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Dear Nancy, > I am about to see my doctor for a physical, and I was wondering if there are > certain tests that I should ask for when getting my blood tested. Yes! In addition to whatever your doctor recommends, I would ask to have blood levels of the B vitamins tested, also iron and magnesium. Further, if you are age 50 or older and have not yet done so, I would ask for a DEXA scan (a scan for bone mineral density) and a sigmoidoscopy. Bone thinning is more common among people with PD (including men); and many PWP have frequent constipation, which increases risk for colorectal cancer. These two tests can prevent many of the hospitalizations that occur too frequently among people with PD. Good for you for thinking ahead!! Best regards, Kathrynne -- Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD Author: "Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease" "Constipation and Parkinson's" -- audiocassette & guidebook "Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy for Parkinson's disease" & Risk Assessment Tools "Risk for malnutrition and bone fracture in Parkinson's disease," J Nutr Elderly. V18:3;1999. http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn