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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?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about A1c?
How can I lower my HbA1c?
What does a low A1c mean?
What does an A1c of 5.8 or 5.9 mean?
What is the difference between HbA1c and fasting glucose?
What is HbA1c?
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?
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 high albumin mean?
What causes low albumin?
What is albumin?
What are ALP isoenzymes?
What does low ALP mean?
What is alkaline phosphatase (ALP)?
What causes elevated ALT?
What does low ALT mean?
What does "ALT with P5P" mean?
What is ALT?
What does the anion gap mean in DKA?
What does a high anion gap mean?
What does a low anion gap mean?
How can I raise my ApoA1?
What does low ApoA1 mean?
What is a normal ApoA1 level?
What units is ApoA1 reported in?
What is the difference between ApoA1 and ApoB?
How is ApoA1 different from Lp(a)?
What is ApoA1?
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?
What is the ApoB/A1 ratio?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about ApoB?
How can I lower my ApoB?
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 is a normal ApoB level?
What units is ApoB reported in?
Is ApoB better than LDL cholesterol?
What is ApoB and why does it matter?
Can exercise raise AST?
What does low AST mean?
What does "AST with P5P" mean?
What is AST?
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 causes high basophils?
What does low or zero absolute basophils mean?
What does a low or zero basophil percentage mean?
What are basophils?
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 is 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 causes high BUN?
What does low BUN mean?
What is BUN?
Is a BUN of 8 or 23 concerning?
What causes abnormal calcium levels?
What does a calcium blood test measure?
Is a chloride of 108 high?
What is chloride in a blood test?
How do I calculate the cholesterol/HDL ratio?
Is there a chart of cholesterol/HDL ratio risk categories?
What does a cholesterol/HDL ratio of 2.5, 3.0, or 5 mean?
What does a low cholesterol/HDL ratio mean?
What is the cholesterol/HDL ratio?
How does the bicarbonate buffering system work?
Are CO2 and bicarbonate the same?
What does CO2 measure in a blood test?
What is creatinine clearance and how is it calculated?
What causes high creatinine?
What does low creatinine mean?
What does urine creatinine measure?
What is the difference between creatinine, creatine, and creatine kinase?
What is creatinine?
What do "auto" and "manual" mean on a white blood cell differential?
What does an eGFR of 60 mean?
Is an eGFR of 88 or 90 normal?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about eGFR?
How is eGFR calculated (CKD-EPI 2021)?
What does a high eGFR mean?
What causes low eGFR?
What is eGFR?
What do high eosinophils in a child mean?
What causes high eosinophils?
What does low or zero absolute eosinophils mean?
What does a low or zero eosinophil percentage mean?
What are eosinophils?
When is VLDL dangerous?
What is a good VLDL level?
What do the 2025 ASH draft guidelines say about ferritin?
What causes high ferritin?
What does low ferritin mean?
What is a normal ferritin level?
What is ferritin?
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?
What is folate?
What is free T4?
Is a globulin of 2.5 normal?
What does high globulin mean?
What does low globulin mean?
What is globulin?
What does glucose in urine mean?
Do I need a continuous glucose monitor?
What is a normal fasting glucose level?
What does it mean if my fasting glucose is in the prediabetes range?
What is a glucose tolerance test?
What does a fasting glucose test measure?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about HDL?
What foods raise HDL cholesterol?
How can I raise my HDL?
What is a healthy HDL level?
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 is HDL cholesterol?
What do the 2025 ASH draft guidelines say about hematocrit?
How does pregnancy affect hematocrit?
What is the difference between hematocrit and hemoglobin?
What is hematocrit?
What causes low hemoglobin?
What is hemoglobin?
What does an hs-CRP of 10 mean?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about hs-CRP?
How much does an hs-CRP test cost?
What if my hs-CRP is elevated?
How can I lower my hs-CRP?
What is hs-CRP?
What is the difference between CRP and hs-CRP?
What do the 2025 ASH draft guidelines say about serum iron?
What is the difference between iron binding capacity and TIBC?
What causes low iron?
What do the 2025 ASH draft guidelines say about transferrin saturation?
How is iron saturation calculated?
What is iron saturation?
What is the iron studies panel?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about LDL?
What does a serum iron test measure?
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?
What is the LDL/HDL ratio?
How can I lower my LDL cholesterol?
Is low LDL cholesterol a problem?
What is a good LDL level?
What does an LDL of 100, 110, or 130 mean?
Should I test LDL or ApoB?
What is LDL cholesterol?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about Lp(a)?
Can you lower Lp(a)?
How much does a lipoprotein(a) test cost?
How often should I test Lp(a)?
What is a normal Lp(a) level?
Why is Lp(a) reported in nmol/L instead of mg/dL?
What is Lp(a) and why should I test it?
What causes high lymphocytes?
What do low lymphocytes in a child mean?
What causes low lymphocytes?
What does it mean when lymphocyte percentage and absolute count are both low?
What are lymphocytes?
What causes a high MCH?
What is MCH?
What is a normal MCHC level?
What does low MCHC mean?
What is MCHC?
What does high or low MCV mean?
How does pregnancy affect MCV?
What is MCV?
What do high monocytes in a child mean?
What causes high monocytes?
What does low absolute monocytes mean?
What does a low monocyte percentage mean?
What do high monocytes in pregnancy mean?
What are monocytes?
What causes a high MPV?
What causes a low MPV and what symptoms appear?
What is MPV?
What causes high neutrophils?
What does low neutrophils mean?
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 are neutrophils?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about non-HDL cholesterol?
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 is a good non-HDL cholesterol level?
What units is non-HDL cholesterol reported in?
What does a non-HDL of 130, 144, or 164 mean?
What is non-HDL cholesterol?
What causes low platelets?
What does a high platelet count mean in a child?
What are platelets?
What causes abnormal potassium levels?
What is a potassium-sparing diuretic?
Should I take a potassium supplement?
What is potassium in a blood test?
Does a high red blood cell count mean cancer?
What causes a high red blood cell count?
What causes a low red blood cell count?
How does pregnancy affect red blood cell count?
What is a red blood cell count?
What causes high RDW?
What does a low RDW mean?
What is RDW?
What causes abnormal sodium levels?
What is sodium in a blood test?
How do I calculate my triglycerides/HDL ratio?
What does a high triglycerides/HDL ratio mean?
What is a normal triglycerides/HDL ratio?
What is UIBC (unsaturated iron binding capacity)?
What is TIBC?
How is TIBC calculated?
How is total cholesterol calculated?
Can total cholesterol be misleading?
What is a good total cholesterol level?
What does a total cholesterol of 180, 200, or 240 mean?
What is total cholesterol?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about total cholesterol?
What does high total protein mean?
What does low total protein mean?
What do the 2026 AHA/ACC guidelines say about triglycerides?
Do I need to fast before a triglyceride test?
What is the triglycerides-to-HDL ratio?
How can I lower my triglycerides?
Is a low triglyceride level a problem?
What medications lower triglycerides?
What is a normal triglyceride level?
What is the difference between triglycerides and cholesterol?
What are triglycerides?
What does high TSH mean?
What does low TSH mean?
What is TSH?
What does alkaline (high) urine pH mean?
What does very acidic urine (pH below 5) mean?
What does urine pH tell you?
What does high urine specific gravity mean?
What does low urine specific gravity mean?
What is urine specific gravity?
Who is at risk for B12 deficiency?
What is vitamin B12?
What are the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency?
Do I need to fast for a vitamin D test?
What foods are highest in vitamin D?
How often should I get a vitamin D test?
Is the vitamin D test covered by insurance?
Should I take vitamin D with K2?
What causes low vitamin D?
What is vitamin D?
What is the difference between vitamin D2 and D3?
What causes a high white blood cell count?
What causes a low white blood cell count?
What is a white blood cell count?