Is it time for your annual checkup? When you go to the doctor, your doctor will often request lab work. So, off you go to the lab for a blood draw. The results come back a few days later and (hopefully) everything’s within the acceptable ranges. You’re deemed healthy – and off you go for another year.
But did you know, it’s not always that simple? Here are a few “lessons”.
Reference ranges for can vary from lab to lab. Each lab has its own set of acceptable ranges. That’s why, if you play Dr. Google, you may see that the reference ranges on the website you’re visiting differ slightly from those on your lab work report. Usually these differences are minimal, but sometimes they are enough to stop a Low or High flag from appearing on your report.
Lesson: If your result is close to the top or bottom of the range, double check the ranges.
It’s also important to understand how “acceptable ranges”, or reference ranges are calculated. When the powers-that-be determine the reference ranges, they often do so by comparing many peoples’ results. This, in general, is a good thing. Just looking at your own numbers in isolation doesn’t give you any real reference points. You need to be able to compare yourself to others.
To officially do this, they use a bell curve. Data is analyzed, put on a bell curve, and the middle chunk of the curve determines the reference range, while the outliers get excluded. Makes sense, right? We know that the outliers tend to be the ones struggling.
But let’s apply the practice using Vitamin D as an example. The middle-of-the-curve, acceptable reference range for Vitamin D is typically 30-100. If your numbers fall within that range, you are often told you are fine.
BUT, vitamin D deficiency* is rampant in our population and people with this deficiency were included when those ranges were calculated. Including people with the deficiency when you calculate the curve doesn’t really give you an accurate bell curve for healthy people. It just tells you what the averages are for the broader population. When you’re after optimal health, you want to compare yourself to people who truly are healthy. For vitamin D, those ranges are typically closer to 50-100.
Luckily, you can now search for optimal ranges or functional ranges for many specific lab tests and find that information on the web. Be careful when researching – you’ll often find that even the experts don’t completely agree and that some websites are better and more reliable than others. Always double check what you find. Yes, it takes a bit of extra work, but it’s worth it. Finding a holistic doctor who values and uses optimal ranges also makes this much easier!
Lesson: Use optimal ranges when you interpret lab work.
The third reason is that ratios matter. For some conditions, it’s not necessarily the number that you get on your report, but how that number connects with other numbers on your report. There are times when two numbers can be within range, but the ratio of the two numbers is either not within range or is a clue to something that needs to be researched further. This is often true with cholesterol and thyroid numbers. Sometimes, but not always, some of this math will be done for you on the report. Again, finding a doctor who is trained and can take the time to look at the ratios, is important.
Lesson: Dig deeper into how some of your numbers relate to each other.
As always, understand your body and be your own advocate! Learn the questions to ask and keep digging until you get the answers you need. Use multiple sources and verify those sources. Look for patterns and look for the bigger picture. Don’t shy away from important conversations.
And ALWAYS, look to the foundations (diet, digestion, blood sugar, vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and hydration) to see how they can support you on your health journey.
Above all, make yourself a priority. Nobody will do it for you!
*Vitamin D can be toxic when taken in excess amounts. Never supplement without testing regularly.