Nine Tests to Request after a Cancer Diagnosis

Cancer does not start because you walked under the moon at the wrong time or stepped on a crack. Cancer begins over time when your God-given immune system ceases to function as God created. Yes, there are underlying causes of cancer, and if you want to reduce your risk of your cancer coming back or getting cancer in the first place, it’s best you discover these underlying causes.

When my oncologist shared with me that I had none of the eight risk factors for my cancer and no genetic factors either, it sent me on a mission to discover what caused my cancer. No stone would be left unturned in my quest to discover why I had an aggressive and deadly cancer when I had none of the risk factors or genetic defects. It simply did not make sense until I began to peel back the layers of the onion. I realized that something needed to change, and if I did not discover what those things were, my highly aggressive cancer would likely come back with a vengeance.

Here are the nine tests that I requested be ordered to get to the bottom of why I had cancer. These tests can be ordered by your doctor, and most of them will be paid for by insurance. They are your ticket to a full recovery because you want to do everything you can to get your body and immune system functioning as God intended.

Nine Tests to Request after a Cancer Diagnosis:

Vitamin D Blood Test – I’ve already done an entire video on this that you must watch. It’s called “What are Optimal Vitamin D levels to Fight Flu, Viruses, and Cancer?” Cancer Treatment Centers of America ordered this test on me immediately, and they continue to order it yearly. My oncologist told me that my low vitamin D levels had my immune system working below normal at 26. My goal was to move this test up to the 70 to 90 range. Here’s the shocker. I had two oncologists tell me that if this test had been higher, I might not have gotten cancer! Lesson learned! Insurance usually pays for this test, so ask your doctor to order it. Insurance companies are likely to pay for it if you are a cancer patient.

Inflammation Markers – They say that real estate is all about location, location, location. Well, cancer is all about inflammation, inflammation, inflammation. Acute inflammation helps an area to heal, but chronic inflammation opens the door for cancer over time. Yes, chronic inflammation is a root cause not only for cancer, but also for many diseases. So ask your doctor to order homocysteine levels, and CRP or C-Reactive Protein Levels.

A normal fasting homocysteine level is generally considered to be 5 to 15 micromoles per liter (µmol/L), though optimal levels might be lower, and ranges can vary slightly by lab, age, and sex. Levels above 15 µmol/L are considered elevated, with higher levels (15-30 moderate, >100 severe) potentially increasing cardiovascular risk, often due to deficiencies in B vitamins or kidney issues. A normal C-Reactive Protein (CRP) level is generally below 1.0 mg/dL (or < 10 mg/L), indicating no significant inflammation, though levels can slightly rise with age or minor issues like colds. Levels over 10 mg/L often signal significant infection or inflammation.

The timing of these tests is important. It’s best to do these tests before you begin radiation or chemotherapy as they can add to inflammation levels. You can also wait until after cancer treatments and give your body time to heal before doing.

Thyroid Function Blood Tests – A thyroid function test (TFT) is a blood test that checks your thyroid’s hormone levels (TSH, T4, T3) to diagnose conditions like hypothyroidism (underactive) or hyperthyroidism (overactive) by seeing how well the gland is working, often starting with TSH as an early indicator. A high TSH means the thyroid isn’t making enough hormone, while low TSH suggests it’s making too much. Your thyroid gland controls many processes in your body. It’s important that it’s not low and underworking or high and overactive. Insurance usually pays for these tests, so don’t be afraid to ask your doctor to order.

Blood Sugar Tests – We live in a country addicted to high carbs and processed food, and as a result, many people have metabolic syndrome or blood sugar issues. Please understand that if your blood sugar is too high or too low, your immune system suffers. There is a range that is the sweet spot or Goldilocks for each of us. Because we want our immune system working properly, our blood sugar must be stable and within these ranges. Ask your doctor for a fasting blood sugar test and an A1C blood sugar test that gives an average of your blood sugar over three months. You can also ask your doctor for a continuous glucose monitoring system which tracks your blood glucose levels as you go throughout the day. You might be surprised at what makes your blood sugar go up and down.

A normal fasting blood sugar is typically under 100 mg/dL, while levels between 100-125 mg/dL suggest prediabetes, and 126 mg/dL or higher indicates diabetes, though ranges vary by test and individual health.

A normal A1C level is below 5.7%, indicating no diabetes, while 5.7% to 6.4% suggests prediabetes, and 6.5% or higher diagnoses diabetes, reflecting your average blood sugar over the past 2-3 months. A lower percentage means better blood sugar control, and while individual targets vary, aiming for under 5.7% is considered healthy.

Gluten Sensitivity Tests – After my cancer journey, I asked my oncologist to rule Celiac Disease out for me. He ordered the blood test, and it came back negative. Why is this important? Because if you react to gluten or have gluten sensitivity, it creates inflammation in the body. We’ve already discussed why this can set you up for cancer. I later had a food antigen test which showed a mild sensitivity to gluten. When my naturopathic doctor saw the results, she wondered if that meant I had sensitivity to the junk gluten from flour and bread products sold in grocery stores. Did you know that they actually add unnatural gluten to our products? So I’m now grinding my own flour from organic whole grains and making my own bread. I do not eat the bread products offered in stores or restaurants unless I know they are whole grains and made a certain way. Here’s my video on “Why I Now Grind my own Grains”

Toxic Metals and Toxic Chemicals Urine Tests – To be honest, I already knew I had high lead levels which I was diagnosed with cancer, and I was working to get them down with chelation. After chemotherapy, I had them checked again and although the lead was the same, the mercury and aluminum levels as well as other metals related to the chemotherapy ingredients were high. But when I was asked to participate in a clinical trial for my sauna company, the measurement they used was a toxic chemical test.

The first time I did the test, I discovered I had high levels of toxic chemicals in my body and many of them were endocrine-disrupting chemicals including glyphosate! My doctors finally had something to connect to my cancer when I showed them the results. You can order these urine tests from Mosaic Diagnostics, but a doctor or naturopathic doctor must order them for you. They will also provide a practitioner if you don’t have one. You must pay a fee to this practitioner, who can order the tests for you and follow up with results afterward. Here’s the website – https://mosaicdx.com/test/envirotox-panels/

These results were key to preventing my cancer from returning. Your immune system is compromised when you have high toxic levels as I did. These tests are usually not paid for by insurance, but sometimes I’ve discovered that the Veterans Administration will sometimes pay for these tests for veterans.

Underlying Infections and Viruses – Ask your doctor to check for any viruses or low-grade infections that might be distracting your immune system. Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Hepatitis B and C Viruses, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and Human Papillomavirus (HPV)—and any low-grade infection. All of these prevent your immune system from working as God intended. I did find a low-grade infection, which showed up on a thermogram. It went from the bottom of one of my molars directly to the area where my tumor was located. Eye-opening!

Parasites – These are other things that can distract your immune system. My husband and I just came home from a 32-day trip to South America, where picking up a parasite is likely. These come from unclean water, foods washed in unclean water, and undercooked foods. Although we were very careful, I’m considering doing a parasite cleanse with herbs just to make sure. Tests done after my cancer journey showed I had no parasites. If you suspect you may have parasites, ask your doctor to do a stool test, or you can do a parasite cleanse just in case. Some cancer patients have reported progress after being on anti-viral or anti-parasitic drugs such as Ivermectin. The state of Florida is doing research on Ivermectin related to cancer treatments. It will be interesting to see what this research shows.

Genetic Testing – This is a blood test that checks for inherited mutations (like in BRCA1/2) present in all cells, indicating a higher risk for certain cancers (breast, ovarian, colon, prostate). It was my oncologist’s decision to order this test because I had an aggressive cancer with no risk factors evident. But when the results came back as negative, meaning no inherited mutations, it let me know I needed to investigate further as to what caused my cancer. When this test is ordered by your doctor with sufficient reasons, insurance usually pays for it as they did mine. You want insurance to pay for this test because it is very expensive. I’m thankful my oncologist ordered it. If you have family members with your same type of cancer, ask about this testing.

The cost of these tests can add up. This is why you want your doctors or oncologist to order as many of them as they can. I only had to pay for the toxic metals and toxic chemicals test.

As you can see, we want to do everything we can to optimize our immune system especially after a cancer diagnosis and treatments. These nine tests can help you discover underlying distractions to your immune system so you can do something about it. When fighting cancer, preventing it in the first place, or preventing its return, our immune system is front and center.

How many of these tests have you had before?

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Nine Tests to Request after a Cancer Diagnosis

For Your Health,

Ginny

Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served on the front lines of American culture as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many TV and media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer and was recently awarded the First Place Golden Scrolls Award for Memoirs, a finalist in Serious Writers Book of the Decade, and Second Place in both Selah Awards for Memoirs and Director’s Choice Award for Nonfiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference. It recently received the Christian Authors Network’s (CAN) Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing for reaching 62.5 million people with a message of cancer prevention and survival. It was written with commentary from an oncologist and was featured on CBN’s Healthy Living Show, Atlanta Live, and CTN’s Homekeepers along with over 75 media outlets. Learn more and cancer and wellness prevention blog and book information at www.ginnybrant.com. Ginny is on YouTube