Regular Bloodwork Can Save Your Life, and How I Almost Died

There are many reasons why I believe in getting regular blood tests. Firstly, to see how my body may react to any diet or other changes I have started. It gives me 43 biomarkers and also an action plan based on my goals to improve them. Secondly, it can serve as an early warning of something going very wrong. InsideTracker is designed as a tremendous health-optimizing platform. 

14 years ago, I was getting my regular yearly physical and blood work done when my doctor noticed a dangerous decline in my blood platelet levels to around 30k. Normal ranges are between 140k and 400k. He asked me to come back in 2 weeks to repeat the blood work, at which time they had fallen to a very dangerous 8k. Upon seeing that number, he had me carefully get into a taxi and immediately sent to the closest emergency room. 

I was diagnosed with ITP: idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, an autoimmune disorder that caused my body to inappropriately remove platelets from my blood, which could lead to an unstoppable bleeding event. The following year was difficult and scary: many hospital visits, lots of experimental medicine and, eventually, the removal of my spleen. Thankfully, I have been symptom-free ever since.

Back at that moment, on the way to the ER, a bump on my head could have been fatal. It was just lucky that I had my yearly physical at that time. Had I scheduled it somewhat later, the unforeseen consequences could have been very bad. 

Regular blood-marker testing from InsideTracker has the benefit of showing some, and not all, readings that may need immediate medical attention. When something irregular shows up on a test, it is flagged, and I am instructed to contact my medical professionals immediately. In my particular case, since blood platelets are counted along with 43 other critical biomarkers, the platform would have noticed something was very wrong and let me know. 

Knowledge about our inner health is empowering, especially when that knowledge comes with the food-first recommendations that I get on InsideTracker. It also has the additional benefit that it may reveal what could be a major health issue that we may have been entirely unaware of.

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