Hey everyone,

The most important step in reclaiming your health isn't a fancy supplement or extreme diet—it's getting the right labs interpreted through the right lens.

I was recently chatting with a proofreader working on an article for Chiropractic Economics about our Nutritional Blood Chemistry course. (It'll be published soon—stay tuned!) In the meantime, check out my recent piece in The American Chiropractor: "Decode Bloodwork: Transform Your Patient Outcomes with Nutritional Blood Chemistry Analysis".

The author noted, "You can use labs you already have from your doctor."

That stopped me cold—I called her right away to clarify. Yes, technically you could use standard labs from your medical doctor, but in my experience, I've never seen a conventional doctor order the complete, functional set that reveals the root causes most people need to address.

Medical doctors run plenty of tests, and it often looks comprehensive to the average person. But key markers for insulin resistance, food sensitivities, methylation issues, autoimmunity, inflammation, and more are almost always missing. Without them, you're flying blind on prevention and true healing.

To clear up this misunderstanding, I’m presenting a breakdown of what's typically run (and often misinterpreted) versus what's rarely ordered but essential for optimal health.

Commonly Run (But Often Incomplete or Misinterpreted):

• Complete Metabolic Panel (CMP) / Chemistry Panel
  ​This basic biochemical snapshot is usually ordered and fairly complete. We run it on every new patient and follow-up—it's inexpensive, easy, and foundational.
• Complete Blood Count (CBC) with Differential
  ​The CBC is common, but oddly, the differential (breakdown of white blood cell types) is frequently omitted these days. The differential reveals immune stressors, inflammation, infections, and nutrient deficiencies. Without it, you miss critical clues about what's driving symptoms. (I suspect insurance/cost factors play a role—it's unfortunate.)
• Lipid Profile
  ​MDs focus on total cholesterol and push statins, despite evidence showing it's not the main driver of heart disease. (Here’s a great article if you want to read up on cholesterol.) We use it differently: Ratios like triglycerides to HDL reveal insulin resistance—the real root of chronic issues like heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and immune dysfunction.
• Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)​
  Sometimes ordered to assess long-term blood sugar. Conventional "normal" is often up to 5.7–6.5%, but for optimal health, aim for <5.4% (many functional experts target 4.6–5.3%). Levels between 5.4–6.0% signal developing insulin resistance; above that, prediabetes sets in. I've had patients told "7% is fine"—that's "normal" for sick people, not healthy ones. Catching this early makes reversal easy.
• Thyroid Panel​
  TSH is common, but a full panel (Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies) is rare. TSH is a pituitary signal, not a true thyroid hormone. You need the full picture to see conversion issues (T4 to active T3) and autoimmunity (Hashimoto's). We run antibodies on everyone—knowing it's autoimmune changes everything: Avoid food sensitivities, support digestion (often gallbladder-related), address methylation, fix insulin resistance, and supply nutrients. Thyroid cases aren't hard when properly identified.

Rarely Run (But Game-Changing):

• Fasting Insulin​
  This single, inexpensive test tells more about insulin resistance than almost anything else. I've seen it ordered by an MD only once—and only because the patient requested it. Without fasting insulin, you can't fully assess metabolic health.
• Inflammatory Markers
  • hs-CRP: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein for cardiovascular inflammation—rarely checked.
  • Homocysteine: Reveals methylation status and B-vitamin needs; high levels link to heart disease, dementia, and cancers. Treatment? Methylated B vitamins—not drugs.
  • Ferritin: Dual marker for iron stores and inflammation. High ferritin with anemia = anemia of chronic inflammation (very common, rarely diagnosed).
  • Fibrinogen: Clotting protein that rises with inflammation. Fix the root cause, and it normalizes.
• Food Sensitivities (IgG Panel)​
  Not the same as IgE allergies. Sensitivities drive massive hidden inflammation and symptoms. No drug treatment = rarely tested, but avoiding triggers transforms health.
• Methylation Markers (B12, Folate/B9, Homocysteine)
  ​Deficiencies cause nerve damage, fatigue, anemia, dementia risk, and more. Treatment is simple: methylated B vitamins. Yet these are almost never checked.

Extra Labs We Often Order (MDs Rarely Do):

• ApoE Genetic Test for Alzheimer's Risk​
  With Alzheimer's touching so many families, why isn't this standard? The ApoE4 variant raises risk significantly, but lifestyle (diet, B vitamins, exercise) can mitigate it. In the world of medicine, no drug = no test, apparently. Luckily, we’ve got natural health strategies on our side, not just pharma. We've helped patients halt or reverse early signs with targeted support.
• Complete Hormone Panel​
  I've never seen a woman starting hormone replacement get a full panel first—including testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, DHEA, and pregnenolone. DHEA and pregnenolone often decline first and are available OTC. Skipping this leads to imbalances.

Bottom line: Standard labs catch disease, but functional labs uncover the root cause of your symptoms and guide personalized healing. If you've been told you have "normal" labs but are still feeling off, let's get the right tests and decode them properly.

Have A Great Weekend!

Sincerely Yours,

Dr. Sheehan