WEBVTT - What everyone needs to know about blood tests

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<v Speaker 1>Oh hello, welcome to Healthy Ish. Thanks for joining us

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<v Speaker 1>today on the Body and Soul podcast. I'm the host

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<v Speaker 1>of Felicity Harley. Now, when was the last time you

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<v Speaker 1>went for a blood test, or perhaps you have never

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<v Speaker 1>had one? Well, there are many questions around how often

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<v Speaker 1>we should get them, what we should ask for, and

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<v Speaker 1>to clear it all up today I am joined by

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<v Speaker 1>nutritionist Eduena Ekins from Performance for Nutrition, and she discusses

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<v Speaker 1>the importance of regular blood tests, how to actually ask

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<v Speaker 1>for them if you do, front up to a reluctant doctor.

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<v Speaker 1>Plus you lists the exact ones you should get. Now

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<v Speaker 1>make sure you're listening to Extra Healthy Ish, where Eduena

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<v Speaker 1>talks about well how you can be a more confident

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<v Speaker 1>cook and nail your nutrition. At the same time, you

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<v Speaker 1>can listen in to Extra Healthy Ish wherever you get

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<v Speaker 1>your podcasts. Hey Donner, welcome back to health you shan well,

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<v Speaker 1>back to Australia.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you, Felicity, happy to be here.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, now I want to ask you all about your trip,

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<v Speaker 1>but perhaps we should talk about blood tests.

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<v Speaker 2>That's what you're here for.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell us about why a blood test so important.

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<v Speaker 2>Blood tests are a key tool used by medical professionals

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<v Speaker 2>and allied health professionals for diagnosing, monitoring, and assessing health

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<v Speaker 2>conditions and changes. They give us an insight into what's

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<v Speaker 2>occurring internally in the body, for example, organ function, immune system,

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<v Speaker 2>hormone imbalance, and nutritional deficiencies. And I really recommend them,

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<v Speaker 2>particularly post forty on an annual basis, as part of

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<v Speaker 2>preventative practice for maintaining long term health.

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<v Speaker 1>They're not when you're going to see your GP. Often

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<v Speaker 1>you know you have to mention it not your GP.

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<v Speaker 1>You're a nutritionist, why are they important for you? Talk

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<v Speaker 1>to us about what they can tell us about the

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<v Speaker 1>nutritional status.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, I recognize there is some nervousness about requesting blood tests.

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<v Speaker 2>I give people a list to ask their GPS. One

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<v Speaker 2>of the reasons is one of the ways we assess

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<v Speaker 2>nutritional status is dietary information, so we ask what you know,

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<v Speaker 2>what do we eat on a regular basis, also symptoms,

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<v Speaker 2>but sometimes without actually having a blood test, we don't

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<v Speaker 2>know whether you're absorbing, utilizing deficient in a particular vitamin. So,

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<v Speaker 2>for example, something like iron or vitamin D are direct

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<v Speaker 2>indicators of nutritional deficiency. So blood test is really the

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<v Speaker 2>only way to diagnose that.

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<v Speaker 1>What back to my point about I suppose i'm when

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I've had many instances where I've walked into

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<v Speaker 1>with my GP before forty and after forty where I've

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<v Speaker 1>had to almost not dare, I say, beg for a

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<v Speaker 1>blood test. How do we go about asking our GP

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<v Speaker 1>if they are reluctant, because I know that you know,

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<v Speaker 1>if you go in every six months, if you're twenty

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<v Speaker 1>five and fit and healthy, they can clog up the

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<v Speaker 1>whole care system.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes. Well, my personal view on that is, if you're

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<v Speaker 2>a taxpayer, you have a right to access Medicare in

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<v Speaker 2>the same way other people do. But I think if

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<v Speaker 2>you think about it in a way that if you

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<v Speaker 2>track trends and changes in blood markers, you're actually saving

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<v Speaker 2>Medicare or the medical system costs in the long term

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<v Speaker 2>because you can pick up diagnose issues before they become

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<v Speaker 2>a chronic condition, which costs Medicare way more than a

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<v Speaker 2>simple blood test. So I recommend people go in and

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<v Speaker 2>talk to their GP about what's going on. So there

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<v Speaker 2>might be commencing training for half marathon or marathon, or

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<v Speaker 2>feeling particularly fatigued or even anxious or nervous about the

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<v Speaker 2>health status is enough to warrant a blood test, So

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<v Speaker 2>it's just having the confidence to ask, and if the

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<v Speaker 2>GP says no, then just saying why not, because look,

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<v Speaker 2>we have to be a little bit cognizant of cost,

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<v Speaker 2>because every individual test does cost. But most gps you know,

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<v Speaker 2>are fairly reasonable in listening to you and action in

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<v Speaker 2>blood tests.

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<v Speaker 1>If you ask, what about if you're under forty? I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>should we be having them regularly or is it only

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<v Speaker 1>if you're feeling certain symptoms?

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<v Speaker 2>My general recommendation is, you know, under forty every couple

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<v Speaker 2>of years, so at least every two to three years,

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<v Speaker 2>but more regularly if you've got a family history of

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<v Speaker 2>a condition, or if you've got symptoms like if you

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<v Speaker 2>are feeling particularly fatigued and sleep is not improving that,

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<v Speaker 2>or if you've got a really unhappy gut or there's

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<v Speaker 2>something else going on, then it definitely warrants having a

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<v Speaker 2>blood test.

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<v Speaker 1>What should we ask for?

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<v Speaker 2>So I have a list, Yes, I have my fairly

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<v Speaker 2>standard list. So that list includes red blood cells, vitamin D,

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<v Speaker 2>thyroid lipids which is your cholesterol, druge lycerites, et cetera,

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<v Speaker 2>vitamin B twelve, iron, liver function, and kidney function. And

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<v Speaker 2>then anything in addition to that, if you've got again

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<v Speaker 2>a family history or particular symptoms. So for example, if

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<v Speaker 2>you had suddenly an increased thirst or weight gain, you

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<v Speaker 2>might look at some of the pre diabetic markers like

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<v Speaker 2>fasting glucose, fasting insulin, or HbA one C, which is

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<v Speaker 2>the three month average of glucose.

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<v Speaker 1>The initial ones you said, they're pretty they're the standard,

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<v Speaker 1>aren't they. Like often doctors will just put you through

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<v Speaker 1>all those and they are covert in medicare.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, they may not. It really is at the GP's discretion.

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<v Speaker 2>So for example, if you went in and said you

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<v Speaker 2>had your suffering fatigue and history of low iron, they

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<v Speaker 2>may just check iron markers. So again it's really at

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<v Speaker 2>that discretion, but it kind of makes sense to test

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<v Speaker 2>a few more things out of the one sample of blood.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And I think that it comes down to you.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, we are in charge of our own health

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<v Speaker 1>and we can't just rely on the GP to know

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<v Speaker 1>everything that's going on. And you know, if you've got

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<v Speaker 1>a family history of atheroscrosis or something, well then maybe

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<v Speaker 1>you need other things checks. So I mean, I now,

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<v Speaker 1>after hosting this podcast, go with a long list. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>and the GP is like, do you really need that? Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>I do need that. You know, my father has that

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<v Speaker 1>heart disease.

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<v Speaker 2>I need this.

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<v Speaker 1>So I think that you know you are in charge

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<v Speaker 1>of your own health.

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<v Speaker 2>Definitely, you are your own first doctor, and your GP

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<v Speaker 2>may not be aware of your family history or your

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<v Speaker 2>family health issues. So having a long list.

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<v Speaker 1>Is a really good idea when it comes to results.

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<v Speaker 1>Now this is something that you know, perhaps this is

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<v Speaker 1>a personal question for me to you. How can we

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<v Speaker 1>get better at understanding our results because often, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>you walk in and they and your GP might say, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>check me, everything's fine, or they might say what about

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<v Speaker 1>this measurement? You iron measurements lower? I mean, how how

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<v Speaker 1>do we as our own first doctor but not a doctor?

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, yes, no, I do see in my clinic frequently

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<v Speaker 2>I'll ask people if they've had a blood test and

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<v Speaker 2>they'll say yes, and I'll say okay, can I see them?

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<v Speaker 2>Or what were the results and they'll say, well, I

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<v Speaker 2>don't know. The GP didn't call me. So they do

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<v Speaker 2>fall through the cracks sometimes, So it's really important to

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<v Speaker 2>actually get a copy of those blood tests and ask

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<v Speaker 2>you go back to the GP if anything's out of

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<v Speaker 2>the range, So there are reference ranges next to each

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<v Speaker 2>particular blood marker and if you're above all below that,

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<v Speaker 2>we want to know why. There is also a really

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<v Speaker 2>good site called Pathology Tests Explained dot org dot au show.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, okay, and it's a good one.

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<v Speaker 2>It's not for profit, run by a board of a

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<v Speaker 2>number of really credible organizations, including the Royal College of

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<v Speaker 2>Pathologists of Australasia, and you can actually go in there

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<v Speaker 2>and search either a condition and the associated blood markers

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<v Speaker 2>or the particular tests. So for example, what does one

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<v Speaker 2>of the liver enzymes ALP actually mean and it will

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<v Speaker 2>describe what might be causing it to be high or low.

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<v Speaker 2>So it's a good way of just educating yourself. But

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<v Speaker 2>as you said, it is a good idea to understand

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<v Speaker 2>what all those acronyms on the blood test actually mean

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<v Speaker 2>and keep a copy of them because you might then

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<v Speaker 2>be going on to a specialist and it's really important

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<v Speaker 2>information to pass on to a specialist.

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<v Speaker 1>And then I mean I over folder at home, collected

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<v Speaker 1>over time, and then you can look back at you know,

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<v Speaker 1>what's been going on.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's really important because the trends are really important.

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<v Speaker 2>The change is often a trigger for either concern or delight,

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<v Speaker 2>depending which way it's going. But it's the change that's important,

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<v Speaker 2>not actually the actual number.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, Aduina, thank you for coming on.

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<v Speaker 2>Healthy, Thank you for having me.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, if you did enjoy this chat with a Duenna,

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<v Speaker 1>if you walked away and thought, yes, I know exactly

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<v Speaker 1>what to ask for when it comes to a blood test.

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<v Speaker 1>Listening to her on extra Healthy Use. Last time she

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<v Speaker 1>was in the studio, we talked about whether your current

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<v Speaker 1>health routine is doing more harm than good. If you

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<v Speaker 1>did enjoy this chat, tell us rate and review this episode,

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<v Speaker 1>subscribe to this podcast anything else, head to Body and

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<v Speaker 1>Soul dot com, dot you follows on socials, Grab our

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<v Speaker 1>print edition, which is our your local Sunday paper, and

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<v Speaker 1>until tomorrow, stay healthy ish