Almost every week, I have a client tell me, “My doctor said my bloodwork was normal, but I still don’t feel well.”
They’re exhausted. They’re struggling to lose weight despite eating well. Their hair is thinning, their digestion has changed, or they simply don’t have the energy they used to. They know something doesn’t feel right, yet they’ve been told everything looks normal.
It’s a frustrating place to be, and it’s one of the reasons I spend so much time reviewing bloodwork with my clients.
Before we go any further, I want to be clear: conventional medicine plays an incredibly important role. Annual bloodwork is an essential tool for screening, diagnosing, and monitoring many health conditions. It helps identify concerns that require medical attention and provides valuable information about your overall health.
My role isn’t to replace that approach. Instead, I look at those same results through a different lens and ask additional questions when someone still isn’t feeling their best.
Many people assume that if every result falls within the laboratory’s reference range, everything must be functioning optimally. But “normal” doesn’t always mean “optimal.”
Laboratory reference ranges are designed to identify disease or significant abnormalities. Functional practitioners often take it one step further by looking at how well the body is functioning before a condition progresses to the point of disease.
Rather than asking only, “Is this number within the reference range?” I also ask:
- Is this marker trending in the right direction?
- Does it align with how this person is feeling?
- Are there patterns beginning to emerge?
- Could these results help explain their symptoms?
Sometimes the answers aren’t found in one abnormal number. They’re found in several markers that are technically “normal” but, when viewed together, begin to tell a much bigger story. Iron stores, blood sugar regulation, inflammation, thyroid function, vitamin levels, and many other markers can provide valuable clues when interpreted alongside a person’s symptoms and health history.
I often tell clients that reviewing bloodwork is like reading a book. If you only read one sentence, you’ll miss the story. But when you read every chapter together—and combine it with someone’s symptoms, lifestyle, nutrition, stress, sleep, and overall health—you begin to see a much clearer picture.
That doesn’t mean every symptom requires extensive testing or that every lab value needs to be perfect. It simply means we shouldn’t ignore what our bodies are trying to tell us just because a report says “normal.”
Our bodies are incredibly resilient. They often adapt and compensate for months—or even years—before something becomes abnormal enough to receive a diagnosis. Those subtle changes can provide an opportunity to make meaningful lifestyle adjustments through nutrition, movement, stress management, sleep, and other healthy habits before larger concerns develop.
Bloodwork shouldn’t create fear—it should create understanding.
Whether your results come back normal or abnormal, taking the time to understand what those numbers mean—and how they relate to your overall health—can help you become a more informed and active participant in your healthcare.
In my next article, we’ll take a deeper dive into some of the bloodwork markers I discuss most often with clients, what they do in the body, and why understanding them can provide valuable insight into your overall health.
Your Partner in Health,
Reg
