Why this site exists
Preventive medicine has an odd problem. The tests that save the most lives — a blood pressure cuff, a stool card, a mammogram, a fasting glucose — are cheap, widely available and frequently covered without cost sharing. And yet millions of Americans who qualify for them never have them done. Sometimes the reason is access. Very often the reason is simpler: nobody explained what the test does, when it is due, or what happens if the result comes back abnormal.
LabAdvisor exists to close that explanation gap. Every guide answers the same five questions: what does this test measure, who should have it, how often, what do the numbers mean, and what is the next step if something looks off.
How we write
- We start from published guidance. Recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the CDC, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and comparable specialty bodies form the backbone of every article.
- We say when experts disagree. Prostate screening and the exact starting age for mammography are genuinely contested. Pretending otherwise would not help you.
- We separate screening from diagnosis. A screening test sorts people into "probably fine" and "needs a closer look". It does not, by itself, tell you that you have a disease.
- We date everything. Guidelines move. Each article carries a publication date so you can tell how fresh it is.
Editorial independence
LabAdvisor does not accept payment to recommend a laboratory, a testing panel, a supplement or a screening product. We have no financial relationship with direct-to-consumer testing companies. When we mention a specific test category, it is because published guidance or ordinary clinical practice supports it, not because someone paid for the mention.
What we are not
We are a health education publisher, not a medical practice. Nothing on this site is a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and reading it does not create a clinician–patient relationship. Your personal history, family history, medications and prior results all change what screening makes sense for you. Take our articles to your appointment; do not use them instead of one.
Corrections
If you find something that is out of date or plainly wrong, tell us. We correct articles in place, note the change, and update the publication date. Write to the address on our contact page.