Labs By Request

06/08/2026

🕷️ Alpha-Gal Syndrome Is on the Rise in Georgia

Georgia is one of the states where Lone Star ticks are common, making Alpha-Gal Syndrome an increasingly important condition to recognize.

Alpha-Gal Syndrome is a tick-borne allergy that can develop after a Lone Star tick bite. Unlike most food allergies, reactions often occur 3–8 hours after eating red meat such as beef, pork, or lamb.

Symptoms can include:
• Hives or itching
• Abdominal pain, nausea, or diarrhea
• Bloating or indigestion
• Shortness of breath
• Anaphylaxis in severe cases

Because symptoms are often delayed and can mimic other digestive or allergic conditions, many people go undiagnosed for months or even years.

🔬 Testing matters.

If you've experienced unexplained digestive issues, hives, allergic reactions, or worsening symptoms after eating red meat, an Alpha-Gal IgE blood test can help determine whether Alpha-Gal Syndrome is the cause.

Early identification can help patients avoid unnecessary testing, make informed dietary choices, and reduce the risk of serious allergic reactions.

In Georgia, a history of tick exposure plus unexplained symptoms should raise suspicion for Alpha-Gal Syndrome.

Background Mammalian meat allergy (MMA), increasingly linked to delayed hypersensitivity reactions such as alpha-gal syndrome, is a growing public health concern. This study evaluates the incidence, prevalence, and incidence rate of MMA in a large, ...

06/08/2026

You Can Have “Normal” Hormone Levels and Still Have Hormone Problems.

That’s where DUTCH Hormone Testing is different.

Most hormone tests measure what’s circulating in your body at a single moment in time. The DUTCH Test goes a step further by showing how your body is actually making, using, and breaking down hormones.

Why does that matter?

Because two people can have the same hormone levels on a standard test and feel completely different.

One feels energized, sleeps well, maintains a healthy weight, and has a strong libido.

The other struggles with:
• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Poor sleep
• Mood swings
• Anxiety
• Brain fog
• Low libido

The difference may not be how much hormone is present—it may be how the body is processing it.

DUTCH testing provides a deeper look at estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, and their metabolites, helping uncover patterns that traditional testing can miss.

When it comes to hormones, the question isn’t just, “Are your levels normal?”

The better question is:

“Are your hormones working the way they’re supposed to?”

That’s the insight DUTCH testing was designed to provide.

Explore DUTCH Test kits for comprehensive hormone testing, provider resources, patient support, and educational webinars. Contact us for more information.

05/13/2026

🧬 PCOS is being redefined as PMOS

PCOS (Polycystic O***y Syndrome) is being updated in new medical discussions as PMOS — Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome to better describe what the condition actually is.

📊 What’s changing?
The old name focused mainly on the ovaries—but research shows this condition is much broader and involves:

⚖️ Insulin resistance & blood sugar dysfunction
🧠 Hormone imbalance (androgens, LH/FSH disruption)
❤️ Increased cardiometabolic risk
🥚 Ovulatory dysfunction (not just “cysts”)

💡 Why this matters
The updated understanding helps shift care from:
❌ “reproductive-only issue”
➡️ to a whole-body metabolic and hormonal disorder

This can lead to:
✔ earlier diagnosis
✔ better metabolic screening (A1c, insulin, lipids)
✔ more targeted treatment options
✔ fewer years of being misunderstood or misdiagnosed

🧪 Bottom line:
A name change isn’t just semantics—it changes how patients are tested, treated, and supported.

First, it was named after two men.

04/25/2026

Most “thyroid panels” stop way too early.

TSH and maybe T4 get checked… and that’s it.

But thyroid function isn’t just a switch that’s on or off — it’s a full system that affects metabolism, mood, energy, cycle health, and even how your body handles stress.

If you actually want to understand what’s going on, you have to look deeper:

Most basic testing:

* TSH
* Free T4

Advanced thyroid insight looks at:

* Free T3 (your active thyroid hormone)
* Reverse T3 (what slows metabolism down under stress)
* TPO antibodies (Hashimoto’s marker)
* Thyroglobulin antibodies (another autoimmune marker)
* Free T4 + Free T3 ratio (conversion efficiency)
* Sometimes cortisol + iron/ferritin (because they directly impact thyroid conversion)

Because here’s the reality:
You can have “normal TSH” and still feel exhausted, foggy, cold, anxious, or stuck in weight gain patterns.

That’s not in your head — that’s incomplete testing.

Thyroid health isn’t just about whether it’s “low or high.”
It’s about:

* conversion
* immune activity
* stress load
* nutrient status

If you’re only looking at TSH, you’re only seeing a fraction of the story.

04/10/2026

If mold is showing up in your urine… it didn’t just start there.

Mycotoxins (toxins produced by mold) are small, fat-soluble compounds that can travel through the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier. That means if your body is detoxing mold through your urine, there’s a high likelihood your brain and nervous system have been exposed too.

This is why symptoms of mold exposure often go far beyond allergies 👇
• Brain fog
• Anxiety or mood swings
• Chronic fatigue
• Headaches
• Poor memory & focus
• Sleep issues

Your body is trying to eliminate these toxins—but without testing, you’re guessing.

🧪 Mycotoxin testing gives you real answers:
✔️ Confirms exposure
✔️ Identifies specific toxins
✔️ Helps guide targeted detox protocols
✔️ Tracks progress over time

You can’t fix what you don’t measure.

If you’ve been dealing with unexplained symptoms, it’s time to look deeper. Mold toxicity is often overlooked—but it could be the missing piece.

Ready to stop guessing and start healing?
Start with testing.

03/31/2026

💡 Could Your Gut Be Sending Early Parkinson’s Signals? 🧠🌱

If you’re already dealing with bloating, brain fog, mood swings, or irregular digestion, this is your wake-up call. Research shows that about 80 % of people with Parkinson’s experience gut issues, sometimes 10–20 years before diagnosis. Changes in gut bacteria — especially those that produce B‑vitamins like riboflavin (B2) and biotin (B7) — may weaken your gut lining, increase inflammation, and silently stress your nervous system long before any tremors appear. (parkinson.org) (sciencealert.com)

📊 Why This Matters:
• Reduced gut bacterial diversity is linked to lower nutrient production and protective compounds.
• Gut dysfunction can act as an early warning signal for neurological stress.
• Over 1 million people in the U.S. live with Parkinson’s, and nearly 90,000 new cases are diagnosed each year — early action matters.

✨ What You Can Do:
Your gut isn’t just about digestion — it impacts your brain, nerves, and long-term health. If you’re experiencing gut issues, ignoring them could increase risk over time.

🧪 Take Action:
• Gut microbiome testing — see which bacteria are thriving and which need support
• Micronutrient testing — check B‑vitamins and other key nutrients for nerve and gut health
• Personalized guidance — optimize your diet and supplements based on your results

💪 Don’t just live with gut dysfunction — test, understand your gut, and take control of your health now.

02/19/2026

🩸 You’re Taking Aspirin… But Is It Actually Protecting You?

Most providers prescribe low-dose aspirin after a heart event, TIA, or stroke.
But here’s the truth:

👉 Very few test to confirm it’s actually working.

In many cases, platelet function isn’t evaluated until after there’s been a repeat event — another TIA, another clot, another scare.

And even then?
Many providers still don’t measure platelet activity.
They simply change the medication and hope for a better response.

That’s not personalized care.
That’s reactive medicine.

The Missing Piece

The AspirinWorks test measures urinary 11-dehydro thromboxane B2 — a marker that shows whether aspirin is truly suppressing platelet activation in your body.

Because not everyone responds the same way.

Some people:
• Have aspirin resistance
• Continue forming clots despite therapy
• Believe they’re protected — when they may not be

Don’t Wait for a Second Event

If you:
✔️ Have had a heart attack
✔️ Have experienced a TIA or stroke
✔️ Have cardiovascular disease
✔️ Take daily aspirin
✔️ Have a strong family history

You deserve to know whether your prevention plan is actually working.

Proactive is better than reactive.
Test. Don’t guess.

02/15/2026

🍄 Could Mold Be Making You Sick?

You eat clean.
You work out.
You take supplements.

But you still feel:
😴 Exhausted
🧠 Brain fog
😣 Anxious
🔥 Inflamed
⚖️ Hormone imbalances

It might not be “just stress.”

It could be mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by certain molds. They can hide in water-damaged buildings, food, coffee, grains — even “healthy” homes.

When they accumulate in the body, they can disrupt:
• Cortisol & stress hormones
• Thyroid function
• Estrogen balance
• Immune response
• Gut health
• Detox pathways

And the symptoms often get dismissed.

If you’ve been told “your labs look normal” but you don’t feel normal… it’s worth looking deeper.

At Labs By Request, we believe symptoms are signals — not inconveniences.

🧪 Testing gives clarity.
Clarity gives direction.
Direction gives results.

02/08/2026

01/21/2026

🧬 You might be taking the right supplements…
but is your body actually using them?

Timing helps — but absorption and metabolism matter even more.

You can take plenty of vitamins and still be functionally deficient if:
• Your gut isn’t absorbing them properly
• You’re taking them at the wrong time
• They’re competing with other nutrients
• Your body can’t convert them into usable forms

📉 Blood levels can look “normal”
📉 Supplements can be “high quality”
📉 And you can STILL be deficient at the cellular level

That’s why micronutrient testing is so powerful 👇
🧪 It shows what’s actually getting into your cells
🧪 It reveals absorption issues, not just intake
🧪 It identifies imbalances that block other nutrients
🧪 It helps you stop guessing and start targeting

✨ Supplements are tools.
✨ Testing tells you how to use them correctly.

If you’re tired of guessing — test smarter.

📍 No appointment needed
🧪 Functional, root-cause focused testing