As the year comes to an end, it is always nice to look back and reflect on the positive things that were accomplished over the last eleven months. Whether they are personal or professional, positive changes have happened to each of us this year. As a physician, I am hoping that many of you have had a chance to improve your health as a part of those changes. If you have, congratulations! It takes hard work, discipline, and a healthy routine to change your health for the better. If you have neglected your health or if you are hoping to improve it in the upcoming year, give our office a call to see how we can help you accomplish your goals. 

A good blood panel will tell us how the body’s organs and systems are functioning. We can look at hormones, kidney and liver function, vitamin and protein deficiency, and the immune system all at the same time. This shows us how the body is working on the inside and usually correlates well with symptoms that show up on the outside. If you would like to know what we consider a good blood panel contact us and we will give you the list that we use with our patients. You can compare this to your most recent blood work or ask your doctor to run those tests on your next round of blood work.

Since we believe in the preventative healthcare model we use ranges on blood tests that may be smaller than the laboratory’s ranges. So while you may be within the laboratory’s “normal” ranges, you may be outside of our “healthy” ranges. Usually laboratories and doctor’s offices use ranges that look for large problems that are already there. We like to identify where these large problems may come from before they arrive. We call our ranges “functional” because the body works best within these ranges. We want to keep you in the healthy, functional range so you don’t have to worry about large health problems.

An example of the difference in ranges is noticable in how we look at cholesterol. Cholesterol is used in every cell of our body. It helps cells move nutrients in, wastes out, and keeps the wall of the cells flexible. Cholesterol is used as the starting point to make hormones and vitamin D. It is used to insulate nerves so the information sent through the nervous system moves quickly. It is also used to make bile, which helps us eliminate toxins from our body. Cholesterol is useful all over our body, but because of its role in clogging arteries it has gotten a bad rap in health care. There is a minimum amount of cholesterol that our body needs to perform all of the functions it is asked to do. Many laboratories have their minimum level too low. Our range allows for cholesterol to do all of its jobs without causing other health problems. This is one example of how we view blood work differently than some laboratories and offices.