Health Check

[Murray]

Interesting. I've just had a look on their website and I'm wondering (and forgive me if this is totally obvious in some way) but what are the benefits of going through Thriva, if I can go to the my GP and get the same blood tests done there? It appears they test for much the same things.

You certainly can if you want to and find that easier, strangely enough for b12 it's turned out far better I went private

You have two tests for b12 in your blood, total and active

The NHS test for total b12, not active

If you have 200+ b12 total in your blood the NHS will say you don't have a deficiency

Of the total b12 in your blood though, only 10-30% is the active form your body needs

So if the NHS test you and you have a result of 200 they would say you don't have a deficiency, but your active b12 could be 10% at 20 and you do actually have a severe deficiency which should be treated

My result was 23 active but overall I could have 230, so it might be the NHS wont help me anyway until I have more severe symptoms, that's how silly it is

Apparently if your b12 is low the next best test to do to confirm is it a Methylmalonic Acid test, if I call the doctor Monday and they don't particularly help me I guess I will have to do that privately, which is fairly expensive @ £100

I'd rather spend a little money than have nerve damage though :| and take my oral supplement in the meantime

 

[Adam H]

I'm going to do another test soon, however I have stopped taking all vitamins and suppliements for a few months now and feel great. Mainly down to intollerance and food diary keeping, The doc has given me some super strong 180 gm Antihistamines, it's seems that my original assumption that i was allergic to something maybe right and as a result of this allergy, it was possible draining me of everything I needed to stay healthy and keep energy up. ( this is my theory not conclusive to evidence ).

Since taking the Antihistamines I've not felt irritated, my concentration is better than it ever has been and my energy is what id class as normal. Turns out photato, tomato and red peppers are my nemisis ( Google nightshade group, apparently they are all in a group of foods under that name which largely goes undetected as no one expects to have an intollerance to photato ). On top of that Chocolate and any kind of caffine i have issues with but I've always known that.

It's just that over the counter Antihistamines never done anything for me, these ones ive got now seem to be doing the job. Will be interesting to see if my thriva results show better Vit D now though, if it does then my allergy must have been effecting Vit D levels and how my guts dealt with yeast as thats been fine since too.

 

[Ben Thomas]

I've never taken a single anti-histamine, but (since getting Margo, my dog) I have developed some sort of respiratory allergy I think. I feel the need to clear my throat 1000 times a day and sometimes I feel really breathless. I suppose to breathlessness could be down to a number of things, but the clearing of throat is a reminder of when I was younger, I used to visit my Dad's house and it happened there, has not happened ever since until now - but he also had a dog! So I have related to two. Perhaps I will try some anti-histamine. My doctor gave me an inhaler for Asthma (I'm not asthmatic, I can blow off the chart daily with the peak flow monitor they gave me), so I haven't touched that. I don't like taking things unnecessarily, and don't generally take any medication besides OTC paracetamol and ibuprofen.

 

[newguy]

I've been reading a lot of articles past couple days so this is a mash of them and I might get some things wrong

The common reason people have low b12 isn't diet but because their stomach doesn't work properly to absorb it, so taking tablets isn't a good option for them

The best treatment for b12 deficiency is injections because they will inject you with 1000 and it's going straight into your blood so you will get 1000

In pill form, if you take a 1000 pill your body might only absorb 100

The spray I have is 300 per spray and to use four sprays totally 1200, but reading studies only 10% enters your blood stream so you will probably get a total dose of 120 + you will swallow the rest so potentially another 100 I guess, so of a 1200 spray dose maybe you're lucky to get 200 absorbed

A tablet and spray of the same amount, the spray will give you 2.6x the dose, which I guess makes sense with the absorption+ swallow

On the good side of things b12 isn't toxic so you can take as much as you like really, you will just pee out what you don't use, but high doses can have temporary side effects like headache, nausea, diarrhoea

I've taken the spray the last 3 days and I have to say I'm having some side effects, nothing too severe but def made me feel slightly nauseated

Many thanks for the info. I guess this explains why the tablets were so far above the RDA. I had heard of people having B12 injections but it seems a little overkill in its approach, so the spray / drops approach is maybe the way to go then!

Right now I take Vitamin D, Magnesium etc as people commonly have deficiencies in those, though possibly I should have the blood test you guys did to be sure of that.

Resveratrol also looks interesting for health (rather than lifespan). And NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) and nicotinamide riboside is possibly useful for longevity but there may be some downsides to taking it too. Levels of NAD+ apparently decreases over time, and nmn raises it. Another way to boost NAD+ levels is to take quercetin, parsley etc. Both exercising and intermittent fasting boost levels too.

I've tried various supplements over the years for this and that but healthwise my medichecks and 23andme info is pretty okay on the whole. I do have absolutely horrendous genes for age related macular degeneration though, something I'd have had no idea about prior, and now take Lutein and Zeaxanthin as there's at least some logic behind doing so. AMD issues in the population will hopefully be solved by stem cell treatments down the line.

 

[Ben Thomas]

I'm afraid to do a 23andme test to be honest. Did you encounter anything that particularly scared you?

 

[newguy]

I'm afraid to do a 23andme test to be honest. Did you encounter anything that particularly scared you?

The only stand out from the 23andme info specifically, was the potential or even likely future macular degeneration. That's certainly a downer, but at the same time there are at least some steps I can take that might help, and possible advances down the pipeline in that area. It's better to know something than not I feel.

Lots of the conditions and diseases it highlights are rare and so there's nothing to be too scared of. The exceptions to that are Parkinsons risk, alzheimers and so on, though most people will already have a decent idea if that based on their own family history.

You can download the raw genetic data after and submit it to sites like https://promethease.com/ which then gives you a very detailed breakdown of individual genes and so on, and potentially what that means. There's so much info there that its better to view it 'in the round', as some genetic information may contradict other genes. It's more trends to look for really. There are little pieces of info that can have potentially significant meaning though. I have a specific gene that means I process protein slowly. I wouldn't have known this and so that could've potentially, say, have had implications for my kidney health. Conversely I have a gene that is strongly associated with metabolising certain drugs especially fast. This can have as consequences as certain medicines and treatments being less effective. A whole new area is opening up about whether factors like this should in future factor into more bespoke treatments based on genetic profiles.

It doesn't only highlight negatives though when plugged into promethease. You may find that you have genes associated with longevity, lower risk of this condition or that.

There's currently a half price voucher that you can apply for the '23andme health and ancentry' kit. Also of note, is that at least when I completed the test I wasn't obliged to use my real name, so if there are concerns about a future where medical or insurance companies use your dna data against you, it would be harder to do so.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B019D9HEGG/?tag=acorn06-21
(the tag automatically appears, i'm not posting an affiliate link or anything, just a link to the page in question!)

 

[Murray]

@Katch! I was thinking more about just visiting the doctor vs private

Last November I went to the doctor complaining of severe fatigue and he booked me some basic tests, I asked to be tested for vitamin D because I thought I probably don't nearly get enough sun, the doctor only added it on my suggestion

All my results came back normal, red and white bloods cells etc

My vitamin D (as said earlier in this thread) was 14 nmol which is a severe deficiency

If I hadn't have asked for it to be tested, with my other results being fine, would they have bothered with further testing? you would hope so but who knows

Also despite telling him I was vegetarian I'm 99% sure they didn't check my b12 level, they rely on analysing red blood cell size for that as an indication of b12 deficiency instead of a direct test, but if you take folate b9 (which I do in a multivitamin), that will make your red blood cells normal and mask the deficiency

The only reason I tested for b9+b12 in the thriva test was because I knew my vitamin D was normal now and thought my iron, b9 or b12 could be low which is common in vegetarians and a likely reason for fatigue

Even if I didn't personally know, at least Thriva directly suggest testing things when you say you're on a vegetarian /vegan diet and don't rely on red blood cell count/size

Thriva suggest it because they make extra money per test

Doctor doesn't suggest it because it costs extra money per test

And the cherry on top of the cake is as said above, the NHS don't even do the best type of test for b12 deficiency

Basically you can't trust the NHS not to under-test and fob you off

Maybe you can't trust Thriva not to suggest things and over-test but that's a far better option when health is involved

 

[newguy]

@Katch! I was thinking more about just visiting the doctor vs private

Last November I went to the doctor complaining of severe fatigue and he booked me some basic tests, I asked to be tested for vitamin D because I thought I probably don't nearly get enough sun, the doctor only added it on my suggestion

All my results came back normal, red and white bloods cells etc

My vitamin D (as said earlier in this thread) was 14 nmol which is a severe deficiency

If I hadn't have asked for it to be tested, with my other results being fine, would they have bothered with further testing? you would hope so but who knows

Also despite telling him I was vegetarian I'm 99% sure they didn't check my b12 level, they rely on analysing red blood cell size for that as an indication of b12 deficiency instead of a direct test, but if you take folate b9 (which I do in a multivitamin), that will make your red blood cells normal and mask the deficiency

The only reason I tested for b9+b12 in the thriva test was because I knew my vitamin D was normal now and thought my iron, b9 or b12 could be low which is common in vegetarians and a likely reason for fatigue

Even if I didn't personally know, at least Thriva directly suggest testing things when you say you're on a vegetarian /vegan diet and don't rely on red blood cell count/size

Thriva suggest it because they make extra money per test

Doctor doesn't suggest it because it costs extra money per test

And the cherry on top of the cake is as said above, the NHS don't even do the best type of test for b12 deficiency

Basically you can't trust the NHS not to under-test and fob you off

Maybe you can't trust Thriva not to suggest things and over-test but that's a far better option when health is involved

Making a few changes here and there really seem to have transformed you. We're lucky to live in an age where these tests are now affordable and we're more able to take control of our health. Many people no doubt never even get around discovering why they feel a certain way, and just accept it as part of their life which is unfortunate if it turns out to be something that's relatively easily remedied.

 

[Murray]

Making a few changes here and there really seem to have transformed you. We're lucky to live in an age where these tests are now affordable and we're more able to take control of our health. Many people no doubt never even get around discovering why they feel a certain way, and just accept it as part of their life which is unfortunate if it turns out to be something that's relatively easily remedied.

I can show you physical effects vitamin D and change of diet had, giving me the energy to actually exercise a bit this year

Put on 18lbs since last November

 

[newguy]

That's quite a transformation, and not even over a particularly long period of time either. It goes to show what a few proactive changes can make to body and mind!