Functional Blood Chemistry
“Why does my doctor say I’m fine when I don’t feel fine?”
A thing I commonly do with clients prior to ordering lab work is to ask for any recent labs they may have run, including any blood chemistry panels. Usually, I hear, “Oh, my doctor said my blood work looks fine…which is frustrating because I don’t feel fine.”
Why does this happen?
Well…lab reference ranges are set based on the results of every person who took that test, and then adjusted to include 95% of the testing population - which leaves 5% to actually be out of range…which means 2.5% will be “high” and 2.5% will be “low”.
Why is this a problem?
Go to any busy shopping mall or street corner or anywhere you can see large crowds of people congregating or milling about…how many people look healthy to you?
Now…go look up health statistics. Disease and mortality rates. Life expectancy rates. Obesity rates. We’re not a terribly healthy population, are we?
Now…consider that the average American adult aged 19-64 takes 12 prescription drugs per year and seniors over 65 take an average of 27…drugs that are meant to keep lab values falling within a specific “healthy” range.
Now…also consider that virtually every public water system, lake, and river is contaminated with pharmaceutical drugs and over-the-counter drugs that are urinated out or carelessly discarded down the sink or toilet.
So now do you understand why your blood chemistry can look “just fine” even though you don’t feel "just fine"?
For the people in the back row…
Lab reference ranges are based on a sick, chronically-stressed, drug-addicted society. To be diagnosed with a disease, you need to be sicker than the sick people who took the test. If you’re not, then you’re told “there’s nothing wrong with you” and sent away with a mix of anger, despair, and confusion.
One of the real dangers with this model is that you may exist in a state of dis-ease for years - decades even - yet have lab work come back that says you're okay...and so you never really change any behaviors that are driving your dis-ease; you just manage your symptoms with over-the-counter or pharmaceutical drugs - which can REALLY mess things up over time.
The bio+logical solution…
I use much narrower “optimal” ranges for my clients based on what we know to actually represent optimal health, because I want to be able to identify things before you get to the “uh-oh” stage, which tends to fall right in between the “hmmm…” stage and the “Oh shit!” stage. In other words - I tolerate less and expect more in the hopes of catching something before it starts to cause dis-ease.
This is one of the many reasons why my program is vastly superior to conventional methods when it comes to helping you overcome chronic dis-ease. My methods, standards, and testing can identify trouble long before it shows up in your doctor's office.
I run conventional blood work through a blood chemistry analysis program that generates a 20+ page report designed to not only compare against the optimal ranges for a healthy person, but it also helps identify problems, patterns, probable causes, other labs and markers to correlate with, nutritional/supplemental therapies, and lifestyle interventions that can be helpful for correcting your imbalances. This report can be printed and taken to your doctor or healthcare professional for discussion when trying to get to the root of your dis-ease.
To schedule a consult and have me look over your blood chemistry, keep reading.
Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis ~ $199
Functional blood chemistry analysis is already included as a service for my clients enrolled in Gut Check and the (R)Evolutionary Health Project. If you’re not quite ready to enroll in those programs but would like me to analyze your blood work, email me a copy of your most recent blood work (ideally no older than 3 months), and I’ll evaluate your results and email you back a comprehensive report and summary of the findings. This service also includes a 30-minute initial consultation and a 30-minute consultation to discuss the results. It does not include the cost of labs, nor does it include a treatment plan.
If you already have recent blood work, please make sure it has all or most of the recommended blood test markers listed below. Blood chemistry analysis relies on correlating patterns between markers, so if your current labs are incomplete or missing markers, the analysis won’t be as thorough. If you’re unsure whether your current labs have the information needed, you can email me a copy of your results, and I’ll let you know before you sign up.
If you don’t have any current blood work and would like your insurance to cover it, you can try asking your doctor to order it first. If they won’t order ALL of those markers (most won’t), then I can order them for you after our initial consultation, but you’ll have to pay out of pocket for them.
When signing up below, you’ll be asked to schedule a 30-minute initial consultation and fill out a couple of forms.
My email address is jason@biologicalhealthandnutrition.com
Recommended Blood Test Markers
COMPREHENSIVE METABOLIC PANEL (CMP)
Glucose, Uric Acid, Creatinine, BUN, eGFR, Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, CO2/Bicarbonate, Calcium, Phosphorus, Total Bilirubin, Serum Iron, ALT, AST, GGT, Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), LDH, Total Protein, Albumin, Globulin total
COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT PANEL (CBC)
WBC, RBC, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, MCV, MCH, MCHC, RDW, Neutrophils %, Lymphocytes %, Basophils %, Eosinophils %, Monocytes %, Platelets
LIPID PANEL
Total Cholesterol, LDL HDL, VLDL, Triglycerides
FULL IRON PANEL
TIBC, Iron Saturation, Serum Iron, Serum Ferritin
FULL THYROID PANEL (must include all of the following:)
TSH, Free T4, Total T4, Free T3, Total T3, T3 Uptake, Reverse T3, TPO Antibody, TBG Antibody,
ADDITIONAL TESTS:
Hemoglobin A1c, Insulin, Homocysteine, hs CRP (Cross-reactive Protein), Folate RBC, Methylmalonic Acid serum (MMA), Zinc, Copper, Ceruloplasmin, Vitamin D 25 Hydroxy, Calcitriol 1,25 di-OH Vitamin D, Magnesium RBC, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin.
(Note: I don’t recommend ordering some markers through your doctor and some on your own, as the blood draws will end up being done at different times, and there are all kinds of moment-by-moment variables that can affect your blood chemistry. Because of this, it’s preferable for your results to be reflective of the same moment in time in order to be able to accurately correlate the findings. I also don’t recommend serum hormone testing, and as such, I will not evaluate any other lab markers that you order on your own, other than the ones listed below, unless otherwise approved by me ahead of time.)
The Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis report and consultation are offered for educational purposes only, to help you understand the meaning of your blood chemistry test results. Bio + Logical Health and Nutrition/Jason Boyd will not use them to diagnose you or treat you specifically for disease, nor will any specific treatment plans be given unless you sign up for my comprehensive one-on-one program, “The (R)Evolutionary Health Project” - so please do not ask. The information provided here or in any consultation is not to be construed as medical advice.