Frequently Asked Questions
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What is Empirical Health?
Why is it called Empirical?
What is Empirical Health used for?
Who can use this service?
For medical care, what health insurance plans do you accept?
Do you accept Medicare or Medicaid?
Can I use the app without a subscription?
How is this different from seeing my regular primary care doctor?
What if I don’t have health insurance?
What data does Empirical collect?
How much data does Empirical need to treat me?
What do I get in the Heart Health program?
Where do I go to get my lab tests?
Is there an extra cost for using the app?
Is there an extra cost for the medical visit?
Do I need a wearable device?
What biomarkers are included in the heart health test?
Who should get a heart health test?
How often should I get my heart health tested?
How do I prepare for the blood draw?
How quickly will I get my results?
How can I lower my HbA1c?
What is the difference between HbA1c and fasting glucose?
What is HbA1c?
What causes low albumin?
What is albumin?
What is alkaline phosphatase (ALP)?
What causes elevated ALT?
What is ALT?
How can I raise my ApoA1?
What is a normal ApoA1 level?
What is ApoA1?
What is the ApoB/A1 ratio?
How can I lower my ApoB?
What is a normal ApoB level?
Is ApoB better than LDL cholesterol?
What is ApoB and why does it matter?
Can exercise raise AST?
What is AST?
What causes high basophils?
What are basophils?
What is bilirubin?
What causes high BUN?
What is BUN?
What causes abnormal calcium levels?
What does a calcium blood test measure?
What is chloride in a blood test?
What is the cholesterol/HDL ratio?
What does CO2 measure in a blood test?
What causes high creatinine?
What is creatinine?
What causes low eGFR?
What is eGFR?
What causes high eosinophils?
What are eosinophils?
What causes high ferritin?
What does low ferritin mean?
What is a normal ferritin level?
What is ferritin?
What is folate?
What is free T4?
What is globulin?
What is a normal fasting glucose level?
What does it mean if my fasting glucose is in the prediabetes range?
What does a fasting glucose test measure?
How can I raise my HDL?
What is a healthy HDL level?
What is HDL cholesterol?
What is hematocrit?
What causes low hemoglobin?
What is hemoglobin?
What if my hs-CRP is elevated?
How can I lower my hs-CRP?
What is the difference between CRP and hs-CRP?
What is hs-CRP?
What causes low iron?
What is iron saturation?
What does a serum iron test measure?
What is the LDL/HDL ratio?
How can I lower my LDL cholesterol?
What is a good LDL level?
Should I test LDL or ApoB?
What is LDL cholesterol?
Can you lower Lp(a)?
How often should I test Lp(a)?
What is a normal Lp(a) level?
What is Lp(a) and why should I test it?
What causes high lymphocytes?
What causes low lymphocytes?
What are lymphocytes?
What is MCH?
What does low MCHC mean?
What is a normal MCHC level?
What is MCHC?
What does high or low MCV mean?
What is MCV?
What causes high monocytes?
What are monocytes?
What is MPV?
What causes high neutrophils?
What does low neutrophils mean?
What are neutrophils?
What is a good non-HDL cholesterol level?
What is non-HDL cholesterol?
What causes low platelets?
What are platelets?
What causes abnormal potassium levels?
What is potassium in a blood test?
What causes a low red blood cell count?
What is a red blood cell count?
What causes high RDW?
What is RDW?
What causes abnormal sodium levels?
What is sodium in a blood test?
What is TIBC?
Can total cholesterol be misleading?
What is a good total cholesterol level?
What is total cholesterol?
Do I need to fast before a triglyceride test?
How can I lower my triglycerides?
What is a normal triglyceride level?
What are triglycerides?
What does high TSH mean?
What does low TSH mean?
What is TSH?
What does urine pH tell you?
What is urine specific gravity?
Who is at risk for B12 deficiency?
What is vitamin B12?
What causes low vitamin D?
What is vitamin D?
What causes a high white blood cell count?
What causes a low white blood cell count?
What is a white blood cell count?
What does a low A1c mean?
What does an A1c of 5.8 or 5.9 mean?
How do I calculate AIP?
What does a negative AIP mean?
What is a normal atherogenic index of plasma?
Is AIP linked to stroke risk?
How is AIP measured?
What does low ApoA1 mean?
What units is ApoA1 reported in?
What is the difference between ApoA1 and ApoB?
How is ApoA1 different from Lp(a)?
How is the ApoB/ApoA1 ratio calculated?
What does a low ApoB/ApoA1 ratio mean?
What is a normal ApoB/ApoA1 ratio?
What does an ApoB/ApoA1 ratio of 0.5, 0.7, 0.8, or 1.0 mean?
How do I calculate the ApoB/LDL ratio?
What is a good ApoB/LDL ratio?
What does a low ApoB/LDL ratio mean?
What does low ApoB mean?
What units is ApoB reported in?
How do I calculate the cholesterol/HDL ratio?
Is there a chart of cholesterol/HDL ratio risk categories?
What does a low cholesterol/HDL ratio mean?
What does a cholesterol/HDL ratio of 2.5, 3.0, or 5 mean?
When is VLDL dangerous?
What is a good VLDL level?
What does glucose in urine mean?
Do I need a continuous glucose monitor?
What is a glucose tolerance test?
What foods raise HDL cholesterol?
How do I calculate the HDL/total cholesterol ratio?
What does a high HDL/total cholesterol ratio mean?
What does a low HDL/total cholesterol ratio mean?
What is a normal HDL/total cholesterol ratio?
What does a HDL/total cholesterol ratio of 3.5 or 5 mean?
What units is HDL reported in?
What does an HDL of 38 or 39 mean?
What does an hs-CRP of 10 mean?
How much does an hs-CRP test cost?
What is the difference between calculated and direct LDL?
How do I calculate my LDL/cholesterol ratio?
What does a low LDL/cholesterol ratio mean?
What is a normal LDL/cholesterol ratio?
How do I calculate my LDL/HDL ratio?
What does a high LDL/HDL ratio mean?
What does a low LDL/HDL ratio mean?
Is an LDL/HDL ratio of 1, 1.5, or 2 good?
Is low LDL cholesterol a problem?
What does an LDL of 100, 110, or 130 mean?
How much does a lipoprotein(a) test cost?
Why is Lp(a) reported in nmol/L instead of mg/dL?
How is non-HDL cholesterol calculated?
How do I calculate the non-HDL/cholesterol ratio?
What does a high non-HDL/cholesterol ratio mean?
What is a normal non-HDL/cholesterol ratio?
What units is non-HDL cholesterol reported in?
What does a non-HDL of 130, 144, or 164 mean?
How do I calculate my triglycerides/HDL ratio?
What does a high triglycerides/HDL ratio mean?
What is a normal triglycerides/HDL ratio?
How is total cholesterol calculated?
What does a total cholesterol of 180, 200, or 240 mean?
What is the triglycerides-to-HDL ratio?
Is a low triglyceride level a problem?
What medications lower triglycerides?
What is the difference between triglycerides and cholesterol?
What does a high A/G ratio mean?
Is an A/G ratio of 1.0 or below normal?
What does an A/G ratio of 1.1, 1.4, 1.8, or 2.6 mean?
What does high albumin mean?
What are ALP isoenzymes?
What does low ALP mean?
What does low ALT mean?
What does "ALT with P5P" mean?
What does the anion gap mean in DKA?
What does a high anion gap mean?
What does a low anion gap mean?
What does low AST mean?
What does "AST with P5P" mean?
How much B12 should adults and seniors take daily?
What does high vitamin B12 mean on a blood test?
Do I need B12 injections, or are oral pills enough?
Does vitamin B12 have side effects?
What does low or zero absolute basophils mean?
What does a low or zero basophil percentage mean?
Is a total bilirubin of 0.2 or 0.3 normal?
What does low total bilirubin mean?
Is a total bilirubin of 1.3, 1.4, or 1.5 concerning?
What is the difference between total and direct bilirubin?
What does a BUN/creatinine ratio of 24, 25, or 30 mean?
What does a BUN/creatinine ratio of 8 mean?
What symptoms come with a high BUN/creatinine ratio?
What does low BUN mean?
Is a BUN of 8 or 23 concerning?
Is a chloride of 108 high?
How does the bicarbonate buffering system work?
Are CO2 and bicarbonate the same?
What is creatinine clearance and how is it calculated?
What does low creatinine mean?
What does urine creatinine measure?
What is the difference between creatinine, creatine, and creatine kinase?
What do "auto" and "manual" mean on a white blood cell differential?
Is an eGFR of 88 or 90 normal?
What does an eGFR of 60 mean?
How is eGFR calculated (CKD-EPI 2021)?
What does a high eGFR mean?
What do high eosinophils in a child mean?
What does low or zero absolute eosinophils mean?
What does a low or zero eosinophil percentage mean?
Is there a ferritin supplement?
What are the symptoms of folate deficiency?
Should I take a folate supplement?
What is the difference between folate and folic acid?
Is a globulin of 2.5 normal?
What does high globulin mean?
What does low globulin mean?
How does pregnancy affect hematocrit?
What is the difference between hematocrit and hemoglobin?
What is the difference between iron binding capacity and TIBC?
How is iron saturation calculated?
What is the iron studies panel?
What do low lymphocytes in a child mean?
What does it mean when lymphocyte percentage and absolute count are both low?
What causes a high MCH?
How does pregnancy affect MCV?
What do high monocytes in a child mean?
What does low absolute monocytes mean?
What does a low monocyte percentage mean?
What do high monocytes in pregnancy mean?
What causes a high MPV?
What causes a low MPV and what symptoms appear?
What does a low neutrophil percentage mean?
What do high neutrophils during pregnancy mean?
What does it mean when neutrophils and WBC are both high or both low?
What does a high platelet count mean in a child?
What is a potassium-sparing diuretic?
Should I take a potassium supplement?
Does a high red blood cell count mean cancer?
What causes a high red blood cell count?
How does pregnancy affect red blood cell count?
What does a low RDW mean?
How is TIBC calculated?
What is UIBC (unsaturated iron binding capacity)?
What does high total protein mean?
What does low total protein mean?
What does alkaline (high) urine pH mean?
What does very acidic urine (pH below 5) mean?
What does high urine specific gravity mean?
What does low urine specific gravity mean?
What foods are highest in vitamin D?
Should I take vitamin D with K2?
What is the difference between vitamin D2 and D3?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about A1c?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about ApoB?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about eGFR?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about HDL?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about hs-CRP?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about LDL?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about Lp(a)?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about non-HDL cholesterol?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about total cholesterol?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about triglycerides?
What do the 2025 ASH draft guidelines say about ferritin?
What do the 2025 ASH draft guidelines say about hematocrit?
What do the 2025 ASH draft guidelines say about serum iron?
What do the 2025 ASH draft guidelines say about transferrin saturation?