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Watch VideoHome health kits, how accurate are they? Good Housekeeping has the answer
Story By: Kristin Hawley
Source: KOAA
With over 500 home health testing kits on the market, you can now test yourself for everything from allergy sensitivties to cholesterol. But the question is, should you? The Good Housekeeping Institute has a skeptical look at this growing trend.
Would you skip going to the doctor if you could take a home-health test instead? Health editor Toni Hope says, "in a recent survey, fully half of the people said they would do the test. There are all kinds of tests out there now. Everything from allergies, to thyroid, to menopause. Good Housekeeping decided to take a look at them and see if they were a good idea."
Home Menopause kits claim that a simple urine test can help determine whether a woman's period changes are caused by menopause. Dr Michele Warren, from Columbia University's medical center says, "the problem with these tests is that the levels of f-s-h which are measured vary tremendously in a normal cycle. So if you don't measure them exactly at the right time, it may give you an answer which suggests that you're in menopause when you're not."
Can a home allergy test tell you what you're allergic to? Perhaps, says Dr. Clifford Bassett. But if you need a more thorough test, see a doctor. Dr. Clifford says, "Sometimes these home allergy tests kits may test for a variety of common allergens. Cows milk, egg and wheat. That's all they test for. In the office we want ot focus on the most important allergens that affect an individual. The type of pollen, the type of food that may be causing an allergic reaction."
Good Housekeeping had volunteers test their cholesterol using home kits, then compared results from a professional lab. "We found that the scores from Cholestrak came closest to the ones from the professional lab, but that test just gives you total cholesterol, not the breakdown of other kinds that you would need to really assess your risk for heart disease," says Hope.
