Debra Atkinson

Wellness Coach and Fitness Expert

Wellness Coach and Fitness Expert Debra Atkinson helps women approaching 50 and beyond enjoy the vitality and energy they want by eating more and exercising less. Debra is a hormone-balancing exercise expert at flippingfifty.com. She is the author of You Still Got It, Girl: The After 50 Fitness Formula for Women, Navigating Fitness After 50: Your GPS For Choosing Programs and Professionals You Can Trust, and Hot, Not Bothered. Debra is the host of the Flipping 50 TV show and the Flipping 50 podcast as well as a frequent blogger at HuffPost, ShareCare, and other featured outlets. She has over 30 years experience in the fitness industry and is an International fitness presenter, Subject Matter Expert, and prior University lecturer in Kinesiology.

Following are the labs Debra Atkinson recommends for optimal health.

  • Elite Flipping 50 Panel
    $525.00
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    The Elite Flipping 50 panel pulls together the biomarkers that are impacted with exercise. Get baseline cholesterol testing done and watch as exercise moves your numbers. The panel also monitors nutrient status, so that you can get all the help you need to improve your metabolism and build muscle mass. Additional biomarkers measured include liver testing, electrolytes, protein stores, and kidney function. The panel will include thyroid testing and screening for autoimmune thyroid disease. Your body's cortisol (or stress level) will be measured with an AM cortisol.  Total CK, which is a muscle break down product, will also be measured along with important blood sugar levels - fasting insulin, fasting glucose and the 3 month measurement of blood sugar control - Hemoglobin A1c.
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    hs-CRP
    Homocysteine
    CK
    Fasting insulin
    Fasting glucose
    HgA1c
    CBC
    CMP
    Vitamin D
    Vitamin B12
    Serum ferritin
    Total Iron
    Iron Binding Capacity
    Magnesium
    cortisol
    TSH
    Free T3
    Free T4
    TPO antibodies
    Fasting lipid panel


  • Flipping 50 - Transformation Panel
    $1,250.00
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    This panel includes all the tests that we perform touching on the 5 pillars of health of inflammation, vascular integrity, insulin dynamics, hormone balance, and nutrient optimization.
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    hs-CRP (high-sensitivity CRP) • Homocysteine • Uric acid • Total CK (creatinine kinase) • Thyroid peroxidase antibodies • Estrogen, Progesterone • Total, Free & Bioavailable Testosterone • Sex Hormone Binding Globulin • Follicle Stimulating Hormone • Luteinizing Hormone • AM Cortisol • Thyroid Stimulating Hormone • Free T3, Free T4 • Complete Blood Count (CBC) • Serum Ferritin (Iron) • Fasting Insulin • Hemoglobin A1c • Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) • Omega 3 Index • Magnesium • Vitamin D, B12 & B9 (Folic Acid) • Triglycerides, Total Cholesterol, HDL & LDL Cholesterol/HDL Ratio • Non- HDL Cholesterol, Lipoprotein (a), Apolipoprotein B • LDL Particle Number, Peak Size, Pattern • HDL Large, LDL Small & Medium • Selenium • Zinc


Add additional tests to enhance your selected panel or learn more about individual tests.

Select the marker(s) you would like to test from the lists below. Click on the test categories on the right to view additional information for each.

Test Descriptions

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Category:
Hormones – Thyroid

TSH

Reasons to check it: Are you concerned about your thyroid or are you on thyroid medication? Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is a hormone released by your brain to signal your thyroid gland. It can be used to monitor dosing of your thyroid medication or as a screening test for the presence thyroid disease.

Free T4

Reasons to check it: Are you concerned your thyroid is not making enough thyroid hormone? The thyroid makes predominately T4. Free T4 is what your body uses to make the active thyroid hormone called free T3. These are advanced biomarker tests, not routinely done, but very helpful to determine if the thyroid can be effecting how you feel.

Free T3

Reasons to check it: Symptoms of hypothyroidism include tiredness, weight gain, constipation, depression, sleepiness, memory loss, decreased sex drive and more. All these may be symptoms of low thyroid that may be missed unless the active thyroid hormone (free T3) is measured. High levels may indicate hyperthyroidism. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include fatigue, anxiety, sudden weight loss, rapid heartbeat, irritability, more frequent bowel movements, difficulty sleeping, sweating and tremors. Free T3 is advanced screening biomarker that helps screen routinely missed thyroid issues.

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies

Reasons to check it: Do you have a family history of thyroid problems? Are you concerned about inflammation in your thyroid gland? Thyroid disease has become very common and we can often pick up inflammation in the thyroid years before the thyroid fails. This is important because natural interventions may help reverse the inflammation of the thyroid gland.

Thyroglobulin Antibodies

Reasons to check it: This is another test that can be positive in people with inflammation of the thyroid gland and it can be seen years before complete thyroid failure – giving you time to take action!

Reverse T3

Reasons to check it: Reason to check it: Taking thyroid meds but don’t feel like they are working? Do you have symptoms of low thyroid but have been told you are fine? Reverse T3 is the storage form of the active thyroid hormone. Many conditions can cause you to store thyroid instead of use it as active free T3. If your reverse T3 is high then you may need to address the reasons why!

Sex Hormones – Female

Estradiol

Reasons to check it: Women – missing periods, having hot flashes, gaining weight? As women age, they begin to make less estradiol which can lead to these uncomfortable symptoms.

Progesterone

Reasons to check it: Progesterone levels are normally high in pre-menopausal women and become elevated during pregnancy. Levels are lower after menopause. High levels may indicate ovarian cancer or adrenal cancer, while low levels may be associated with amenorrhea (lack of menstruation), or problems with pregnancy.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH)

Reasons to check it: Women – are you concerned you are entering menopause? Are you concerned about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)? These signaling hormones rise significantly as women enter menopause. An LH/FSH ratio is helpful in the evaluation of polycystic ovarian syndrome. In healthy premenopausal women, the ratio is about 1:1; however, women with PCOS may have a ratio of 2:1 or higher. Women with PCOS are prone to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin

Reasons to check it: Are you concerned about your overall biohealth? SHBG is used to keep excessive free estrogen out of the blood stream, looking at these levels can help identify if hormone control health habits can improve your overall health. Sex hormone binding globulin is a protein mainly produced by the liver, and studies show that diets high in simple sugars cause the liver to produce less SHBG. Low levels of SHBG are seen in obesity, prediabetes, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

Free Testosterone

Reasons to check it: Knowing your total testosterone is important but free testosterone is what is immediately available to your system. Looking at both of these measurements can make sure you are at the optimal levels that will enhance weight loss and improve memory and strength.

Testosterone

Reasons to check it: Women – developing acne, excessive hair growth, moodiness? Elevated testosterone could be causing these symptoms. Women with high testosterone are more likely to develop Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

DHEA-S

Reasons to check it: Reason to check it: Are you worried about declining sex hormones? DHEA-S is a major precursor for sex hormones including estradiol and testosterone. DHEA-S levels begin to decline by age 30. DHEA-S is also used to evaluate adrenal function.

Pregnenolone

Reasons to check it: Want to ease the many effects of aging? Look to see if your “mother hormone” is optimal. Pregnenolone is made directly from cholesterol and it may improve libido, enhance memory and combat depression symptoms.

Sex Hormones – Male

Testosterone

Reasons to check it: Men – tired, trouble concentrating, trouble losing weight or putting on muscle? Testosterone deficiency is common as we age. There are natural ways to improve testosterone and numerous commercially available products.

Free Testosterone

Reasons to check it: Knowing your total testosterone is important but free testosterone is what is immediately available to your system. Looking at both of these measurements can make sure you are at the optimal levels that may enhance weight loss and improve memory and strength.

Bioavailable Testosterone

Reasons to check it: Do you want to get the most accurate picture of your available testosterone? Bioavailable testosterone is the amount of testosterone that is loosely bound to a protein called albumin, but can detach and become available quickly. Bioavailable and free testosterone are important measurements for correctly assessing the testosterone that is available for the body to use.

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin

Reasons to check it: Are you concerned about your overall biohealth? SHBG is used to keep excessive free estrogen out of the blood stream, looking at these levels can help identify if hormone control health habits can improve your overall health. Sex hormone binding globulin is a protein mainly produced by the liver, and studies show that diets high in simple sugars cause the liver to produce less SHBG. Low levels of SHBG are seen in obesity, prediabetes, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

DHEA-S

Reasons to check it: Are you worried about declining sex hormones? DHEA-S is a major precursor for sex hormones including estradiol and testosterone. DHEA-S levels begin to decline by age 30. DHEA-S is also used to evaluate adrenal function.

Pregnenolone

Reasons to check it: Want to ease the many effects of aging? Look to see if your “mother hormone” is optimal. Pregnenolone is made directly from cholesterol and it may improve libido, enhance memory and combat depression symptoms.

Estradiol

Reasons to check it: Men – are you moody, do you have a belly or man-boobs? This could be a sign that your estradiol is too high. Elevated levels of estradiol can make it much harder to lose weight and there are ways to lower estradiol in men.

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)

Reasons to check it: If you are a man taking testosterone replacement, most physicians recommend following PSA levels to make sure you do not have any indication of a slow growing prostate cancer. It is thought that prostate cancer cells have androgen (testosterone) receptors on them and that giving a man with prostate cancer could potentially cause the cancer cells to grow more quickly.

Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone

Reasons to check it: Men – is your brain failing? Trouble concentrating and staying on task? As men age the signaling hormones for the creation of testosterone markedly diminish. There are natural ways and an available medication which can boost these signaling hormones.

Fat Hormones – Male and Female

Leptin

Reasons to check it: Is your belly fat unhealthy? Elevated leptin levels can indicate unhealthy belly fat. Unfortunately, this can be present even if you are at your ideal body weight. It is largely genetically-determined but natural intervention strategies can help if you have high levels of this pro-inflammatory hormone.

Adiponectin

Reasons to check it: Is your belly fat healthy? Elevated adiponectin levels are associated with less heart attack risk. This is genetically determined but also can be improved with exercise and other natural interventions. People with low levels of adiponectin are 8X more likely to develop diabetes.

Hormones - Stress

Total Cortisol

Reasons to check it: Are you stressed? This test may allow you to see how stress is effecting your health. Early morning cortisol measurements screen for a poorly functional adrenal gland which can indicate massive amounts of stress or significant sleeping problems that need to be addressed.

4 sample Cortisol Saliva Test

Reasons to check it: Our most comprehensive way of viewing your “Get up and Go Hormone.” The testing measures the adrenal glands response throughout the day to give the most accurate picture of stress hormone release pattern.

Sugar Metabolism and Diabetes Screening

Fasting Glucose

Reasons to check it: Tired, sluggish, thirsty? (Is there too much sugar in your blood stream?) Fasting sugar levels above 125 can indicate the presence of diabetes. Levels between 100-125 are suggestive of prediabetes. What’s your level?

Fasting Insulin

Reasons to check it: Having trouble losing weight? Concerned about your metabolism? Fasting insulin levels that are elevated may indicate insulin resistance syndrome, a condition that researchers find may promote continued weight gain..

Hemoglobin A1c

Reasons to check it: Do you have too much sugar in your diet? Family members with diabetes? This test indicates how well-controlled your sugar levels have been over the past 3 months and may indicate a prediabetic or a diabetic condition.

Cholesterol Tests/Heart Health

Basic Fasting Lipid Panel

Reasons to check it: Do you or a family member have high cholesterol? Taking cholesterol medicine and want to know how well it is working? This group of tests measures triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, cholesterol/HDL ratio and Non-HDL cholesterol.

Lp(a)

Reasons to check it: Concerned about your genetics? This is the worst genetically-inherited bad cholesterol particle. Up to 1 in 5 people may have elevated Lp(a)? It is included in the advanced lipid panel but can be ordered in isolation here.

Advanced Lipid Panel

Reasons to check it: Do you have a strong history of heart disease or stroke in your family? If so, this is a must have test to understand the particles of your vascular system. Lifesaving changes can be made with natural interventions once you understand your detailed cholesterol pattern. This is new science and insurance is not yet covering this test. This is the most advanced panel available – includes everything in the Basic Fasting Lipid Panel above plus Lp(a), lipid subclasses, LDL Particle Number, and LDL Pattern Type.

Inflammatory Markers

hsCRP

Reasons to check it: Do you feel inflamed? High-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) is one of the major markers of inflammation. Researchers now believe that inflammation is at the root cause of many diseases. In fact, researchers have found that the higher your hs-CRP level is the greater your risk for cancer, heart disease, stroke and autoimmune diseases. Be on the cutting edge of your health and check out your inflammation.

Homocysteine

Reasons to check it: Do you have a family history of Alzheimer’s or early stroke or heart attack? This amino acid can build up in our blood stream and can be predictive of future problems. Finding out your results and implementing changes may help dodge devastating diseases. What is your measurement?

CK

Reasons to check it: There is such a thing as over exercise and the impact may show up in your blood work. Are you sore all over? Creatinine kinase is a breakdown product of muscle and when elevated significantly may be a serious health concern.

Uric Acid

Reasons to check it: Do you or a family member have aching joints? Elevated levels of uric acid may put you at risk of developing gout. Check it now because dietary intervention can help.

Nutrient Panel

Vitamin B9 (serum folate)

Reasons to check it: Are you taking a medicine that depletes your body of B vitamins or just concerned you may not be getting enough in your diet? Folic acid is a B-vitamin that is necessary for the normal function of our blood cells. Folate occurs naturally in foods such as green leafy vegetables. Folic Acid is crucial for proper brain function and plays an important role in mental and emotional health.

Vitamin B12

Reasons to check it: Are you vegetarian and concerned that your diet may not be providing an adequate amount of B vitamins? Low B12 can affect our energy levels while optimal Vitamin B12 levels may be essential to rev up your metabolic rate.

Vitamin D

Reasons to check it: 70% of Americans are deficient in this Vitamin. Are you? Optimal levels of Vitamin D may reduce your chances of developing certain types of cancer. Autoimmune diseases, like lupus, thyroid disease, bowel disorders, occur less frequently in those with plenty of Vitamin D. There is also less depression, improved mood and better blood pressure. It is also thought that Vitamin D improves the function of the pancreas, by making insulin more sensitive. When insulin works better, our metabolism works better.

Serum Ferritin (Indicative of Iron Levels)

Reasons to check it: Are you vegetarian? Or do you have heavy periods? If so, you may have very low ferritin. Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in your body’s tissues. Research has shown that ferritin is a very reliable indicator of the status of your body’s iron stores. People who have very low or very high ferritin levels may have a condition that results in fatigue. Interventions can be done to correct iron levels.

Iron and TIBC

Reasons to check it: Reason to check it: Want to take a deeper dive into your iron levels? Checking your iron directly and measuring the amount of iron bound to protein (TIBC) helps physicians determine the cause of anemia.

Magnesium

Reasons to check it: Are you taking medication that lowers your body’s stores of magnesium? Or you worried you are not getting enough in your diet? Magnesium is an important mineral in our body and is very important for sleep, mood and metabolism.

Zinc

Reasons to check it: Can you improve your immune system? This test evaluates your zinc levels since the body does not store this important mineral. Interestingly, low levels of zinc have been associated with altered taste and smell.

Selenium

Reasons to check it: Want to improve your thyroid hormone function? Make sure you have plenty of selenium which you can get in many natural foods like brazil nuts, sunflower seeds and eggs.

CoQ10

Reasons to check it: Concerned about your athletic performance? Or are you taking a statin or have diabetes? High level athletes want to improve their CoQ10 levels to enhance performance. As we age or develop diseases, naturally occurring CoQ10 levels diminish significantly, and so can our performance.

Omega 3/6 Index

Reasons to check it: Nearly 90% of all Americans are deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids. Are you one of them? Having adequate levels of Omega 3’s can lower your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

General Health Screening

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

Reasons to check it: Are you tired, fatigued, anemic? The Complete Blood Count measures the amount of blood cells and various types of blood cells we have. This is an important annual screening test. Anemia is a deficiency of hemoglobin, the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen to the body. It is a very common disease affecting 1 in 50 men and 1 in 10 women.

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)

Reasons to check it: Want to measure the health of your liver and kidney? Are you a drinker and want to see how it is affecting your liver? The comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) evaluates the function of your liver and kidneys and amount of electrolytes you have in your blood stream.

ABO Blood Type

Reasons to check it: Many doctors think that everyone should know their blood type but so few of us do. Are you interested in knowing your blood type? You can check it here!

Exposure

Arsenic

Reasons to check it: Contamination of our food supply does happen. One way to monitor for this is to measure levels of arsenic in your bloodstream.

Lead

Reasons to check it: Have you been exposed to lead in cosmetics, pain, and urban living? Contamination of our food and water supply has occurred and lead has been shown to leach out of our pipes and directly into our water supply.

Mercury

Reasons to check it: Have you recently had dental work removed, eat a lot of fish or have exposure to a poor water supply? Check your mercury levels here.

Toxic Mold Panel

Reasons to check it: Nearly 1 in 4 people are predisposed to suffer when exposed to toxic mold. Many people who have symptoms such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and a weakened immune system obtain this test.