In many ways, the human body is a vast multitude of unsolved mysteries. But the more science progresses, the better we get at finding the hidden clues that reveal a whole lot about our health.
Many of those clues are in our blood, waiting to be discovered. Blood work can tell us so much about our diet, what illnesses and diseases we may have or are at risk of developing in the future, how our organs are functioning, and why we feel the way we feel.
Knowledge is power
You may have a secret compartment for the cookies you don’t want to share, but there’s no hiding the cookies you ate from the inner workings of your body. A simple blood test can reveal what you’re ignoring or haven’t noticed yet—and this is a good thing, because the more you know about how your diet affects you, the better choices you can make for your health. This knowledge can even help you prevent or delay certain health conditions instead of finding out about it after it’s already a part of your life.
Routine blood tests can help you track where you’re at from year to year and help you know what to focus on. Many people on Feel Great use blood work to measure how their habit changes and the support they’ve received from the system are affecting their bodies.
The noticeable benefits of Feel Great—from improved weight management to more energy—are a reward in and of themselves. But knowing why those changes are happening? That kind of knowledge can change your life. Knowing what’s happening inside of you changes the way you live your life—for the better.
Blood work 101
Most people have blood work done about once a year at their annual physical, although those with certain medical conditions may need blood tests more regularly. If there’s something you’re curious about, you can contact your doctor any time to get a blood test scheduled.
Typically, a blood test is done at a lab, an urgent care clinic, or even your regular doctor’s office, depending on what resources are available in your area. At-home blood tests are available for certain kinds of tests as well.
There are many types of blood tests available, but your doctor will likely start you on a complete blood count (CBC) test, which checks your white and red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelets. They may also order a basic metabolic panel (BMP), which looks at things like glucose, electrolytes, and sodium.
If there is a specific issue you are concerned about, your doctor can order other tests as well. As mentioned earlier, our blood can tell us a lot about what’s going on in our bodies, and there are many simple blood tests that can help give us the answers we need.
A few other things to keep in mind
If it’s been a while since you’ve had blood work done, here are a few other things that are helpful to know beforehand:
- Having blood drawn is a simple process that usually only takes a few minutes.
- As food and drink can impact the results of some blood tests, you may be required to fast for several hours before coming in for a blood test. Your doctor will let you know if a fast is necessary.
- Results are usually available in a few days.
Seeing the change inside and out
Knowing what’s happening inside your body is exciting, even if science isn’t your thing. Many people like checking their blood work while they’re doing Feel Great so they can see the impact it’s having on their blood, which affects a lot of factors that contribute to their ability to feel great.
If you haven’t tried Feel Great yet, now is a good time to start. And for a more educational experience, be sure to schedule a blood work visit before you get started, and again 90 days later to see your progress.