Specialty testing at YoungerMeMD follows three steps. First, a $599 assessment reviews your symptoms, history and baseline labs. Second, as a member, your clinician recommends only the tests that fit your question. Third, your results are turned into a medical, nutritional and lifestyle plan, with interpretation included in membership.
Visits happen in person at our office in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, or by telehealth if you are located in Pennsylvania. Most specialty tests are kits you complete at home: the GI-MAP is a stool kit, and the Wheat Zoomer, TruAge and TruHealth use a finger-prick sample. The heavy metals test is a urine test.
Key takeaways
- Everything starts with an assessment, and many patients never need a specialty test.
- Tests are picked to answer a specific question, with the aim of ordering no more and no fewer than needed.
- Collection depends on the test, and most are kits you complete at home, from a finger prick to a stool sample.
- A clinician reviews results with you and builds the plan; specialty results are read alongside your standard labs.
Step 1: the specialty testing assessment
The first visit is a comprehensive evaluation, $599, covering your symptoms, medical history and baseline labs. On the payment page this is the Peptide Assessment. A $724 Hormone Assessment is also available if hormones are part of your question.
This step matters because the right test depends on what your history and standard labs already show. Our view is that specialty tests do not replace standard labs. They go deeper and complement them. If your basic labs are recent, bring them.
Step 2: choosing the tests
As a member, your clinician recommends the precise tests you need, no more and no less. The five specialty tests and their add-on prices are:
- Heavy Metals Testing, $89, a urine test with no provocation agent.
- Wheat Zoomer, $300, an at-home finger-prick kit.
- TruHealth, $375, a methylation-based panel from TruDiagnostic.
- GI-MAP, $404, an at-home stool kit.
- TruAge, $425, an epigenetic aging test from TruDiagnostic.
All five are added at checkout with either the $599 or the $724 assessment on the payment page; they are not sold on their own. The payment page notes that most patients start without these, so there is no pressure to add one up front. Membership is $279 per month; the test kits are billed separately.
Why no provoked metal test? The American College of Medical Toxicology recommends against post-chelator challenge urine testing, and our current test does not use a provocation agent.1 If you are deciding between tests, which specialty test do I need walks through the options.
Collecting your samples
How you give a sample depends on the test:
- Wheat Zoomer, TruAge and TruHealth are at-home finger-prick kits. For TruAge, fast for 8 to 12 hours before collecting. TruAge and TruHealth kits each have their own barcode, registration and sample card, so if you do both with separate kits, register each one and fill the card in each box.
- GI-MAP is a stool kit you complete in the privacy of your home. The office orders it, you pay the clinic $404, and the billing section of the lab form is already marked to bill the clinic, so you do not pay the lab.
- Heavy metals is a urine test from Doctor's Data. Avoid fish, shellfish, sushi, seaweed, spirulina and algae products for at least 3 to 7 days, pause non-essential vitamins, minerals, herbal remedies and over-the-counter medicines for 48 hours before and during collection, wait at least 96 hours after a scan with contrast dye, and do not collect while menstruating.
- Standard bloodwork is drawn locally, and the clinic also offers at-home blood draws.
The GI-MAP has a prep list: antibiotics and antiparasitics are stopped 2 to 4 weeks before testing, acid reducers, bismuth, herbal antimicrobials and probiotics (unless your provider says to keep them) 2 weeks before, and digestive enzymes, antacids and laxatives 48 hours before. For the Wheat Zoomer, keep taking prescribed medicines, but tell us if you take steroids, immunosuppressants, biologics or IV immunoglobulin, because they can change antibody results. Never stop a prescription medicine without talking with the doctor who prescribed it. One rule to know: if celiac disease is a possibility, guidelines call for testing while you are still eating gluten, so do not cut it out before talking with us.2
Step 3: results and your plan
When results are back, your clinician reviews them with you and translates them into a customized medical, nutritional and lifestyle plan. Interpretation and planning are included in membership. Members have three to four in-person or virtual visits per year, plus support between visits. Membership is not required to have your results reviewed with your assessment, but treatment starts once you join membership.
Results are read in context. An organism detected on a stool test, or a metal result above the lab range, is a finding to weigh, not a diagnosis by itself. For aging measures, change tends to be gradual: in a two-year calorie restriction trial, DunedinPACE slowed only modestly, so small shifts between tests should not be over-read.3
Turnaround depends on the lab. Kits take a few days to reach the lab, and the lab's estimate from receipt is 7 to 10 business days for heavy metals, 7 business days for the Wheat Zoomer, 7 to 10 business days for the GI-MAP, about 21 days for TruHealth and 4 to 6 weeks for TruAge.
Who should go elsewhere first
Some situations need a different path. Call 911 for severe symptoms, and Poison Control for a suspected poisoning. See your doctor or a gastroenterologist promptly for blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, anemia or new bowel changes after 45. The clinic does not test children: a child with a possible lead exposure belongs with a pediatrician, and gut testing is for adults 18 and older. If you are pregnant, involve your obstetric team before any testing or treatment. And if you will not be located in Pennsylvania for your visits, telehealth is not an option, so plan on visiting the Conshohocken office.
Your next step
To begin, choose your assessment and any add-on tests on the payment page. For a full price breakdown, see specialty testing cost in Pennsylvania. Questions about which test fits, collection or timing? Contact our team or call (215) 892-1230.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to come to the office?
Not always. Visits can be in person in Conshohocken or virtual, and telehealth is available only for patients located in Pennsylvania. Most specialty tests are at-home kits, and the clinic offers at-home blood draws for standard bloodwork.
Can I use results from a test I already did elsewhere?
Yes. Outside lab results are accepted. Upload any recent results to the patient portal so your clinician can review them at your first visit and see what has already been checked.
How long until I get results?
It depends on the test. After a sample reaches the lab, the lab's estimate is 7 to 10 business days for heavy metals or the GI-MAP, 7 business days for the Wheat Zoomer, about 21 days for TruHealth and 4 to 6 weeks for TruAge.
Will I be pushed to buy treatments after testing?
Your plan is built around what the results show and what you want. A plan can include standard referrals, lifestyle changes or treatments the clinic offers, and you decide what to do.
Related reading
This article is for general education and is not medical advice. Decisions about testing and treatment should be made with your clinician. If you have severe symptoms, call 911. For a suspected poisoning, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
