The set-up
Two friends walk into a bar (a salad bar, of course, because this is a health blog), sit at a table, one orders the caprese, the other a chef. They discuss the morning’s yoga class, their nightly meditation meet-up, the new supplements they’re trying, and what at-home lab tests they’ve taken this week, like food sensitivity and inflammation. Sure, we expect these self-proclaimed health nuts to want an even broader, more profound understanding of their health (they need something to talk about, right?). But at home lab tests aren’t just for the inquisitively health-inclined. They’re for everyone.
To breed or not to breed
Just down the road from our salad bar is a real bar, the kind where many adults would prefer to go. On a stool is an older man whose younger wife has decided she wants a baby. Perhaps it’s the whiskey talking, but he thinks it’s a great idea, though he’s not sure he has anything still swimming around down there. He heard one of the younger guys at work mention some at-home fertility test kit for men. He’s not sure how to find one but thinks it might be a good idea to try.
I’ll take my meal without the cramps, please
Just outside of town, in the suburbs, is a mom who can’t seem to eat bread anymore without either curling up in pain on the couch or having to visit the bathroom every 10 minutes. Her friend suggested she might have celiac disease. When can she get to the doctor to test? She works all day, cares for her kids at night, and can’t even think about how to cook for an elimination diet. What easy meal doesn’t involve bread or pasta? Lucky for her, that same friend recommended an at-home lab test to check for celiac.
I remember when…wait, actually I don’t
Across town, a college student is trying to get an internship at the university. He learns they drug test first. Normally, this student doesn’t do drugs, but there was that one party last weekend. He can’t quite remember what he did, but the memories are interesting. He does not want to lose this internship, though. Thankfully, his roommate has an at-home drug test he can take first to make sure it will come up clean. While ordering another one to replace it, he also decides to get an at-home STD test. It might be good to cover all the bases…and stick to mock-tails at the next party.
To pee or not to pee
In the administration office of that same university is a woman who feels a UTI coming on but isn’t quite sure if she should take those antibiotics she has stashed away. It’s 4:30 on a Friday, and her doctor’s office is closed. She certainly does not want to spend her weekend at the urgent care, nor does she want to risk having a UTI that worsens. Why doesn’t she take the antibiotics to be sure? I think we all know by now antibiotics are not meant to be taken lightly. Rather than fear the bathroom for the weekend or spend her precious off time in a crowded waiting room, she is prepared for this moment with an at-home UTI test.
A test for all
Allergy, cholesterol, diabetes, certain cancers, thyroid, and more. There are multiple at-home tests you can take, for a variety of situations, some more awkward than others, to be sure, but all the more reason to take them at home if you can. For a list of the many at-home lab tests available to you, check out this article: 33 At Home Lab Tests You Can Do.