Have you ever had blood work done by your doctor? Many people do every day. And yet the blood analysis that the doctor does may not be telling you the whole story about what is going on with your health. 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 than the blood analysis done by the doctor?
Here is an example. Let’s say that there is a woman who we’ll call Sarah. Sarah has been dealing with some minor, but nagging health complaints such as fatigue and brain fog. These symptoms are mild, but have been getting worse and are starting to affect her life. So she schedules an appointment with her doctor. He proceeds to do 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 Sarah knew better. Her fatigue and brain fog are not normal and mean that she is not fine. 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 commonly looked at by allopathic doctors. 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.
The frustration of focusing only on the Pathological range
So, like we saw with Sarah, 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.
Learn more about Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis in this course
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 in the body. It can be used to gauge the risk of a disease developing before the disease actually 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, 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 the majority of 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 Sarah?
After the frustration of being told that there is nothing wrong with her, she contacted an FDN practitioner who was trained in Functional Blood Chemistry analysis. Sarah shared her blood chemistry test results with her practitioner, who easily spotted some patterns within some of the blood chemistry markers that showed that there was indeed dysfunction occurring in her body.
Learn more about Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis in this course
Her FDN practitioner 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 stressors in her body. She started on a good exercise program and began sleeping better. And she began taking the right supplements to support what her body needed to heal and function optimally. Within a few weeks, Sarah was beginning to feel better. Her fatigue and brain fog began to diminish 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. Be sure to find a practitioner who is well versed in interpreting Functional Blood Chemistry results to help get you on the road to healing.
If you are currently a health coach, chiropractor, personal trainer or other alternative practitioner and you would be interested in learning more about how to interpret functional blood chemistry lab results, options for ordering tests, supplementation recommendations for your clients, and more, then check out this Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis Course, and take your business to the next level!
