One of the many conveniences of this type of testing is that patients all over the nation can have their blood drawn close to their residence, and then have their lab results delivered electronically to a doctor of their choice for interpretation. This way allows a patient to work with a healthcare practitioner across the country, or across the world.

Functional Versus Pathological Blood Chemistry Lab Ranges
There are two main types of ranges in the field of blood chemistry analysis: a functional and pathological range. The pathological range is a larger range used to identify when a person is sick. All laboratories which perform blood chemistry analysis use these ranges. Many people who fall inside the normal pathological range are told they are “healthy”, yet may continue to experience health problems. These lab reference ranges are formulated from testing sick people, not healthy people. Therefore, if you fall in this range you may be told that everything is normal, yet continue to have the same problems.

On the other hand the functional range is a narrower range, taken from healthier people, used to assess risk for health problems and detect serious health challenges before they develop. Because of conventional dogma, many traditional healthcare practitioners do not embrace the concept of the functional range. What it boils down to is your definition of “health” and how healthy you want to feel. Embracing the functional range embraces a higher definition of health, vitality and wellness compared to the pathological range. The functional blood chemistry ranges used at Fundamental Health Solutions have been determined by the American Association of Clinical Chemists (AACC) taken from healthy subjects.

Interpretation
Although there are some individual lab values for blood chemistry that are specific, most lab values must be evaluated in conjunction with other lab values in order to make an accurate assessment. For example, the lab value LDL Cholesterol is associated with heart health. This value is also associated with liver health, oxidation, and antioxidant deficiencies in the body; therefore an elevation can indicate problems in these areas of the body as well. This example points out the importance that blood chemistry analysis is about identifying patterns to ascertain probabilities. Patterns can only be accurately determined when sufficient lab values are tested. The most important attribute of any healthcare practitioner is learning to identify patterns and provide an appropriate course of action to improve health.

Know Your Numbers
Additional tests, or specialty tests, may be ordered based upon each individual case but only after notification and consent is given by the patient. If you already have had these values tested recently, please submit them for our review. We would be happy to provide further interpretation and assistance.

What can be even more frustrating is following a calorie restriction diet.  It is very common for people to go on a diet that restricts the intake of calories – and then suffer with frequent hunger pangs.  Considering that most Americans eat 33% to 50% fewer calories than in the past, yet weigh almost twice as much, calorie counting is not the magic bullet to sustained weight loss and a healthy body that is nourished properly.

Low and poor quality caloric diets are credited with creating people described as “TOFI” – Thin Outside, Fat Inside.  This refers to women, in particular, who are visibly “thin” for their height and weight, yet have extremely inadequate muscle mass needed for burning fat.  TOFI people have disproportionately higher amounts of body fat when compared to muscle mass for their size.  They are “thin”, but soft, and flabby with poor muscle tone, as a result of eating poorly.

Others may lose weight by counting calories but hit a plateau and seem stuck there.  Others will decide that eliminating meat products is the way to go so they turn to vegan diet.  For some, the vegan diet can seem like the answer to their problems and the pounds peel off and they feel great.  For others, this switch to a seemingly healthy diet causes them to end up feeling worse than they were when they were eating meat.  How can this be?

Let’s look at soy.  Soy based products have long been an alternative protein source.  Is soy the wonder food?  It can be if your soy based products are good for you.  During a discussion with an alternative healer, some years ago, she commented that most of the people she had seen did not handle soy products that well over long periods of time, unless they were of Asian descent.  When you consider that most soy products are consumed as Tofu, a food based in Asian cultures,  people with Asian genetics have had some 2,000 years for their genetics to adapt and metabolize this food.  For many others, soy based products may actually present a different challenge.

In 1997, Dr. Peter D’Adamo, a Naturopathic Doctor, published a book called, “Eat Right 4 Your Type.”  Dr. Adamo had spent the past fifteen years researching the connections among blood type, food and diseases, and built upon the thirty years of research done by his father, to produce a book that helped countless people make sense of the curious inconsistent results regarding many popular diet plans.

Basically, Dr. A’damo states that your blood type reflects your internal chemistry:  it is the key that unlocks the mysteries of disease, longevity, fitness, and emotional strength.   In his book he explains how your Blood Type can determine your susceptibility to illness, the type of foods you should eat, and the ways to avoid many health problems.  Perhaps one of the most profound findings, which tie into our practice of Functional Medicine at our offices at Fundamental Health Solutions, is Dr A’damo’s findings on how to slow down the aging process by avoiding factors specific to your blood type that cause rapid cell deterioration.

Out of 6617 individuals who reported their results from following the Blood Type Diet for a period of one month or more, three out of four (71-78%) had significant improvement in a variety of health conditions. Weight loss was the effect most often observed, and not surprisingly, so were a number of reported improvements in digestive function, resistance to stress, overall energy and mental clarity. The percentages (71-78%) of patients reporting positive results are consistent across all the blood types.

Are You Eating Foods Correct For Your Blood Type and Genotype?
How does this work?  A single drop of blood contains the biological blueprint of who you are as an individual. Your blood type is the key that unlocks the door to the mysteries of health, illness, longevity, physical vitality and emotional strength. It determines what foods you should eat and how you should exercise. It determines your energy levels and the efficiency with which you “burn” calories.

Although there are four blood types-O, A, B and AB-it would be an oversimplification to suggest that there are only four types of people in the world. The reality is far more intricate and complex. Subtyping your blood type provides even greater specificity. An additional set of simple genetic tests further individualize your needs and formalize a final diet plan for you. The final product is a 38 page diet plan telling you the foods you CAN eat, with helpful recipes. No two diets are exactly the same. Additionally, we provide the types of exercises that will benefit you most to help you maintain good

For more information on adapting the D’Adamo dietary guidelines, and visiting our office for an in office consult and overview of your body’s current ability to absorb and metabolize what you are eating, please contact us at Fundamental Health Solutions.  We are located in Austin, TX and can offer some long distance consultation as well.  Click here to contact us

Research
1) Diet, Health and The ABO Blood Groups taken from The Mayo Clinic

Further Reading:
Bland, Jeffrey, Genetic Nutritioneering, Lincolnwood: NTC Contemporary Publishing Group, 1999  Dr Bland has stated that, “By selecting the right diet and lifestyle for our genotype—related in part to our bloodtype—we can turn off the expression of certain genetic messages that trigger ill-health and turn on the expression of messages that foster good health.”  Dr. Jeffrey Bland is the  Founder of Functional Medicine.