When you visit your doctor for a routine yearly check-up, often times they will order a blood test and do a blood draw on you while you are at the office. While we all pretty much just accept that as normal procedure, do we really understand what it is that they are looking for and what our blood levels can tell us about our underlying health?

Let’s take a look

A CBC (Complete Blood Count) is the most often ordered. It will take count of the number of red blood cells, white blood cells, iron, and platelets. It is used to diagnose infection, blood disorders, inflammation and even detects anemia (iron deficiency). It will show how well your thyroid, heart, and other organs are performing and if there is an infection such as HIV/AIDS where your body is working against itself in an autoimmune response.

An Enzyme test may be ordered. The enzyme levels will indicate disease or damage to organs such as kidneys and liver. This test is also helpful in adjusting medication levels.

A BMP (Basic Metabolic Panel) can also be ordered. This is run on the plasma in your blood. It measures electrolytes, minerals, glucose, and calcium and can detect issues like cancer, diabetes, bone disease and kidney disease.

While these are all incredibly valuable diagnostic tools it is important to note that all tests are fallible. If you get a positive for a major illness such as cancer, it is vital to do a double check to make sure before deciding on and proceeding with any form of treatment.

Whether you are looking for a general practitioner or a specialist if you are in the Lee County Florida area we would like to invite you to visit IPALC (Independent Physicians of Lee County) and use their FREE physician referral service www.ipalc.org/find.