Introduction

There is no such thing as too much testing.  You should test for as many things as possible.  Doctors routinely test for things like thyroid problems.  This is a list of some of the more unusual things that doctors may not think of testing for.

Attention testing labs!  I am always on the lookout for more labs for this list.   If you are a testing lab that offers blood tests for  food allergy blood tests, Candida, or mycoplasma, I want to hear from you!  Please send an e-mail with testing information including pricing.

Stool Tests

Stool tests can be very valuable for detecting bacterial and other infections of the gastrointestinal tract.  They are not however reliable for detecting Candida.  See the bottom of the page for Candida tests.

Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab

This lab is highly respected in this field.

BioScreen

This Australian Lab also offers some valuable tests.

Hormone Panel (New!  5/9/2004 )

The AAL Reference Laboratory has an excellent (but expensive) urine test for over 25 different hormones including growth hormone.  It's called the "24 Hour Urinary Hormone Test with GH."  I don't usually recommend specific tests by specific labs, but I don't know of other labs with similar tests.  This test can give important clues to what might be wrong.  It showed that my growth hormone levels were only 10% of normal.  The prices is about $650.  Their phone number is 1-800-522-2611.

Food Allergy Testing

If done properly, the Elisa food allergy test is a sensitive and accurate blood test for food allergies. A small amount of blood is drawn and analyzed for dozens of different food allergies. The prices vary.

The ELISA test will yield a false negative if you have not consumed the food in three weeks, so be sure to consume any foods you have doubts about before doing the test.

Important note: A study was recently brought to my attention.  Three labs were tested for reliability using split specimen testing.  It showed that the quality control at two labs was poor and the results unreliable.  It also showed that one lab was in fact reliable.  The study did not name the labs.

It is of course my intention to recommend only tests that work.  It was a surprise to me that there are labs that are not reliable.  The study did not name the labs, so I cannot provide them to you, but the York Nutritional Lab says they routinely test themselves using split specimen testing.

York Nutritional Lab (United Kingdom) and York Nutritional Lab (USA)

This lab in the has very good information on allergy blood testing.  Their price is $349.  They will even test you without having to use a doctor.  This is done by sending in a drop of blood.  See their site for more information.

Their web-site says that they have done the split specimen testing to guarantee the quality of their test.  In split specimen testing, one sample is sent to the lab twice.  If their test is of good quality the results should agree within 10%.  Theirs does according to their site.

Meridian Valley Labs (Kent, WA)

They have a test for over 190 food allergies.  It has been a while since I checked the price, but it was only about $140.  They no longer give referrals to doctors who use their test.  

My test was done by this lab.  I have not seen the results of split specimen quality control, but I do know that I saw an immediate improvement after I discontinued the foods on my allergy list.

Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab

This lab is fairly new to food allergy testing, but the Great Smokies Lab is highly respected by both mainstream and alternative doctors.  In addition to 96 food allergies, their test also includes 36 airborne allergies.

It is pricey at about $500.  Their site does not mention split specimen quality control tests.

Better Health USA

I've heard their test is about $450, but they will make it very easy on you by referring you to a local person to draw the blood.

Helicobacter Pylori

Helicobacter pylori testing can be performed by any gastroenterologist.  This bacteria is known to be the cause of stomach ulcers.  It is also thought by many doctors to cause other gastrointestinal problems and fatigue.  People with CFS can benefit from treatment of this condition.

Adrenal Insufficiency

Traditional adrenal tests are not sensitive enough to detect many problems.  The Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab has a new test that is more sensitive.

How to Get Tested For Candida

The studies are not entirely conclusive, however the best indication is that the Candida Immune Complexes test is the most reliable.  (See Journal of Advancement in Medicine, Vol. 10, No. 3 published by the American College for Advancement of Medicine.)  The test will run you about $100 and is available from several labs:

Antibody Assay Laboratories Inc.

Immuno Sciences (Beverly Hills, CA)

Genesis Diagnostic (United Kingdom)
(This lab offers only the IgA, IgG and IgM tests.  These are reasonably good, but less reliable than the Candida immune complexes test offered by Antibody Assay and Immuno Sciences.)

Great Smokies Diagnostic Lab
(Also offers only the IgA, IgG and IgM tests.)

For more detailed information on the reliability of these tests and research supporting them, see Candida Blood Testing under Candida Research.

Beware of other tests that may not be reliable. In particular, I have seen an ad for one lab that offers the IgG test alone. This is not reliable. When I sent an e-mail to the lab asking about their accuracy, they did not respond.

[ Back ] [ Up ] [ Next ]