Know Your Health
Executive Wellness Profile: What Does It Check?
Busy schedules can make it easy to put routine health checks to the side. Work, family responsibilities and everyday commitments can all compete for your attention, even when you know that keeping track of your health is important.
An executive wellness profile brings together a broad range of laboratory tests designed to provide detailed baseline information about several areas of health. The profile looks at blood health, blood sugar, heart and circulation, kidney health, liver health, thyroid function and nutritional markers.
The profile is designed with busy adults in mind, including those with corporate or executive demands who want an efficient way to assess several areas of their general health.
Understanding what an executive wellness profile checks can help you know what to expect and why these different laboratory markers may be included.
This guide explains the tests included in the profile, what they can tell you and how the results can contribute to a broader understanding of your health.
What Is an Executive Wellness Profile?
An executive wellness profile is a broad collection of laboratory tests designed to provide information about several important areas of general health.
The Executive Wellness profile includes many of the same core health assessments found in broader general wellness screening, along with an additional Apolipoprotein A test.
The profile includes testing related to:
- Blood health
- Blood sugar
- Heart and circulation
- Kidney health
- Liver health
- Thyroid function
- Nutritional health
The tests included are:
- FBC/Platelets
- HbA1c
- Lipogram
- U&E/Creatinine
- LFT
- TSH
- Ferritin
- Vitamin D25OH
- Vitamin B12
- Albumin/Creatinine Ratio
- Uric Acid
- Apolipoprotein A
A recommended faecal occult blood test is also included in the profile catalogue.
A executive wellness profile therefore provides a collection of laboratory results that can be considered together with your health history and other relevant information.
Who Might Consider an Executive Wellness Profile?
The Executive Wellness profile is designed for adults with corporate or executive demands who want a broad preventive-health baseline.
For someone with a busy schedule, having several areas of health assessed through one broader profile may provide a practical way to stay informed about general health.
However, an executive wellness profile is not a replacement for a medical consultation or individual health assessment.
Your age, medical history, symptoms, medication and personal risk factors can all influence which tests are appropriate for you.
If you have a specific symptom or health concern, speak to your healthcare professional about the most appropriate investigation.
What Does an Executive Wellness Profile Check?
An executive wellness profile covers several areas of health rather than focusing on one specific condition.
Each laboratory test provides different information. Your healthcare professional can consider the results together with your health history and other relevant information.
Let’s look at the main areas covered by the profile.
Blood Health
Blood testing can provide useful information about several aspects of your general health.
The Executive Wellness profile includes a Full Blood Count (FBC) with platelets and a ferritin test.
What Does an FBC Check?
A Full Blood Count looks at different types of cells found in your blood.
These include red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body, white blood cells, which are involved in immune function and platelets, which play an important role in blood clotting.
An FBC can therefore provide information about different aspects of blood health.
Your healthcare professional will interpret the results according to your individual circumstances. A result outside the usual reference range does not automatically mean that you have a particular health condition.
What Does Ferritin Check?
Ferritin is a protein associated with iron storage in the body.
A ferritin test provides information about stored iron levels and may be useful when assessing possible iron deficiency or other concerns relating to iron status.
Your healthcare professional can consider your ferritin result alongside your other laboratory results and health information.
Blood Sugar and HbA1c
Blood sugar is an important part of metabolic health.
The executive wellness profile includes an HbA1c test.
What Is HbA1c?
HbA1c provides an indication of average blood glucose levels over a period of time.
This is different from measuring blood glucose at one specific moment. HbA1c can therefore provide useful information when healthcare professionals are assessing blood sugar regulation and metabolic health.
Your healthcare professional can explain what your result means in relation to your individual circumstances.
If you have concerns about blood sugar or your risk of diabetes, discuss them with your healthcare professional.
Heart and Circulation Health
Heart and circulation health can be influenced by several factors, including the levels of different fats in the blood.
The Executive Wellness profile includes a lipogram and Apolipoprotein A.
What Is a Lipogram?
A lipogram, also known as a lipid profile, measures different types of fats in the blood, including cholesterol and triglycerides.
Cholesterol has important functions in the body. However, the balance of different blood lipids can be relevant when healthcare professionals assess cardiovascular risk.
Your healthcare professional may consider your lipid results alongside factors such as your age, health history, lifestyle and other risk factors.
What Is Apolipoprotein A?
Apolipoprotein A is a protein associated with high-density lipoprotein, commonly referred to as HDL.
Measuring Apolipoprotein A can provide additional information about lipid metabolism and may be considered alongside other lipid measurements.
The result should not be viewed on its own. Your healthcare professional can explain how it fits with your other laboratory results and individual cardiovascular risk factors.
Kidney Health
Your kidneys perform several important functions, including removing waste products from the blood and helping regulate fluid and electrolyte balance.
The executive wellness profile includes U&E/Creatinine and an albumin/creatinine ratio.
What Are U&E Tests?
U&E stands for urea and electrolytes.
These measurements can provide information about kidney function and the body’s fluid and electrolyte balance.
Electrolytes are minerals that play important roles in processes such as fluid balance, nerve function and muscle function.
Your healthcare professional can interpret these results alongside your other laboratory findings.
What Does Creatinine Tell You?
Creatinine is a waste product produced through normal muscle metabolism.
The kidneys normally remove creatinine from the blood. Measuring creatinine can therefore provide information that helps healthcare professionals assess kidney function.
Creatinine levels can be influenced by several factors, so your result needs to be interpreted in the context of your individual circumstances.
What Is an Albumin/Creatinine Ratio?
An albumin/creatinine ratio measures the amount of albumin in urine in relation to creatinine.
Albumin is a protein that normally remains in the bloodstream. Increased amounts in urine can provide information that may be relevant when assessing kidney health.
Your healthcare professional can explain what your result means and whether further assessment may be appropriate.
Liver Health
The liver carries out many important functions in the body.
It plays a role in metabolism, processing substances and producing important proteins.
The executive wellness profile includes liver function tests (LFTs).
What Are Liver Function Tests?
Liver function testing involves a group of laboratory measurements that provide information about the liver and related processes.
Different markers provide different pieces of information. Healthcare professionals can consider the pattern of results together rather than relying on a single measurement.
If a result falls outside the expected reference range, your healthcare professional can explain what it may mean in the context of your health.
Thyroid Health
The thyroid gland plays an important role in regulating several processes in the body.
The Executive Wellness profile includes a TSH test.
What Is a TSH Test?
TSH stands for thyroid-stimulating hormone.
TSH testing is commonly used when assessing thyroid function. The thyroid can affect metabolism, energy and many other processes in the body.
A TSH result does not provide a complete picture in every situation. If there is a concern about thyroid function, your healthcare professional may consider your symptoms and medical history alongside the laboratory result.
Nutritional Health
Nutritional markers are another part of the executive wellness profile.
The profile includes testing for Vitamin D25OH, Vitamin B12 and ferritin.
Why Is Vitamin D Tested?
Vitamin D has several important roles in the body, including supporting normal bone health and immune function.
The Vitamin D25OH test measures the main circulating form of vitamin D used when assessing vitamin D status.
Your healthcare professional can explain what your result means and whether further assessment is appropriate.
Why Is Vitamin B12 Tested?
Vitamin B12 is important for normal red blood cell formation and healthy nervous system function.
Vitamin B12 levels can be affected by different factors, including diet and how well the body absorbs the vitamin.
Testing provides information about your vitamin B12 status that can be considered alongside other health information
What Does Uric Acid Tell You?
The Executive Wellness profile also includes uric acid testing.
Uric acid is produced when the body breaks down substances called purines.
The kidneys normally remove uric acid from the body. Measuring uric acid can provide additional information that your healthcare professional may consider when assessing your overall health.
A uric acid result should not be interpreted on its own. Your healthcare professional can explain what it means in relation to your other results and individual circumstances.
Why Look at Several Health Markers Together?
One of the main features of an executive wellness profile is the breadth of information it provides.
The Full Blood Count and ferritin provide information relating to blood health. HbA1c provides information about average blood glucose while the lipogram and Apolipoprotein A provide additional information about blood lipids.
U&E/Creatinine and the albumin/creatinine ratio provide information relevant to kidney health. Liver function tests and TSH provide information about liver and thyroid health while vitamin D and vitamin B12 provide nutritional information.
Uric acid adds another laboratory marker that can be considered as part of the broader profile.
Looking at these results together can provide a more detailed baseline than a smaller selection of tests.
However, laboratory results should not be interpreted in isolation. Your healthcare professional may consider your symptoms, medical history, medication, family history and other relevant factors when discussing your results.
Is an Executive Wellness Profile a Diagnosis?
No.
An executive wellness profile provides laboratory information. It does not by itself diagnose a health condition.
A result outside a reference range can have different possible explanations and does not necessarily mean that you have a particular disease.
Your healthcare professional can interpret your results in context and determine whether further assessment or testing is appropriate.
If you have symptoms or an existing health concern, discuss these with your healthcare professional rather than relying on wellness screening alone.
Does an Executive Wellness Profile Require Preparation?
The Executive Wellness profile catalogue does not show special preparation requirements.
However, preparation requirements can depend on the tests being performed and the collection arrangements.
Before attending for your executive wellness profile, follow any instructions provided by Togalab or your healthcare professional.
If you are unsure whether you need to fast, whether you can drink water or whether you should take your medication as usual, ask before your collection.
You should not stop prescribed medication simply because you are having laboratory testing unless your healthcare professional has specifically instructed you to do so.
What Happens When You Have Your Tests?
The collection process depends on the specimens required for the profile.
Many of the tests included in an executive wellness profile use blood samples. The albumin/creatinine ratio requires a urine specimen.
The recommended faecal occult blood test uses a stool specimen.
A trained healthcare professional can guide you through the collection requirements and explain anything you need to know.
If you are unsure about providing a particular specimen, ask for guidance before the collection.
What Is Faecal Occult Blood Testing?
The Executive Wellness profile catalogue recommends a faecal occult blood test.
Faecal occult blood testing looks for small amounts of blood in a stool sample that may not be visible.
This type of testing can be used as part of screening for certain gastrointestinal concerns, including colorectal cancer screening.
Your healthcare professional can explain whether this type of screening is appropriate for you and what the collection instructions involve.
What Happens After Your Laboratory Tests?
Once your specimens have been collected, they are processed according to the requirements of the relevant laboratory tests.
Your results provide laboratory information that your healthcare professional can consider alongside your individual health information.
It is important not to interpret your results simply by looking at whether an individual number appears high or low.
Reference ranges and individual circumstances need to be considered when understanding laboratory results.
If your results raise a concern, your healthcare professional can explain what they mean and whether further assessment may be appropriate
What If a Result Is Outside the Reference Range?
It can be concerning to see a laboratory result outside the reference range.
However, a result outside the reference range does not automatically mean that you have a disease or serious health problem.
There can be different reasons why a result may fall outside a reference range. Your healthcare professional can consider the result alongside your other results, symptoms and health history.
This is why an executive wellness profile should be viewed as a source of health information rather than a diagnosis.
Can You Request an Executive Wellness Profile Yourself?
The Executive Wellness profile is listed as self-request available in the Togalab profile catalogue.
If you are interested in broader wellness screening or would like more information about the profile, you can contact Togalab about the practical arrangements.
If you have symptoms or a particular health concern, it is still important to speak to a healthcare professional. They can help determine whether an executive wellness profile is suitable or whether different testing may be more appropriate.
What Should You Ask Before Your Test?
If you are considering an executive wellness profile, it can be helpful to confirm the practical details before attending.
You may want to ask:
- Where can I have the profile collected?
- Do I need to make an appointment?
- Do I need any special preparation?
- Do I need to fast?
- What specimens will be collected?
- What should I bring with me?
- How will I receive information about my results?
- Who should I speak to about interpreting my results?
Having these questions answered beforehand can make the testing process easier.
How Togalab Can Help
Togalab provides a broad range of laboratory and diagnostic services for patients and healthcare professionals.
The executive wellness profile brings together testing related to blood health, blood sugar, heart and circulation, kidney health, liver health, thyroid function and nutrition.
For busy adults who want a broad health baseline, the profile provides a collection of laboratory markers that can be considered together rather than focusing on a single area of health.
If you are unsure about the profile, collection process or where to have your testing performed, Togalab Client Services can assist with practical enquiries.
For questions about symptoms, medical history or which tests may be appropriate for you, speak to your healthcare professional.
Contact Togalab
If you have questions about laboratory testing, collections or test results, you can contact Togalab Client Services.
For enquiries and test results:
011 663 6300
Client Services:
clientservices@togalab.co.za
Finance:
Finance@togalab.co.za
Toga Nurses are available at various locations. Contact Togalab for more information about available locations and services.
Your Next Step
If you are considering an executive wellness profile, start by finding out whether broader preventive health screening is appropriate for you.
You can speak to your healthcare professional about your individual health needs or contact Togalab Client Services for practical information about the profile and collection arrangements.
For enquiries and test results, call 011 663 6300 or email clientservices@togalab.co.za.
If you have symptoms or concerns about your health, speak to a healthcare professional who can advise you about the most appropriate next step.
Final Thoughts
An executive wellness profile provides a broad collection of laboratory information for busy adults who want a detailed baseline across several areas of health.
From blood health and blood sugar to heart and circulation, kidney, liver and thyroid health, the profile covers a range of important markers. Nutritional testing, uric acid and Apolipoprotein A provide additional information that can contribute to a broader health assessment.
Laboratory testing is most useful when results are understood in context. Your healthcare professional can help explain what your results mean and whether any further assessment may be needed.
If you’re considering preventive health screening or are unsure about arranging your tests, Togalab Client Services can help with practical information about the testing process.
Taking time to stay informed about your health can be particularly valuable when a busy schedule makes it easy to put routine health checks aside.