When Your Blood Results Are “Normal” But You Still Feel Unwell.
I saw a meme the other day which made me laugh out loud. It was set at a funeral and a doctor was leaning over an open coffin saying to the corpse “So I just got your test results back and all looks normal……so I guess your symptoms and being dead must be all in your head ”? Obviously this is a joke and I don’t think doctors are like this…..but I’m sure I’m not alone (well I know that I’m not alone because I see a lot of women who have had this experience) when you get your blood results back and everything is apparently within “normal”range. But why do you still feel terrible and feel like you’re being made to believe nothing is physically wrong with you.
What are Reference Ranges?
Reference ranges are created by looking at a large cross-section of the whole population, and then deciding what is typical for a group of people. The labs take an average of many past results and then create a "healthy" range that covers 95% of the population.
But what if more than 5% of the population are unwell? This can affect the results, putting unhealthy people INSIDE the healthy part of the reference range. They simply don't all fit outside the range! It also doesn't always take into account gender, race/ethnicity or age.
So "reference range" does NOT mean "normal range." And it certainly doesn't give you the optimal range - it's way too broad for that. It’s basically an "average range” of all the people……..
The other thing we know is we are getting sicker as a population. There is an increase in conditions like cancer, heart disease, thyroid disorders, autoimmune diseases, poor nutrition, stress, anxiety, depression, and inflammation - how can we say that 95% of us represent a truly healthy cross-section of the people? The answer is it doesn’t.
This is why as a naturopath I will always ask to see your “normal” blood results because chances are some of your results will be far from optimal, especially if you’re feeling unwell.
Medicare Limitations
Unfortunately medicare can’t cover everything. To be clear, it can’t afford to cover everything for everyone. This means your GP typically can’t run all available tests due to cost considerations. Our Medicare system is designed to cover what they see as the essential minimum, discouraging "excessive" or "unnecessary" testing. So this means, many valuable tests might not be included even when they are covered by Medicare. You essentially need to go beyond the reference range to move to the next step of testing……and what we know about this is you can basically be off the cliff before you know it especially when you consider how broad reference ranges actually are.
A common example of under testing
A really common example of this and one that irks me to no end is thyroid testing. The first test to investigate your thyroid health is your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). The issue with this is it only gives you a snippet of whats actually happening with your thyroid and your TSH fluctuates at different times. This really annoys me because subclinical thyroid dysfunction is really common as is Hashimoto Thyroiditis, a thyroid autoimmune disease which can cause a fluctuation with TSH and sit there undetected due to a lack of testing. So you might have an underactive thyroid or autoimmune disease but everything looks “normal” on your test results. It doesn’t tell us what your other thyroid hormones are doing and if you have any thyroid antibodies misbehaving. It just doesn’t tell us enough and I don’t think its good enough for women.
And thyroid isn't the only example. Iron studies are another classic case where "normal" doesn't mean optimal. You might have ferritin (stored iron) on the very low end of "normal" but be experiencing fatigue, hair loss, and brain fog. Just because you're not technically anemic doesn't mean your iron levels are supporting you optimally.
Think of it like your car - it might still run with low oil, but it's certainly not optimal for engine health. That's basically what's happening when we only look at reference ranges. Just because you're in range doesn't mean you're thriving. It might just mean you are teetering along about to break down.
The bottom line is you deserve the whole picture not just a snippet. You deserve to understand what optimal looks like and have practitioners who listen to your symptoms even when tests come back "normal."
What This Means For You
If you're experiencing symptoms but being told everything is "normal", here's what you can do:
- Get copies of all your blood work
- Track your symptoms alongside your results
- Look at trends over time, not just single results
- Work with practitioners who understand optimal ranges
- Consider comprehensive testing when appropriate
The good news is, there are avenues to get the necessary pathology investigations. Consulting with a naturopath, integrative GP, or functional medicine practitioner can open up possibilities for a more comprehensive understanding of your health. I have also put together Blood Reference Guide which you can download for free to help you understand your results better and what optimal vs normal ranges actually look like. It will also help you to:
Understand what your results are actually telling you
See what comprehensive testing looks like
Know which questions to ask your healthcare provider
Gain confidence in advocating for your health
Stop accepting "normal" when you don't feel normal. Get your FREE guide today and take the first step towards understanding your test results. And if I can help in any way, you are always welcome to book in a FREE 15min discovery call HERE or email me. I see clients all over the country via zoom so we can have a chat about whether seeing a naturopath is right for you.