One of the more interesting changes we’ve noticed over the past year is the number of people contacting the clinic with lists of blood tests suggested by ChatGPT or other AI tools.
And honestly, in many ways, we think that’s a positive thing.
People are becoming more proactive about their health, more curious, and more engaged in understanding what might be contributing to symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, weight changes, hormonal symptoms, poor sleep or low mood. This is something we wholeheartedly support. The more proactive you are about your own health the better.
AI tools can be a really useful starting point for thinking about possible causes and investigations. They can help people ask better questions and feel more informed when they come to appointments.
But there’s also a potential downside.
The Same Symptoms Can Lead To Very Different Suggestions
One of the difficulties with AI-generated health advice is that the suggestions you receive can vary hugely depending on how the question is asked.
Two people describing similar symptoms in slightly different ways may receive completely different recommendations.
Sometimes AI tools suggest sensible first-line blood tests.
Other times they may suggest:
- highly specialised tests
- expensive hormone panels
- follow-up investigations that would only normally be appropriate after initial results
- large collections of blood tests that are unlikely to change treatment or management
And because many symptoms overlap across multiple conditions, it can sometimes create more confusion than clarity.
For example:
- tiredness can relate to sleep, stress, iron deficiency, thyroid problems, hormones, nutrition, mental health, infection, burnout, medications and many other causes
- weight changes may have hormonal, lifestyle, metabolic or emotional components
- brain fog may relate to stress, menopause, poor sleep, ADHD, anxiety, vitamin deficiencies or physical health issues
This is one of the reasons why healthcare is rarely as simple as “just ordering every possible test”.
More Tests Aren’t Always Better
One of the assumptions people sometimes make is that more blood tests automatically means better healthcare.
But that isn’t always true.
Large numbers of unnecessary tests can sometimes:
- create anxiety
- produce borderline or incidental findings that may not actually be clinically important
- lead people further away from understanding what is really going on
- become very expensive very quickly
Often, the difficult part isn’t accessing tests.
It’s understanding:
- which tests are actually appropriate
- which ones are most useful to start with
- which results matter
- and what to do with the information afterwards
This is why many people find it helpful to start with either:
- a GP appointment
- a structured health screening package
- or a clinician-guided blood testing discussion
Rather than trying to order every possible test themselves.
A good clinician will look not only at symptoms, but also at:
- age
- medical history
- medications
- hormonal stage of life
- family history
- previous results
- lifestyle and stress factors
- and the wider clinical picture
Sometimes only a small number of targeted tests are actually needed.
And sometimes symptoms that initially appear hormonal, nutritional or metabolic may actually relate to stress, burnout, sleep, mental health or lifestyle factors instead.
At Total Health West Berkshire, we’re very happy for patients to use tools like ChatGPT as a starting point for thinking about their health and possible investigations.
We also use AI tools within the clinic in carefully controlled ways to support communication and information gathering.
But we don’t believe AI replaces clinical judgement, context, experience or human care.
Healthcare decisions are rarely one-size-fits-all, and often the most valuable part of an appointment is not simply ordering tests – but helping someone understand what is most appropriate for them specifically.
Our expereinced GPs at Total Health are excellent at this. They have years of expereince and our appointment times are longer than the typical NHS appointment giving them lots of time to listen to you and to advice you on the best course of action.
If you’re unsure where to start with blood testing or health concerns, our team can help guide you towards the most appropriate next step.
This may include:
- GP appointments
- clinician-guided blood testing
- structured health screening packages
- or simply helping you decide whether testing is likely to be useful at all
The aim is not to do every test possible.
It’s to do the right tests, at the right time, for the right reasons.