Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis – Prevention Superhero
Next time you go to your doctor for your annual medical exam, make sure you ask for the full Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis.
The Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis is the Superhero of Preventative Healthcare
by Kristin Grayce McGary LAc., MAc., CFMP®, CSTcert, CLP
It’s your annual medical exam. You know the routine. You spend 5-10 minutes with your doctor or nurse practitioner/physician’s assistant. They weigh you. Measure your blood pressure and body temperature. And, if you’re lucky, they order a lab panel for 10-30 blood markers. That’s the most your insurance will cover. And it is not enough to accurately assess your health.
I recommend a comprehensive lab panel of 68+ markers. That is the only way a medical practitioner can see what is happening inside your body and can evaluate how your current nutrition and lifestyle impact you. In my experience, the panel most doctors offer has too many gaps. A comprehensive panel illuminates the blind spots and assists in making healthcare choices that support a long and happy life.
I believe Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis is the superhero of preventative health care.
Primarily the focus of Western medicine is remedial sick care, not prevention. Blood work is one of the most powerful diagnostic tools in medicine. It detects disease and reveals warning signs that help to prevent illnesses from developing. Elevated markers indicate potential problems and avoid damage to body tissues and organs long before symptoms appear. Western doctors, MDs, and Naturopaths, train (and are constrained by insurance companies) to order simple panels with few markers, and to use them to guide simple interventions rather than for prevention.
Three factors make functional blood chemistry analysis superior to the conventional study: the number of markers, the reference ranges, and interconnections among the results.
Functional blood panels typically measure 2-6 times more markers. When I assess a patient’s health, I request a baseline laboratory panel of 68 markers plus urinalysis which yields 5 or 6 full pages of results. That level of detail is typically unavailable from your general practitioner or Naturopath’s office. Each marker has a statistically-compiled range of values that are considered normal, called the reference range.
The compilation of conventional reference ranges is from a vast population of people, many of whom had their blood analyzed because they were already sick. Functional reference ranges, on the other hand, are compiled from a smaller population of healthy people whose bodies are functioning optimally.
The reference ranges in a functional panel are tighter than conventional ones. So during an assessment, those markers that fall within the closer functional range compare favorably with healthy people. They receive a green flag. Markers falling outside the more extensive conventional range compare poorly with sick people and receive red flags. Those markers that fall in between those ranges are yellow flagged and considered neither healthy nor ill…yet. Medical practitioners using conventional analysis notice red flags but and largely ignores the rest. Functional analysis is on the lookout not only for red flags but also for yellow flags. Those yellow flags are early warning signs of potential illness. You cannot see it or feel symptoms yet, but you are now aware of it and can do something about it. Now that is a superpower!
The conventional bloodwork analysis considers markers in isolation. Your medical practitioner prescribes pharmaceuticals to address just that marker. (For example, statin drugs to reduce elevated cholesterol). Alternatively, functional blood chemistry analysis recognizes multiple causes for an elevated marker and looks for patterns among the other markers to more accurately discern causes.
Functional blood chemistry analysis saved my life. I was sick with multiple debilitating symptoms many of which were preventable. I went undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years. Eventually, I found a medical practitioner skilled in ordering and interpreting a functional blood chemistry panel. I learned the root of my symptoms, and with that knowledge, I took an accurate and individualized approach to my healing. I’m passionate about preventing others from suffering. I want to empower you with the knowledge you deserve so that you can make informed choices about your health, nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle that can dramatically improve your life.
In one-year, functional blood chemistry analysis saved the lives of two of my patients. Both had the potentially life-threatening blood disorder called hemochromatosis, or “iron overload.” If left untreated it causes organ damage, failure, and death. Their doctors never tested a full iron panel. So the condition went undiagnosed. By reviewing their comprehensive blood panel, I identified their iron overload.
Another of my patients had his standard annual-checkup and blood test at the VA. His doctor told him everything looked great, and that he was in perfect health. He didn’t feel great and brought his panel to me. Despite having only 11 markers, I could still see the essential details the doctor missed. His cholesterol was abnormally low due to overmedication with a statin drug. Several other markers indicated insulin resistance and pre-diabetes. Moreover, he had symptoms of pre-diabetes that no one had ever brought to his attention! Reading lab markers holistically, i.e., looking for patterns in combinations of makers and functionally, i.e., noting markers with yellow flags reveals the actual state of our health. Armed with this knowledge, he made nutritional and lifestyle shifts which meant he avoided dependency on diabetes and cholesterol medications and their unwanted side effects.
I have seen patients prescribed thyroid medications based on few thyroid markers – typically TSH and sometimes one or more of T3/T4/free T4. Not enough. The full thyroid panel I prefer has ten markers, including two for antibodies. How can a physician prescribe a medication without thoroughly investigating the functioning of the gland or organ for which that medication is meant to treat? The standard of care, to which MDs and NMDs in the western world are bound, states that if Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is high, they must prescribe a T4 hormone. And that’s usually a synthetic product such as Synthroid. In my opinion, this approach is a one-size-fits-all symptom treatment. A full thyroid panel interpreted functionally can sort through the many reasons why TSH might be out of range. Once we find the cause we can restore balance to the body’s systems and the patient can feel amazing!
A simple blood test is insufficient. Doctors order bloodwork only when you are already sick. Generally, those panels are incomplete, and they interpret the markers in isolation according to reference ranges compiled from populations of primarily ill people, without considering your unique history, nutrition, and lifestyle. Often your bloodwork is processed by software. You receive a color-filled report but no personal consultation. Functional blood chemistry analysis is a powerful prevention tool that you deserve.
You will also enjoy Kristin Grayce McGary: The Ketogenic Cure
About the Author
Kristin Grayce McGary LAc., MAc., CFMP®, CSTcert, CLP is a highly sought-after holistic healthcare practitioner. She is renowned for reversing debilitating health conditions and helping people to live with clarity and vitality. Kristin Grayce is also a speaker and author of Ketogenic Cure; Heal Your Gut, Heal Your Life. www.KristinGrayceMcGary.com
