One of the benefits of consistently checking one’s inner health is that when something goes awry, it becomes immediately obvious. I have been using InsideTracker for almost 3 years and have been following their suggestions on how to improve my health, with the result that I had reduced my InnerAge almost 8 years from my chronological age. My latest test was 3 weeks ago and when the results came in, I was shocked. My LDL and other blood lipid levels had almost doubled, my A1C blood sugar levels had gone up, and my hormone levels were bonkers. These were so out of the norm it almost looked like another person.
As advised by my app, I immediately sent them to my doc, who calmly asked me what I was doing. The issue was that I had totally forgotten that I had received a large corticosteroid shot in my left knee only 4 days before the tests were done. He let me know that cortisone does not just have a local effect; even the skin cream versions have a whole body systemic effect. Illuminated, and feeling somewhat what ridiculous for having been freaked out by the results, I was grateful for this new knowledge. Corticosteroids are powerful whole-body-affecting molecules, and I have the data that shows exactly what they do to a range of biomarkers. Nothing like seeing one’s own blood work to drive home the point.
This regular direct knowledge of one’s bodily function is invaluable, and only happens if one is using something like InsideTracker to regularly test and record these critical biomarkers. When one’s InnerAge pops from 56 to 71, it will really get one’s attention. My doc assured me that if I retest in six weeks, the cortisone will be mostly out of my body. The plan is to run them again and then get a better picture of what my inner health is. Knowledge is power, and if I hadn’t been doing these tests regularly I would have either assumed this was my new normal, and probably have had to take some drastic measures to correct things, or have remained completely ignorant of the systemic effects that cortisone has on me.
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Dear David. Your story is exactly the reason why we should not be tracking our numbers daily. It leads to unnecessary worry and overuse of the healthcare system. Yes, regular check-ups/screenings, particularly as we age are important. The rest of the equation remains the same – eat well, exercise, get adequate sleep, go out with friends, and keep stress levels at a minimum. That’s the prescription whether you’re tracking daily or not but with a lot less worry.
Hi Jayne. Thanks for this. I take a different point of view, that knowledge is empowering. I track my sleep daily. It is very helpful to me in understanding what I can do to improve my sleep. I do a blood test every 3 months, which is very helpful in being able to see trends over time. If I only had 1 test per year, I would have to assume that whatever that test should was my normal. By having more data points I am able to see trends, and to make corrections. The knowledge I gained about how my body in particular reacts to corticostreroids was invaluable. Other people may not react the way I do, but now I know that any use of these will have a negative systemic effect on my body. Thanks again, much appreciate the thoughtful feedback.