Got questions about Functional Testing, test interpretation and your personal report? Great – we’ve got answers…
From how functional testing is different, to how to find the right test for you, and when and how to ship your test kit to the lab, you’ll find find all the information you need below:
FAQ
Our most frequently asked questions and answers
You are very welcome to become a full client of Coho Health, and it would be our pleasure to provide further support.
We can arrange further appointments or care plan packages, and email you the extended intake forms prior to your next appointment.
In order to become a full client at Coho Health, start at our main Functional Medicine page.
A copy of your test results and your personal report will be emailed to you within 2 working days of the interpretation appointment via a secure email.
Once the Interpretation & Personal Report appointment is booked online, you’ll receive a link to complete the `Coho Health New Client Form.
This form must be completed at least 2 full working days prior to the appointment.
This allows your practitioner time to review your information and prepare for the appointment.
If the form is not completed within this timeframe, then your appointment may be cancelled and we’ll contact you to reschedule.
The New Client Form covers key information such as the reason for performing the test, medical history, family history, signs, symptoms, current nutrition and lifestyle factors.
This helps to ensure any recommendations provided by us are safe and effective.
It is not our policy to provide test results without expert interpretation.
If you would prefer test results without an interpretation appointment, then please note that we are not able to help you.
No, it is not our policy to provide test results without expert interpretation.
If you would prefer test results without an interpretation appointment, then please note that we are not able to help you.
The Test Interpretation & Personal Report appointment can be booked (and paid for) online: https://cohohealth.com/booking/
It takes experience and appropriate training to make sense of complex functional test results in the context of each individual and their unique health status, family history and environment.
It is our professional obligation when using advanced testing services and sensitive data, to do so responsibly.
We want to ensure you get the best value out of testing with Coho Health, and that means professional, expert interpretation and personalised guidance on how to deal with any imbalances identified.
This helps to ensure you move towards your health goals more quickly and safely.
- Coho Health are responsible for processing your test order. We will place the order with the laboratory.
- The laboratory are responsible for shipping the test kit to you.
- You are responsible for understanding the requirements of the test, collecting the test samples and returning samples to the lab.
- You are responsible for reading the test instructions which may, for example, request you stop certain nutritional supplements before collecting samples, or the test requires you to be fasted before collecting the samples. You may contact us if you are unsure about any pre-test requirements if you are unsure after reading the test instructions.
- If you are using Coho Health’s phlebotomy (blood draw) services, then we are responsible for taking your blood samples, centrifuging if required, and we will return the samples to you, for you to arrange shipping to the lab.
- It is your responsibility to ensure samples are returned to the lab within the permitted timeframe, and in the required manner (e.g. frozen) using the advised method of shipping.
- It is your responsibility to pay the lab directly for the test (and shipping where required). Non-payment can cause delays in processing your samples.
- It is your responsibility to pay any postage or courier fees associated with returning your samples to the lab.
- It is Coho Health’s responsibility to follow-up on any overdue test results and to provide you with test interpretation and recommendations. If you require any further support following receipt of your test results, then we are happy to help and further appointments can be arranged.
Results are usually available with the lab specified turnaround time.
Occasionally there may be delays in test results becoming available, for example the lab may be based in a different country and there may be public holidays that cause delays.
If you have already booked your Test Interpretation & Personal Report appointment, but the results are not received in time, then we will contact you to reschedule your appointment (with no cancellation costs).
Blood samples should be returned to the lab immediately i.e. same day, using the method of postage advised by the lab.
Samples must be returned to the lab on a Monday to Thursday (inclusive) and samples should not be returned on a Friday or Saturday (unless otherwise confirmed).
Some samples e.g. frozen saliva, are stable for longer so could be returned to the lab a couple of days later (but still by using a ‘next day delivery’ method as advised by the lab).
Please check test instructions.
Where the test requires multiple stool samples, then the samples can be returned to the lab once all samples are collected, in one package, using the courier service recommended by the lab.
Ensure samples are shipped Monday to Thursday.
Each lab has a preferred method of returning the samples to the lab.
Instructions for how to return the samples will be provided within each test kit.
Most samples need to be returned to the lab via a courier service, the fee for which is paid to the lab at the same time the test fee is paid (unless a pre-paid postage label is included with your kit).
Details of shipping options are provided within the test kit, please follow these instructions carefully.
In the UK, the shipping fee is in addition to the test fee (ranges from around £9 to £12).
If you’re shipping your sample from outside the UK, shipping fees will vary.
In the UK, very occasionally a sample may be returned to the lab via the Post Office, using Royal Mail Special Delivery – guaranteed next day delivery.
If this is an acceptable method for returning samples, then the test kit instructions will say so.
Most samples require a courier service because the sample type or volume is more than what Royal Mail permits.
Please ensure you’re using the appropriate method for returning samples. Coho Health accepts no responsibility for samples being lost, arriving at the lab too late or not viable for analysis.
Please see the following links (to laboratory websites) for a list of clinics, hospitals or independent phlebotomy providers who provide a blood draw service:
http://regeneruslabs.com/page/blooddrawsites
https://www.biolab.co.uk/docs/phlebotomy_mobile.pdf
https://www.gdx.net/uk/phlebotomy
All providers listed are wholly independent from Coho Health.
Fees for blood draw must be paid for separately to the test fees.
Please check before making your appointment if the samples require centrifuging (spinning), if so, please check with the clinic or provider where you are getting your blood sample drawn that they are able to perform this additional step, before making your booking.
Please only book blood draw appointments on a Monday to Thursday.
Please return blood samples to the lab on the same day.
If you ship your sample on a Friday, it will be delivered to the lab on Saturday, and the sample will become unusable.
- In addition to the test fee, there may be a postage / courier fee to pay when you return the samples directly to the laboratory. Some labs provide a pre-paid shipping envelope.
- A Test Interpretation & Personal Report appointment also needs to be arranged where your test results will be discussed with you and a copy of the results provided. Please see the main Functional Medicine testing page, and the test you are purchasing, for pricing information for this appointment (you’ll need a longer Test Interpretation & Personal Report appointment for more complex test results or where you have more than one set of test results to go through.
- Some tests may require a blood sample – a phlebotomy appointment will usually cost around £30-40. Please wait for your test kit to arrive in the post before booking your blood draw appointment online. Please check the test instructions carefully, if your blood sample requires centrifuging (also referred to as ‘spinning’) then you’ll need to book a Blood Draw + Centrifuging appointment.
The test fee (and shipping cost if relevant) is paid to the laboratory directly, when the samples are returned to the lab.
For most tests, you’ll be asked to complete your card details on a form which you’ll send back with your sample.
Most labs also allow you to call in order to make payment.
For the FunctionalDx tests, a payment link will be generated by the lab, and this will be emailed to you.
Payment directly to the lab is required before you go to get your blood drawn (for all FunctionalDx tests).
Please wait up to 5 working days for your test kit/s to arrive (the kit will usually arrive much sooner than this).
The test kits will be despatched directly from the laboratory (not Coho Health).
Please check you haven’t received a ‘missed delivery’ card through the post to say they were unable to deliver – some of the kits are too large to fit through a standard letter box.
If you still haven’t received the kit please get in touch by emailing hello@cohohealth.com and we’ll look into it as soon as possible.
Please click here for further details of Coho Health locations.
We want you to feel happy with your choice and confident that, together as a team, we will achieve results.
Confidence in the process you are undertaking fosters greater commitment and ultimately better health outcomes.
Once you have returned your samples to the lab for analysis however, you are committed to paying for the test, and no refunds are possible.
If you change your mind about having an Interpretation & Personal Report appointment prior to booking and paying for the appointment, please note that it is our policy not to release results unless an interpretation appointment has taken place.
Therefore, if no appointment takes place, we will not be able to release your results to you.
If you change your mind about having an Interpretation & Personal Report appointment after to booking and paying for the appointment, we will be happy to refund the appointment fee if the appointment is cancelled at least 48 hours prior to the start time of the appointment.
Please note that it is our policy not to release results unless an interpretation appointment has taken place. Therefore, if no appointment takes place, we will not be able to release your results to you.
Please get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to help.
You can email us at hello@cohohealth.com.
One of our practitioners will come back to you as soon as possible.
There are many testing options and choosing the right one for you can be difficult.
If you’re not sure which test is right for you, we recommend booking an initial Functional Medicine Nutritional Therapy consultation or care plan.
This way our practitioners can discuss your health history, symptoms and so on, with you for 1.5 hours before making the most appropriate testing recommendations.
- In chronic, and often complex, conditions, functional testing results can help to pinpoint exactly what and where the imbalances are, so that your practitioner can help you to turn your health around and get you back to optimal health. More information is quite literally more power to help facilitate health improvements. The results can also be very encouraging as they can help explain why you’re feeling the way you are. Many people who get functional testing gain valuable insights into their health concern even though they have previously been told that there is nothing wrong with them, and that all their results are ‘normal’.
- Functional test results take the guess work out of the equation. We get to the underlying imbalances behind health problems more quickly, and ultimately the results you’re seeking, are achieved more quickly
- The right testing provides information around ‘early signals’ for chronic health concerns, so that a preventative approach can be applied to help reduce future risk of chronic disease
- Test results can be used to optimise health and fitness by supporting levels of nutrients, and the functioning of body systems and pathways, so that everything is functioning as best as it can be. We often don’t realise how good we could be feeling or performing when we feel as though we’re doing fine anyway
- The right testing allows your practitioner to help you in a very precise way. This helps address individual health concerns and imbalances
- Testing, and re-testing, enables both client and practitioner to track progress and adjust the protocol where necessary
In some cases, yes.
Please check with your health insurance provider. You’ll need to check if your scheme includes ‘Nutritional Therapy’ services where the practitioner is registered with CNHC, and to what value the scheme covers.
Usually insurance schemes cover services up to a specific value, and from our experience this can include appointment and testing costs.
However, please carefully check the details with your provider.
Yes, you can visit your regular Doctor and request testing.
However these conventional testing options, even when done through private health care, are usually quite limited and don’t provide the full picture.
In our experience, conventional testing doesn’t assess the number of markers required to properly assess how your body is working, or to the same level of detail as functional testing.
Also, for some tests e.g. stool testing, the analysis method used may not have the same level of sensitivity/accuracy as functional tests.
Often, your Doctor does not have access to the same specialist, functional testing we do, or can’t perform a better standard of test due to clinical or cost restrictions.
When we receive conventional test results, our interpretation of those results, and the recommended course of action, is usually quite different.
The “normal” range used by conventional testing is set for the “normal” general population (a large proportion of whom are sick and/or overweight), and with financial considerations in mind, not necessarily for your optimal health.
We often interpret your results (even if you got them from the NHS), using different ranges designed to achieve optimal health, not just prevent immediate issues.
We are happy to help where you already have test results but want our expert interpretation, recommendations, and a personal report.
To schedule a Test Interpretation & Personal report appointment, we’ll need a copy of your results, and you’ll need to complete our intake questionnaires, which will give us a full picture of your health.
Your test results and questionnaires will need to be with us at least 2 full working days prior to the scheduled appointment.
The length of your Test Interpretation & Personal Report appointment will depend on the complexity and number of test results you have.
If you’re not sure, please contact us to arrange an appointment on 0161 834 4706 or email hello@cohohealth.com, providing details of which test(s) results you would like help with.
We will advise on the appropriate length of appointment and provide booking details.
Do you still have a question?
Contact us below.
To your optimised, healthy future,
Dee & the Coho Health team
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