The last year or so has seen people coming up with creative solutions for problems that they never had to deal with before. They’ve come up with their DIY gym setups, adapted to working from home, and even hopped onto Zoom for doctor’s appointments. People are learning that with a little imagination, it’s actually possible to find even better ways of getting the job done.
This awareness doesn’t just apply to your daily routine; it can also apply to your overall health. If you’ve been dealing with recurring symptoms like poor sleep, low energy, or brain fog, you can figure out exactly what the problem is without even leaving your house. How may you ask? With at-home lab tests, like the ones available from Base.
Some of these tests will have to be taken at a certain time of day, but other than that, you’ll be able to collect the samples at whatever time works for you. You don’t have to worry about taking time off for a scheduled appointment, either for the test or to get the results explained to you.
Speaking of results, they’ll be ready and waiting in the Base app just a few days after you’ve mailed the test samples to the lab. You don’t just see the levels of whatever you had tested, but you also get explanations for each biomarker, how it impacts your body, and recommendations on how to optimize your health going forward.
Amateur-detective your way to better health
The official story is that doctors are your best bet for understanding how your body works (or doesn’t work), but that isn’t always true. The reality is that most doctors won’t want to order lab tests for issues like general fatigue, brain fog, or poor sleep quality. Lab tests are reserved for more serious issues, like a suspected hormonal imbalance or nutritional deficiency. But guess what can be the symptoms of both of these things? Fatigue, brain fog, and bad sleep!
If you had to depend on a doctor for accurate tests, you might have to wait until more serious symptoms showed up. At that point, you could have a long uphill climb ahead of you before you’d see any improvements in your symptoms. If you caught it early, though – which is what Base’s lab tests are for – you wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not a healthcare professional will take your symptoms seriously.
The healthcare system isn’t the last word where your health is concerned
Doctors do all kinds of amazing things every day – there’s no question of that. However, it’s common knowledge that the healthcare system is driven by for-profit companies that want as many people as possible to use their medications. This being the case, you’re very likely to leave a doctor’s appointment with a new prescription when you could have fixed your problems with a few simple lifestyle or dietary changes.
When some people hear, “there are other options besides the healthcare system,” they automatically think that you’re selling snake oil. That’s sometimes true, but there’s a lot of territory in between. The base has your tests processed in certified labs, and your personalized recommendations are doctor-approved – no snake oil here.
You’ll be supported every step of the way
Before you even take the tests or get your results, you can hop onto the Base app for an initial consultation. This will help you get oriented, and it’s a great way to set yourself up for success later on. If you aren’t sure that you’re taking the finger-prick or saliva samples correctly, you can chat with someone who’ll talk you through each step.
After your results have been analyzed, they’ll be “translated” into a format that’s easy for you to understand – no medical expertise required. Where the rubber hits the road, though, is with the recommendations. Each person will get their own customized recommendations based on their results, and these recommendations will revolve around diet, lifestyle, and supplements.
Monthly testing can be used for tracking your health issues; this is better for anyone who wants to double down on whatever’s causing their symptoms. If you feel like you have a good handle on your health, but you still want to keep an eye on things just in case, quarterly testing can be used for monitoring. This is a great way to identify problems before they have a chance to develop, plus you’ll gain a much better understanding of how your body works in general.
Curious about how this would look in real life? Here’s an example
Liz enjoys her fast-paced job, but it doesn’t give her much downtime – in fact, she often stayed late just to make sure everything got done. She started noticing that she needed more and more coffee to get going in the morning and that she had trouble falling asleep, even though she was always tired. She also realized that her sex drive was much lower than it was a few months ago, and she wasn’t sure what the issue could be.
After testing her cortisol levels using one of Base’s at-home lab tests, she found out that this stress hormone was way too high. Later tests showed that this was affecting her melatonin levels, which was why she was having trouble sleeping. It was also lowering certain sex hormones, which explained the low sex drive. Her recommendations included improving her work-life balance as much as she could, reducing caffeine consumption, and supplementing with melatonin. After seeing marked improvements in the first few months, Liz switched to monitoring on a quarterly basis, so she could make sure that she was still moving in the right direction.
Take charge of your health with at-home lab tests
You don’t even have to spend time researching on your own (although you might enjoy it); that’s why Base uses AI, data scientists, and real doctors to give you accurate, trustworthy recommendations. If you’re considering a deep dive into understanding your health, just remember – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
