Looking for optimal in your test results

One question we often ask you in consult is “have you had any recent blood tests” the common response is “yes, but they are all normal”.

It's at this point we ask, can you get us copies. When you are not feeling your best it can be frustrating to be told everything is normal. It can leave you feeling a little hopeless and a little unsure of where to turn. This is where we come in. As Naturopaths we always dig a little deeper.

When we look at test results we are looking for optimal. We have different ranges for most commonly tested bloods and this is because we are looking for optimal. We don’t want you just scraping by. Some common standard blood tests we look at differently are iron and vitamin D.

Particularly when its comes to fatigue and lowered immunity both of these vitamins play a big role.

Low iron contributes to fatigue because iron is essential for producing haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. Not enough iron > less oxygen = fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath. You also need iron to make thyroid hormones, a symptom of impaired thyroid function is fatigue.

Low iron can weaken your immune system because iron is crucial for producing and maintaining healthy immune cells, meaning you may produce insufficient amounts of white blood cells, which are essential for fighting off infections. This means you're more likely to get sick and may take longer to recover from illnesses.

Vitamin D is immunomodulator this means that it can up-regulate or down-regulate your immune system response depending on what your body needs. The naturopathic view is that vitamin d needs to be much higher than what is currently considered in range and this is even more important if you suffer from an immune deficiency state (getting sick all the time, lots of infections) or if you in an overactive immune state (eczema, asthma) or if you suffer with auto-immunity.

If your looking for personalised guidance and support, we’re here to help.

Lisa Dunlop is a degree qualified Naturopath who specialises in gut health and immune function and practices here at The Sana Co.

To make a booking with Lisa click HERE