The more I have poked around on the Canary Club website, the more impressed I am… www.canaryclub.org.  The name of the organization was so intriguing to me.  Why “Canary Club?” The web site explains: “Canaries were once used in coal mines to alert miners to the presence of dangerous toxins.  Many of us are like those canaries, sensitive and reacting to toxins and pollutants in our environment before others.  We are ahead of the ‘knowledge curve’ – we ache, we hurt, and yet we’re frequently told that our reactions are unfounded.  We know better.  By getting help, living healthfully, and sharing our stories, we can positively influence our health and society’s environmental health.”

It was intriguing to me to read about the co-founders, friends for years, Lynn Larkin and Judith Seton: “With the current state of our environment, skyrocketing health care costs and medical professionals who are overwhelmed and lack resources, Lynn saw a great need for education as well as affordable home testing and products for those with hormonal imbalance and environmentally caused health issues. She noticed that it was often difficult to receive accurate diagnosis and support of ailments that were clearly debilitating, in a health system that was expensive and too often unresponsive to those who ‘just weren’t feeling well’.   It is from this reality that the Canary Club was born.”

Judith writes: “It was terrifying being in the U.S. with no health insurance. It seemed that the cost of any health care was a huge financial burden.  Being able to support others with their health concerns is a priviledge and is an area where I see much assistance is needed.  I love being able to make a difference for our members in this vital arena.”

I am very impressed that the Canary Club’s medical advisors include Dr. Richard Shames, M.D. and Karilee Shames, Ph.D. RN, authors of Feeling Fat, Fuzzy, or Frazzled? and Thyroid Power.  Their texts are simply must-reads for health care practitioners and anyone interested in understanding the role that the sex hormones, the adrenal glands, and the thryroid play in hormone balance.  When searching for a health care practitioner it is not only important to find one who understands natural or bioidentical hormone balancing, but one who also understands the interplay of the sex hormones along with the thyroid and the adrenal glands.

Yesterday I did some cost comparisons of home test kits from various web sites, and I am impressed with the Canary Club prices.  I am also all too aware that some practitioners are beginning to see the income opportunity and are providing saliva testing in their offices with some charging $250 – $300 just for a standard 5 panel test.  Though there are all kinds of home test kits available on the Canary Club web site, I noted that they offer a “Comprehensive Hormone Profile” that includes “a complete adrenal function panel, assessment of reproductive hormone levels, and a full thyroid panel” for $225.  I also noted that the tests are conducted in the most reputable laboratories in the U.S.

However, the good news doesn’t stop there.  The web site offers complete information on understanding and interpreting the test results, written by Dr. Shames.  This is excellent information not only for you but also for your health care provider.  If you do not have a health care provider, you can even arrange for a consultation with Dr. Shames.  I did not research the costs for that service.

I am most grateful for what Lynn and Judith have spearheaded in this web site, particularly in these challenging economic times.  They have made high quality home testing affordable so that more and more women and men can enjoy the quality of life they so richly deserve.  Again, I must thank Joseph for leaving a comment on my blog to awaken me to the Canary Club.  Thank you, Joseph!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Hormone Balancing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.