Functional Lab Testing
When most people think of lab testing, they picture going to a collection location such as LabCorp or LabQuest and having blood drawn. They then receive a report where, generally speaking, everything typically is ‘normal’. That is, the results fall within the reference range. The question then is, ‘if everything is ‘normal’ why do I feel so bad?’
That is a valid question and one every medical patient should be asking. What is interesting is that I have seen clients that have had a heart attack, or have diabetes or extreme lethargy and even mental fragility and their blood tests are normal. What’s the point of a test if more often than not, nothing conclusive will be found? It often requires the presence of a major health crisis before blood results start falling outside the reference range.
Going a bit off-tangent, I have to say this. I am not against modern medicine or the allopathic model. This approach does serve a purpose especially in the area of acute traumas such as being in a car accident or when life or death is in question. They are very effective and excel at their ability to keep one alive. My issue, is that they are ill-equipped to create much less maintain a healthy environment where you won’t require their emergency services. Having said that, let’s return to lab testing.
Here is the truth, a reality that applies to everyone. If you were not born with it, it is not genetic. Down’s syndrome is genetic. Hair color is genetic along with eye color. Waking up one morning to find your child displaying an Autism Spectrum Disorder is not genetic. Developing Type II diabetes in you teens , is not genetic. Putting on 40lb of unwanted fat in your forties, is not genetic. Having a heart attack or developing cancer is not genetic.
I am not saying that genetics are not involved. Everyone has genetic predispositions, that is tendencies toward developing or manifesting certain unwanted health challenges when and only when the wrong variables come into play. For instance, there is a BRCA gene for certain types of breast cancer. You can do gene testing and discover whether you have this defect or not. Did you know that just because you have the defect does not guarantee that you will develop the type of cancer associated with it? There are many women with the defect that don’t develop that cancer form. There are also many without the defect that do develop that form of cancer. If you have the defect and if it is expressing itself and if you make the wrong lifestyle choices within an inappropriate environment then the odds of that form of cancer manifesting greatly increases.
Many people will say that Cancer runs in my family. Does it truly? 100 hundred years ago cancer was incredibly rare. So was heart disease, diabetes and being overweight. Practically every chronic degenerative disease we see today was rare. So it can’t be genetic.
The presences or increase in presence of these chronic degenerative conditions is a clear sign that something internally has changed and not for the better. Specifically, one, if not multiple metabolic functions or pathways have lost homeostasis or balance. The symptoms, the diagnosis is merely the results of this loss of function manifesting outward. Reed Davis, founder of Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® has a term for this. It is called Metabolic Chaos™ as that is exactly what is happening. The state of metabolic function within the body is in a state of disarray.
If these symptoms/diagnosis are results of a loss of function, then the obvious key to reducing or even resolving these health challenges is to restore function and allow the body to return to a state of homeostasis. The entire goal behind functional lab testing is to gain insight into the level of bodily function, to understand its metabolic strengths, weaknesses and imbalances. Understanding what is taking place, along with your current and past lifestyle and experiences will open up an arena of healing opportunities we can take advantage of.
Instead of guessing, we can assess and target protocols, therapies, and lifestyle choices to those that will maximize the benefits while minimizing undesired effects.
When I refer to functional lab testing I am looking to better understand the HIDDEN internal stressors contributing to the unwanted, unresolved health challenges you are manifesting. A battery of recommended lab testing will look into:
Hormonal imbalances (stress, sex and thyroid)
Immune system
Digestive system (digestion, absorption [mucosal barrier/microbiome], and elimination)
Detoxification pathways
Energy production
Nervous system
and more…
Ideally, you are starting to connect the dots and can see that everything in the body is connected to everything else and influenced by each other and the environment in which you live. Everything your body does, it does for a reason. Functional lab testing along with e comprehensive intake forms allow us to better understand the rational. If we can improve function at a cellular level, we will change the function of the tissue, glands, organs, systems and ultimately the function of the entire organism. All this can be done without directly addressing or treating the symptom/diagnosis itself. As I often say, I am not treating the disease, I am treating the person manifesting the disease.