Do you feel like you’re battling never-ending fatigue, confusion, and frustration? Perhaps you’re plagued with insomnia, depression, anxiety, joint pain, chronic fatigue, or brain fog with no relief for years. Although you know something is off, it seems no one has the answers. Does this resonate with you? If so, you are not alone. The critical missing piece to the puzzle is often comprehensive blood work.
Routine lab testing ordered by primary care physicians are overly simplistic panels that don’t dig deep into complex health issues. If your doctor is not providing the answers you deserve, it’s time to think outside the box and cast a wider net when it comes to blood work. That’s where functional medicine can really shine, addressing your concerns while getting to the root cause of your problems.
Why Functional Medicine Focuses on Comprehensive Blood Work
Functional medicine prioritizes thorough analysis and a more detailed, investigative approach by performing extensive laboratory testing. For example, rather than ordering a handful of tests typical in primary care, an initial functional medicine workup at Dr. Autoimmune consists of an astonishing 90 markers. Why so many? Because missing even one small piece of information can delay recovery.
Here are some important diagnostic areas that functional medicine practitioners address, along with the reasons these tests could be exactly what you’ve been missing:
1. Full Iron Panel (Not Just Hemoglobin)
Iron deficiency can lead to fatigue and brain fog, as well as worsen anxiety or depression. A standard lab test often checks only hemoglobin or serum iron, but not ferritin, your iron storage protein. An iron deficiency or even an iron overload may go undetected without a detailed iron blood panel.
2. Vitamin D
Vitamin D, commonly referred to as the “sunshine vitamin,” is also essential for your immune system, bone health, and mood regulation. Ideal levels vary depending on the individual, which is why testing is necessary to find out what’s optimal for you. We run this lab test every time since moderate to severe Vitamin D deficiencies are prevalent but easily fixable.
3. Immunoglobulins and ANA Tests
Have you heard of immunoglobulins? This marker measures the body’s ability to make antibodies which play a crucial role in building a strong immune system. Functional medicine also tests for anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA). These can indicate the presence of autoimmune diseases such as Sjogren’s Syndrome or lupus. When conducted at an early stage, this comprehensive blood work panel can detect systemic autoimmune problems before symptoms get worse.
4. Insulin and Blood Sugar
Most know about testing blood sugar and A1c levels (diabetes markers), but what about fasting insulin? Insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes, is one of the main enemies of energy, metabolism, and even mental health. It can wreak havoc long before abnormal blood sugar is detected. Without testing for fasting insulin, it’s as if you’ve read only half the story of your metabolic health.
5. Inflammatory Markers
Feeling off and can’t pinpoint exactly why? Chronic inflammation could be the culprit. Tests such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine can reveal hidden inflammation driving symptoms like lethargy, joint pain, or brain fog. If these markers aren't being tested, these root causes are easily overlooked.
6. Comprehensive Thyroid Panel (Not Just TSH)
Standard blood work doesn’t fully evaluate thyroid health, as most physicians only perform TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) tests, which is insufficient on its own. To get the entire picture, functional medicine utilizes 8 thyroid markers to check everything from free T3 and T4 (the active hormones emitted by the thyroid) to thyroid antibodies to rule out autoimmune thyroid disease.
7. Liver, Kidney, and Blood Cell Health
Like other vital organs, the liver and kidney have specific enzymes that should be monitored regularly. A comprehensive metabolic panel, or CMP-14, is an in-depth blood test that not only analyzes liver and kidney enzyme levels but also red and white blood cell counts. Changes in these markers can indicate infections, anemia, or some rare forms of cancer. This all-encompassing lab work makes it easier for functional medicine providers to catch important information and missing pieces that others might miss.
8. Specialized Markers for Personalized Care
Checking specialized markers specific to your symptoms is another key element of comprehensive blood work. From testing for nutrient deficits and autoimmune triggers to metabolic disorders and imbalances, functional medicine ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
Why It Matters: Information is Power
Incomplete blood work results in an incomplete plan for support and improvement. You can’t solve the puzzle without all the pieces! The plus side of functional medicine is that there is no guesswork; knowledge is everything. Like Dr. Ian says, “If you’re missing information, you can’t make the right changes."
What About the Cost?
Comprehensive blood work is not overboard but rather a thorough level of testing that shows the entire picture of your health. At Dr. Autoimmune, we offer an initial evaluation and full workup of blood testing for only $375. We partner with Vibrant Labs, specializing in precision and providing high-quality tests.
Take Charge of Your Health
Are you tired of dealing with unexplained symptoms and doctor’s visits that only result in dead ends? Demand more thorough answers because you deserve to feel better– and that all starts with the right functional medicine team and comprehensive blood work. Take the first step towards transforming your health by booking an initial consultation today!
