Ideas for cheap lab tests that might show anomalies

Messages
99
I think I have a unique opportunity, in that ever since stopping clozapine, my CFS and anxiety symptoms are steadily and predictably decreasing. I'd say that since stopping one year ago, I'm about 30% back to pre-drug me.

And I'd guess the improvement would be logarithmic, getting slower as I approach normal. Normal being what I was like pre-Clozapine, which was still a lot of anxiety, but little to no physical fatigue.

There's a possibility that if I do a lot of different lab tests, maybe once a month, I could then use data mining software to find a significant correlation between some biomarker's levels over time and a logarithmic improvement line.

Of course some biomarkers might change from other factors, like me getting more exercise as I get better. But there's a chance something changes that can be tied to CFS somehow.

I already have a load of CBC panels that I had to do once a month to once a week for the many years of my clozapine usage, along with less frequent other tests, like metabolic panels. I put all the data from LabCorp into a spreadsheet, and plan to play with data mining software with the data I currently have.

I'm looking at ownyourlabs.com for test options. These are the cheapest:

Complete Blood Count (CBC) With Differential/Platelet - $7.35
γ-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) - $7.44
LDH - $7.44
Uric Acid, Serum - $7.44
Electrolyte Panel - $7.70
Hemoglobin A1c - $7.70
Thyroxine (T4) - $7.88
Hepatic Function Panel (7) - $7.96
Basic Metabolic Panel (8) - $8.23
Renal Panel (10) - $8.40
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (14) - $8.75
Lipid Panel - $8.75
Lipid Panel With Total Cholesterol:HDL Ratio - $8.75
Lipid Panel With LDL:HDL Ratio - $8.75
Rheumatoid Arthritis Factor - $9.10
Immunoglobulin A, Serum - $9.63
Immunoglobulin G, Serum - $9.63
Immunoglobulin M, Serum - $9.63
F027-IgE Beef - $9.89
F092-IgE Banana - $9.89
F096-IgE Avocado - $9.89
F236-IgE Whey - $9.89
F300-IgE Goat's Milk - $9.89
TSH - $11.55
Reticulocyte Count - $11.90
Sedimentation Rate-Westergren - $11.90
Insulin - $12.60
Direct LDL - $12.78
Ferritin, Serum - $13.13
Urinalysis, Complete - $13.13
Fructosamine - $13.48
Prothrombin Time (PT) - $13.91
T3 Uptake - $13.91
Folate (Folic Acid), Serum - $14.35
Prostate-specific Antigen (PSA), Serum - $14.70
Thyroxine (T4) Free, Direct - $14.87
Apolipoprotein B - $15.05
Iron and TIBC - $15.05
Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Ab - $15.75
Apolipoprotein A-1 - $15.93
Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), β-Subunit, Quantitative - $16.45
Cortisol - $17.33
Vitamin B12 - $17.50
Partial Thromboplastin Time, Activated - $17.85
Growth Hormone, Serum - $18.90
C-Reactive Protein, Quant - $19.78
Mononucleosis Test, Qualitative - $19.78
Prothrombin Time (PT), Serial - $19.78
Progesterone - $21.88

I already did a morning cortisol and CRP test last week, and they are both pretty much right in the middle of the normal range.

I'll probably continue to get CBC's monthly at a minimum, especially since it's so cheap. Any other good ones? Anyone know of some common markers that are abnormal in many CFS or anxiety sufferers?
 

pamojja

Senior Member
Messages
2,754
Location
Austria
I did the same, though only doing testing up to 5 times a year for 15 years. Most you mentioned tests through my GP, others he wouldn't do, out of my own pocket. Have thus amassed above 2500 data points from lab-tests. With supplementation and lifestyle changes, I did find some correlations, but many are still mysterious to me.

Overall, with improvement of conditions, lab-markers did improve. However, very often still far from a functional medicine standpoint of healthy lab reference ranges.
 

triffid113

Skimming for the gist
Messages
915
Location
Michigan
Did you look into NMDA receptor issues/MSG sensitivity/glutamate toxicity? Estrogen fixes this...for me, that means DHEA, but I am female - not sure if it would fix you. But you can look for things online that protect the NMDA receptors. Perhaps a time-release magnesium would do it? (Magnesium is the normal protectant, but it gets stripped off the gate under some circumstances, allowing calcium into the brain where it is not supposed to go.
 
Messages
99
Did you look into NMDA receptor issues/MSG sensitivity/glutamate toxicity? Estrogen fixes this...for me, that means DHEA, but I am female - not sure if it would fix you. But you can look for things online that protect the NMDA receptors. Perhaps a time-release magnesium would do it? (Magnesium is the normal protectant, but it gets stripped off the gate under some circumstances, allowing calcium into the brain where it is not supposed to go.
I haven't but I'll try to look into it, thanks.
 

triffid113

Skimming for the gist
Messages
915
Location
Michigan
Oh, sorry…. I was having an awful anxiety issue myself yesterday and the post mortem for me was that I drank caffeinated coffee before I had my DHEA pills. There is a ratio of cortisol to DHEA which governs how much stress you can tolerate (cortisol is stress, coffee=cortisol). It not only makes me extremely anxious, but also headaches and impedes my thinking because it feels like my blood vessels in my brain are sieves. If this is how you feel, cut out caffeine and stress or, potentially raise DHEA. This is not necessarily an either-or issue, it just works for me. Life Rxtension’s magazine , September issue, has an article about lowering cortisol. They suggest a lychee-green tea drink and / or magnolia officinalis and phellodendron amurense. I have not tried these. However I do know something ‘magic’ about lychee. In the national food database you can search and find that lychee is the food with the greatest amount of copper and the least amount of zinc. Since copper and zinc compete with each other for absorption, this is an important food item. So it makes me wonder if copper helps lower cortisol.

I also have glutamate toxicity… it turns out estrogen protects against that. The symptoms are, for me, extreme muscle contractions and inability to relax them. This may come with anxiety… I don’t recall, but for instance, low blood sugar causes anxiety (but the cause of that anxiety is your body is justly worried it may die).
 
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