Lab tests are your health’s early detection, warning and guidance system. They can catch critical changes in your body before they manifest as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or worse. Lab test results guide 70% of medical decision-making, yet they remain remarkably cost-efficient for patients and healthcare providers alike.
“From early detection and diagnosis of disease to individualized treatment plans based on a person’s unique genetic makeup, clinical lab testing is key to improving healthcare quality and containing long-term health costs.”
-American Clinical Laboratory Association.
But given the many lab tests now available, how can you know which lab tests are essential?
In “Which Lab Tests Are Essential for Optimal Health?” You Will Learn How Lab Tests Can…
Catch, detect and diagnose disease early on before it progresses
Guide a person’s individualized treatment plan
Monitor the results of the treatment plan so that necessary adjustments can be made in a timely way.
Potentially help avoid costly procedures and tragic outcomes.
You will also…
Learn which labs are essential to your annual health assessment.
Gain a general understanding of the blood biomarkers
Learn how to use blood work for prevention and optimal health.
Understand the difference between normal and optimal lab values.
Learn how a Naturopathic Functional Medicine Physician uses your blood biomarkers to help you make more informed decisions about diet, lifestyle, fitness, and supplement
Benefits of attending this webinar:
Learn how you can objectively know your health condition rather than guessing.
Avoid potentially tragic health conditions by detecting and acting early on.
Enjoy a longer, healthier, more active and satisfying life.
Be able to focus on creating and nurturing satisfying relationships rather than being forced to focus on your own health issues.
Who is Dr. Angela Carlson, ND?
Dr. Angela Carlson is a Board Certified Naturopathic Doctor. She received a Doctorate Degree from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon in 2012. She then completed 2 years of Residency, in General Medicine and Women’s Health. Dr. Carlson worked as a Primary Care Physician in Oregon, prior to moving to Las Vegas where she opened her own practice.
Dr. Carlson has many areas of expertise, including thyroid conditions, gastrointestinal issues, hormone imbalances, autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, diabetes and prediabetes, and cardiovascular concerns like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. She really enjoys working with clients that are looking for a different approach to their health care.
When she works with a client, Dr. Carlson helps to determine and address the underlying causes of the symptom or disease. She uses both her expertise as a Doctor and a Health Coach to help her clients achieve their health goals and reach optimal wellness. Dr. Carlson has medical training in conventional diagnosis and pharmacological treatments and offers cutting edge natural medicine therapies. She is an attentive listener and spends quality time with her clients.
Dr. Carlson loves the desert sunshine and is thrilled to have her practice based in Las Vegas!
Webinar Slides
Webinar Notes
Which Lab Tests Are Essential for Optimal Health?
How to use laboratory assessments to develop YOUR health monitoring strategy.
Dr. Angela Carlson, Licensed & Board Certified Naturopathic Doctor
Today We Will Discuss the Following
Understand the difference between ”NORMAL” and “OPTIMAL” lab values
What labs are essential to your annual health assessment?
How often should you have lab work?
How to use blood work for prevention of chronic disease and developing a strategy for optimal health.
Tips on how to get the most accurate results
Be Your Own Health Advocate
This presentation is intended to be a resource that you can reference in the future.
Be sure to review this information the next time that you have blood work or the next time that you are DUE for labs.
Remember, YOU need to be YOUR OWN health advocate!
Shortcomings of Current Medical System. There are many….
The system is designed to DIAGNOSE DISEASE not to PREVENT DISEASE.
Most Primary Care Physicians order minimal tests and often use markers that are not adequate at detecting early imbalances.
Most patients are misinformed by the Physician and are told that the labs are NORMAL and that they are healthy, when the patient is actively developing a chronic disease.
What Labs Are Essential in Evaluating HEALTH, not DISEASE?
Overview List:
CBC with diff
CMP
Fasting blood sugar
HgA1c
Post-meal blood sugar
Insulin
Iron assessment
serum iron, TIBC, ferritin
Lipid assessment
lipid panel, Apo B or LDL-p
Inflammatory markers
hs-crp, homocysteine
Thyroid assessment
TSH, total T4, total T3, reverse T3, free T3, free T4, TPO antibodies, TG antibodies
Vitamin D
Methylmalonic acid
RBC folate
RBC magnesium
”NORMAL” vs “OPTIMAL” Lab Reference Ranges
The normal range for a blood test is generally determined by the population of people that get tested for that particular lab.
Most people getting the testing are not in optimal health, so the reference range is based on an average of mostly unhealthy people.
With routine blood testing, you want to focus on OPTIMAL, not AVERAGE.
Always remember that NORMAL does not mean HEALTHY when it comes to your lab assessments.
Consider working with a doctor that is trained in using optimal ranges!
evaluates for prediabetes / diabetes, cardiovascular disease risk
Kidney function
involved in blood pressure, maintaining body pH, act as a filter for the blood to absorb nutrients and remove waste products
Liver function & inflammation
medications, infections, excess body fat
Electrolytes
electrolyte balance is needed for muscle contractions, including the heart, nerve impulses to send message around the body, and to maintain fluid balance
And, much more!
Tests to Evaluate Blood Sugar
Fasting Blood Sugar
Hemoglobin A1c
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test
Fructosamine
Post-Meal Blood Sugar
Fasting Blood Sugar
Measures the concentration of glucose in the blood after an 8-12 hour fast.
The most common, but LEAST sensitive marker to evaluate blood sugar
Limitations
Only provides information about your blood sugar in a fasting state, not about how your blood sugar responds to the food you eat.
Hemoglobin A1cb (HgA1c)
Reflects your average blood sugar over the past 2-3 months
Based on the theory that if a red blood cell lives an average of 3 months, if we measure the amount of sugar that sticks to these cells, we can get an idea of how much sugar has been in the blood over the previous 3 months.
The number reported is the percentage of hemoglobin that has become ”glycated” or stuck to sugar.
Limitations to the HgA1c Test
Assumes that everyone’s red blood cells live for 3 months.
The lifespan of a Red Blood Cells VARIES ….
Longer than average with normal blood sugars, causing FALSE ELEVATIONS. Hemoglobin is around longer and will accumulate more sugar.
Shorter than average with higher blood sugars, causing FALSE LOW LEVELS
Also impacted by common conditions including
Anemia
Dehydration
Pregnancy
Epidemic of DIABETES!
Fasting blood sugar and A1c are the LEAST SENSITIVE markers for predicting future diabetes and heart disease.
This is a big problem because they are almost always the only tests doctors run to screen for diabetes and blood sugar issues.
Oral Glucose Tolerance Testing
Measures your insulin response to glucose (sugar).
Insulin is made by the pancreas to help sugar move from your bloodstream to inside the cell.
You fast, then drink 75 grams of glucose dissolved in water.
Blood sugar is tested 1 and 2 hours after.
Provides more information about your blood sugar response to glucose.
Limitations
Not realistic –no one ever drinks 75 grams of pure glucose
Can cause dangerous and uncomfortable spikes in blood sugar
”Normal” verse OPTIMAL
(See chart above in PowerPoint Slide Images)
Studies show that using the American Diabetes Association criteria of A1c of 6% as normal MISSED 70% of individuals with diabetes and 82-94% with pre-diabetes.
Fructosamine
Measures blood sugar concentrations, but over previous 2-3 weeks.
Not affected by lifespan of RBC.
Especially helpful in those with anemia and pregnancy
Post-Meal Blood Sugar
Performed at home using a glucometer.
Blood sugars are collected at specific times AFTER meals for 3 days.
The data is evaluated to determine your glucose tolerance or how your glucose and insulin RESPOND to the food you eat.
Tests your post-meal blood sugars after your normal meals, making it the MOST RELIABLE AND ACCURATE way to predict future diabetic complications and heart disease.
More important to know how many hours a day your blood sugars are elevated over levels that are known to cause complications (140 mg/dL).
(See chart above in PowerPoint Slide Images)
Insulin
Used to evaluate
INSULIN RESISTANCE or PREDIABETS
The higher your levels, the closer to developing diabetes you are.
Insulin is made by the pancreas and works to keep your blood sugar levels even.
A diet high in refined carbohydrates from bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes requires high amounts of insulin to maintain blood sugar levels.
Routinely testing insulin can determine high levels of insulin years or decades before diabetes develops.
Often insulin will change BEFORE fasting blood sugar.
Iron Assessment
Evaluation of IRON DEFICIENCY and IRON OVERLOAD is recommended for all patients.
Assessment involves
Iron panel -serum iron, Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation
Ferritin
Serum iron –most common marker ordered by clinicians
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