"little bit abnormal" a thread. WARNING: This is NOT individual medical advice, but just discussion point to discuss with YOUR OWN doctor. Individual circumstances may vary, this is just based on my past 20 years' experience with seeing lab values and disease. #lifestylemedicine

For context, this discussion is about "normal" lab values. Remember, normal is NOT optimal. Normal just means that most of the population falls between the two numbers. Remember, ALSO "normal" is the fact that 1,400,000 die each year from heart disease, cancer and stroke alone.

B12: let's just get this out of the way first. A "normal" b12 value is not optimal. An optimal value may be about twice lower limit of normal. Ask your doctor if b12 supplement may help you and at what dose to take. Today's b12 deficiency is tomorrow's neuropathy and dementia.

WBC: white blood count can be an indicator of chronic inflammation. A seemingly simple blood test, but Dr. Greger explains in this video that White blood cell count is tied to mortality. Generally, a higher WBC means higher chances of death.
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-is-the-ideal-white-blood-cell-count/

Next we have hs-CRP or high sensitivity C-reactive protein, a marker of chronic inflammation. This marker is often marked "normal" however that does not mean optimal. Today's elevated CRP or WBC can be tomorrow's heart attack, cancer, autoimmune disease... http://clinchem.aaccjnls.org/content/54/2/343

Another lab value I've been seeing MUCH MORE elevated lately is creatinine. A creatinine level on the higher side of normal or slightly higher indicates early chronic kidney disease. Today's elevated creatinine and eGFR may be tomorrow's chronic kidney disease and dialysis.

A1c and glucose: these values indicate blood sugar and insulin response. One can ALSO get a test called "C-peptide" or insulin to see if their insulin-glucose response is broken. A high fat/meat diet can impair this metabolism. Today's elevated glucose is tomorrow's diabetes.

cholesterol: In the Framingham studies, there was no heart disease in those < 150 mg/dL total cholesterol value. "Normal" is called 200 or below in labs, because if it was set to 150, then no American would qualify as "normal". Heart disease KILLS every 34 seconds in USA...

Heart disease is BIG BUSINESS for my fellow doctors and hospitals. Do you still want to be "normal"? Or OPTIMAL? You CAN make yourself heart attack proof, and lowering cholesterol naturally is one way to do that. Why beat up endothelium on a daily basis? https://vimeo.com/105982061 

Lastly (And comment below if you have more questions, but I CANNOT and will not answer individual health questions) is AST and ALT which are liver enzymes. I commonly see elevated liver enzymes on people with a high fat diet and/or obesity or drinkers. Today's elevated liver...

... enzymes will be tomorrow's liver transplants and deaths from liver disease. I have personally seen several patients DIE of liver failure, and it's not fun because they turn yellow, weak, and their bellies fill up with fluid. Early on, you CAN do something about it.

If I'm sounding alarmist, it's because in 20 years I've seen too much, and yes, I'm sounding the alarm. Our industry will earn MUCH MORE from you getting all the diseases I mentioned, but it's up to you if you want to increase our business or not. Choice is all yours!

Remember, you can ONLY do something at the early stages, and your doctor may or may not sound the alarm unless and until you ask questions about it specifically. Even I will not alarm you as it would be against the usual grain to do so. But if asked, I will share the secrets...

Such as a lifestyle approach including fitness, mindfulness, abstention from harmful substances such as alcohol, chemicals, and tobacco, and a whole food fiber-rich #plantbased #vegan eating plan. And if you're asking if it can be done halfway, then I would ask whether

you would be content to only have a partial benefit? Wouldn't you want the LEAST chance of these serious, disabling, and life-threatening illnesses I mentioned? I've seen people die of kidney failure, liver failure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune disease.

One last subject which it took me nearly 20 years to learn. People aren't such a simple system and can't be figured out by lab values and medical tests. We also have a mind and a soul, and in many cases, someone may be seemingly healthy, but hide grief/pain, depression inside...

We are fortunate to have 2 great resources for stress management, one at Northwestern U and 1 at Northshore U in Evanston. True health comes from being WHOLE which means, body mind and spirit. This is the most difficult "value" to obtain but most helpful.

Many will come with a seemingly happy life and good health, however upon deeper questioning or sometimes after years, they will share their brokenness, grief and pain and unburden some of that. The greatest goal of a doctor is to share that pain with them and help them heal.