The SpectraCell blood test is ordered to measure how white blood cells [WBCs] are functioning with micronutrients within the blood. It gives doctors information that cover the internal nutrition process that is happening within a patient. It can help to determine risk factors for diabetes, metabolic disorders, cancer, and even malnutrition on a micronutrient level. In return, a more accurate diagnosis can be made when combined with other testing methods.
What Does the SpectraCell Blood Test Do?
The micronutrient testing that is provided by the SpectraCell blood test offers doctors a chance to look at a patient’s intracellular requirements. Micronutrients play a very important role in a person’s overall health, but it is a health component that the average person doesn’t even think about. This tests measures the action of minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids on the WBCs to determine the specific biochemical functions that are happening on a daily basis.
This patented blood test actually provides patients with micronutrients so that a specific response can be received. It is the response that is received which will indicate whether the test results are normal or abnormal. The four most common micronutrients that are examined by this test are folate, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B1.
What Do the Test Results Mean?
There is a standardized measurement chart that is used to determine what the blood test results will mean. Here is a look at each of the four micronutrients and what each specific test result may indicate for a patient.
Vitamin B1.
The standardized measurement range for Thiamin is 60-122. Anything below 75 will be considered abnormal. There is a small window between 76-90 that may be classified as a borderline deficiency. Anything above 91 is considered adequate.
Magnesium.
The standardized measurement range for this micronutrient is 20-70. Anything below 35 will be considered abnormal. Between 35-44 is a borderline deficiency measurement, while anything above 45 will be considered adequate.
Calcium.
The standardized measurement range is 20-65 for this micronutrient. Anything above 45 will be considered an adequate level of micro-nutrition. In the 40 range is a borderline result, while anything below that will be considered a deficiency.
Folate.
The measurement range for folate is 15-62. Anything below 30 will be considered a deficiency on the SpectraCell test results. Up to 38 is a borderline measurement, while anything 39 or above will generally be considered adequate.
Most people will have a normal or adequate test result when this blood test is examined. For those that have specific deficiencies that are discovered, then dietary changes or nutrient repletion may be necessary to stop the bothersome symptoms that have crept up, such as flushing, muscle twitching, and prolonged fatigue.
SpectraCell Blood Tests Also Offer a Comprehensive Panel
Although there are four primary micronutrients that are examined, there is also a blood test that offers a comprehensive nutritional panel to examine generalized health complaints when there is no specific disease source or treatment options available. It explores most common vitamins and minerals, but also includes 3 amino acids, 7 specific antioxidants, and metabolites such as fatty acids. This overall perspective can help to track the health of high risk patient groups, provide proactive risk assessments, and do so through the most advance blood test of its kind that is available right now.
This measurement process also helps doctors determine if there are nutritional risk factors that need to be treated when there is a degenerative disease present. Having an abnormal test result does not indicate the presence of disease. It simply indicates the presence of a nutritional deficiency.
What If the Results Are Abnormal?
Most people who have abnormal test results can resolve their micro-nutrition issues over a period of 6-12 weeks with dietary changes. This may mean including supplements with food, adding or eliminating certain foods, or even changing what beverages are consumed throughout the day. The SpectraCell blood test gives doctors the chance to develop a comprehensive treatment plan so that risk can be better monitored.
If a SpectraCell blood test came back as abnormal, it is considered a best practice to have another follow-up test in 4-6 months to determine if better health outcomes are being achieved.
The SpectraCell blood test may not be covered by a health insurance plan.
All patients who receive this order will want to have their provider pre-authorize this test before having it completed to avoid unnecessary costs. Only a medical provider can determine what these results mean on an individual level as biological variation may also come into play. If you are concerned about any specific results you’ve received, then be sure to schedule an appointment with your provider immediately.