Essential
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The planned baseline: lipids and ratios, glucose, liver, kidney, thyroid, and inflammation markers.
Planned panel menu
Every marker, named and defined.
A focused 60-marker Essential baseline and the 91-marker Complete clinic panel, organized by type. Exact analytes and collection needs are finalized before orders open.
Complete
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The planned clinic panel: everything in Essential plus blood count, full chemistry, iron studies, hormones, full thyroid, and nutrients.
How this is organized
By marker type
Insulin sits with glucose. hs-CRP sits with inflammation. Lipids, liver, kidney, blood count, thyroid, hormones, and nutrients each have their own section.
12 markers
Lipids
Cholesterol, particle count, ratios, and circulating fat
EssentialCompletemg/dL
Total Cholesterol
The circulating cholesterol inventory
Total cholesterol is the combined amount of cholesterol carried in the blood by LDL, HDL, and other lipoproteins. It is a headline number, not a complete cardiovascular picture on its own.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
LDL Cholesterol
Cholesterol carried on atherogenic particles
LDL cholesterol estimates the cholesterol mass inside low-density lipoprotein particles. Those particles can enter artery walls; the cholesterol number is a proxy, not a particle count.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
HDL Cholesterol
Cholesterol on return-path particles
HDL cholesterol is the cholesterol carried on high-density lipoproteins. HDL particles participate in reverse cholesterol transport, but a higher HDL number is not automatically protective.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
Triglycerides
Circulating fat after meals and overnight
Triglycerides are the main form of stored and circulating fat. The fasting value reflects recent intake, alcohol, insulin action, and how the liver packages fat into lipoproteins.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
Non-HDL Cholesterol
All cholesterol on atherogenic particles, in one number
Non-HDL cholesterol is total cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol. It is calculated, not separately measured, and captures the cholesterol on every particle type that can contribute to plaque — LDL, VLDL, IDL, and Lp(a).
EssentialCompleteratio
TC/HDL Ratio
Total cholesterol relative to the return path
The total-cholesterol-to-HDL ratio divides total cholesterol by HDL cholesterol. It is a calculated proportion, not a new measurement, and condenses the balance of the lipid panel into one number.
EssentialCompleteratio
TG/HDL Ratio
A quick window into insulin-resistance patterns
The triglyceride-to-HDL ratio divides fasting triglycerides by HDL cholesterol. It is calculated from two measured markers on the same draw and rises when triglycerides climb while HDL falls.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
ApoB
The atherogenic particle count
Apolipoprotein B is one protein per atherogenic lipoprotein particle (LDL, VLDL, IDL, and Lp(a)). The ApoB number is therefore a particle count, not a cholesterol mass.
EssentialCompletenmol/L
Lipoprotein(a)
The inherited particle-risk marker
Lipoprotein(a) is an LDL-like particle with an attached apolipoprotein(a). Blood levels are largely genetic and stay relatively stable across adult life.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
ApoA1
The main protein on HDL particles
Apolipoprotein A1 is the primary structural protein on HDL particles. It is a count of the return-path particles rather than the cholesterol those particles carry.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
VLDL
Triglyceride-rich particles estimated from the same draw
VLDL cholesterol is usually estimated as triglycerides divided by five when the draw is fasting and triglycerides are not extreme. It is derived, not a separate laboratory assay.
EssentialCompleteratio
ApoB/ApoA1 Ratio
Atherogenic particles versus HDL particles
The ApoB/ApoA1 ratio divides the atherogenic particle count by the main HDL protein. It is calculated from two measured markers on the same draw.
06 markers
Glucose & insulin
The sugar average and the insulin demand behind it
EssentialComplete%
HbA1c
The three-month glucose average
Hemoglobin A1c is the percentage of hemoglobin with glucose attached. It estimates average blood glucose over roughly the previous two to three months.
Completemg/dL
eAG
Your HbA1c translated into everyday glucose units
Estimated average glucose converts the HbA1c percentage into the same mg/dL units a glucose meter shows. It is calculated from HbA1c, not separately measured, using a standard published formula.
Completemg/dL
Fasting Glucose
Morning blood sugar after an overnight fast
Fasting glucose is the blood sugar concentration after a defined overnight fast. It is a snapshot, not a three-month average.
CompleteuIU/mL
Fasting Insulin
The insulin demand behind the glucose number
Fasting insulin is the insulin concentration after an overnight fast. It estimates how much insulin the pancreas is using to keep fasting glucose in range.
EssentialCompleteng/mL
C-Peptide
A more stable readout of the body's own insulin production
C-peptide is released in equal amounts when the pancreas makes insulin. It lasts longer in the sample than insulin itself, which is why mail-back panels such as SiPhox measure it instead of fasting insulin.
Completeindex
HOMA-IR
Insulin resistance estimated from fasting glucose and insulin
HOMA-IR multiplies fasting insulin by fasting glucose and scales the product. It is derived from the venous pair and is not available on the Tasso+ Essential panel.
01 markers
Inflammation
A sensitive signal that can rise with illness, training, or chronic load
12 markers
Innate immunity
Shoemaker / CIRS markers that need a venous specialty draw
Completepg/mL
TGF-β1
A core Shoemaker remodeling and immune-regulation marker
Transforming growth factor beta-1 is a cytokine involved in immune regulation and tissue remodeling. Shoemaker protocols treat it as a core CIRS marker.
Completeng/mL
Complement C4a
A complement split product that falsely rises if the tube sits
C4a is a split product of the complement cascade. In CIRS workups it is used as a marker of innate-immune activation after biotoxin exposure.
Completeng/mL
Complement C3a
A second complement split product used when Lyme is on the differential
C3a is another complement anaphylatoxin. Shoemaker-style workups add it when the differential includes Lyme or other complement-activating exposures.
Completeng/mL
MMP-9
An enzyme that opens vessel walls to inflammatory traffic
Matrix metalloproteinase-9 is an enzyme that can loosen vessel-wall matrix and let inflammatory compounds into tissues. Shoemaker protocols treat it as a hidden-cytokine readout.
Completepg/mL
α-MSH
A regulatory neuropeptide that is often low in CIRS
Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone is a regulatory neuropeptide. Shoemaker case definitions commonly find it suppressed in CIRS.
Completepg/mL
VIP
The neuropeptide replaced at the end of the Shoemaker sequence
Vasoactive intestinal peptide is a regulatory neuropeptide. In Shoemaker protocols it is measured as a baseline and again around VIP nasal therapy.
Completepg/mL
VEGF
A capillary-growth signal that CIRS protocols often find suppressed
Vascular endothelial growth factor helps grow and maintain small vessels. Shoemaker protocols watch for suppression that can go with capillary hypoperfusion.
Completepg/mL
ADH
Vasopressin, read with osmolality in CIRS protocols
Antidiuretic hormone (vasopressin) helps the kidney hold water. Shoemaker protocols look for a mismatch between ADH and serum osmolality.
CompletemOsm/kg
Osmolality
The concentration of the blood, paired with ADH
Serum osmolality measures how concentrated the blood is. In CIRS protocols it is ordered with ADH so the two can be read as a pair.
CompleteU
Anti-Gliadin Antibodies
A gluten-antibody screen used as a CIRS confounder
Anti-gliadin antibodies are immune proteins directed at a gluten peptide. Shoemaker protocols include them to look for a gluten-driven inflammatory confounder.
CompleteGPL
Anti-Cardiolipin Antibodies
An autoantibody screen used as a CIRS confounder
Anti-cardiolipin antibodies are autoantibodies against a phospholipid. Shoemaker-style panels include them as a clotting-and-autoimmune confounder.
Completehaplotypes
HLA-DR / DQ
The genetic susceptibility type used in Shoemaker case definition
HLA-DR and DQ typing reports inherited immune-presentation haplotypes. Shoemaker protocols use specific haplotypes as a susceptibility marker, not as a circulating lab value that trends draw to draw.
11 markers
Liver
Enzymes, clearance, and the proteins the liver builds
EssentialCompleteU/L
ALT
The most liver-specific routine enzyme
Alanine aminotransferase is an enzyme concentrated in liver cells. When liver cells are stressed or injured, ALT leaks into the blood, making it the most liver-specific enzyme on a routine panel.
EssentialCompleteU/L
AST
A liver and muscle enzyme, read as a pair with ALT
Aspartate aminotransferase is an enzyme found in the liver and also in muscle, heart, and red blood cells. It rises with liver-cell stress but is less liver-specific than ALT.
EssentialCompleteU/L
Alkaline Phosphatase
An enzyme from bile ducts and bone
Alkaline phosphatase is an enzyme made mainly in the bile ducts of the liver and in bone. A blood level reflects contributions from both sources.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
Total Bilirubin
The recycled pigment the liver clears
Bilirubin is a yellow pigment produced when old red blood cells are recycled. The liver processes it and sends it out with bile; the blood level shows how that pipeline is flowing.
EssentialCompleteg/dL
Albumin
The liver's main transport and volume protein
Albumin is the most abundant blood protein, made by the liver. It carries hormones, nutrients, and medications and helps hold fluid inside blood vessels.
EssentialCompleteg/dL
Total Protein
Albumin plus antibodies and carrier proteins
Total protein is the combined concentration of albumin and globulins — the antibody and carrier proteins — in blood. It summarizes two different protein families in one number.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
Direct Bilirubin
The conjugated fraction of bilirubin
Direct (conjugated) bilirubin is the fraction the liver has processed for excretion. Total bilirubin is the sum of this fraction and the unconjugated remainder.
EssentialCompleteU/L
GGT
A liver and bile-duct enzyme that also tracks alcohol and metabolic load
Gamma-glutamyl transferase is an enzyme concentrated in the liver and bile ducts. It often rises with alcohol, certain medications, and metabolic load.
EssentialCompleteratio
AST/ALT Ratio
The De Ritis proportion of the two transaminases
The AST/ALT (De Ritis) ratio divides the two common transaminases from the same draw. It is calculated, not a new assay.
EssentialCompleteg/dL
Globulin
The non-albumin protein fraction
Globulin is usually calculated as total protein minus albumin. It bundles antibodies and other circulating proteins into one derived number.
CompleteU/L
Lipase
A pancreatic enzyme required before VIP in Shoemaker protocols
Lipase is a pancreatic enzyme. Shoemaker protocols check it before and after VIP because an unexpected rise is a stop signal for that step.
12 markers
Kidney & electrolytes
Filtration, hydration, and the minerals held in tight bands
EssentialCompletemg/dL
Creatinine
The muscle byproduct your kidneys clear
Creatinine is a waste product of normal muscle metabolism that the kidneys filter out at a steady rate. The blood level reflects the balance between muscle mass and kidney clearance.
EssentialCompletemL/min/1.73m2
eGFR
The standard estimate of kidney filtration
Estimated glomerular filtration rate converts creatinine, age, and sex into an estimate of how many milliliters of blood the kidneys filter per minute. It is calculated, not directly measured.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
BUN
Protein waste shaped by kidneys and hydration
Blood urea nitrogen measures urea, the waste product the liver makes from protein breakdown and the kidneys excrete. It reflects protein intake, hydration, and kidney clearance together.
EssentialCompletemmol/L
Sodium
The primary water-balance electrolyte
Sodium is the main electrolyte in the fluid outside cells. The kidneys and thirst hormones keep it in a tight band, so the blood value is really a water-balance gauge.
Completemmol/L
Potassium
The heart-rhythm electrolyte inside cells
Potassium is the main electrolyte inside cells, with only a small, tightly regulated amount in blood. Nerves, muscles, and especially heart rhythm depend on that narrow blood range.
EssentialCompletemmol/L
Chloride
Sodium's counterpart in fluid and acid balance
Chloride is the major negatively charged electrolyte in blood. It moves with sodium and shifts opposite bicarbonate, tying it to both hydration and acid-base balance.
Completemmol/L
CO2 (Bicarbonate)
The blood's main acid buffer
The CO2 test on a metabolic panel measures mostly bicarbonate, the blood's primary buffer against acid. Lungs and kidneys adjust it continuously to hold pH steady.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
Calcium
The tightly defended bone-and-signal mineral
Blood calcium is the small circulating share of the body's calcium, held in a narrow band by parathyroid hormone and vitamin D. About half rides on albumin, so the protein level shapes the reading.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
Magnesium
A tightly held mineral that still belongs on a chemistry panel
Serum magnesium is the small circulating fraction of total body magnesium. Most magnesium lives inside cells, so the blood number can look quiet while stores are low.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
Phosphate
The phosphorus held with calcium in bone and blood
Serum phosphate (phosphorus) is the circulating inorganic phosphorus used in bone, energy chemistry, and acid-base balance.
EssentialCompletemg/dL
Uric Acid
A metabolic byproduct that also tracks gout and cardiometabolic load
Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism. The blood level reflects production, diet, and how well the kidneys clear it.
EssentialCompleteratio
BUN/Creatinine Ratio
A hydration and protein-load clue from two kidney markers
The BUN/creatinine ratio divides blood urea nitrogen by creatinine from the same draw. It is calculated, not a new assay.
09 markers
Blood count
Oxygen carriers, immune cells, and clotting fragments
Complete10^3/uL
White Blood Cells
The circulating immune force
The white blood cell count measures the immune cells circulating in blood — neutrophils, lymphocytes, and their relatives. It rises and falls with infection, stress, and inflammation.
Complete10^6/uL
Red Blood Cells
The oxygen-carrier headcount
The red blood cell count is the number of oxygen-carrying cells per unit of blood. It is read together with hemoglobin and hematocrit as one oxygen-transport story.
Completeg/dL
Hemoglobin
The oxygen-carrying protein itself
Hemoglobin is the iron-containing protein inside red cells that binds and delivers oxygen. It is the primary number used to define anemia.
Complete%
Hematocrit
The share of blood that is red cells
Hematocrit is the percentage of blood volume occupied by red blood cells. It moves with red-cell count and hydration status.
CompletefL
MCV
The average size of your red cells
Mean corpuscular volume is the average size of red blood cells. Size classifies anemia: small cells suggest one set of causes, large cells another.
Completepg
MCH
Average hemoglobin per red cell
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin is the average amount of hemoglobin inside each red blood cell. It usually moves together with cell size (MCV).
Completeg/dL
MCHC
How concentrated the hemoglobin is in each cell
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration measures how densely hemoglobin is packed inside red cells, independent of cell size.
Complete%
RDW
How uniform your red cells are in size
Red cell distribution width measures the variation in red-cell size. A uniform population reads low; a mix of small and large cells reads high.
Complete10^3/uL
Platelets
The clotting-response cell count
Platelets are small cell fragments that initiate clotting. The count reflects bone-marrow production, consumption, and how the spleen holds them.
05 markers
Thyroid
The control signal, the circulating hormones, and autoimmune activity
EssentialCompletemIU/L
TSH
The pituitary signal that drives the thyroid
Thyroid-stimulating hormone is released by the pituitary to tell the thyroid how much hormone to make. It is a control signal, not the thyroid hormone itself.
EssentialCompletepg/mL
Free T3
The active thyroid hormone in circulation
Free T3 is the unbound, biologically active fraction of triiodothyronine. Most T3 is converted from T4 in tissues; the blood value is one window into that process.
EssentialCompleteng/dL
Free T4
The circulating thyroid reserve hormone
Free T4 is the unbound thyroxine available in blood. The thyroid releases mostly T4; tissues convert it to T3 as needed.
EssentialCompleteIU/mL
TPO Antibodies
An autoimmune thyroid activity marker
Thyroid peroxidase antibodies are immune proteins directed at an enzyme the thyroid uses to make hormone. A positive result is a pattern, not a symptom.
EssentialCompleteIU/mL
Thyroglobulin Antibodies
A second autoimmune thyroid signal beside TPO
Thyroglobulin antibodies (anti-Tg) are immune proteins directed at thyroglobulin, the protein the thyroid uses to build hormone. They are a separate assay from TPO antibodies.
14 markers
Hormones
Androgens, pituitary signals, binding proteins, estradiol, cortisol, and adrenal reserve
EssentialCompleteng/dL
Total Testosterone
Bound plus unbound circulating androgen
Total testosterone is the combined bound and unbound testosterone in blood. Most is carried on SHBG and albumin; only a small fraction is immediately available to tissues.
EssentialCompletepg/mL
Free Testosterone
The unbound androgen available to tissues
Free testosterone is the small unbound fraction of testosterone not attached to SHBG or albumin. It is the portion immediately available to act on tissues.
EssentialCompletenmol/L
SHBG
The protein that decides how much hormone is free
Sex hormone-binding globulin is a liver-made protein that binds testosterone and estradiol tightly. Its level determines how much of each hormone circulates free versus bound.
EssentialCompletepg/mL
Estradiol
The primary estrogen, relevant in every body
Estradiol is the most active estrogen. In men it is made largely by converting testosterone via aromatase; in women it follows the ovarian cycle. Bone, brain, and vessels all use it.
EssentialCompleteug/dL
Cortisol
The morning stress-adaptive hormone
Cortisol is the primary glucocorticoid from the adrenal cortex. A blood value is time-of-day dependent; morning and afternoon results are not interchangeable.
EssentialCompleteug/dL
DHEA-S
Adrenal androgen reserve
DHEA-S is the sulfated, longer-lived form of DHEA made mainly by the adrenal glands. It is more stable through the day than cortisol or DHEA itself.
EssentialCompletemIU/mL
LH
The pituitary signal that drives ovulation and testicular testosterone
Luteinizing hormone is the pituitary signal that triggers ovulation and tells the testes to make testosterone. Timing in the menstrual cycle changes the number sharply.
EssentialCompletemIU/mL
FSH
The pituitary signal for ovarian reserve and sperm production
Follicle-stimulating hormone is the pituitary signal that recruits ovarian follicles and supports sperm production. Like LH, it moves with cycle day and age.
EssentialCompleteratio
LH/FSH Ratio
The pituitary pair used in many hormone workups
The LH/FSH ratio divides the two pituitary gonadotropins from the same draw. It is calculated, not separately measured.
EssentialCompleteng/mL
Prolactin
The pituitary hormone that can quiet the reproductive axis
Prolactin is a pituitary hormone best known for lactation. Outside that setting it is a common reason a sex-hormone panel looks suppressed.
EssentialCompleteng/mL
Progesterone
The luteal-phase and adrenal companion hormone
Progesterone is produced mainly by the corpus luteum after ovulation and in smaller amounts by the adrenal glands. The number is almost meaningless without cycle timing.
EssentialCompleteng/mL
PSA
A prostate protein used as a screening signal
Prostate-specific antigen is a protein made by prostate tissue. Circulating PSA is used as a screening and monitoring signal, not a diagnosis of cancer.
Completepg/mL
ACTH
The pituitary signal that drives cortisol
Adrenocorticotropic hormone is the pituitary signal that tells the adrenal glands to make cortisol. It is unstable in the tube and is a venous, timed-handling assay — not a Tasso+ mail-back marker.
Completeng/mL
Leptin
The fat-cell satiety signal used in CIRS workups
Leptin is a hormone made by fat cells that signals energy stores to the brain. Shoemaker protocols include it because cytokines can interfere with that signal.
09 markers
Nutrient status
Vitamin D, B12, folate, and the complete iron studies
EssentialCompleteng/mL
Vitamin D
The hormone-like nutrient from sun, food, and stores
25-hydroxy vitamin D is the storage form used to judge vitamin D status. It reflects sun exposure, intake, absorption, and season more than a single day’s weather.
EssentialCompletepg/mL
Vitamin B12
The nerve-and-blood vitamin from animal foods
Vitamin B12 supports red-cell production and nerve function. Blood levels reflect intake — mostly from animal foods or supplements — and absorption, which needs stomach acid and intrinsic factor.
EssentialCompleteng/mL
Ferritin
Stored iron, with an inflammation caveat
Ferritin is the blood protein that reflects stored iron. It also rises as an acute-phase reactant, so inflammation can lift the number without adding iron.
EssentialCompleteug/dL
Serum Iron
Iron in transit at the moment of the draw
Serum iron measures the iron traveling through blood bound to transferrin at the moment of collection. It swings with meals, time of day, and recent supplements.
EssentialCompleteug/dL
TIBC
The blood's total capacity to carry iron
Total iron-binding capacity measures how much iron the blood's transferrin could carry if fully loaded. It reflects how much transferrin the liver is producing.
EssentialComplete%
Iron Saturation
How full the iron-transport system is
Transferrin (iron) saturation is serum iron divided by total iron-binding capacity, expressed as a percentage. It shows how loaded the transport system actually is.
EssentialCompleteng/mL
Folate
The B-vitamin partner to B12 in blood-cell production
Folate (vitamin B9) is required to make DNA and red blood cells. Serum folate reflects recent intake more than long-term stores.
EssentialCompleteug/dL
UIBC
The unused portion of iron-binding capacity
Unsaturated iron-binding capacity is the leftover transferrin that is not currently carrying iron. TIBC is roughly UIBC plus serum iron.
Completeumol/L
Homocysteine
A methylation intermediate that needs a special venous tube
Homocysteine is an amino-acid intermediate in methylation. Cells keep making it in the tube, so the assay needs prompt separation or a special anticoagulant — not a mailed Tasso+ SST.
Sample analysis