When Your PCP Tells You You’re Fine…
How to Read Your Most Recent Blood Draw
I always tell people- if I got 1$ for every time a patient told me their physician said their labs looked fine, but they don’t feel fine, I’d have a lot of dolla billlsssss. Truth is conventional lab reference ranges are incredibly out dated. As a Holistic Practitioner, I am trained to look at optimal levels, meaning I look at clinical ranges that attempt to reflect a population that is more self-aware, better educated on health, on a personal health journey, thus producing a narrow health curve. Being in prevention, my target audience are those who are consciously willing to improve their health daily.
Standard lab reference ranges are a representation of a total population taking the test regardless of their health status, thus producing a wider bell curve which can vary from lab to lab.
So basically, your standard lab ranges will reflect the average and sometimes even below average numbers. I don’t know about ya’ll but WHO’S TRYING TO BE AVERAGE? To me, average means “barely getting by”, “may experience toxic overload soon”, or “good for now but if not taken care of, there is a hospital or hefty bill in your future”. This is why prevention is SO important. Healthcare is evolving. Why? Herbicides, pesticides, oil, gas, food dyes, heavy processing, GMO’s, inflammatory oils, pollutants, toxic scents, bacteria, parasites, etc. It is my job as a Holistic Practitioner to keep up, stay educated, and assess accordingly! I have to change with the times, listen to my patients, and use labs as a guide knowing that they aren’t the problem, they are a result of the problem!
My biggest piece of advice: if you feel like something is wrong, you’re probably right. Act on it and keep moving forward until you find answers. Your health is one of the few things you can control, so get on it!
Let me repeat that, YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH.
Here is an example with my own blood work:
Focusing on the cortisol level, there are 2 separate ranges- one for AM and one for PM (depending on the time of day you get your blood draw). Based on an average sum of individuals from a western medicine point of view, your cortisol in the morning should be between 5.2-22.5 ug/dL. That is a very wide range…
Functional medicine looks at optimal ranges so- I would love to see an AM cortisol level between 17-19 ug/dL. HUGE difference, right? In the eyes of conventional medicine, I am doing great! But if I were to continue this way, I’d estimate 6-8 months before I really start declining. I cannot stress annual labs enough. Knowledge is power and acting on that knowledge can save your life.
If you’re looking for a Holistic Practitioner, look no further! I am currently taking new clients!
Find out if we are a good fit here.
Xx, Stephanie
