At-Home Health Test Switzerland : Check Your Health
At the end of 2019 I discovered Check Your Health. I had been looking for an at-home health check-up for quite sometime and was so excited to find out that there is a new Lausanne-based start-up that does just that. I thought I’d give you a little break-down of how it works and what to expect.
1. CHOOSE YOUR TEST
The first step is to head to checkyourhealth.ch and to chose your test. They have everything from Vegan Diet test, Female Hormones test, Food sensitivity etc. I personally started with the “Bilan Sportif” because it was the one that tested for the largest number of factors and at the time I was doing an intensive amount of exercise.
2. TEST YOURSELF
A few days after your order, you’ll receive the test at home. Open the pack, read the instructions which are clearly outlined on the brochure and get started. The process will depend on the kind of test you’ve chose. If it’s a blood test the process is: soak your arm in warm water, make big circles with your arm to get the blood flowing to your fingers, prick your finger and fill the test tubes with your blood. Other tests require just your saliva and you can simply follow the instruction to spit into a tube.
Carve some time out of your morning to do this. You don’t want to do it while you’re in a rush.
*For anyone who thinks they would be too squeamish to do the blood test, know that I almost fainted in my CPR course. I get very easily nauseous with anything related to blood, injury or medical tests - and with this I was surprisingly fine.
3. SEND IT BACK
The most important part is making sure you’ll be able to send your test through the post the day of your at-home test. They provide everything you need with a labeled and stamped envelope for you to simply pop your test in a letter box.
4. GET THE RESULTS BY EMAIL
In about a week you’ll receive your results by email. It’s as easy as that.
*They say you get your results in 5 working days, in personal experience it can take up to a week and a half.
WHY GET A TEST?
Good Q. Personally I see these tests as being a strong preventative measure. I’ve personally committed to doing these tests every few months so that I can take true control of my health and know where I’m at. I don’t see these as being a substitute for seeing a doctor in the case of an emergency but here are a few scenarios where I think someone would benefit from the Check Your Health At-Home Testing:
You’re feeling tired and lethargic, you can’t quite pinpoint it but you know something’s up. You don’t want to take an appointment at your doctor since nothing is particularly “wrong” so you get an At-Home Check Your Health Iron & Vitamins Test to figure out what you’re missing.
You’ve been dealing with amenorrhea (lack of period for a sustained amount of time) and your gynaecologist told you there’s nothing specifically wrong with you (this was my case, read more here about how I cured amenorrhea naturally) so you take an At-Home Check Your Health Female Hormone Test.
You’ve been experimenting with a plant-based diet for a few months and you want to make sure that everything is on track. Eating a primarily vegan diet can be wonderful for your health, however cutting out certain food groups can make you more prone to deficiencies in essential nutrients, so you take an At-Home Vegan Nutrition Test to make sure you’re getting what you need.
You’re struggling with bloating, indigestion and other inexplicable symptoms after eating certain foods. You suspect a sensitivity to certain foods so you take an At-Home Food Sensitivity Test to get a full view of what foods you may be hypersensitive to.
You’ve been dealing with symptoms such as weight gain, insomnia and exhaustion and you suspect it can be due to stress. You therefore take an At-Home Cortisol Test in order to see if your cortisol levels are normal or if an imbalance in this stress hormone is the cause of your symptoms.
IS IT WORTH IT?
Another good Q. These tests aren’t cheap, but as you know if you live in Switzerland, neither is going to the doctor. What I love about these tests is that it really gives you the ability to take charge of your health. Whenever I’ve gone to see a doctor for a blood test in Switzerland, I’ve never even seen the results. Since I’m in good health, I’ve always been sent home with a “you’re fine, go home now.” The difference here is that these tests give you a preventative view. Perhaps you’re indeed “fine” but a certain vitamin is quite low, or a certain hormone is starting to act up. These tests allow you to catch it before it becomes a problem.
Another thing I’d like to stress is that these tests give you results only. Once you get the result that perhaps you’re low on iron, it’s up to you to decide what you want to do about it. I would go as far as saying that if you have no interest in researching, in digging deep, in taking charge and coming to your own conclusions, these tests are not for you. These tests give you the tools you need in order to make informed decisions and take necessary action, but do not tell you exactly what to do.
I chose to share my results with my friend and go-to holistic nutritionist Sarah Marlette so that we can go through the results and discuss how I should adjust my diet accordingly. It is not essential that you work with a professional afterwards, but at least put a little time aside to research.