John,

I am very interested in getting some blood work done.  I have been doing CrossFit since early 2005 and have been focused on Olympic Weightlifting for the last 2 years. 

In that time I have seen my body go from 425 lbs (60%+BF) down to 215 lbs (11%BF) (Thanks to CrossFit) and then back up to 330 lbs (20%BF) (thanks to 24 hrs a week of weightlifting with Bob Takano) and I would be curious to see what’s going on inside my body.

My ultimate goal is to be a leaner (not shredded) healthier weight that isn’t too much for my frame 5’11”.  Although weightlifting is my primary focus, I am beginning to see past my career and look on towards optimal health and wellness.

I know there are many different panels of blood work that can be done.  Could you recommend a place to go and what panel to have done.

Also, could you help me figure out what the heck all the data means once I have it in my hands?  You know…give a man a fish/Teach a man to fish?

Thanks, 

Johnny

Blood samples

Johnny:

My name is Thomas Incledon, and I am Chief Executive Officer of Causenta Wellness in Scottsdale, AZ. I have worked with John Welbourn since 2002 and recently spoke on nutrition, supplementation and testing at a CrossFit Football seminar in Bloomington, IL.

He forwarded me your email, as blood testing is my wheelhouse. I have been involved in laboratory testing of athletes and non-athletes since 1989 and have a data base of over 30,000 subjects. I make the following suggestions and share with you that you can get these tests ordered by any physician and performed at a variety of labs. However in almost every case I have reviewed, people mess things up. Either the physician orders the wrong tests or skips tests that are important and/or the client/patient does something to mess up the results. So first let’s standardize things:

1.     Do not work out two days before the tests, exercise can create artifacts that influence the lab results. See my study here for more info: Testosterone and cortisol in relationship to dietary nutrients and resistance exercise.

2.     Do not drink alcohol two days before the tests; alcohol can affect hormone levels. See my study here for more info: Effect of acute post exercise ethanol intoxication on the neuroendocrine response to resistance exercise.

3.     Do not eat anything unusual the night before, so eat common foods (like chicken, rice, broccoli) that you commonly consume because diet can affect hormone levels. See my study here for more info: Testosterone and cortisol in relationship to dietary nutrients and resistance exercise.

4.     The morning of the blood draw/lab tests do not eat, workout or take supplements or medications, take them after the blood draw.

5.     Schedule the test between 7-9 AM.

6.     Ideally you want to know someone’s symptoms in order to recommend some tests. Assuming you have no clinical issues and just want to know what is going on so you can maximize your health and performance, the tests to have performed are listed below:

a.      Cortisol, Total, LC/MS/MS

b.      DHEA Uncon, LC/MS/MS

c.      DHEA-S, LC/MS/MS

d.      DHT, LC/MS/MS

e.      Testosterone, Free LC/MS/MS

f.       Testosterone, Total LC/MS/MS

g.      SHBG

h.      Estradiol, US, LC/MS/MS

i.       Estrone, LC/MS/MS

j.       Estrogen, Total

k.      Growth Hormone

l.       IGF-I, LC/MS

m.     IGFBP3

n.      CBC

o.      CMP

p.      Lipids

q.      Vitamins

r.       Minerals

s.       Food allergy testing

7.    If you want to make your life easier and do things right the first time, I suggest you just go to my company’s website at Causenta.com and sign up for our free newsletter and book a free consult.

Hope this helps and sheds some light on blood panels and how to proceed once you get the data.

Thank you,

Thomas Incledon