I went to the doctor for a standard health check up this week, and they offered me an optional blood test to assess my health across a few key indicators.
Curious, because I hadn’t been offered these tests in the past, I asked the doctor why they were offering them now.
He shared how the medical community—and broader society—are shifting from more reactive models of healthcare to proactive ones.
Typically, doctors recommend diagnostic tests when a patient reports concerning symptoms (i.e., any action was typically a reaction).
However, now there are communities of people that religiously track a range of indicators such as their basic metabolic panel, lipid profile, and thyroid panel.
They make changes to their diet, exercise, and sleep regimes. They’ll couple that with supplements, mediation, and tactics to reduce workplace stress. They then test every 3 months with the hope of seeing positive movements in their key numbers.
Companies like Thriva offer this as a subscription service, but with the cost coming in at around £100 per quarter to measure a good set of biomarkers, it always felt a bit expensive for me.
I do wonder if the shift toward proactive health monitoring will actually become mainstream—as in the majority people participate. Or whether it will retain its niche like status because it either remains too expensive, or people simply aren’t that interested to know and make lifestyle changes.