Even without visible pathology, certain markers measured in the blood provide key information about your health. Here are four of the most followed in functional medicine.
Functional medicine is an approach that is both holistic and preventive, which highlights nutritional and lifestyle measures to avoid health problems. In Activate your full health potentialDr Yoni Assouly reveals the main principles, thanks to a detailed one-month program. In this process, this doctor sometimes prescribes tests to monitor blood markers. We have selected 4 of the most important ones.
Vitamin D
Produced by the skin when exposed to the sun’s rays, and provided to a lesser extent by food, vitamin D is often lacking in Europeans during the winter. Its deficit is associated with a large number of health problems. Supplementation is possible and easy to implement. You still need to know what level you are at.
What vitamin D level should you aim for?
“The laboratory standard accepts any level above 20 ng/mL. In functional medicine, we aim for 40 to 60 ng/mL, explains Dr. Assouly. Well-conducted supplementation, of 2,000 to 5,000 IU per day depending on the starting level, often combined with vitamin K2, often produces spectacular effects in just a few weeks. »
Read: How to choose a vitamin D supplement (subscriber)
hs-CRP, marker of inflammation
CRP (C-reactive protein) is a biomarker of inflammation in the blood. “A standard blood test mainly looks for significant inflammation, using CRP measurement. When the inflammation is weak, but persistent, this marker can nevertheless remain within the norms”says Dr. Assouly.
This is why functional medicine generally uses other markers in the blood, in particular a specific form of CRP: ultra-sensitive CRP (hs-CRP). “This is the same marker, but measured with sufficient precision to detect minimal variations, characteristic of low-grade inflammationsays Dr. Assouly. This information is valuable, because it makes it possible to identify an inflammatory area even before the appearance of a declared disease. It also provides an easy way to track the effect of dietary and lifestyle changes over months. »
A marker that is sometimes difficult to interpret
However, hs-CRP provides a snapshot at a given moment and its variations do not provide information on the causes of low-grade inflammation. Stress, infections, metabolic imbalances, a diet rich in ultra-processed foodscan all influence the inflammatory state of the body. A more global assessment is necessary to understand what is causing the inflammation.
Read also: CRP, IL-6, TNF-α: when to measure your inflammation (subscribers)
A thyroid test: TSH, T3 and T4
Thyroid hormones
The thyroid produces two hormones, T4 and T3. T3 stimulates cell energy production, while T4 serves as a reserve that must be transformed into T3. This production is controlled by the pituitary gland, which secretes TSH, the hormone that stimulates the thyroid. This is why TSH is the most commonly used test to assess thyroid function.
What hormonal balance?
Many health problems are associated with an imbalance of thyroid hormones. “Faced with persistent fatigue, unexplained weight gain, nervousness or mental fog, I systematically prescribe a thorough thyroid check-up”says Dr. Assouly. But measuring TSH alone is not enough. “A TSH alone is of little value. When it is normal, with a low T3, it is a sign of functional hypothyroidism that the standard assessment does not see. I always combine anti-TPO and TG antibodies so as not to miss early Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. »
An iron assessment: ferritin, serum iron and transferrin saturation coefficient
These three dosages make it possible to know the iron status in its entirety and to detect deficiencies, sometimes invisible on a standard assessment.
“Ferritin alone is not enough, it can be distorted by low-grade inflammation, says Dr. Assouly. Serum iron and saturation coefficient reveal whether iron is circulating. » This information therefore allows us to know whether iron is actually delivered to the cells that need it.
