The 4-Hour Body_ An Uncommon Guide to Ra - Timothy Ferriss [194]
Genetic insights (www.23andme.com and www.navigenics.com): $99–1,000 per test If you’d like to determine your genetic indicators for fast-twitch muscle fiber, caffeine metabolism, or ethnic make-up, these tests will offer answers.
Berkeley Heart Labs or Advanced Cardio Lipid Panel: $120–260 If you adhere to the Lipid Hypothesis of cardiovascular disease (in essence, that cholesterol and fats cause it) these laboratories offer comprehensive lipid analyses, including tests that measure LDL and HDL particle size as a distribution of seven and five subclasses, respectively.
Food Allergy Testing (Meridian E95 Basic Food Panel): $140 I’ve included this as more of a warning than a recommendation. Interviewing doctors who review Meridian tests on a regular basis, it became clear that certain foods (pineapple, kidney beans, egg whites, etc.) often come back as positive for almost 100% of the patients, but there are also periods of lower “allergic response,” again across nearly all patients. This seems reflective of bad testing processes, or a bad test in general, and the questionable results seem common across most labs. This is also true for “gut permeability” tests.
There are, however, two main takeaways from my food allergy experiments and polling: most problems are caused by gluten, which you shouldn’t be eating much of in the first place; and you can create food allergies if you eat the same foods and same protein sources all the time. The fix: Follow the Slow-Carb Diet, and change your main protein sources and staple meals every month or so.
***Doctor’s Data Urine Toxic Metals: $160 ($60 kit + $100 for DMPS injection) In this test, you are injected with a chemical that binds to heavy metals in your blood (i.e. a chelating agent like DMPS), which are then excreted in your urine. Using a large plastic jug, you collect urine for a 6-hour period and then bottle a well-shaken sample for analysis. To test the effects of larger fish, I ate swordfish and tuna before injection. The result? I doubled my mercury levels after one meal. Don’t do that.
***Comprehensive Stool Analysis and Parasitology: $245 This test, offered by Doctor’s Data, Genova, MetaMetrix, and others, looks at the health of your largest interface with the enviroment: your gut. This will help identify digestive issues or parasite-induced problems. If you can’t gain weight, this test should be a high priority.
***SpectraCell Nutrient Testing (www.fourhourbody.com/spectracell): $364 This test is used to pinpoint vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies. This test helped me identify a selenium deficiency, which—once corrected—helped me to triple my testosterone levels. One other test subject identified enormous B-12 and vitamin D deficiencies, which—once corrected—made him so energetic that he felt like he was on cocaine. In a good way, that is. Highly, highly recommended.
BioPhysical (www.fourhourbody.com/biophysical): $3,400–8,000 The Biophysical is an all-in-one test. By surveying the biomarkers in your blood, Biophysical will detect medical conditions and diseases, including: cardiovascular disease, cancer (including breast, colon, liver, ovarian, prostate, and pancreatic), metabolic disorders (such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome), autoimmune disease (including rheumatoid arthritis and lupus), viral and bacterial diseases (such as mononucleosis and pneumonia), hormonal imbalance (including menopause, testosterone deficiency, and thyroid deficiency), and nutritional status (such as vitamin and protein deficiencies).
End of Chapter Notes
1. If there is a range for cost, I have used the lower range for putting them in order.
2. Since I am not a woman, this test was found from a non-Hunter source:
http://www.anylabtestnow.com/Tests/Female_Tests.aspx
MUSCLES OF THE BODY (PARTIAL)
THE VALUE OF SELF-EXPERIMENTATION