Have you ever dealt with agonizing symptoms, only to visit your doctor and have them tell you that your test results are all normal?
Unfortunately, we see this all too often.
Sometimes the problem is obvious. For example, you feel sore after a long workout, have a headache after not sleeping, or experience a stomach ache after eating junk food.
Other times, you’re dealing with fatigue, unexplained pain, digestive issues, abnormal periods, or symptoms that leave you feeling like something isn’t right.
You visit your primary care physician, assuming you’re dealing with a hormone imbalance or a vitamin or mineral deficiency. You hope to leave with some sort of answer, but your doctor says all your lab results are normal and sends you on your way – dealing with the same symptoms and left with more questions than answers.
At Manifest, we recognize the importance of listening to your body. When something feels “off,” or you’re feeling less than your best, we want to help rectify your symptoms, get to the root of the problem, and find what’s going on deeper inside.
As a Functional Medicine Clinic, we take a comprehensive look at your test results when Interpreting and Assessing Lab Test Results, looking for anything outside of the functional range, ordering additional focused tests, and targeting our treatment from there.
Standard Lab Results
The reason your doctor says your test results have come back normal is because standard lab reference ranges are extremely broad and based on the average population.
These tests help doctors diagnose and treat patients based on high or low values. When your levels reach these high or low levels, you’re diagnosed, and your doctor treats you accordingly.
If your levels are not abnormally high or low, based on the average, you’re considered normal.
Even when you feel anything but normal.
Why “Normal” Isn’t Normal
As we mentioned before, standard lab ranges are based on the average of the population in the area the testing was done. For example, the blood sugar range in one State may not be the same as another.
The problem is, just because you’re average doesn’t mean you’re as healthy as you could be…
With so many US adults already dealing with chronic diseases and various illnesses, these “normal” results don’t seem to reflect optimal health.
According to the American Hospital Association, an estimated 133 million Americans – nearly half the population – suffer from at least one chronic illness.
These normal ranges also don’t consider your genetic history, environment, diet, lifestyle, and medical history. All of which play integral roles in your overall health and wellbeing.
For most, by the time you’ve reached the abnormally high or low range, you’ve probably been dealing with symptoms for quite some time, and likely, the disease or illness has already spread, making it much more challenging to treat.
A Functional Medicine Approach
With a functional medicine approach, we look at your health as a whole and recognize that while your results may be “normal,” the chronic disease doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a slow process that can take years to develop.
We also realize that health looks different for everyone.
Diet, lifestyle, genetics, and environment all play crucial roles in how the body functions. To feel your best requires a holistic approach that considers the mind, body, and spirit.
Optimal Lab Results
Instead of focusing on the “normal” range of a “healthy” population, Functional Medicine Practitioners utilize values representative of optimal health.
These ranges are much narrower than what conventional medicine uses, so any signs of dysfunction or imbalance are easily identified early on. In doing so, functional medicine practitioners can help to reverse or stop disease progression.
In addition, Functional Medicine practitioners test much more than what is routine in conventional medicine. They will often test for specific nutrient deficiencies, hormone levels, inflammatory markers, enzymes, thyroid function, and much more.
Functional medicine practitioners want to get a complete picture and address all the areas that play integral roles in overall health.
The Manifest Approach
Our approach at Manifest Health & Wellness addresses the whole person, not just the symptoms.
We take an investigative approach to get to the root cause(s) of your health issues by assessing:
- Your comprehensive health and medical history
- Past and current symptoms
- Data you’ve gathered from working with other health professionals
- Additional specialty laboratory testing as needed
- Your intuition as the expert on your body
- Our clinical knowledge and experience from working with thousands of people in our years in practice
At Manifest, We take the time to listen to and understand each individual and create a personalized treatment plan after your first visit.
We utilize a variety of modalities, including:
- Acupuncture
- Functional Medicine
- Nutraceuticals & Supplements
- Medicinal Herbs
- PEMF Treatments
- Transformational Coaching
With our expert team of practitioners and experience working with thousands of patients, we can help you achieve balance and harmony in your life so that you can live with vitality and joy.
Let’s get started
Whether you are focused on feeling pain-free, improving your digestion, controlling your autoimmune condition, or getting to the root of an illness.
We’re here to guide you.
