Every year, I get a comprehensive blood test done that includes complete blood count (CBC), comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), iron, lactate dehydrogenase (LD), lipid panel, phosphorus, and uric acid with a complete thyroid panel.

These proactive tests help spot imbalances early on with measurable data, highlight differences year over year, and enable us to formulate an action plan to get back into balance. I highly recommend them.

Conventional versus functional normal ranges

When you get the results back, you’ll see your own data as well as the in-range values for each variable. The report will show when your value is in range versus out of range. These in- and out-of-range values are based on allopathic medicine, which are used in traditional medical facilities.

However, there’s another way to look at these ranges. Functional medicine is a form of medicine that aims to restore the optimal functioning of the body. As such, it defines the in-range values more narrowly than conventional medicine. It promotes the idea that the more in line your results are with the functional ranges, the more optimally your body is working for you.

Remember that your blood work is a snapshot in time. You can positively affect the results with lifestyle and diet modifications. The more regularly you take these snapshots, the more you will understand your body’s response to self-inflicted and external factors.

A huge disclaimer here: while lifestyle and diet can help, there are times when they’re not enough. Always consult your healthcare provider to make sure that you’re following the right protocol for you.

Where does ayurveda fit?

Ayurveda provides a set of tools that help spot imbalances early on. These imbalances may or may not yet appear in your blood work. But if they were to appear, you’d see them in your blood work first before conventional medicine assigns a label to your condition.

Let’s take my example. Last year, I did a lot of tests from X rays to CT scans, and received many treatments from electromagnetic stimulations to chiropractic within a short amount of time due to a car accident. And to help the healing process, I also significantly upped my supplement intake, especially vitamin C, on top of a nutrient-rich diet. What you should know is that it’s possible to overload on vitamin C and that vitamin C helps with iron absorption.

My iron level has always been normal, well within both the conventional and functional ranges. If anything, I was checking it regularly to make sure that it was not too low due to my diet.

But, in my last full blood panel, my iron level came back a bit elevated—even for conventional medicine. With all other blood work being normal and no family history of hemochromatosis, I suspected that my high iron level was situational.

Hemochromatosis is a condition “that causes the body to accumulate too much iron from food.” While it can be acquired, it’s most often caused by a change in the HFE gene (hemochromatosis protein gene) and can cause health issues if it goes untreated. Treatments include the regular removal of about 1 pint of blood at a time.

Even before I took the blood test, ayurvedically speaking, I knew that both pitta and vata doshas were higher than my normal, triggered by the accident and its aftermath. In ayurveda, blood is related to pitta and the second, blood tissue. So, I was already preparing to follow a strict pitta-vata-pacifying diet and lifestyle.

Balancing pitta-vata with ayurveda

In just 2 months, I lowered my iron level by 73 mcg/dL, or 36%, bringing it back into its optimal range.

Diet

For one, I stopped my vitamin C intake and any other vitamins that were enhanced with vitamin C.

This blog is based on my experiences and is intended to provide a different perspective. Results may vary. Always consult your healthcare provider when exploring alternative methods in your healing journey.

How have you used diet and lifestyle to help address an imbalance? Do you have measurable data you can share?

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