD and make
sure to go to THAT one all the time.
Other tests that can be informative are the Great Smokies Diagnostic
Laboratory COMPREHENSIVE LIVER DETOXIFICATION TEST, and the GSDL or
Metametrix (preferred for what it tests, the GSDL test is preferred for
easily interpretable layout) fatty acid profiles. These are blood tests (and
the liver test also involves urine and saliva).
You can also do red blood cell elements at Doctor's Data (preferred) or GSDL.
This tells you if there are other unsuspected toxics and also if the kid is
not absorbing certain elements - zinc, magnesium and molybdenum being common
problems. This also requires sticking them. Low Hg does NOT mean they are
not mercury poisoned.
The fatty acid profile, liver detox test, organic acid test, and RBC
elements have some limited diagnostic utility but are mainly to let you
identify supplements that will help correct the metabolic problems.
The metametrix web page has a decent description of these tests and what they
mean if you go to the part for doctors and click on the test details in the
upper right if it is there, or otherwise read the "literature" section.
My suggestion is if you are going to stick them (especially if the doc wants
to do it for his own reasons) be organized, get all the tests lined up,
decide on order of importance and have the tubes there in line. Then don't
get upset if they don't all get filled that time. Usually they can fill at
least several from one stick and that is a lot less traumatic than sticking
them every time you or the doc wants a test.
Andy Cutler
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