How do Blood Tests Work?
By taking a sample of blood from a vein or a finger prick, blood tests are used to measure the levels of a range of substances in the blood, such as hormones, enzymes, proteins, and blood cells. While this quick and easy process aids in the diagnosis of medical conditions, it has a wide range of uses such as monitoring ongoing treatment, health risk screening, and checking for risk factors.
Early Detection of Health Issues
One of the most important benefits that blood tests give is the ability to detect health issues early, often before any symptoms appear. Through analyzing an individual’s blood, doctors can identify any abnormalities that may point to underlying health problems, such as high, or low, levels of certain vitamins or hormones.
These abnormalities can be an indication of any type of health issue, from anaemia to diabetes, or even a deficiency in Vitamin D. If any problems are detected in their early stages, doctors can rapidly provide treatment and guidance, preventing the condition from worsening, and therefore improving the chances of a full recovery. For example, if high cholesterol levels are detected early on, the individual can apply lifestyle changes in the effort to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, such as a healthy diet, and exercising regularly.
Monitoring Chronic Conditions
Blood tests are widely used for monitoring chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, because they require ongoing monitoring to ensure that treatments are effective, but also to detect any complications that may arise.
What Blood can reveal about Health
- Basic Blood Counts: Full Blood Count (FBC) or Complete Blood Count (CBC) tests measure the different components in your blood, this includes white blood cells, haemoglobin, and platelets. This type of test can detect anaemia, infections, and other blood disorders due to its broad and detailed nature.
- Blood Chemistry: The levels of chemicals and electrolytes such as glucose, cholesterol, and sodium, are measured in certain blood tests, it can help in identifying conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, and liver disease.
- Hormone Levels: Often measure during blood tests, levels of hormones such as oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and thyroid hormones are commonly measured. This can help detect hormonal imbalances that can cause conditions including thyroid disorder, PCOS, or the menopause.
- Allergies: Blood tests have the ability to identify specific allergens that are triggering symptoms, through detecting the specific antibodies in your blood, you can potentially avoid exposure to the allergen and take steps to better manage your symptoms.
Getting a blood test
Before getting bloods taken, there are a few factors that may need taking into consideration, it is important to listen to the healthcare professional and their instructions before the blood test is conducted as they may give special requirements to you. One of these would be fasting, as some blood tests may require for you to fast for a certain period of time, which is usually between 8 to 12 hours before the test. Another main requirement could be stopping medication, as some prescribed medications can affect the results of blood tests, but your doctor will advise you on this beforehand.
Be sure to stay hydrated before a blood test, as dehydration can similarly impact the results, drink plenty of water throughout the day, and try to avoid high sodium foods. Your levels of comfort are crucial, if you are nervous or uncomfortable about getting bloods drawn, let the healthcare provider know, as they can help make the process more comfortable and stress free. Lastly, once the test is done, pressure is applied to the site of the puncture to stop any bleeding, and a small band aid is applied.
Types of Blood Tests
Blood tests are widely available and can target any type of condition or factor, the most common blood tests can range from cholesterol tests, and vitamin D tests, to more specialized areas such as sports performance blood tests. We offer a variety of blood tests including:
Our Blood Tests:
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General well-being blood test
This wellbeing screen is a panel of multiple tests to give an indication of overall wellbeing. Monitoring can help indicate the body's response to changes such as the initiation of a new fitness regime or weight loss or gain plan.
View more details£90.00
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Advanced iron deficiency (Anaemia) test
The advanced anaemia screen includes tests for haemoglobin levels and a full blood count. The results of these tests can show whether you have any signs of general health problems, as well as giving an indication of your overall blood health.
View more details£60.00
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Allergy test
This FastPoc allergy test checks your blood for 20 common allergies, including ragweed, mugwort, grass, rye, birch, ficus/latex, cat dander, dog dander, dust mites, egg white, cow's milk and much more...
View more details£192.00
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