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As you know every year I do a comprehensive blood analysis to see where I am with my diet and my health…
I think getting this blood work regularly is likely one of the single, most important things you can do to figure out what in your health protocol and diet is working for you and what it not.
Blood tests transcend diet dogma. They correct even the most stubborn of people. They are more accurate than muscle testing.
And, in most cases, they doesn’t lie.
My last test was February 8th, 2011, and when I was in Sarasota over the last week, I retested for my yearly work up.
Today, I’m going to share what went up, what went down and what I need to improve on.
Not many colleagues of mine are willing to be honest about the results of their blood tests, but for me, my mission is to get your healthy and to learn from my successes and mistakes.
So I’m going to pick out a few things from my previous and most recent tests to share where I am. I have nothing to hide here and I’m sharing the good and the bad (though there isn’t much bad at all.)
Before I start with the details, here is a list of tests that I took for those who are interested…
1. CBC – Complete Blood Profile
2. Lipid Profile (Usually comes with the CBC if requested)
3. Vitamin B12
4. Vitamin D
5. Testosterone
6. DHEA
7. Cortisol
8. Pregnenolone
9. Hemoglobin A1-C
10. Blood Heavy Metal Test
Let’s get into it here…
My Complete Blood Profile Analysis
Basically, this year’s and last year’s are completely the same.
In the CBC, a doctor is looking for basic blood and metabolic markers. Things like white blood cells, platelets, glucose, protein, sodium and other minerals are included in this profile.
For me, the results are steady.
Two things that did increase slightly were Serum Glucose and BUN. BUN is a measure of urea in the blood and glucose is glucose.
My previous levels were at 85 (glucose) and 14 (BUN.)
This time around they were at 90 (glucose) and 20 (BUN.)
I’m not particularly concerned about them at this time, mainly due to the fact that my previous test in 2010 showed them to be a little higher than in 2011.
If I continue to see them trending upward, then that means I’ll have to look into my kidney function and my blood sugar regulation.
Also, the glucose could be elevated due to a higher carbohydrate meal from the night before and the BUN could be high because I was a little dehydrated.
So here, since they’re still within range, trending across a few tests are more important to me than one result.
Lipids Are Slick, Baby!
Yeah, it’s a bad joke, but the most interesting thing about this year’s test is my increased HDL.
In February, my lipid profile read like this:
Total Cholesterol: 146
Triglycerides: 63
HDL: 42
VLDL: 13
LDL: 91
This year the results were:
Total Cholesterol: 175
Triglycerides: 54
HDL: 73
VLDL: 11
LDL: 91
This is great news.
The reason why is because my triglycerides dropped and my HDL increased. This means my risk of heart disease dropped as well (yes, even though I’m in my 30’s and don’t have high risk at all!)
My VLDL dropped as well, which is good, but it’s a fairly small amount.
Cholesterol is very important for the production of hormones and this is a fantastic increase compared to the 110 or so result I had in 2010.
I attribute this improvement to increased exercise as well as the inclusion of eggs and some fish into my diet — though I could be completely off base on this assumption.
The lesson to me here is that the vegan or raw diet is excellent at lowering cholesterol — for those who need their cholesterol lowered and even those who don’t!
What a Pain to Keep the Vitamin B12 Up
My vitamin B12 increased since last year, but only from 399 to 488. This is not the MMA (or Methylmalonic acid) test which is more accurate, but I’m not eating much algae or seaweeds these days — which are likely to cause false positives in the serum B12 tests.
The reason why my levels are low is that I haven’t been using the patches — they’re just one of those things I forget about. (BTW: Good news about these patches, Dr. Williams has told me he’s seen a clinical increase in B12 with those who use them! I guess I should listen to my own recommendations… LOL!)
Anyway, I took a B12 shot when I was with Dr. Williams and now that I’ve told you I can’t keep my B12 up, I now have you to hold me accountable for my levels staying up.
Darn Sun, It Never Gives Me Enough Vitamin D
As normal, my Vitamin D levels were low.
On my last test they were at 29 and now they’ve dropped back to 25.2. In 2010, they were over 40 and on their way up. In 2009, they were at 22.
The reason why?
I take Vitamin D supplements for a few months, then I run out and forget to get more.
It’s a classic example of how someone who’s so health centric can be totally human in many aspects of life — including the health results that they’re so focused on!
I’ve spent a lot of time in the sun this year as well, maybe not enough to raise it, but probably enough to keep it the same. This continues to feed my theory that the sun is just not enough to raise Vitamin D levels for some people — even those who live in tropical areas.
Yes, I’ll start supplementing again, even though I’d love to keep this up naturally. (I was kind of hoping I could this time around.)
Total Hormonal Harmony?
Not quite yet…
As you know in the past, my adrenal fatigue really messed with my hormone levels.
Since that time — maybe 3 years ago — I’ve been rebuilding.
The good news is that everything is on the rise (almost.)
My pregnenolone is at 111. (It has been at 6 and 60 in the past.)
My DHEA shot up from 284.1 to 425.1 this time around. I have much better moods these days.
My AM Cortisol is steady at 12.6.
And my testosterone dropped a bit from 543 to 514.
My biggest concern here is keeping my testosterone up. This time around we tested my Free Testosterone which is good at 14.9 — which means there is plenty available for use — but I’d like the numbers to be a little higher. Right now the levels are moderate. Increased testosterone would give me better muscle retention which has been shown to increase longevity.
I’d also like my pregnenolone to increase a little more as well, so that maybe I can produce more testosterone.
I’ll keep you posted on these.
Some natural ways to get these levels up are an adaptogens. Ginseng is one Dr. Williams recommended for me. For the pregnenolone, the best thing is rest and adrenal support (the rest might be highly unlikely… LOL!)
Risk for Diabetes?
Nope!
Another reason I’m not concerned about my higher glucose than last year is that my Hemoglobin A1-C is at 4.9, which shows a very low risk for diabetes. If this was elevated, as well as my serum glucose, I would be much more concerned about the higher glucose.
Again, this is why you test multiple factors and do it on a regular basis so you can see how your body is trending.
I Think We All Have Toxic Metals…
There’s no specific way to test how much heavy metal you have in the body. Blood tests can reveal if there’s any in the blood, but they don’t tell you what’s in the tissues. Hair tests can tell you what’s been in your system, but they’re not the most accurate (though a good start.) And, finally, challenge tests can tell you a few things about how much heavy metal you’re releasing, but you still have no idea how much is still in the body.
We did a scan for lead, mercury and arsenic in the blood and the levels are all fairly low.
Lead was at zero. (When I originally went raw, paint chips were the first to go.)
Arsenic levels are at a 6 — which may be a little higher than I’d like.
Mercury at a 2.5.
I’ll be experimenting with some heavy metal removal techniques over the next 6-12 months, so I’ll keep you posted on this!
Overall…
I’m thrilled with my progress.
It’s been a long journey back from where I was. I remember back in 2009-2010 when I saw that my pregnenolone levels were at a 6 and my cholesterol was 110. I was shocked. This was when I was fully on raw and I finally came to terms that my adrenals were shot and my digestion was in the toilet (I guess literally in a strange way.)
I’m sure some people will criticize some of these numbers and tell me that I’m wrong to think one way or another. But I think the overriding reason I share with you is not to tell you that I’m doing good, but to show you that this a tool that is available that you can use to help figure out if your diet is working for you.
That’s the most important lesson out of all of this.
I used to curse blood tests. I would say they just don’t apply to me. I would say that the levels were based on the markers of unhealthy people.
The truth is, I was naive. I thought eating everything natural was the only ticket.
Now I realize there are a few different ways to get to the place you want to go — and using blood tests help you get there faster.
Your Question of the Day: When was the last time you had your blood tested?
BTW: If you’re interested in learning how to read your own blood tests, click here.
Live Awesome!
Kev