CBC Lipid Panel

Have you ever run a blood test to look at your Lipids?

What did you find? How were the results interpreted and what was the advice?

This is a fascinating and large topic! It’s also one that has no shortage of opinions and debate.

There are extreme views on both sides of the meaning of the markers and the interventions proposed.

So – at the very least, give yourself a balance of information.

For the purpose of this post, we’ll steer clear of all the technical ins and outs of this topic for now. But what we will emphasise is the EDUCATIONAL part the ‘Lipid Panel’ of a blood test plays.

When you run a comprehensive and fascinating blood panel – it is packed with insight and feedback from your body.

You can work with it, not against it.

We emphasise and promote this because we often hear the exact opposite experience:

– Blood test comes back normal >> zero discussion! Great, it’s normal. But what’s next? How do you still move towards your goals? What was even tested in the first place? Is the patient involved in the process?

– Another scenario is that the Patient has another appointment when one of the markers is out of range. Yet the Patient is still not part of the process as there is limited focus on the why the marker is too high or low. The educational part. And all the emphasis being on how they can treat it. There’s an opportunity here to provide informed choice and a balance of options.

– There’s a huge difference between running tests and empowering health and running tests and disempowering health.

Ultimately it seems to be the same with the Lipid Panel. The markers like Triglycerides and Cholesterol measurements are really, really useful.

They can teach us a great deal about what is going on in the body.

A one-sided view will often portray these a ‘bad things’ full stop!

But there is a lot more value in them.

First of all these levels are typically a ‘response’ to something. That means that whilst it is important to identify ‘highs and lows’ – it is arguably more important to identify ‘why’ this is the case.

For example – What is the body producing a higher level of Cholesterol for?

For example – Given that cholesterol is a powerful anti-inflammatory molecule, could it be that it is responding to high levels of inflammation?

If so – what seems like the most important step(s) to take?

Another Example – If cholesterol is a precursor to making hormones like progesterone and oestrogen, is it wise to perceive cholesterol as a ‘bad’ thing?

What happens if you have low or suppressed cholesterol levels? Is that a better situation to be in?

When you approach testing and assessments as something to work with and of value in an educational process, then they create congruence with the actual health goal.

Hint – The goal is not whose one-sided ego/opinion in the debate is correct and wins an argument.

The goal is to ask questions to find both more answers ……. and yet more questions to ask.

Ask quality questions to get quality answers.

Another hint – when you get your results back – ask questions! Empower the information that is there to help you move towards goal and solve the chronic health challenges.

Jack

Read more about a Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis here: https://functionalhealthclinic.co.uk/functional-blood-chemistry-analysis/

Work with us to squeeze the value out of your Blood Tests