THIS specific blog article is written to help health care providers better understand iron and ferritin, especially from a more functional perspective. THIS INFO is NOT intended for patient use, but is intended as professional education for medical colleagues.
Fatigue is such a frequent patient complaint and can really baffle providers as lab tests often come back in “normal” range. However, as more of us begin to explore a more functional or holistic perspective to health care, we begin to discover the benefits of using “optimal” lab values. Optimal lab values come from a variety of organizations and vary a bit sometimes. The key here, though, is to consider that “normal” lab values often leave patients symptomatic and dissatisfied with care.
A few examples of optimal lab values include an A1c, a Free T3, and a Ferritin level.
Mainstream medicine often diagnoses type 2 diabetes when the A1c level jumps higher than 6.5 or 7; however, various studies have indicated that patients often exhibit complications of diabetes, even at A1c levels as low as 5.6 – 6.0. Optimal A1c then, is likely around 5.5 or less, to minimize development of cellular injury. Various low carb experts provide a variety of educational resources to help patients learn the basic tenets of going low carb, but in the presence of certain glucose lowering medications, this journey may require professional guidance.
Managing hypothyroidism is often a challenge but monitoring the Free T3 level will provide much better information about a patient’s thyroid health. Free T3 is the active thyroid hormone the body uses for metabolism/function/energy. Letting Free T3 run in the lower range of normal often results in major symptoms for patients, including depression, low body temperature, bradycardia, and fatigue that can be life-altering and severe. Using liothyronine in decreasing doses over the morning can offer patients with a significant improvement in symptoms, allowing them to return to normal activities and function. Adjust liothyronine doses to target an optimal range in the upper quarter of the range. Ferritin has long been overlooked as an important metabolic marker but checking iron and ferritin panels is becoming more and more important as the CBC is not impacted by low ferritin levels until the ferritin levels falls to the very bottom of the range, or even below range. Symptoms of fatigue, headaches, and muscle aches can occur and are quite common when the ferritin levels falls below 60 ng/mL. At levels below 45 ng/mL, many patients report tachycardia, dyspnea, palpitations, weakness, headaches,
Once labs are done and levels identified, we address each specific lab value and make recommendations for medications, vupplements, and/or food/lifestyle changes that are needed to correct those values, which in turn improve symptoms and help patients FEEL better!
