The Program
BiophysicalCheck is an affordable annual corporate health program developed to help keep your employees healthy by helping to identify the presence of over 25 of the most common diseases and conditions. For corporations that struggle with the high cost of insurance premiums and additional healthcare costs, BiophysicalCheck is a biomarker-based blood test to aid in the discovery of many conditions not routinely evaluated during the annual physical exam and blood work*. BiophysicalCheck evaluates biomarkers that often present chronic conditions that are many times misdiagnosed or difficult to diagnose as well as many types of cancer, and assesses cardiovascular risk. Not only is BiophysicalCheck invaluable for your employees, your company also benefits from improved productivity, reduced absenteeism and lower healthcare costs.
BiophysicalCheck Year One
BiophysicalCheck Year One is the first stage of the annual BiophysicalCheck program. BiophysicalCheck Year One evaluates numerous biomarkers to help identify over 25 diseases and conditions seen in the U.S. population. Some of these diseases and conditions are difficult to diagnose, yet they may produce ongoing symptoms that can adversely affect an employee's ability to work.
What is a Biomarker?
Biomarkers are proteins in the bloodstream that can indicate health status. Compared with standard executive physicals that only look at 20-40 biomarkers like cholesterol and glucose, Biophysical250 measures those same markers, plus those used by 12 medical specialists, including cardiologists and oncologists, for a total of more than 250 different biomarkers.
BiophysicalCheck Year One assesses biomarkers used to help identify:
- Persistent, chronic inflammation, which can damage the heart, kidneys and brain
- Many of the common conditions from the family of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma and antiphospholipid syndrome
- Cardiovascular risk
- Signs of insulin resistance, a precursor condition to Type II diabetes
- Thyroid disease, which can cause depression and weight gain
- Hereditary conditions such as hemocromatosis, which can cause liver damage, von Willebrand's disease; and alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, which can lead to emphysema
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Immune disorders such as IgA deficiency that can result in shock during a blood transfusion
- Infectious diseases such as hepatitis A, B and C and H.pylori infection
- Diabetes
- Nutritional deficiencies such as folate and vitamin B12 deficiency, and nutritional disorders such as atrophic gastritis, which can lead to stomach cancer and severe vitamin deficiency, and celiac disease
BiophysicalCheck Year Two—and Beyond
BiophysicalCheck Year Two marks the beginning of the second stage of the program, which assesses many of the biomarkers associated with cardiovascular health and monitors the velocity of change of many of the cancer biomarkers. This establishes a baseline for an employee's health and helps identify at the earliest stages if there is a call for concern with regard to cancer or their cardiovascular health. Identifying heart disease and cancer early usually improves the effectiveness of treatments and lowers the cost.
Cancer
For most cancers, early detection—when treatment options are typically wider and more effective—is the key to a better outcome. There are several types of widely used screening tests available to help detect cancer as early as possible. For example, mammograms, PAP tests, PSA tests and colonoscopy should be performed routinely depending on a person's health history and age.
Many types of cancer alter the levels of certain biomarkers in the blood. In general, as the cancer grows, the level of biomarkers changes. BiophysicalCheck Year Two is comprised of biomarkers that are often elevated in some of the most common types of cancer, including breast, colon, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, liver and testicular cancer. One of the goals of the BiophysicalCheck Program is to help identify changes in cancer biomarkers before the onset of symptoms. This allows a person and their doctor to determine the cause of the elevation.
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease refers to the group of diseases caused by atherosclerosis (the build-up of plaque in the arteries). These diseases and conditions—including heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease and renal (kidney) vascular disease—usually take years to develop and are typically symptom-free until a person experiences a catastrophic event like a heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, there are effective treatments available to prevent the onset and development of these diseases. Many people have had a basic cholesterol panel. However, 50 percent of people who have a heart attack have normal cholesterol levels. For this reason, BiophysicalCheck Year Two goes well beyond a simple cholesterol test to measure additional important biomarkers that can help evaluate the risk for cardiovascular disease.
* The BiophysicalCheck does not include routine labs such as CBC, Chem 20, or a basic lipid profile. These important labs are typically ordered and reviewed by your physician during your yearly physical.