FUNCTIONAL BLOODWORK
Your labs said everything was fine, but you don't feel fine.
There's a difference between labs that rule out disease and labs that tell you how your body is actually functioning. That's where functional bloodwork interpretation begins.
Standard ranges are designed to rule out disease - not optimise health.
THE PROBLEM WITH "NORMAL"
Standard bloodwork reference ranges are statistical averages drawn from a general population - healthy and unhealthy people combined. If your result falls within that broad band, you're told everything looks fine. But fine and optimal are very different things.
Functional medicine uses narrower, evidence-based ranges that reflect how the body works when it's actually well. A TSH of 3.8 might be "in range" on a standard panel. Functionally, it's worth paying attention to. The same applies across dozens of markers - nutrients, hormones, inflammation, blood sugar regulation - where the standard range is wide enough to miss a significant amount.
STANDARD REFERENCE RANGES
Designed to identify diagnosable disease.
Wide bands averaged across a mixed population. If you're inside the range, you're told you're fine - regardless of how you actually feel. Misses early dysfunction by design.
FUNCTIONAL RANGES
Designed to identify optimal function.
Narrower, evidence-based ranges that reflect how a healthy body actually operates. Catches patterns early - before they become a diagnosis - and explains why you feel the way you do.
This is usually the first "aha" moment for people who've been told their labs are normal while feeling anything but.
”One marker rarely tells a full story. Frequently, an imbalance in one area masks another - making something appear in range when it isn't."
Think of it like a seesaw: push one side down and the other rises to compensate, until the whole system tips. We look at markers in relation to each other, not in isolation.
WHAT WE LOOK AT
A thorough review - not just a list of out-of-range markers.
We look at markers in relation to each other, identifying patterns that emerge across the full picture. We look for dysfunction earlier — before it becomes a disease.
Thyroid - full panel
TSH, free T3, free T4, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies. Most standard panels only check TSH, missing many thyroid issues.
Hormones & adrenals
Sex hormones, adrenal function, cortisol patterns, and how chronic stress is affecting the endocrine system as a whole.
Metabolic health
Blood sugar, fasting insulin, HbA1c, and early insulin resistance patterns.
Cholesterol & cardiovascular
Particle size, oxidation, and inflammation context - not just the headline number.
Key nutrients
Vitamin D, B12, folate, ferritin, magnesium, omega-3 index, zinc and others.
Inflammation markers
CRP, homocysteine, and others indicating chronic inflammatory states.
Liver, gut & kidney health
Organ stress markers reflecting how well your body is processing, filtering, and eliminating - and where it's struggling.
Anemia patterns
Multiple types exist - standard panels catch only the most obvious.
Hydration & electrolytes
Frequently overlooked - surprisingly impactful for energy, cognition, and recovery.
Immune & pathogen influence
Markers suggesting the immune system is responding to a chronic infection, pathogen, or ongoing inflammatory trigger.
A NOTE ON AI INTERPRETATION
Platforms give you data. AI gives you a starting point.
Function Health, Superpower, InsideTracker and similar platforms have made detailed bloodwork genuinely accessible. The reports they generate are detailed, well-presented, and useful.
AI interpretation works by comparing your markers against reference ranges and flagging what falls outside them. What it can't do is understand your full health history, recognise the patterns that emerge when markers interact with each other, or account for the clinical nuance that changes what a result actually means in your specific context.
The result is often a protocol that is technically accurate and practically overwhelming — a long list with no guidance on what's urgent, what isn't, and where to begin. A review with someone who has clinical experience turns that data into a plan you can actually follow.
Sometimes bloodwork raises questions that standard panels can't answer.
WHEN WE NEED TO GO DEEPER
Based on what we find together, I may suggest additional specialist testing - not routinely, but when the clinical picture points toward it.
This might include DUTCH hormone testing for a detailed view of sex hormones and cortisol patterns across the day, a GI Map for gut bacteria, pathogens, and intestinal health, organic acids testing for mitochondrial function and metabolic patterns, mold and mycotoxin markers for anyone with a history of water-damaged building exposure or suspected CIRS, or specialty panels for tick-borne diseases, Lyme disease, and co-infections - an area that remains significantly underdiagnosed in conventional settings. These are some of the more commonly relevant panels - but I have access to a wide range of functional and specialty labs beyond these, and what gets recommended depends entirely on your individual picture. I'll guide you on what's worth ordering, what isn't, and how to access it.
HOW IT WORKS
What a session looks like.
Bring whatever you have - results from Function Health, Superpower, InsideTracker, a standard GP panel, or a mix of several. If you don't have labs yet, or have an incomplete panel and want to order before we meet, I can guide you on what's worth running and how to access it.
We start with your history. What you've been experiencing, for how long, what you've already tried. Then we go through the results together - not as a checklist of flagged markers, but as a picture of how everything relates. A number rarely means the same thing in isolation as it does in context. We look for the patterns.
By the end of the session you'll have a clear sense of what's actually driving how you feel, what deserves attention first, and what can wait. If additional testing would add something meaningful, I'll say so and explain why. You leave with something you can actually act on.
BOOK A SESSION
Ready to understand what your labs are telling you?
Lab Interpretation Session · $240 · 60 min
Or start with a free 15-minute clarity call if you're not sure where to begin.
Complimentary · 15 min · No obligation