9 - 2023 - Dr Libby

Blood tests play a crucial role in assessing our health and the “normal” ranges serve as guideposts to signal when something might be amiss. Yet, when do we have blood tests? When we feel fabulous or when we feel lousy? Usually, it’s the latter. But let’s say we did have blood tests when we were at our best, most optimal level of health. Imagine we are 26 years old when this occurs and we get our thyroid hormones tested.

When we test our TSH we find out it is 1, fitting easily inside the normal range which tends to be 0.4 to 4. We also learn our T4 is 15, within the normal range of 10 to 20. These are our “normal”, or our own individual ideal. Then, when we are 42, we don’t feel like ourselves. The fatigue has become worse than ever, our clothes are tight despite no changes to how we eat or move, our skin is drier than previously, our hair and nails are somewhat brittle and we’re the first person in the room to put a jumper on – all classic signs that the thyroid may not be working as well as it could. So you have some blood tests to investigate.

You find out your TSH is 3 and your T4 is 11. You’re told your results are normal and that there’s nothing wrong with your thyroid function. Sure, they are in the normal range so it’s great news that you don’t have a thyroid disease. Yet your results are not normal for you. Your pituitary is having to make three times the amount of TSH it once did to get your thyroid to make 11 measly units of T4. Whereas, when you were 26, it only took 1 unit of TSH for your thyroid to generate 15 units of T4. It is as if the pituitary is having to shout at the thyroid (with 3 units of TSH) to wake up and make its hormones now, and it can only produce 11 units of T4 in response.

This is just one example of how relying solely on blood work can compromise overall wellbeing rather than optimise it and it is why I advocate for using the body’s symptoms as a guide alongside any blood work. If your results are within normal parameters but lingering near the edges of the reference ranges, you may be exhibiting some or many of the symptoms of those who fall outside of them. Our bodies are unique and respond differently to nutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies. All of this is to say that if you’ve had blood tests and been told everything is normal and yet you still feel as though something isn’t right – listen to your body and pursue answers and path forward.

We often hear about nutrient deficiencies – a severe shortage of a specific nutrient. Yet, what about insufficiencies? While the subtler shortfall may not present as obvious symptoms, insufficiencies can still affect our vitality. Clinicians know these subtleties well, but how often do we pause to consider them for ourselves?

Picture it like this. Imagine your body as a meticulously tailored garment. When discussing nutrients, the distinction between deficiencies and insufficiencies is akin to distinguishing between a missing sleeve and a fraying cuff. One is entirely dysfunctional and the other is just a little tattered at the edges. Both matter, yet understanding the distinction is pivotal as it’s the difference between preventative care and reactive treatment.

For instance, a stark deficiency of vitamin C leads to scurvy, a condition marked by swollen gums, joint pain and fatigue. It’s easier to diagnose a condition like scurvy because the symptoms are evident and clinicians have a set of diagnosable symptoms to line up against.

A vitamin C insufficiency, on the other hand, might not always be so easy to recognise. You could be getting sick more often or having more frequent histamine reactions, for example. Yet, these symptoms might not immediately be put down to a vitamin C issue as there could also be numerous other things causing your challenges.

Acknowledging insufficiencies early on can be a preventative measure. After all, it’s far easier to mend a fraying cuff than to stitch an entire sleeve. Lower than ideal vitamin D levels can lead to bone weakness, yet when caught early, we can potentially prevent or delay osteoporosis from developing.

While blood tests can be useful in assessing nutrient status, they’re not always necessary. Simple nutritional changes can be highly effective at correcting nutrient insufficiencies (and, at times, even deficiencies) without further intervention. To put it simply – eat more food, not junk! That said, if you’re experiencing persistent symptoms and you aren’t sure what’s driving them, it can be immensely beneficial to do some further investigations with the help of your health care professional to see if you can figure out what’s going on.

Click here to read more about Jenny Brooks, the senior practitioner at the Dr Libby Clinic.

When you don’t feel right but your blood tests come back normal

The difference between nutrient deficiencies and insufficiencies

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