Glucose - This is the amount of sugar that is in your blood.  You want a fasting glucose to be under 100.  If it is 1 or 2 points high don’t worry about it.  If you had eaten the day that you had blood taken, thus not fasting, don’t use this number.  If this is consistently high, for instance 110+ for 2 or more blood draws you need to start looking at diabetes.  Cut your glycemic intake, not necessarily carbs, but get the glycemic index of your foods under 60.  So cut back on sugars.  If you need to eat sweets look at the keto sweets as those will not affect your blood sugar.  These labs are only a part of the picture though. You need to look at them with insulin to get a full picture of metabolic health.  See Insulin for more.

BUN - Blood urea nitrogen. This test shows us that your kidneys are under undue stress. This can show everything from dehydration, which is what it commonly shows, however, it can also be indicative of kidney damage or disease. Drink more water. For most people 70% of their body weight in ounces is enough. If you are an athlete move that up to 100% of your body weight in ounces. If you’re an athlete outside, in the summer, in Texas then make it 125% of your body weight in ounces. So 100lbs you drink 100ounces.

Creatinine - This also shows pressure on the kidneys. What happens when you use your muscles is you break them apart a little bit and they drop creatinine into the blood. Your kidneys then take it out and everyone is happy. However, if your kidneys have issues you will have more creatinine in your blood. HAVING said that. If you exercise, especially if it is hard workouts, these levels will be higher, because you are working the muscle harder and thus it drops a lot more creatinine into the blood. Water will still kinda help but if it’s a little high and you work out hard don’t freak out.

EGFR - Estimated glomerular filtration rate. This is how well your kidneys are working. You want this above 60. Under 60 and we start to worry about kidney disease and lower kidney function. If it is under 15 that is a sign of kidney failure.

BUN/Creatinine Ratio - This is amount of BUN to creatinine. When it is high the worry is blood flow to the kidneys and thus they are not filtering enough fast enough. Also dehydration, or very hard physical activity. I hope your catching the theme of dehydration, lets drink some more water everyone. When high check with your doc.

Sodium - This is the amount of sodium in your blood. Too low and you become hyponatremic. This can be very serious and can mimic heat stroke in athletes. You start to lose function of your body as your nerves can not conduct properly. This can cause your brain to start to shut down and pass out as well. This can happen from hyperhydration or drinking too much water at one time. Most of the time if this is too high it means that you need more water, again with the dehydration.

Potassium - Most of the time this can only be caused by acute kidney failure. Sudden onset of kidney issues. If this is high make sure to get it checked.

Chloride - This is how much chloride you have in your blood. This can be indicative of heart, lung, and respiratory issues. It can also show up with Addisons disease. Again if this is 1 or 2 points off don’t freak out about it. If low get checked for HCL tolerance and take some extra HCL.

Carbon Dioxide, Total - When we see this high we worry about respiratory issues or metabolic acidosis, that isn't ketosis BTW.

Calcium - Its how much calcium is in your blood. If it is high or low you have a high risk for a hormone issue. Either way high or low you need to get your hormones checked. It is also bad for kidneys so make sure you get those checked as well. This is one of those that if your .1 over don’t worry about it. Often if you are way over on this one and you feel ok go ahead and get it retested as it could be a mistake. So don’t freak out but get it checked. You should feel this one.

Protein, Total - Total number of proteins in the blood. This helps show kidney function. Too high and the kidneys are not filtering things properly. Too low and you're not going to be able to heal. If this is high it can be a sign of multiple myeloma, however, if it is a point or 2 high do not freak out. Keep track of it or get it checked, however if it is 5 points high get it checked.

Albumin - Lower levels of these show issues with liver, kidneys, or in some cases low protein. If this is high it is typically a strong indication of dehydration. Drink more water. For most people 70% of their body weight in ounces is enough. If you are an athlete move that up to 100% of your body weight in ounces. If you’re an athlete outside, in the summer, in Texas then make it 125% of your body weight in ounces. So 100lbs you drink 100ounces.

Globulin, Total - High levels are indicative of cancer, autoimmune issues, and some infections. If these are high get them checked.

A/G Ratio - This shows the ratio of albumin vs globulin. When these are high we worry about the liver, kidney, and intestines. This usually also makes people tired, and can cause swelling, especially in the extremities like feet and ankles. Get these checked if they are high.

Bilirubin, Total - This is a liver health check. Often if these levels get to high we see jaundice or a yellowing of the skin. This happens often during birth however, it typically isnt harmful and clears up on its own.

Alkaline Phosphatase - Alkaline phosphatase or Alk Phos, helps identify issues like liver, bones, intestinal, and kidney damage. If it is high we see bone and liver, often times common bile duct so bile congestion, typically. We see these levels often higher in children and pregnant women. If this is elevated we need to get it worked on.

AST (SGOT) - Aspartate transferase, these are levels of amino acids in the blood. If this is high we often think of liver cirrhosis and tissue damage. Until this is 150% higher than the lab range you don’t need to worry. Again you can bring these down by cleaning the liver.

ALT (SGPT) - Alanine transaminase, these are levels of amino acids in the blood. If they are slightly high it can be from exercise. If they are very high typically it means that we need to clean the liver. When this has been high for a couple of tests we worry about cirrhosis and liver damage. This isnt really a concern until it has been over 150% of the high point of the range for 2 consecutive blood tests, so over 6 months. However, it is always a good time to clean the liver.

WBC - A count of the total white blood cells in the body. When these are high it is typically showing your body is actively fighting an infection. If these levels are too low it can mean that you have immune system issues. When the white blood cells are low we call this being immunocompromised.

RBC - A count of how many red blood cells you have. If it is high it can be dehydration, bone marrow issues, heart disease, polycythemia get this checked if it is high. If it is low most often it is an iron issue. Take iron supplements with vitamin C to increase uptake of the iron. Low RBC can be a number of things as well such as significant heart, kidney, lung and liver issues.

Hemoglobin - When this is low the body does not have the ability to carry oxygen as well. This leads to fatigue, and brain fog. This is a sign of anemia as well as being indicative of several other issues. If it is too high it can create pressure on the blood vessels. This is also one of the levels we need to watch out for when on testosterone therapy. Again if this is too high do not worry just make it in and donate blood and you will be fine.

Hematocrit - Measures the proportion of red blood cells in your blood. Too few and you cant carry oxygen too many and your blood gets too thick. If your blood gets too thick it can increase the blood pressure and that can increase your chances of heart attack and stroke. This is one of the things you need to watch for with testosterone therapy. Testosterone can make this go up. If this is high, at all, and you're on testosterone therapy you need to go donate blood. Don’t worry about it just donate blood. That will obviously decrease the amount of blood in the blood vessels and eliminate the pressure issue.

MCV - Low MCV means that the red blood cells are smaller than normal and can indicate microcytic anemia issues. I would also check your pulse ox and make sure your getting proper oxygen stat levels. You want to be 97-100% and heart rate of 60-75. If you are not get that checked as well. When we have anemia it can create fatigue, headaches, and feel out of breath with light exercise. If it is high that means the red blood cells are too large. If you have high MCV and high MCH you need to look for macrocytosis. Either way if they are elevated or too low get it checked.

MCH - This is looking more at the iron fraction or portion of your red blood cell the hemoglobin. When this is low you need more iron. Always take iron supplements with Vitamin C as the C will help the iron get absorbed by the body. If these levels are high we often times see macrocytic anemia this means the cells are bigger than they should be. This is often an issue with low B vitamins, specifically folic and B12. If you are going to supplement with those vitamins make sure they are fully methylated or l-5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and methylcobalamin. It can also be an issue with intrinsic factor as well. Many older people and lots of vegetarians and vegans have issues with this chemical. Intrinsic factor is critical to the uptake and use of B12.

MCHC - Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. When these levels are low it shows that the red blood cells do not have enough hemoglobin, the iron part that makes it able to carry oxygen, this is also called anemia. When it is high this means that your blood is getting too thick and you need to donate blood. If you are on testosterone therapy this is one of the things you need to keep track of. If you are not on testosterone therapy you should have this looked at.

RDW - This test is usually very good for anemia. This means that your blood is not going to be able to carry enough oxygen. If you get winded, or light headed, when you exert yourself with small tasks like climbing a few stairs this is a concern. If this is high and you have a history of heart issues, like heart attack, this can be a precursor to a second event. Get this checked.

Platelets - This shows total number of platelets. If you have too few, or it is low, its called thrombocytopenia, and it can cause bleeding issues as clotting becomes more difficult. If it is too high then you can get thrombocytosis and that can make your blood clot too quickly and too easily and we worry about clots and strokes. This being high is also problematic for DVT. So as we age and we have lower testosterone the risk of blood vessels partially closing and producing clots is higher. This is why they tell you to get up and move around while on an airplane as sitting too long can be an issue with this.

Neutrophils - This shows total number of platelets. If you have too few, or it is low, its called thrombocytopenia, and it can cause bleeding issues as clotting becomes more difficult. If it is too high then you can get thrombocytosis and that can make your blood clot too quickly and too easily and we worry about clots and strokes. This being high is also problematic for DVT. So as we age and we have lower testosterone the risk of blood vessels partially closing and producing clots is higher. This is why they tell you to get up and move around while on an airplane as sitting too long can be an issue with this.

Lymphs - Number of lymphocytes.

Monocytes (Absolute) - This measures the amount of a specific white blood cell. High levels can be caused by some medication, however, this is also indictive of chronic illness, things like mononucleosis or autoimmune issues. If this is high you need to get it checked out.

Eos - These are white blood cells that are called eosinophils. These show up with allergies but they also show up for a host of other issues. Typically if this level is high and you don’t have any allergies make sure to mention this to your doc.

Basos - Number of basophils

Neutrophils (Absolute) - When these are high it is most often a bacterial infection, however you are fighting something. When these are outside the range either higher or lower you need to contact your doctor.

Lymphs (Aboslute) - This is a total number of lymphocytes a type of white blood cells. This is most often seen with inflammation and infection. Youre typically fighting something when these are high.

Monocytes (Absolute) - This measures the amount of a specific white blood cell. High levels can be caused by some medication, however, this is also indictive of chronic illness, things like mononucleosis or autoimmune issues. If this is high you need to get it checked out.

EOS (Absolute) - These are going to show up in almost every immune response but we see them in allergies and some rare parasitic issues.

Baso (absolute) - These are the part of the immune system that battles allergies they release histamine. When these are high we are looking at allergic reactions. Remember foods are allergies for a lot of people if these are high it could be your diet. If this is higher than .9 contact your doctor immediately.

Immature Granulocytes - This is a count of granulocytes that have not been fully formed. Typically, the bone marrow completely forms and matures the granulocytes before they drop into the blood stream. If these numbers are high this may show an issue with your bone marrow and your immune system. This number should be 0.0 or really close to it. If you just had an infection, whether you felt it or not, this may be a touch higher.

Immature Grans (Abs) - This is a count of granulocytes that have not been fully formed. Typically, the bone marrow completely forms and matures the granulocytes before they drop into the blood stream. If these numbers are high this may show an issue with your bone marrow and your immune system. This number should be 0.0 or really close to it. If you just had an infection, whether you felt it or not, this may be a touch higher. This needs to be looked into if the number is .5 or higher.

Lipid Panel for Cholesterol - First of all please, please, please do not ever let someone lie to you and tell you that if your cholesterol is high, you are at risk of having a heart attack or stroke. What is even worse is if they tell you that since your cholesterol is within the range you're safe. Cholesterol has no bearing on heart health or blood vessel health or even plaque. This comes from inflammation damaging the blood vessel and the release of things like tissue factor and fibrinogen. Those are very sticky and cause plaque to form. Once the plaque is there the same ROS inflammation oxidizes the LDL and that becomes even more sticky and thus the plaque grows. If you are worried about your blood vessels, as you should be, get a calcium CT or dye study and look for the plaque. If you are worried about your heart get an echocardiogram.

 
The basic check for heart and blood vessel also known as Cardiovascular health should be an echocardiogram and a calcium CT, not a simple cholesterol blood level. That will look at all the things in the cardio-vascular system, the heart (cardio) and the blood vessel (vascular). This is not the only test(s) that can be run, however, the rest either require dye or sticking a camera up your blood vessel to your heart. Both of those are really great tests and I use them all the time, however, they are not needed nor are the safe for everyone. If you get an echocardiogram and a calcium CT and still worry talk to your doc about a more advanced testing. Many of the other tests require dye to see everything. The dye can be a problem for kidneys and some people have allergic reactions to the dye, which is why I recommend the Calcium CT first.

 
One of the main reasons you cant look at cholesterol and judge health is that lots of people die from heart attacks and strokes, caused by plaque, when their cholesterol levels are “good”.
The reason I like to pull it is to watch for change. For instance, since hormones are made from cholesterol we often see the levels drop when the hormone levels get back into balance. However, large swings either up or down needs to be investigated.

Cholesterol total - This is the total amount of cholesterol in the blood. So, basically all the DL’s from HDL, LDL, VLDL if it has the DL it is counted in this.

Triglycerides - This is the stored version of carbohydrates, it is also the fat that we use for energy, think MCT oil. These may be higher in people doing Keto, however, if keto is what you are doing due to your somatotype you're fine. These should not be really high regardless but if they are a little out of the range on Keto you're fine.

HDL Cholesterol - This is often referred to as “good cholesterol”. This is the high density portion of cholesterol.

VLDL Cholesterol - This and LDL are thought of to be “bad cholesterol”. This is your very low density cholesterol. This is the idea for people who don’t understand why cholesterol plaques. This is a reason doctors will try to put you on a statin drug. Please get a calcium CT before you do any statin drugs. If you are going to take a drug for plaque at least look for plaque first. If you are worried about plaque do the Boston heart labs that show inflammation due to ROS. That will be more helpful.

LDL Chol Calc (NIH) - This is the way we measure low density lipoproteins or cholesterol. These levels are also referred to as “bad cholesterol”. Again, not really the issue and it happens often that people with “good” levels have plaque that leads to heart attack and stroke. Please get a calcium CT and don’t let these levels alone dictate your heart health choices. The fun thing people don’t talk about is that LDL is how we make hormones. The steroid comes from sterol as in cholesterol, so estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, all come from cholesterol as well as D3 (remember that’s a hormone not a vitamin as vitamins cannot be made in the body). This is why we often see LDL levels and total cholesterol levels drop when we get testosterone and D3 levels back up.

T. Chol/HDL Ratio - As the title infers you get this number by dividing the total cholesterol by the HDL cholesterol.  This number is used to tell people their risk of heart attack.  Take that for what it is worth.  I think I have made myself clear on using blood draws to look for cholesterol instead of looking for plaque, for plaque issues.  But hey you cant prescribe statin drugs without these levels so they get pulled often.

TSH - This is a hormone that tells the thyroid to work.  If this is low and your T3 and T4 are good then everything is fine.  As you produce more T3 and T4 the body self regulates.  As the T3 and T4 come up the need to produce more obviously decreases as you don’t need anymore so when you don’t need any more the body stops telling your thyroid to make more thus this drops.  If you have low T3/T4 and low TSH then it is a pituitary issue not a thyroid issue. Never let someone tell you that your thyroid is good or bad if all they pull is this level. If they do just find a new doctor.

T3 Triiodothyronine - This is the more active form of thyroid hormone.  If it is too high you get hyperthyroidism which is where you get hot more often, your eyes start to bug out of your head, and you have issues sleeping.  If it is too low you have fatigue, weight gain, and can have depression.

T4 Thyroxin - This level follows the T3 in function and plays by the same TSH T3/T4 rules of stimulation to function from the TSH above.  High T4 could be a hyperthyroid issue, low T4 can be hypothyroid or low production.  Always add in iodine if T3 or T4 is low.

Testosterone - This is the amount of testosterone in your body. For men we want this level at 900-1000 on trough day if you are on testosterone therapy. For women we want to see between 80-120 on trough day. Trough day is the day you give yourself the shot but before you give the shot. This is just a measure of testosterone if you are on any other peptide or medication like nandrolone decanoate / Deca this will not show those levels.

Many labs do not have the correct levels for women. If you are under 40 and have symptoms you need to get it checked out. There are a list of things that could be going on. For men if you are under 600 it would be time to get it checked. Remember that testosterone therapy in men can reduce fertility so make sure you keep that in mind if you are not done having children. In this case youll need something to stimulate testicular production.

Testosterone therapy is a great option for men of almost any age that are dealing with anxiety or depression.

Estrogen - First I want to make sure you know there are 4 estrogens. Estrone or E1, Estradiol or E2, Estriol or E3, and Estetrol or E4, it is also called oestetrol. It is important to look for these when you are battling PCOS and endometriosis. However, these are not typically pulled. What we generally look at is E2 or estradiol. The other thing to keep in mind is that “normal” estrogen ranges do not mean that you are not getting too many estrogen like chemicals that are activating your estrogen receptor sites. If you didn’t know you have receptors on the outside of your cell and some on the inside. Things like processed meats and some wines will activate these receptors. So just because these labs say you're in the range get with someone if you still have issues. In this case you should most likely call Dr. Chalmers.

Typically you want this as low as possible without giving you symptoms like, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, joint pain and headaches. Estrogen is what causes all of the female cancers and adding this into your routine is a bad thing to do. If you are worried about it being low google “Estrogen and cancer NCBI” this will show you all the articles on cancer and estrogen use. It is important for getting and staying pregnant though. So if you want to have a baby this is a different conversation. However, if you’re a woman and your not trying or wanting to get pregnant now or in the future keeping this low is a good plan.

Estradiol - This is a measure of estradiol, and just estradiol. If it gets too high we have cancer risks in both men and women. Too much can cause you to get puffy and hold water weight thus look fat. Too little and we get issues with pregnancy, head aches, joint pain, vaginal dryness, hot flashes and night sweats in women. Men the only issues are typically head ache and joint pain if it is too low. There are some fat regulation issues as well but they are not often severe. For men I like these levels to be 25-35. Women range and have different needs depending on where they are in life and their goals.

Dihydrotestosterone/DHT - This is a natural off shoot of testosterone.  When the levels get too high we see male pattern baldness in both men and women.  This can also be a bad thing for the prostate.  This is the chemical that pushes prostate cancers and prostate issue much more than testosterone.  If you keep your total levels of testosterone lower the conversion will also be lower.  This is why I recommend smaller amounts of testosterone injections but a higher frequency of injections during the week.  So instead of 10 once a week 4 twice a week.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) Sulfate - DHEA is one of the first steps in converting cholesterol into steroid hormones.  Thus Estrogen, Testosterone, Prolactin, and all other hormones share a link to this hormone.  It is responsible for a vast majority of the testosterone produced in women as some research shows 65% of the testosterone produced comes from the adrenal glands and is made from DHEA.  These levels are different in men as about 5% of their testosterone is made in the adrenal glands.  Having said that if you are looking for an endogenous, made inside the body, way of increasing hormone levels this would be important to look at.  These levels can also shed light on certain hormone dysfunction issues.

Vitamin D3 - First, I have issues with calling this a vitamin as it is a hormone, however we digress.  Since this is a hormone and is critical to function you want this higher than the labs show.  You want this to be 80-120.  The purpose of D3 is to tell the body what ions, like calcium, magnesium, chlorine, sodium, and others to absorbed through the gut and carried to specific body parts where they can be used.  This is why D3 is good for bones it helps absorb calcium and then carries it to the osteoblast so that testosterone can tell the body to use the calcium to make more bone.

Insulin - This is the other side of the story when we look at blood glucose levels.  Blood glucose can be higher and not really be a health risk, like when you're in ketosis for a period of time.  However, when you have higher insulin and higher glucose it’s a bad combination.  This is a sign of insulin resistance.  Insulin resistance means that the entire system our body uses for energy and fuel is messed up.  This is almost always a dietary issue and the chemicals you put into your mouth have to be changed.  Again, glucose levels alone only tell a part of the story if this is also high in a fasting blood draw it is no longer a question of do you have serious systemic inflammation and metabolic issues, it is just how life threatening are those issues.

Inflammation - Inflammation is basically the way to say chemistry gone array. So, when the body is supposed to make a chemical X and it doesn’t have all the needed chemicals it does the best it can, but it makes a lot more trash. The trash is inflammation, think of baking a cake but you don’t have sugar so you use salt. It still kinda looks like a cake but it doesn’t taste the same because the chemistry is different. These chemicals come up when we have unwanted chemicals in the body. We really want these levels to be in range. Not all of these need to be high in order to have systemic inflammation, just a couple will show that your body is on a bad path. Long term systemic inflammation is a really strong indicator of cancer, arterial plaque, metabolic issues, digestive disorders, hormone imbalances, and when tracked properly can be the reason we know when we are getting better, often before we feel better.

RDW (Red Cell Distribution Width) - This test shows the difference in red blood cells size.  These levels can indicate iron and anemia levels.  Iron levels can give us insight into how well your body will carry oxygen.  Oxygen is one of the most important chemicals we use to function.  For this reason, if we have low oxygen, we will always have inflammation.  Oxygen is also one of the best ways to clear out inflammation that is already in the body, hence why hyperbaric is so important to use.

Serum Ferritin - This shows iron in the blood.  This goes to energy and oxygenation of tissue.  Since oxygen is critical to reducing inflammation we need to see this.  While ferritin and RDW both show iron they show it in a different ways so both are important.  One is iron in the blood (serum), this one, the other is iron in the blood cell, RDW.

D-Dimer - This test shows particles of blood clots.  So, if you have had a blood clot recently and it broke apart it will leave a trail.  This looks for that trail.  If you are worried about clots that could cause heart attack or stroke this is a good test to run.  I run this on all of my patients that have had the covid vaccine as it has been known to increase clotting issues.  If this is high you need to seek immediate help from a cardiologist.  You could be having clots and not know about it until you get one in your heart or brain thus causing a heart attack or stroke.

B-Type Natriuretic Peptide - This is a peptide chain that is released from the heart when the pressure in the ventricles is too high.  When this happens there is slight heart damage and this peptide helps to tell the blood vessels to decrease the pressure, or how tight/small the pipe is, by dilating the pipe the pressure reduces decreasing the strain on the heart and blood vessels.  This is not a huge issue if it happens once for 5 min and can be good for the heart, however, if it happens all the time it can damage the heart.  This can happen when the blood vessels around the heart, like the aorta, are too constricted, which happens with covid and long covid issues.  If this is high there are a number of things to look into.  I will typically run an echocardiogram and look at using quinine for dilating help.

Lppla2 - This test looks for a chemical released from the blood vessel walls due to chemical stress that can cause damage to the blood vessel walls.  If there was a blood test that would show the danger of arteriosclerosis, or plaquing, this would be that test, not cholesterol. Thus if you have any worry about heart attack or stroke this would be the test to look at.

Homocysteine - This test helps us understand the chemistry from B vitamins in your body, I am specifically looking at B6 in this situation. The body produces homocysteine from breakdown of methionine, an amino acid, as the levels of homocysteine come up the body they are normally broken down by B vitamins, like B6, however B vitamins can easily get low, especially with issues like stress or genetic issues like MTHFR.  This will lead to blood vessel damage and if the B6 gets too low gallstones and congestion in the liver as the bile salts start to congeal.  As this happens the livers ability to clean the blood significantly reduces and we have more issues with things like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue as well as blood vessel damage and inflammatory chemicals and ROS problems.

Myoglobin - This is released from muscle damage.  If you workout really hard on a regular basis this can be skewed, however, if you do not this is a good way to determine if your heart and blood vessels are under strain.  This can be very helpful in conjunction with other tests to rule in or rule out other testing.

Heme A1C - This test shows blood sugars over time.  Blood sugar can be very dangerous to your overall health.  It causes diabetes, metabolic syndrome, fat, and hormonal changes.  If this is too high it is time to cut your sugar and often times carbohydrate intake.  The easiest way to clear all of the above issues and treat this is to go on a keto diet.  If this has been high for a while and your fasting glucose and insulin are high I always recommend going keto and eating lots of erythritol.  I have seen where people who do not read research are calling it synthetic, it isnt fruits, vegetables, and people make it, and I have seen where people said it causes heart attack and strokes, that’s a lie.  It really helps improve blood vessel and heart health.  Infact if you have Renaud's disease it is a good idea to start consuming it to help with the small blood vessels in your hands and feet.  Erythritol also helps a lot on the blood vessels of the brain as it helps dilate small capillaries.

Angiotensin 2 - Also written angiotensin II, this hormone is a big player in the RAAS system that helps control blood pressure.  It is also the system that Covid attacks and is how the heart, lungs, kidneys, and brain have issues with oxygen, side note quinine helps with all the covid issues.  This will increase blood pressure via vasoconstriction in the heart, lungs, kidney, and brain.  It is important for us when we standup move around or have moments of stress.  Too much, or at least too much activation of the receptor sites can be bad as it will lead to either increased blood pressure or extreme restriction of blood flow.

Interleukin – 6, Serum - When we talk about systemic inflammation this is more or less the chemical we are talking about.  While the interleukin hormones are very important too much over a long period of time is very, very bad.  I use this test to look at the state of inflammation in the body.  You can often times track this as, one of, the markers of inflammation.  Lots of joint issues like rheumatoid arthritis and other “autoimmune” disorders show higher levels of this chemical.  When you see this it is time to start cleaning the liver, kidneys and gut.  Higher levels of this, especially over time, are a very bad thing.

Renin Activity, Plasma - Sorry, this is long. I look for this as a reaction to covid and how it actually affects the body. This is still part of my research, however, if you want to look for it feel free. Renin activates angiotensin which is all over the body and continually made by the liver. Renin is released when we have low blood pressure and for a few other reasons. Renin changes angiotensin into angiotensin II, which causes significant blood pressure changes. In the kidney it causes the glomerulus to constrict and thus hold more water and sodium in the body, which can cause swelling and fluid retention issues over time if unchecked. Renin can also be a cause of long-term hypertension so if it is high the chances that there is arterial plaque in the kidney is high and needs to be checked, dye studies are my preferred method as not all plaque is hard enough to see on a CT. Understanding the RAAS system is important not only for Covid issues but for blood pressure and overall cardiovascular health. If my hypothesis is correct these levels should be normal for covid, and even possibly low for long covid. The thinking I have is that Covid activates the ACEII receptor sites and thus causes massive vasoconstriction which decreases in blood flow. This would be able to cause clotting, and decrease both oxygen flow in and waste flow out of the heart, lungs, brain and kidney. This would cause heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, hypoxia, and obviously death. Over time due to the lack of nutrients and oxygen massive fatigue and fibromyalgia style symptoms would be present, which is what we see in long covid. I am using quinine to clear the ACEII receptor and allow the blood vessels to go back to normal at the moment it is working really well. Side note, if you combine the quinine with hyperbaric oxygen it really helps restore oxygen to the tissues.

Sedimentation Rate-Modified Westergren - This is a solid test for systemic inflammation.  When these levels are higher you have inflammation, and you need to start working on your liver.  See a doctor that understands actual detoxification and start working to lower this.  I typically will start cleaning the kidneys, liver, clear parasites, then kill yeast and restore probiotic levels.  It’s a standard biochemical approach to cleaning the waste out of the body.

Tumor Necrosis Factor – a - This is another marker for inflammation.  This can be a sign of larger systemic issues and is seen often in chronic inflammation.  This will sometimes show up before you have symptoms and is one of the tests I use to screen for the environment that causes cancer, arterial plaque, and general malaise.  Basically, it can show why you feel like crap all the time. 

C-Reactive Protein (CRP), High Sensitivity - This is a really good test for serious issues like IBS, IBD, Chrone’s, Celiac, pericarditis and the list goes on.  If this is high, you need to seek immediate help and get further testing done.  Remember that this can come from multiple sources.  I often times see doctors miss things because the first thing they looked for, typically IBS, after they saw this was bad, so they stopped looking and stayed with that diagnosis.  If you have this high you need to do a lot of testing and if you find something don’t stop keep looking to make sure all the issues are found.  This is a good reason to get full body scans (MRI).  When we see this, it is typically bad, or getting bad, in multiple areas so don’t just settle for one issue if this is high.

Vitamin and Minerals - I will tell you that these tests are not my favorite. I will use muscle testing for these every day before I will look at blood, however, if you cannot get good muscle testing or you need these levels for prescriptions here you go.

Coenzyme Q-10 Total - This is critical to overall health, especially if you are not in ketosis.  This is one of the more powerful antioxidants and really helps in the fight against ROS and thus cancer, plague and low energy.  CoQ-10 is also critical for the electron chain transport system in the mitochondria.  Without this chemical it is very hard for your body to produce ATP.  Since everything in your body runs on ATP, like your heart, brain, all muscle and most organs, that’s obviously a problem.  This needs to be high.  The ranges are usually ok on this so get into the higher normal range, over is better in this case.

Vitamin B12 - This is a very important B vitamin typically associated with energy and mental clarity.  I do not like the normal blood levels that labs have for this one so get it to about 2000.  That level will work for both men and women large and small as it is more or less a concentration thing.  So yes lesser amounts of intake in smaller people will hit 2000 while larger people will need more to hit the 2000 mark. Remember that as with all B vitamins you want the fully methylated source and in this case that is Methylcobalamin.

Iron - Iron is super important to not just health but athletic performance, brain function, sexual function, and all normal life.  This is directly tied to oxygen levels.  With the insane hatred of anything animal product and the odd love of plants this is getting worse and worse, especially in women.  Lots of women who have issue around their menstrual cycle that go and eat a big hamburger or steak and feel better is because when they lose the blood during menses, they don’t have enough iron to make more red blood cells and thus they don’t carry enough oxygen.  If you have low energy or just fell blah a lot run this test.  If it is low take iron and vitamin C and reevaluate you diet to add in more red meat.  The vitamin C helps increase the absorption of iron.

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) - This is a test of a specific chemical that is released from the prostate, in men only, that has been linked to prostate issues including cancer. Now you need to understand that just because this is high, or isnt high, does not mean you do or do not have prostate cancer. However, it is always good to watch this as it is a good indicator of problems. If it is high go get it checked out, I like MRI imaging, however, rectal exams are also helpful. The change in this is more important than a “high” number. 8 isnt that bad if it went from 1 to 8 over 20 years, I mean get that checked for sure but don’t freak out. However, 0-4 in 6 months needs to be addressed immediately, go ahead and freak out a little on that. The speed of change is a problem.

SARS-CoV-2 Semi-Quantitative lgG Antibody, Spike - I do a lot of work with Covid and Ill tell you I am not a huge fan of the testing protocols around this test, however, some people in government and corporations still require tests like this for travel and employment so here is one of the tests that they want to see.  Do not use this for anything other than government testing it isnt helpful in treatment or real diagnosis.

ABO Grouping and Rho(D) typing - This is your blood type with Rh factor.  This is important for blood transfers as well as giving some insight into your blood chemistry.  There is some evidence that your blood type plays a role in your day-to-day diet and health needs.  I like to factor this into a diet plan when we can.  For instance, type O blood needs more red meat than other types.  It is not a hard and fast rule, however, it has proven accurate more often than not.