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“EverlyWell is transforming lab testing — a $25 billion market — to be simple, convenient, and useful for you,” she told the judges with a smile. Beside her sat a display of the company’s wares: mail-order test kits for everything from testosterone levels to sexually transmitted infections.
When Cheek left the stage, she had a fresh $1 million commitment from investor Lori Greiner. And the company is wowing more than just the television judges. EverlyWell garnered $6 million in sales last year, a spokeswoman said, and Cheek told the judges that this year they expected that to double.
But what EverlyWell describes as one of its best-sellers — a test for food sensitivity — is of dubious medical value, according to experts interviewed by STAT. The $199 test promises to use a fingerprick’s worth of blood to gauge whether a person’s immune system is active against 96 common foods, including asparagus, garlic, and eggs. An immune protein called immunoglobulin G, the company’s website says, could be to blame for symptoms such headaches, stomach pain, diarrhea, and fatigue.