Top 3 Things You Should Know About Lab Testing
Part of my “east meets west” approach to medicine involves the use of lab testing. Naturopathic doctors can order labs that MDs can (such as cholesterol, blood glucose, creatinine (to help assess kidney function), iron, thyroid, etc) and additional ones that family doctors don’t have access to (such as food sensitivities, saliva and urine hormone testing (a more accurate measurement of hormones vs. blood), stool and bacterial overgrowth analysis, etc). However, I don’t believe in using a lab test for each and every treatment. Individualized medicine is the cornerstone of naturopathic medicine! While lab testing is a fantastic tool that I believe in to get quantifiable measurements to help guide treatment and track progress, it can be tricky to navigate.
Here are some things to keep in mind before you do any lab test:
1) Being within the “normal” reference values does not mean you’re completely out of the water.
The reference values are NOT developed by optimal health; they are based on statistics. They can differ depending on the medium (e.g. urine, blood, saliva, etc) and the lab that you use, as different labs have different equipment, measurements, calibrations, etc. This is also another reason why often times, medical doctors and naturopathic doctors have a different idea of what an optimal value is. Take ferritin (or iron) for example – a lab I’ve had experience with in the past had their reference range as 5-272. That’s a HUGE range! Some medical doctors will see that your result was marked “normal” and just move on, even if your value was 10 (which is too low, in case you’re wondering). I never like using the word normal, because what is normal anyway, right?! Naturopathic doctors work towards having OPTIMAL levels to decrease your risk factors and help you achieve your health goals.
2) You should do testing only if the results are going to significantly impact your health decisions.
Sometimes, you hear about a lab test from a colleague, friend, family member, etc and you think to yourself, “Wow! Maybe I should get that tested. So-and-so said was shocked at what they found; even said it changed their lives”. While some would argue that more information is better then no information, I would argue that there are times this isn’t the case. For example, let’s say your friend had a food sensitivity test done, and ended up having to cut corn and tomatoes out of their diet (RIP chips and salsa). This significantly increased their energy, decreased bloating, and got rid of that stubborn skin rash they had. You don’t seem to have problems with any food, but you do wish you had more energy. Your energy especially dips mid-morning after you’ve had your breakfast bagel, which is an integral part of your day. This means you should get this test done, right?
Well, maybe, because it depends on a lot of things.
Lack of energy or fatigue can be due to a variety of things, such as auto-immunity, hormone imbalance, chronic stress, etc. Food testing is only one picture of the fatigue puzzle, and it often includes both lifestyle and diet changes in order to see results. If your food sensitivity test comes back positive for gluten, and you feel absolutely cannot live without your morning bagel, are you prepared to make those changes? This is a conversation best had with a healthcare professional, which leads me to my next point:
3) Find a certified healthcare practitioner to help order your test and review your results with you.
Nowadays, there are a surprising amount of lab test kits you can purchase in pharmacies or online. With the increasing amount of information on the internet, people are becoming more educated about their health. You know me – I’m all about educating and empowering patients, but this can get into dangerous territory very quickly. Healthcare practitioners go through rigorous training to interpret lab results and determine the best course of action based on those results AND THE PATIENT.
The problem with information online is that:
1) it is meant to target a very general population (I’m looking at you WebMD)
2) anyone can post anything and not be held accountable for negative consequences, and
3) the human body is very complex, so it’s not always a direct translation from symptom –> lab –> treatment (as the internet may make it seem)
TLDR: You need a healthcare practitioner to help you navigate through lab testing (explain what the results mean (if anything), what to do with the results, and whether you actually need to do the test). Your doctor went through med school – Dr. Google did not.
