When I stumbled upon the world of nutrition, healthy eating, and supplements it was easy for me to assume that this was the fix for everything! Because I saw such big changes in my life when I changed the way I ate I assumed that with how powerful food and the diet were that it would be the complete solution to my health problems.
Later on, though I realized that no matter how perfect I tried to eat I was still experiencing some health issues that my diet didn’t seem to be fixing. I soon learned about how potent supplements could be and added those into my routine. Fish oil to help with inflammation, specific nutrients to help with blood sugar regulation, acid to help break down my food, etc…
While adding supplements on top of my already healthy diet did make positive changes I still was struggling and didn’t know why! Why was my blood sugar dysregulated? Why was I not digesting food properly? Why was I having chronic pain and constant inflammation? Food and supplementation were helping to address the symptoms but they weren’t telling me what the root of the problem was!
This is where lab tests come in. I finally went to a naturopathic doctor who recommended a number of tests that showed us what was going on in my digestive and hormonal systems. I learned so much from finally getting tests done I know I never would have been able to address my health, in the same way, had I not started with a clear map!
Below are three key ways that lab testing may be able to help you address health issues and make more progress.
Saves time - In our world that is saturated with new problems like autoimmune diseases, and food sensitivities, plus so many different views on health and healthy eating it can be quite the process to learn what works best for you. Learning is part of the process but if you are struggling with specific issues (for instance you have hashimoto’s, constant candida infections, or maybe excessive fatigue) getting tests run on yourself can help you speed up the process of figuring out what to do! Without tests telling you what the root of your issue is you may spend months or even years trying one diet after another, one special supplement after another maybe making small improvements but never figuring out the full picture. When you start by first knowing what your individual hurdles are you can more quickly address each issue and make faster progress towards your goals!
Saves money - If you do end up spending months or years chasing health through the path of trying different supplements or diets you may find that you’ve spent the same amount of money or more than it would have been to get a blood or stool test done and you haven’t made any progress. Before I saw a doctor who recommended some lab tests for me I was convinced that every next supplement may help fix the problem. As you can imagine this led to lots of supplements bought, and maybe not even finished. I learned about some great nutrients and how they could help my body in different ways but I really wasn’t fixing the problem.
Saves effort and frustration - You know when you start a new diet hoping that “this is the one!”? You plan your meals, prepare your kitchen, stock all the new fancy food items, and dive in headfirst. The enthusiasm is great but maybe it doesn’t last long. Maybe you’re a month in and you haven’t noticed results. Maybe you’re a few months in with no results and a new diet you just read about is calling your name. It’s frustrating. You thought that this one would fix the problem. You put so much work into it.
I feel you! It’s hard work and can be frustrating when you dedicate so much time and energy to something that amounted to less than you’d hoped. The right kind of lab tests used in the correct ways can lead you to a more customized plan that will eliminate the shooting in the dark you’re doing when you just try one new diet after another.
About 6 years ago when I first when to a natural-minded practitioner that pulled some labs for me I learned that I had an overgrowth of bad bacteria in my intestines which was causing my digestive issues and that I had low thyroid levels which were playing into my pain, inflammation, blood sugar and so much more. Without these tests, I would have never known what kind of things were really going on in my gut and with my thyroid. I could have guessed, but without knowing for sure I couldn’t have addressed it so aggressively! Later on, after making huge progress on my health I had a few challenges left. I got some other tests drawn with different practitioners (moved to a new town so changed health care providers) and learned even more in-depth information.
Today I am so glad for all the work and money that I (and my parents back then) have put into visiting natural-minded health practitioners and getting lab tests done that showed us what was going on in my body. Every time we learned something new we had a clear path on where to go next and how to address the problem. Because of it, I have overcome a lot of pain and fatigue and now can support my body with the proper food and supplementation and feel my best!
This is the kind of hope and freedom I want for everyone!
read part 2 How I use lab tests to help my Nutritional Therapy Clients
