Have you ever gotten labs done because you suffer from the following?
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Hair loss
- Gut issues
- Joint pain
- Weight gain
- Weight loss resistance
- Depression
- Loss of libido
- Chronic pain
Yet, your labs came back normal?
We see this all the time with our patients. They feel terrible, they have all sorts of symptoms, yet their labwork from their doctor’s appointment comes back with everything in the “normal” range.
They are told they are perfectly fine, it’s just aging, or to eat less and exercise more. Or they are prescribed an antidepressant.
The problem is that “normal” does not always mean optimal when it comes to lab work. Also, standard labwork does not screen for common markers of inflammation and autoimmunity that frequently cause these symptoms.
In functional medicine, we look at ranges differently and order additional markers that assess disease risk before it’s too late to do something about it. These markers often explain the cause of symptoms.
For instance, functional medicine practitioners can identify the risk for diabetes long before it occurs. Or explain why you have hypothyroid symptoms despite normal lab results.
Another example is that many conventional doctors look only at thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) for thyroid function. In functional medicine, we understand that Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, an autoimmune disease, causes the majority of cases of hypothyroidism. Hashimoto’s is the most common autoimmune disease in the country, affecting primarily women. Yet it is often overlooked in the standard healthcare model.
Common symptoms of Hashimoto’s include low thyroid include fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, and brain fog. By ordering blood tests that measure thyroid antibodies, a marker of autoimmunity, we can screen for Hashimoto’s. While thyroid hormone replacement medication may be necessary, by additionally managing the underlying autoimmune condition, we can help minimize symptoms, prevent the occurrence of second and third autoimmune diseases, and slow its progression.
Also, many lab ranges are based on the results of people who visited a particular lab over a certain period of time, many of whom are unwell. As our population becomes more chronically ill or diseased, “normal” reference ranges grow wider. In fact, 133 million Americans, or nearly half the population, suffer from at least one chronic illness, such as hypertension, heart disease, and arthritis.
Functional ranges, on the other hand, are based on optimal health. This gives you an opportunity to shift the direction of your health before drugs or surgery become necessary.
Assessing patterns within blood test results rather than looking at each marker individually allows the practitioner to evaluate how different systems influence one another to cause a constellation of symptoms.
Functional medicine lab testing saves you money in the long run by eliminating trial-and-error and guesswork. It’s also great for compliance with nutritional and lifestyle protocols. When you clearly understand what’s going on with your health, it’s easier to feel motivated to turn things around.
At RedRiver Health and Wellness Center, we help patients with Hashimoto’s low thyroid and autoimmune conditions. Because each person is unique, we design custom care plans focusing on the individual. We aim to help you stack more good days into each month.
To learn more about our services and to schedule a free consultation, please visit redriverhealthandwellness.com. We work with your prescribing physician for optimal results. Do not discontinue medication or hormone replacement therapy without consulting your prescribing physician.
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About Josh Redd
Josh Redd, MS, DABFM, DAAIM, is a chiropractic physician and author of the Amazon bestselling book “The Truth About Low Thyroid.” Redd owns seven functional medicine clinics in the western U.S. and sees patients from across the country and around the world who are suffering from challenging autoimmune, endocrine and neurological disorders.
He studied immunology, virology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins where he is a MaPHB candidate. He also teaches thousands of health care practitioners about functional medicine and immunology, thyroid health, neurology, lab testing and more.
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RedRiver Health and Wellness Center | Address: 1451 N. 200 E. Suite 250 A, Logan | Telephone: (435) 265-4287 | Website.
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