Many practitioners have encountered patients whose routine lab results fall within “normal” ranges, yet their symptoms persist—ranging from fatigue and brain fog to metabolic slowdown and inflammatory complaints. This disconnect highlights a deeper issue in conventional diagnostic frameworks: reference ranges were designed to detect pathology—not to assess optimal function or emerging dysfunction.
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During a recent Access Live webinar, Dr. Staci Blum, a chiropractor and functional medicine clinician and the co-owner of Well Infused, a holistic health spa offering bioidentical hormone therapy and IV nutrition, addressed how standard lab evaluations often fail to identify early-stage imbalances—leaving both patients and providers without clear clinical direction.
According to Dr. Blume new clients frequently say, “I just had my labs done, and my doctor said everything looked normal.” We tell them, “I know everything has seemed normal so far if no biomarkers are out of range, but our goal with this comprehensive panel is to find what’s been missed, beyond just what’s flagged as out of range.”
"Our goal...is to find what’s been missed, beyond just what’s flagged as out of range."
The Problem With "Normal" Lab Ranges
As Dr. Staci Blume explained, most standard lab panels rely on population-based reference ranges. These values are statistically derived and intended to screen for overt disease. However, from a functional perspective, “normal” often lacks nuance—and may overlook subtle trends indicative of dysfunction.
Consider these examples from Dr. Bloom:
- CBC: Normal red blood cell range is 3.8 to 5.5. If a client’s at the low end, it might not flag as an issue, but if they’re fatigued, it’s not optimal for them. "We aim for above 4.25 for females and 4.75 for males, accounting for physiological differences."
- Vitamin B12 & Folate: Many functional health clinicians focus on vitamin B12 (normal range 211–911; optimal above 600) because it’s easy to address in-office. B12 affects energy, and can be adjusted quickly and sustainably, whether through in-office services or home vitamins. Folate (B9) should be above 10, despite a broad normal range starting at 5.
- Vitamin D: While the standard reference range spans 30–100 ng/mL, Dr. Bloom recommends monitoring Vitamin D closely and maintaining levels above 70 for optimal immune modulation, cardiovascular support, and mitochondrial function.
Broad ranges often normalize suboptimal function, delaying intervention until disease or symptoms are present.
How Functional Lab Testing Fills the Gaps
Unlike conventional lab testing that flags extremes, functional medicine uses narrower, research-informed ranges to assess health status more proactively. This approach helps detect patterns and imbalances earlier—allowing clinicians to intervene before a condition fully develops.
Key diagnostic categories often assessed through functional panels include:
- Micronutrient status related to fatigue, neurological function, and immune health.
- Hormonal trends that may not qualify as endocrine disorders but still impact energy, cognition, and weight.
- Cardiometabolic risk beyond basic lipid panels.
By identifying trends rather than waiting for pathology, functional testing supports personalized, systems-based care.
What biomarkers offer health insights beyond standard laboratory panels?
Standard blood panels typically assess a limited scope of values—and often only flag abnormalities at extreme ends. Functional labs expand this view by analyzing a wider spectrum of markers, providing a deeper clinical context.
Key biomarkers to consider include:
These markers can shift clinical decision-making—informing dietary, supplement, and lifestyle protocols more effectively.
Functional Testing & Regenerative Therapy in Practice: A Clinical Scenario
Consider a clinical scenario:
- Patient Background: Lisa, a patient of Dr. Blume, had been treated for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (an autoimmune condition attacking the thyroid) for decades without relief. As a professional leading a team of hundreds, she needed to maintain peak performance and avoid showing fatigue.
- Initial Presentation: Lisa suffered from classic Hashimoto’s symptoms: chronic fatigue, dry skin, dry/thinning hair, and hair loss. Despite long-term treatment, she “never felt good” and sought to stay at the top of her game without weak moments impacting her leadership role.
- Intervention:
- Labs: A full thyroid panel (TSH, T4, T3, and thyroid antibodies) was run, showing suboptimal thyroid function and elevated antibodies (specific numbers not provided but implied as misaligned with her symptoms). Inflammation markers were also addressed.
- Treatment: Lisa received ozone IV therapy, regenerative cellular therapy infusions, and inflammation-reducing strategies (e.g., reduced sugar intake). Dr. Bloom’s team shifted focus from just thyroid hormone levels to the autoimmune root cause.
- Outcomes:
- Symptom Relief: Her Hashimoto’s symptoms (fatigue, dry skin, hair loss) resolved, and she felt “a decade younger.”
- Unexpected Benefit: Her vision corrected completely, eliminating her need for glasses—a side effect of regenerative therapy.
- Lab Improvements: Post-treatment labs showed significant improvement in thyroid function and inflammation markers (exact figures not specified), reversing decades of poor health trends.
- Functional Improvement: Lisa regained energy and stamina, maintaining her professional edge and leadership presence without fatigue showing.
This case highlights the importance of a comprehensive testing, in this instance with a full thyroid panel beyond TSH and treating Hashimoto’s as an autoimmune issue, not just a thyroid problem. Ozone and regenerative therapies reduced inflammation, putting her condition into remission and transforming her quality of life.
Integrating Functional Testing into Your Practice
Access Medical Labs offers advanced functional health panels tailored for functional, concierge, and integrative practices. These panels evaluate over 90 biomarkers across metabolic, inflammatory, hormonal, and cardiovascular systems—helping providers pinpoint subtle dysfunctions often missed in traditional testing.
In addition to clinically curated functional health panels, Access provides:
- Next-day turnaround times for faster patient management
- Flexible custom panels to match clinical workflows and case complexity
- Evidence-based reference ranges for optimal—not just “normal”—interpretation
