“Everything looks normal”
I’m sure many of you have heard that in regards to your lab work. One of the most common tests a patient has is a blood test, and approximately 99% of them say “my doctor looked at it and told me everything was normal”. Keep in mind that the majority of people who feel unwell will come out “normal” on a blood test. They may not have progressed to a known disease state but they are becoming dysfunctional. This can be things like fatigue, digestive issues, allergies, infertility, weight fluctuation, thyroid issues, skin issues…and the list goes on.
Functional lab work is different than standard lab work and so are the optimal ranges. The ranges used on traditional lab tests are based on statistics rather than if the values represent good health or optimal function. Normal reference ranges usually represent average populations rather than optimal levels required to maintain good health, and they are typically too broad to detect health problems before they become diagnosable. We use ranges that are based on optimal physiology and not the normal population. This creates a tighter range which allows a more targeted evaluation. We’re looking for the first signs of functional change in the body, how the individual biomarkers are interconnected, and if they are trending towards or away from a functional state.
Functional lab work really should be the standard of care for everyone. There is so much insight into what is happening in each unique individuals body when you can see this big picture from their labs. It gives us the opportunity to piece together what is driving the disease and then prioritize what needs to happen and in what order. This is an opportunity to prevent further disease, to often prevent lifetime medications, and also restore health.
Blood testing is an important component of a comprehensive functional medicine work up and plays a vital role in uncovering hidden health trends and disease prevention. It allows me to assess for weaknesses and imbalances, and work towards understanding why my client is experiencing dis-ease or trending toward the development of dis-ease. “Normal” is not optimal.