People often wish to be able to know the presence of disease by performing simple tests. Also, if the tests can be done at home there is nothing like it. Hence, for the benefit of today’s consumer there are many home tests available, which can be conveniently done at home. Although some of them may only be rough indicators, they do give some idea about the condition.
Some of the home tests for general health conditions are:
1. HIV 1 test – This is a HIV 1 test approved by the FDA. A blood sample needs to be mailed to the laboratory, which detects the antibodies to the specific virus and the results are received as per the protocol. However, as there is time taken in the mailing of sample it may not be as sensitive as the conventional laboratory tests.
2. Home allergy test – A wide range of complaints like sneezing, itching, headaches, nausea are produced because of allergies. It is indeed difficult to figure out which substance is causing the trouble and an allergy test is one that can help. With this in mind, a home allergy test is designed to be performed at home without having to go anywhere. It contains a home collection kit and the blood sample is mailed to receive the results at home.
3. Under-active thyroid – Some of the presentations of an under-active thyroid can be observed by the patients at home. You can check for symptoms specific to it like feeling tired, having weight gain or feeling unusually cold. It also tends to slow down the body functions as also the reflexes. You can check for the knee reflexes by sitting on a table and allowing the leg to dangle. A firm tap on the knee tendon should normally elicit a kicking response.
4. Overactive thyroid – Just like underactive thyroid, overactive thyroid may also produce some symptoms and you can watch out for them. If you can observe hands shaking like having tremors when hands are outstretched in the front and also losing weight without any reason it may be good to see your physician.