Posted by Larry Hoover on November 25, 2004, at 22:15:08
In reply to Anyone tried home test kits?, posted by jakeman on November 25, 2004, at 0:19:43
> I'd need to get some diagostic testing done, such as thyroid function, candida/allergies, cortisol/adrenalin/dhea, kryptopyrroles, possibly others. My doctor does not want to order anything but the standard blood-work that is done with an annual physical exam. My funds are very limited and my sorry-ass insurance company will not cover most of what I need. Has anyone tried any of the home test kits that are available? Are they any good? Here is one site-- www.testmyhormones.com/test_information.htm
> Thanks!!I have never heard of a home test for Hepatitis C before this. A couple of the others surprised me, too. As Jan said, the saliva cortisol is pretty reliable. And, if it's done right (I mean samples taken through the day to get the 24 hour variation), you'll get more information that the standard doctor's test will provide.
The candida/allergies test is not based on good science, and the kryptopyrroles test is not specific (more than one way to get a positive). Hair analysis is bogus. The hormone tests are probably good, though.
What I've read is that the lab doing the analysis is everything. I saw a report that found that Lab A was almost never accurate in its analyses, Lab B was right half the time, and Lab C was right every time. I don't know how you could know whether it was Lab A, B, or C doing your analyses.
Great Smokies Labs has a pretty strong following. But that doesn't mean they're accurate, either. Some people love getting positive tests for the "Aha!" factor. I wish there was an independent way to know if they're doing quality work.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:419994
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20041123/msgs/420332.html