FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS   --- or ---   LAB CORP. DRAW LOCATIONS
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​When to Order Tests
• For every patient who has not had a thorough blood-chem screening done within 6 months
• Every 6 months for active patients
• Annually for those on maintenance care
• If symptom pattern(s) have significantly deteriorated since the last visit or last set of tests

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Look below for the answers to these questions:

    How can I get lab testing through your office?
    What labs do you use for testing?
    Where do I go for testing?
    Can you give me an estimated cost for testing?
    Once I complete my tests, can I talk to you about my results?
    What kind of supplements do you use?
    Why not just buy supplements locally or online? My doctor says they're all the same, anyway.

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Helpful Answers​​​​​​​​​​​
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How can I get lab testing through your office?

First, call our office at 415-375-8010 to schedule an initial phone consultation with one of our doctors. During your appointment, Dr. Nico will determine the best tests for you and answer any questions. Following your consultation, a member of our office staff will provide specific instructions on completing your tests.

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What labs do you use for testing?

We contract with a number of highly specialized labs to get detailed information on a variety of body systems and processes. These labs are used exclusively by alternative medicine providers, and the personnel are familiar with the specific information we need to help you. Your regular medical doctor may be unfamiliar with some of these tests and may not be comfortable ordering them for you.

    Serum (blood) Tests: LabCorp
    Saliva, Stool, or Urine Tests: Diagnos-Techs, Genova, Great Plains Laboratory, ZRT
    Hair Mineral Analysis: Analytical Research Labs or Trace Elements
    Other Specialty Tests: Alletess, Cyrex Labs, Neuroscience, Metametrix

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Where do I go for testing?

With the exception of blood draws, all tests can be done at home. Our office staff will let you know if any of your tests require a visit to an off-site location. All blood draws, for example, must be done at an approved facility. We currently use LabCorp as our source for general blood testing. You can visit their website (www.labcorp.com) or call their customer service to find a location near you.

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Can you give me an estimated cost for testing?

Lab tests range from $65 to $350. To keep your costs as low as possible, we order only absolutely necessary tests.

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Once I complete my tests, can I talk to you about my results?

Absolutely! We will contact you when your test results are back and your practitioner has had a chance to review them. If you completed more than one test, we may wait until all your test results are back before scheduling your follow-up appointment, unless you request otherwise. The length of your appointment will depend on the number of tests to be reviewed. During your appointment, your doctor or practicioner will go over your results and create a highly customized nutrition and lifestyle plan that may include supplements, exercise, dietary modifications, and other treatments.

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What kind of supplements do you use?

Our supplements are of very high quality and are available only from licensed doctors. Supplements include vitamins, minerals, herbals, and other nutritional support. Because of their potency and efficacy, we carefully monitor the types and amounts of nutritional supplements you take. To get the best results from these supplements, it is very important that you closely follow your customized nutrition and lifestyle plan.

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Why not just buy supplements locally or online? ​​​​​​​​​​My doctor says they're all the same, anyway.

Medical doctors who don't specialize in alternative treatments often take a scattershot approach to supplements, recommending a vague shopping list of pills and powders from local health food stores. Without a solid plan and specific focus, however, patients commonly end up buying supplements simply because they read about them or a friend or neighbor suggests them. Over time, the cost of this trial-and-error attempt at improving your health is significantly higher and markedly less effective, as these supplements do not have the potency or quality of those sold through a licensed practitioner. Online supplement vendors often sell expired or lesser-quality supplements, which decreases their potency and effectiveness.

Our supplements are manufactured with the quality and potency necessary to get results. If for some reason your customized nutrition and lifestyle plan is not working, we will know that the quality or potency of your supplements is not to blame and that we need to take a different approach. Simply put, by putting better nutritional supplements into your body, you will be assured a faster response and better outcomes at a lower cost.

Pre- and post-lab testing consistently shows that most over-the-counter supplements do not benefit the body in the same way that high-quality, biologically potent supplements do. Over the years, we've made it our business to understand which supplements are consistently effective so that our patients get the best possible outcomes quickly.