Lab Work

Dr. Carnes has spent years learning about blood chemistry and nutrition. If this is something that you are interested in please call our office for more information and to set up a blood chemistry consult with Dr. Carnes.

Once you have become a patient Dr. Carnes will recommend certain labwork to be taken based upon symptoms, questionnaires and your health history. Once you have purchased the lab order from our office we will send you to LabCorp for your blood to be drawn. LabCorp will send us your results. We will process it through our science based nutrition software to assess your lab numbers from a nutritional standpoint. Once it has been reviewed by Dr. Carnes our staff will call you to set up a consult to go over your blood work in full detail with Dr. Carnes. At this visit he will discuss with you your lab ranges and where you need to make improvements with diet and target supplementation. These visits are very in depth and insightful for our patients. The value and time Dr. Carnes takes to go over this with you is something you will not find anywhere else in our area. We are so thankful to be able to offer this type of alternative healthcare to our patients as another option besides medication and surgery. Below you will find directions to the lab. Please pay for your lab work at our office and receive your lab order form prior to going to the lab.

HERE IS AN ENCOURAGING TESTIMONY FROM ONE OF OUR PATIENTS. SHE WAS ABLE TO LOWER HER CHOLESTEROL AND GET OFF HER MEDICATION BY TAKING TARGET SUPPLEMENTS AND MAKING SOME DIET CHANGES ALL BASED ON HER BLOODWORK.

LABCORP

1034 Ross Clark Circle, Ste 2 Dothan, AL 36301 334-792-0902
(next door to Larry’s BBQ on the east side of the circle near SEAMC)

No appointment necessary
open Mon – Fri 7:30 a.m – 12:00 noon and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Please note: The Lab requires that you bring a picture ID with you in order to have lab work done.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE YOUR BLOOD TEST

  • Draw times are either by appointment or on a first come, first serve basis.
  • You should not be asked to pay anything at the draw station. Payment arrangements are made directly with Dr. Carnes.
  • You must have your requisition form to be tested.
  • Please remember to fast for 12 hours prior to getting your blood drawn in order to get the most accurate results. Only water should be taken during this time. No coffee, tea, juice, gum, etc.
  • Tests should be done in early morning whenever possible, within 1 hour of your usual wake-up time, if possible.
  • Drink plenty of water for several days before the test so that you will be well hydrated. (Drink ½ to 2/3 oz. per lb. of body weight per day). BE SURE to drink 2 glasses of water on your way to the lab to get your blood drawn.
  • Avoid any exercise for at least 36 hours before blood test.
  • On the day of the blood draw, do not take supplements or medications prior to the blood draw (when possible). Resume your medications and supplements after blood draw.
  • Remember to eat as soon as possible after blood draw.

Metabolic Assessment Form

Frequently Asked Questions

It is good to have routine blood work done, but often you are only being tested for what your insurance will cover. Many times this limited testing is inadequate to find the root causes of your symptoms. Lab markers left unchecked, may lead to symptoms that could have been prevented.

Most blood tests are reported using an established lab or pathological range. If you are within this range, you are told that your tests are “normal”. These ranges should not be confused with optimal or healthy. Why is that? Lab ranges are established on taking the results from a sample of people who have health problems and maybe on multiple medicines. The results are averaged to establish the lab ranges. When you test within the lab ranges for normal it means you are not yet as sick as the sick people used to determine the lab ranges. A more thorough approach is to consider the functional for optimal rangers as well as the lab ranges. The functional ranges take the middle 20% of the lab range to establish the optimal range. This serves to “flag” those tests that indicate dysfunction, but are not outside the lab ranges indicating pathology. The functional ranges help to uncover the underlying causes of your symptoms in order for you to use nutritional support and lifestyle changes to help remove the causes of your symptoms. Considering the functional ranges is very valuable in practicing prevention in order to avoid major problems later.

Yes. When we get your results back from the lab, we will review your history, symptoms, and exam findings in light of your lab results. We will prepare a written report of findings along with our recommendations for your care. We will set up a specific time for a lab report of findings to review your report and care plan.

No one can say for sure. Many people see multiple symptoms improve or eliminated in 1 to 2 months. A person’s health status and their level of compliance with their care plans, are major determining factors in their progress. Remember, healing takes time. Patients need patients in order to get better. Our hope is that once you are better, you will see the value in continuing to invest in yourself to protect your health.

It depends on what your first test numbers showed. In general, you will be retested in 3 to 6 months on most abnormal findings to make sure that the numbers are changing in a positive direction.

In most cases no, but you should check with your insurance carrier. We offer Care Credit (if you qualify), which is a way to get an interest free loan for your health expenses as long as the balance is paid off buy a certain time. The monthly payments for this loan are very affordable.

In most cases yes. However, many times the testing that is done is very inadequate to get to the root causes of your symptoms. If this is the case, additional in-depth testing may need to be ordered.

If you have further questions, you may email us at: [email protected]

Driving Directions to the LabCorp

Start at Carnes Chiropractic & Wellness Center, 2323 W Main St, Ste. 109, Dothan, AL 36301-1292

  • Leave the office and turn to the right going east on W Main St/US-84- E. Continue to follow W Main St. (becomes E Main Street) until you reach the Ross Clark Circle with SE Alabama Medical Center on your right. Approximately 4 miles
  • Take a left on the circle and go till you see Larry’s BBQ on your left. LabCorp is in the building to the right of Larry’s BBQ.