Neurological Toxins Panel - Blood Spot

Preparation & Timing

• Fasting is not required.
  • Fasting for 12 hours prior to your urine test may increase mycotoxin and heavy metal excretion. 
  • Consult with your healthcare practitioner to determine whether or not you should fast.
• Avoid the following foods for 24 hours prior to your urine collection. 
  • Seafood
  • Seaweed/kelp
  • Dairy products
  • Brazil nuts
  • Any other food high in iodine 
  • Any other food high in selenium
• Do not collect while menstruating. 
• If you are taking any of the following medications, consult your healthcare provider regarding the timing of your test. These medications may produce falsely high or low antibody results. 
  • Steroids
  • Immunosuppressive medications
  • Biologic agents
  • Any other immunomodulating medication
• You will collect your first morning urine prior to eating or drinking. 
• You can collect your blood spot sample at any point during the day. 

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Collection Instructions

Urine Collection

1. You will collect your urine sample immediately upon waking, before eating or drinking. 
   1. If you drink water during the night, make sure you drink no more than 8 oz water in the hour prior to your collection.
2. Collect your first morning urine in the provided urine collection cup.
3. Open the specimen tube. 
4. Use the pipette to transfer the urine from the cup to the specimen tube. 
5. Fill to the top of the tube label.
   1. If you do not fill the tube to the top of the label, the lab may not have enough sample to run your tests.
6. Recap the specimen tube by pushing down and twisting slightly.
7. Discard the remaining urine and the urine collection cup.
8. Write your name, date of birth, and the date and time of collection on the tube label.
9. Place the label onto the specimen tube.
10. Place the specimen tube into the biohazard bag and seal completely. 
11. Please be sure to fill out the Testing Release Form (you can find this paper in the same place as your requisition form). 
    1. The form should look like this: 
    

Blood Spot Collection

1. Write your name, date of birth, and the date and time of collection on the collection cards.
2. Wash your hands with warm (not hot) water. 
3. Dry your hands with a clean towel. 
4. Swing your arms around and rub your hands together to stimulate blood flow.
5. Choose a finger on your non-dominant hand to poke.
   1. Rubbing your finger from base to tip a few times will help stimulate blood flow. 
6. In one single swoop, wipe the tip of your finger with the alcohol wipe.
7. Open the lancet by twisting the cap off.
8. Turn your palm up and press the lancet into the side of your chosen finger until you hear a click.
9. Wipe the first drop of blood away with the gauze pad.
10. Allow a blood drop to form.
    1. You can rub your finger from base to tip to stimulate blood flow. 
11. Let the blood drop fall from your finger into the collection circle.
    1. Do NOT touch your finger to the card.
12. Fill the circle as full as possible.
    1. Do NOT add a second drop of blood to a circle.
    
13. Fill in all of the circles on the collection card.
14. Repeat steps 10-13 for each of the 3 blood spot cards.  
    1. You can use the second lancet on another finger if you cannot produce enough blood. 
15. Use a gauze pad to wipe the blood off your finger and apply pressure.
16. Bandage your finger.
17. Leave the collection cards open to dry for at least 2 hours. 
    1. Samples should be kept in a cool, dry place away from sunlight.
    2. Do NOT add additional blood drops after the spots have dried.
18. Fold the collection cards.
19. Place the collection cards in the biohazard bag with the humidity indicator and silica gel packs.
20. Seal the bag tightly.

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Requisition & Payment

• Your kit has been prepaid. You may need to pay an additional fee for phlebotomy.
• Instructions on how to fill out your requisition can be found HERE.
  • Since you pre-paid for your tests, you do not need to fill in the payment information on any of these forms.

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Shipping

• Ship your sample via FedEx as soon as possible. 
• To provide your samples for shipping,
  • Ensure the blood spot collection cards have dried for at least 2 hours and are completely dry.
  • Place the blood spot collection cards in the biohazard bag with the humidity indicator and silica gel packs.
  • Seal the bag tightly.
  • Place your urine collection tube in the second biohazard bag.
  • Place the completed test requisition form into one of the biohazard bags.
  • Place the biohazard bags into the provided, prepaid bubble mailer.
• Make a note of your tracking number so that you can track your samples back to the lab.
• DO NOT place your samples in a FedEx dropbox. 

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Results

• Results should be released to your provider 7-14 days after samples are received at the lab. We cannot guarantee processing time. 
• Your provider will notify you when your results are in and schedule a follow-up appointment for you to review them together. 
• Your provider may choose to release your results to you. Rupa cannot release your results without provider authorization.

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More Resources

• Individual Test Info Pages
  • Tickborne Disease Info Page
  • Heavy Metals Info Page
  • Mycotoxins Info Page
  • Neural Zoomer Plus Info Page
• Collection Instructions
  • [PDF] How to Collect Your Blood Spot Sample
  • [PDF] How to Collect Your Urine Sample
  • [PDF] How to Prepare for Your Vibrant Test

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Questions?

For general questions, email Rupa Health at support@rupahealth.com. For test-specific questions, contact Vibrant Wellness by calling 1-866-364-0963 or chatting with support.