Bloodwork Thread ?

[mmKay]

Screenshot from the " Start Here " section.

 

The purpose of this thread is to recompile FAQ's , resources, recomendations , tips and tricks about bloodwork .

 

I decided to get tested for vitamin D few days ago (42€ here in Spain) . The results came and I'm LOW. What's the best form of Vitamin D  supplement that I can take? I do live in a super sunny area but I intuit that I'd have to sit in the sun for 2 hours a day for a year to compensate for my deficit.

Got recommended this from a trusty source .

Liquid vitamin D3

 

Thyroid seems fine?.  (57€)

 

So I want to get checked for all vitamins and minerals. I guess I need to get a bloodtest again ? Is there a way to maybe pick your finger with a machine and get tested at home ? ( maybe I'm talking sci-fi stuff, but would be cool if that existed )

Is a cortisol test the proper thing to do to check for proper adrenal gland function?

 

What other tests would you consider to be important?

I'd like to get tested for mold toxicity as well. Got a record of living in moldy spaces.

Edited October 11, 2021 by mmKay

[Focus]

Get any Vitamin D supplement 10,000mcg and take it 5 times a week(skip Thursday and Friday) , you can also benefit from taking injections every 2 weeks for two or three months then do another test, my vitamin d level was 5 and I did that

[mmKay]

@Focus ty

 

16 hours ago, mmKay said:

Is a cortisol test the proper thing to do to check for proper adrenal gland function?

[...] Blood tests are often not very informative, as they usually only test once in the morning.

Our adrenals have a rhythm of cortisol production that starts in the middle of the night (around 3am) to prepare us for the day. It increases throughout the wee hours, peaking in the morning around 8am or so, then slowly falls during the rest of the morning and early afternoon.

Cortisol levels should be lowest around bedtime (10p+). Some people may have high cortisol at night that affects their sleep that would not necessarily be reflected on an 8am blood cortisol test.

For this reason, a 4x salivary cortisol test is recommended. Canaryclub.org often has the best pricing, and ships internationally.

[mmKay]

Thanks for the anwsers Michael.  You're allways on point.

 

Quote

I'd start with 5000 IU for 3 months and then get retested. You want to get into the 70s and even 80s. If 5000 is not enough after 3 months you may consider doing 10,000 for another month and then getting retested again. 

 

5000 IU / day for 3 months, right? I ended up purchasing this vitamin D supplement. IDK if there is much difference between different kinds of vitamin D supplement though.

51 minutes ago, Michael569 said:

The problem with most mineral and vitamin tests is that they only show serum (blood) levels. 

So what would be a more accurate way of figuring out what micronutrients may I be missing? Analyzing what foods am I eating and deducting possible insufficiencies by contrasting it with the full list of micronutrients, vitamins and minerals that exist?

 

51 minutes ago, Michael569 said:

i'd say it depends on what are you trying to do? What are your symptoms or what is your goal? 

Vitality. Feeling mentally sharp and physically energetic. There are many factors for this but for now im tackling the nutritional facet.

I do deal with ocasional brain fog, lack of energy and sluggishness but im getting better after incorporating self made water kefir and organic ground beef into my diet.

Edited October 12, 2021 by mmKay

[Superfluo]

@Michael569 What about adding vitamin K2 to the vitamin D3 supplementation? I see many supplements combining these two vitamins, and I've heard K2 helps calcification of bones and prevents arteries from clotting caused by excessive calcium depositing in them, but I found nothing comprehensive online about that. 

[mmKay]

Little something on K2. Do more research and apply discerment. 

https://youtu.be/633-oTKJEFI

Looks like it's only contained in fermented foods

Edited October 13, 2021 by mmKay

[mmKay]

22 hours ago, Michael569 said:

Try using cronometer.com for a week. Track 100% of what you eat.

Are you restricting/eliminating any particular food groups? 

 

I eat as high quality eggs as I can get my hands on, organic canned lentils ( i puree them in a blender) , organic white rice and about 400g of organic ground beef (soon to be 100 % grass fed) , About 400g of diced sauteed onion. Sometimes I add in a jar of organic pureed tomato.

Sometimes a slice of organic cheese / some organic diced bell peppers. 

I snack on fruit. Bananas, melon, mango. dates, figs. 75%+ organic dark cocolate. 

And I chug the DIY water kefir. About 1'5 liters a day. 

This has been my every day meal for about 4 months.  And I seem to be getting all the nutrients ( I supplement vitamin C and magnesium) 

Only problem I see is that I may be getting extremely high ammounts of iron and since I'm a dude and I don't menstruate this may make my liver into and iron brick(?) .

I heard vitamim A ( retinol) and a proper zinc to copper ratio is required to regulate it. If that's the case I should be ok. 

What I avoid : Any not natural ingredients: colorants, preservatives... Drinking cows milk, and I used to avoid wheat and sugar like the devil but now with the water kefir I have accquired the digestive capability of a volcano and they do nothing to me besides giving me a few pimples  ( used to have leaky gut, IBS, possibly pre-diabetes and possible a little candida , carbs gave me the worst brain fog) 

 

[undeather]

Quote

Is a cortisol test the proper thing to do to check for proper adrenal gland function?

Cortisol as a single parameter is very limiting when it comes to explanatory power. 
Sometimes useful as a rough screening tool for very rare diseases of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis.

If you want to really check your adrenal function, this is what you should do:

Saliva samples:
- Cortisol (early in the morning: 0-1,5h)
- Cortisol (after 1,5-3h)
- Cortisol (after 3-6h)
- Cortisol (after 6-9)
- Cortisol (after 9-15h)

- DHEA (early in the morning)
- DHEA (after 12 hours)
- Cortisol/DHEA-quotient (mornign/12h)

If I find time this weekend, I can go into more detail on why you should do this but I am very busy at the moment.
The other stuff was already correctly adressed by the other members.
Take care

Edited October 13, 2021 by undeather

[mmKay]

On 12/10/2021 at 1:30 PM, Michael569 said:

You can always order one of those skin prick tests at home if you wanna know if the value is increasing after a month or so.

Hey I just re-read this thread and damn this is a quite nice life hack. Got any more of these up your digital sleeves?

[mmKay]

@Michael569 Maybe your favorite nootropic cocktail for focus and mental performance, but actually I'm open for surprises ?

[Superfluo]

@Michael569 

On 13/10/2021 at 10:38 AM, Michael569 said:

i have to admit i need to dig deeper into literature to be able to answer those questions. From what i know K2 along Vit D is important when D is being taken for bone health and osteoporosis prevention/reduction.

I don't think it is necessary to take K2 for maintenance since it is super easy to get from diet but i might be wrong on this. 

I'm a little late, I know, but I was looking for research on K2 and D3, and I've found this article:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/49681076_Vitamins_D_and_K_as_Pleiotropic_Nutrients_Clinical_Importance_to_the_Skeletal_and_Cardiovascular_Systems_and_Preliminary_Evidence_for_Synergy

In the paragraph titled: "Vitamin K-dependent Proteins Support Calcium Homeostasis" the author says that vitamin K (K2 too I guess) is a cofactor for the conversion of some proteins in vitamin-K-dependent (VKD) proteins, which MGP and Gas6 are part of. Here some of their functions:

 

MGP is the VKD protein most closely linked to blood vessel wall health. It operates predominantly in the extracellular matrix of soft tissues (vascular,

heart, lung, kidney, cartilage) to down-regulate calcium deposition.

Gas6 (named for its gene, growth arrest-specific gene 6) has homeostatic support functions, growth factor properties, modulates inflammation, and facilitates immune disposal of dead cells. Gas6 is also linked to down-regulation of atherosclerotic plaque formation.

 

So it makes sense for K2 to be used along D3 when you are D3 deficient (in supplements), since an increased intake of D3 causes better and increased absorption of calcium. I know that K2 is commonly found in vegetables, so there's not a risk of K2 deficiency if you eat healthy, but increased calcium could lead to an increased need of K2. What do you think about it?

I've read an amazon review of a D3+K2 supplement by a guy who said that taking a D3 supplement gave him headaches, but when he switched to a D3+K2 supplement it made his headache go away. Don't know if this is true.

[Superfluo]

@Michael569 bump 

[Superfluo]

@Michael569 Thank you very much for the reply!!!

[Stovo]

Imo it's better to get vitamin D naturally wherever possible. When the sun is highest in sky go outside in shorts & topless, lie down and do 5-20 minutes on both front & back. Length of time varies depend on how dark your skin is, darker means you need more time. Be careful not to burn, as a rule come out the sun before you go red. 

In the winter you can't get vitamin D from the sun, generally when the sun is lower than 40-50 degrees in the sky you cannot get vitamin D from the sun. Here you may want to supplement, but you could eat a lot of fish like salmon too which has vitamin D.