Who’s afraid of some teeny tiny biomarkers?
A functional medicine chiropractor friend of mine suggested I have a blood test, known as the A1C or HA1C, run so we could look more closely at what might be going on in my blood. Turns out…things weren’t so good. The doctor went over my results with me, and I guess I failed to stay within preferred levels for pretty much all of the 5 main biomarkers he recommends monitoring. I’ll share those markers with you, what their levels should be, and what mine were…
- Homocysteine: This is now the gold standard, for many doctors, as a means for judging whether or not someone is at risk for cardiovascular disease and incidents. Healthy levels should show up in your results between 4-8 umol/L (symbol for micromole) When your levels fall within that range you may consider yourself fortunate and possibly healthy. My level was 17.8
- CRP (C-reactive protein): This is a protein produced in the liver, and it’s associated with inflammation. Truly healthy levels should fall between 0 mg/L and 0.5 mg/L – That’s not much of a range because it should ideally show up as 0. My level was 1.53
- Vitamin D: It’s so cool how your body actually converts cholesterol derivatives into Vitamin D. Take note…your body creates cholesterol, and here’s one of the main reasons why. Healthy levels of Vitamin D (which is actually a hormone by the way) should show up right around 50 ng/ml. And the bare minimum recommended by almost all doctors is 30 ng/ml. My level was 20.7
- Hemoglobin AC1 (HA1C or A1C): This indicates how much glycosolation is going on in your blood. And that’s all about sugar binding to proteins. Most standard testers say you’re OK in the range between 4.8%-5.6%. My doctor says he gets “nervous over 5.4%”. My level was 5.6%…not outlandish, but combined with my other high levels…not good.
- Fasting Insulin: This has everything to do with insulin regulation. And while many labs say a level lower than 25 mIU/L is OK, some others say you shouldn’t go above 8. Another source says an ideal decent range is between 2 and 5. My level was 100.
OK…I failed the 5 biomarkers. So, I’m in trouble. But does being in trouble mean you throw your hands in the air and give up? Certainly not. What you do is find out the adjustments you need to make in your lifestyle, emotions, and diet…then make those adjustments. And for a Christian, the primary response should be to ask God for wisdom and discernment and for strength to follow through. I’ve done that, and I’m continuing to do that. I’m also fortunate to have a beautiful health coach living with me…my wife.
For a much more in-depth look at these biomarkers and so much more valuable health info, check out Dr. Kurt.
What about you? Have you had your 5 main biomarkers checked lately?
Stay tuned,
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