How Long Will You Lose Sleep Over an Abnormal Lab?
With the advent of direct-to-consumer testing, especially the latest craze of online memberships that give you a long list of labs complete with computer-generated health report, we are getting more and more anxious calls about abnormal labs. While we applaud the concept of getting patients access to labs that their conventional providers refuse to order, we worry that this trend causes a lot of unnecessary anxiety. Not all abnormal results are the same and not all are really abnormal. Knowing which result is which type requires training and experience. Having someone you can trust to guide you is critical for navigating the results so that you don’t lose sleep over a nothing and don’t ignore an important red flag before a window of opportunity closes.
Great idea, you say, but you already have results from recent online labs or already signed up. What should you do now? First, don’t be alarmed if someone is 2 points above or below the normal range in most labs. While functional medicine providers like myself do aim for optimal ranges more narrow than the printed reference ranges, even then minor deviations are not causes for alarm any more than a ‘curve ahead’ road sign should scare you while driving. It just means you should pay attention to what is coming next.
Often, the next step to a mildly abnormal lab is to repeat that lab several days or weeks later. A high percentage of those repeat labs are entirely normal and the ‘curve ahead’ is now a ‘curve behind,’ in the rearview as you cruise along. Some other times, the results prompt us using a different test to doublecheck from another angle. An abnormal creatinine for kidney function often comes back normal by a cystatin C. This is far from the only instance in which I can gladly assure people that those initially abnormal labs mean little to nothing for their future health.
Some of the online programs offer to use a secret computer algorithm to estimate the user’s true age, versus what the calendar says. Hearing that you are really 75 years old instead of 55 years is disconcerting and probably misleading more often than it is helpful. Few tests actually measure your age, and even those are still in their infancy. Telomere length is one, but I don’t see this expensive test included in the short list of cheap tests offered online. So, don’t get too excited that you are 10 years younger than your birthday or frightened by being 10 years too old. The pronouncement has far more flash than substance.
Oh, you haven’t signed up yet. Great, find someone who will sit down with you and focus your lab testing and recommendations on the unique you, not the generic 53yo white female suburbanite who eats out 3 times a week. The extra time and cost of personalized medicine will not only save you money in the long run but prevent some sleepless nights. Helping our patients achieve healthier, more abundant lives permits no shortcuts, regardless of the online programs’ dazzle and big promise. Personalized care requires person-to-person care.
If you’re sorting through confusing lab results or want to test smarter from the start, our team is here to guide you with clarity, context, and care. Let’s work together to build your personalized roadmap to lasting health. Click below to schedule your first conversation with our Patient Support Team.
https://sanctuaryfunctionalmedicine.com/intensive-program/
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
Dr. Eric Potter graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School and then went on to specialize in internal medicine (adult) and pediatric care, spending significant time and effort in growing his medical understanding while caring for patients from all walks of life.
