Casey Means' Good Energy Lab Panel — Get It Done Cash-Pay in Austin
13 metabolic biomarkers. Under $200. No insurance, no referral required. Here's exactly how to run the full Good Energy panel at Austin cash-pay labs.
What's the Good Energy Panel?
In her book Good Energy, Stanford-trained physician Casey Means argues that 93% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy — and most don't know it. Not because they feel sick, but because the 13 biomarkers that would reveal it are almost never ordered together in a standard annual physical.
The standard panel your doctor orders: fasting glucose, basic lipids, maybe A1C. Useful — but far from complete. You can have normal fasting glucose and normal LDL while your fasting insulin is quietly spiking, your ApoB is building arterial plaque, and your GGT is flagging early liver stress. None of that shows up on a basic panel.
Together, these 13 markers give you the full metabolic picture — not just whether you have disease yet, but whether you're headed there.
All 13 Biomarkers — Optimal Ranges & Austin Cash Prices
Prices based on Any Lab Test Now Austin and LaboratoryAssist Austin as of early 2026.
How to Order These Tests in Austin
The good news: most of these tests don't require a doctor visit. Austin has several walk-in lab options where you can order your own bloodwork, pay cash, and get results in 1–3 days.
Walk-in, no doctor's order needed for most tests. Multiple Austin locations. Offers fasting insulin, ApoB, hsCRP, uric acid, GGT, and all other Good Energy Panel tests. This is the single easiest place to get the full panel done.
One of the cheapest walk-in labs in Austin. CMP for $6, CBC for $29. Requires a provider order for some tests — but pairs well with a DPC doctor to get the full panel.
At ALTN, ask for a "metabolic panel bundle" or order a CMP + CBC + lipid panel + fasting insulin + ApoB + hsCRP + uric acid + GGT + vitamin D + TSH + A1C. That's the full Good Energy panel. Total cost typically runs $150–$200 cash-pay.
Why These Numbers Matter
Fasting Insulin (the one that changes everything)
Your doctor tests glucose. Insulin is what actually tells the story. You can be insulin resistant for 10–15 years before your glucose gets high enough to flag as "prediabetic." A fasting insulin under 6 µIU/mL is where you want to be. Most labs report "normal" up to 25 — a threshold Casey calls dangerously misleading.
ApoB (not LDL)
LDL cholesterol measures the amount of cholesterol in particles. ApoB counts the particles themselves — and it's the particles that cause arterial damage. Two people can have the same LDL and wildly different ApoB counts. Standard lipid panels miss this completely.
GGT (the overlooked one)
GGT is one of the most sensitive early markers of metabolic dysfunction. It rises when the liver is under oxidative stress — often years before standard liver function tests (ALT/AST) show anything unusual. Optimal is under 16–20 U/L. Most labs consider "normal" up to 55–65.
What It Costs: Hospital vs. Cash-Pay
About this page: MarketCare is a price transparency tool, not a medical provider. The optimal ranges listed are based on Casey Means' research in Good Energy and do not constitute medical advice. Consult a licensed provider to interpret your results.
Find These Tests in Austin
MarketCare shows real cash prices for all 13 Good Energy biomarkers at Austin labs — side by side, no login required.