Every day many people like you visit their doctor because they are dealing with symptoms that are leaving them feeling less than great. It is common then for the doctor to order bloodwork to see what is going on.
Have you ever had blood work done by your doctor? The blood analysis that your doctor does may not be telling you the whole story. That’s why it’s important to have a functional blood chemistry analysis done by a practitioner who is trained in how to read and interpret the results from a functional standpoint.
How is functional blood chemistry analysis different?
Okay, let’s say there is a woman who we’ll call Jessica. Jessica has been dealing with some minor but nagging health complaints such as fatigue and brain fog. These symptoms are mild. But they seem to be getting worse. And now they are beginning to impact her daily life. She decides to schedule an appointment with her doctor to find out why she’s feeling bad. He does a basic blood chemistry panel on her. When the results come back, her doctor informs her that there is nothing wrong with her. This is because everything on the tests came back in the normal reference range.
But Jessica knew better. Her fatigue and brain fog are not normal. It is a sign that something is not functioning properly in her body.
The difference between a standard and functional blood test analysis
There is no difference in the test itself, but there is a big difference in how that test is interpreted. When it comes to blood chemistry analysis, there are two ranges that can be looked at and analyzed. The Pathological and the Functional range.
The Pathological range is the range most looked at by allopathic doctors like your doctor. It is this range that indicates a level of disease in the body. It tends to be a very wide range, with focus going to markers in the high and low areas of the range.
Why focusing only on the Pathological range is a problem
So, like we saw with Jessica, if the test results fall within the bounds of “normal” Pathological range, and don’t indicate disease, then it is likely that a doctor will tell his patient that there is nothing wrong. That can leave a patient frustrated, without answers and still feeling unwell.
The Functional range varies from the Pathological range. It is a much narrower range than the Pathological range. Although much of this range is considered by many doctors to be normal, this range can show more subtle signs that disease and dysfunction are starting to occur in the body. It can be used to assess the risk of a disease developing before the disease occurs.
The picture above shows test results that highlight six different markers. Each one of these markers is in the reference range and would appear normal. The doctor who interprets this test, would most likely tell their patient that there is nothing wrong. But by functional standards, these results are not normal. Someone who knows how to interpret this test would know that these results are indicative of liver dysfunction, chronic infection, digestive inflammation, intestinal parasites, food & environmental sensitivities, and deficiencies in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, folate, and iron.
The “normal” range
The Functional range that is considered “normal” by many doctors in fact may be giving indication that the body is out of balance. If left unchecked, disease will be the outcome. But when looking at the Functional range we see vastly different information. A practitioner who can interpret subtle variations and patterns of beginning dysfunction, can often work with a client to prevent the onset of disease and reverse symptoms.
This preventative work can be done through appropriate diet, exercise, stress management, quality sleep, proper supplementation and other non-invasive natural therapies and modalities.
Unfortunately, our current model of healthcare is not setup for the prevention of disease, but for the treatment of disease. So, most doctors aren’t looking for the factors that could lead to disease while interpreting a blood chemistry panel. They are looking for the markers that disease is already occurring in the body.
Remember our friend Jessica?
After the frustration of being told that there is nothing wrong with her, she contacted FDNThrive. Our coaches have been trained in the latest cutting-edge functional blood chemistry analysis. Jessica’s coach easily spotted patterns within some of her blood chemistry markers that showed that there was indeed dysfunction occurring in her body.
Her FDNThrive coach worked closely with her, helping her to recognize what dietary changes she needed to make to support healing in her body. They uncovered some of the hidden stress in her body. She started a good exercise program and began sleeping better. And she began taking the right supplements to support what her body needed to heal. Within a few weeks, Jessica started to feel better. Her fatigue and brain fog began to go away, and her energy and vitality increased.
Both ranges are important
Both ranges are important and serve their purpose. If someone truly is in a state of disease, the Pathological range will help a doctor to identify that. But the Functional range also needs to be considered. It is this range that will help you to know if dysfunction is beginning. And it will allow you to start taking the steps to reverse that dysfunction…before it becomes a chronic disease state.
Blood chemistry test results can tell a practitioner a lot about the state of your health. Our coaches are well versed in interpreting functional blood chemistry results to help get you on the road to healing. Contact us today for more information.
