When to Consult a Doctor: Understanding Critical Biomarker Levels
Don’t panic – even though you’ve received a ‘critically high’ or ‘critically low’ result, it’s nothing to be scared of. First of all, it’s better to know about your health than stay in the dark. And it doesn’t mean something serious; when you get critical results, we always recommend going to your GP (and taking your handy OptimallyMe health data along with you) as a precaution, to make sure you’re in the best health you can be. We can help you reach an optimal level with our tailored-to-you recommendations, alongside the recommendations of your GP or a specialist if needed. We’ll run down what happens when you get a critical result with next steps to take here.
Understanding Your Biomarkers
First of all, a quick rundown of biomarkers. Biomarkers are like the dashboard indicators in your car, but for your body. Oil check? Yep. Fuel gauge? Check. Biomarkers do that for your health. Each biomarker has a range which helps us define if your results are good, or if they could be better. Your levels are crucial; they’re the clues that tell us what’s happening under the hood – or inside your body, in this case. Each of our tests will tell you what biomarkers they test, so you can make sure it’s the right one for what you want to know about your health. Once you have your results, you can tap on each biomarker to find out more about it and our recommendations for optimising your health, too.
The Importance of Critical High or Low Biomarker Levels
Now you know what biomarkers are, what about your results themselves? Optimal results are obviously great, but you may receive a ‘critically high’ or ‘critically low’ result. When things swing too high or too low, it's like your body is sending an SOS. Take cholesterol: too much and your heart health can suffer, which can lead to thickened arteries, heart attacks or strokes. Or blood sugar: if it’s always on a rollercoaster, it could mean that you’re at risk of diabetes. It’s not just about today – these levels can forecast your health future. That’s why spotting critical highs and lows isn’t just smart, it's essential. We do that for you, as long as you test with us (and keep testing to stay on top of your results).
How Will I Know If I Have Critically High Or Low Biomarker Results?
This is where your personalised, interactive dashboard becomes your new best friend. We’ll give you clear, actionable info and that highlights whether your results are optimal or not at a glance. We use the traffic system, so you’ll be able to glance at a biomarker results colour to know in an instant: green means ‘everything’s okay here’, yellow says ‘may need a checkup’ and red is for ‘talk to a doctor’. Got a critical result? You’ll also get an email stat listing everything critical, with a direct link to your dashboard. And, because we’ve all searched “Why am I so tired?” at 3am, we help connect the dots between any symptoms that might have led to you taking your test and your test results. So when you click on the biomarker, we’ll give you the rundown of why you might be seeing a critical result, symptoms you could have, and steps you could take (alongside seeing a professional) to optimise your health.
What to Do if You Have Abnormal Results
First of all, don’t panic. If your biomarkers are outside the normal readings, it’s time to download those results and talk to someone who’s taken a few more biology classes than Google – your doctor. Our dashboard makes it easy to log in and see your results wherever you are, on any device (phone, tablet or laptop), or you can download them for offline use to share. It’ll help you start your conversation and pinpoint exactly what you want to talk about, as well as hopefully skip any filler conversation given you’ll have the results in hand. It’s like showing up to a mechanic with that weird car noise recorded on your phone. Super helpful.
How Can a Doctor Help?
Your doctor is the detective and fixer all in one. They’ve got the tools and the know-how to dig deeper, or they’ll refer you to someone who can. Bringing your OptimallyMe results to them is like handing over a treasure map to your health – it guides the conversation and helps pinpoint what’s up. They might recommend you to a specialist, run some more specific tests or be able to help you during your appointment straight away. They’ll help you to get started on any steps you need to take to get those results back in the green.
What Else Should I Do After a Critical Result?
Staying on top of your health to reach what’s optimal for you is key. Consulting a doctor when your biomarker levels come back too high or drop too low isn’t overreacting; it’s being proactive. We always recommend contacting a doctor for any critical results, and we also recommend one more thing: retesting regularly. Retesting means you’ll be able to track what’s working, and stay on top of critical results. Your future self will thank you, we promise!
You can order another test whenever you like – and if you want to take the hassle out of remembering to reorder, we offer subscriptions on all our tests. You can set up for every 3, 6, or 12 months, as regular as you like. A subscription with OptimallyMe is convenientand vital: it keeps track of your wellbeing, making sure you’re hitting the right notes and adjusting before you’re off-key. Stick with us. We’re on this journey with you, for the long haul, to help you be optimally you.
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