Written by: Laura Flanagan, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The three most deadly diseases – heart disease, cancer, and dementia – can be thought of as pillars resting on the foundation of metabolic disease. While complications from metabolic disease often do not directly lead to death, the indirect implication is harrowing. All major pillars of chronic disease are exacerbated and amplified by metabolic dysregulation. Metabolic disease typically exists on a continuum — progressing from hyperinsulinemia, to insulin resistance to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, all the way to type 2 diabetes — and tends to cluster with five signs which make up the diagnostic criteria for Metabolic Syndrome. These include high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, elevated blood glucose, abdominal obesity, and low HDL-cholesterol.
A metabolic disorder occurs when abnormal chemical reactions in your body disrupt this process. When this happens, you might have too much of some substances or too little of others required to keep you healthy. There are different groups of disorders. Some affect the breakdown of amino acids, carbohydrates, or lipids. Metabolic disease affects the parts of the cells that produce the energy. When certain organs such as your liver or pancreas, become diseased or do not function normally you can develop a metabolic disorder. A good example of this is Diabetes.
A comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) is a test that measures 14 different substances in your blood. It provides important information about your body's chemical balance and metabolism. Metabolism is the process of how the body uses food and energy. A CMP includes tests for the following:
Glucose – a type of sugar that serves as your body’s main source of energy
Calcium – one of the body’s most important minerals. Essential for the proper functioning of nerves, muscles, and heart.
Sodium, potassium, carbon dioxide, and chloride – a class of electrolyte which are electrically charged minerals that help control the amount of fluids and balance of acids/bases in your body.
Albumin – protein made by the liver.
Total protein – measures the amount of protein in the blood.
ALP (alkaline phosphatase), ALT (alanine aminotransferase), and AST (aspartate aminotransferase) – enzymes made by the liver.
Bilirubin – a waste product made by the liver.
BUN (blood urea nitrogen) and creatinine – waste products removed from the blood by your kidneys.
Getting your labs done is very important so you have accurate data on your blood sugar balance, nutrient levels, thyroid function, cardiovascular health, and so many other things that impact your health. If you have mysterious or ongoing symptoms, having accurate lab data and a means by which to interpret it can help give you clarity on a path forward. If you catch a problem or a deficiency early, you can save yourself from epic health problems that can sneak up on you at any time.
When I first began my journey as a Functional Nutrition Counselor, I was of the mind frame that labs are not very important. The reason behind my thinking was that labs only offer a ‘snapshot’ in time, and they can be greatly skewed based on diet and fasting just prior to the blood draw. However, since I took a 4-month journey with 5 clients in a program called ‘Functional Nutrition Transformation’ I quickly began to understand that labs offer metrics. If taken before the course and at various periods throughout (or even simply from the beginning of the 4-month journey to the end) we can monitor change based on weekly counseling and advisement. I am currently offering services ‘ala carte’ for anyone wishing to have blood chemistry lab data analyzed by software I have access to which brings the data into an easy to understand, color coded report and includes a health improvement plan. Contact me from my website for a free 30-minute consultation to learn more.
Laura Flanagan MS, RYT, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Laura Flanagan is a Molecular Biologist by education and career. She left her corporate job and moved to Costa Rica with her horse to open an Equine Therapy Center. Concurrently with her career as a scientist, she has been teaching Yoga and Meditation for over 20 years. Laura is a Yoga Instructor, Yamuna Body Rolling Instructor: Meditation Teacher, and Functional Nutrition Counselor - trained through the Functional Nutrition Alliance. She is a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She specializes in Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis to offer clients a better understanding of biomarkers and how they impact their health. She directs the Socrates Center in Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica. She has helped thousands of clients with physical pain through her certification with Yamuna who uses a form of small ball therapy. She has used her Yoga, Body Rolling, Meditation, and Functional Nutrition practices to assist in her own recovery from breast cancer.
