Nutritional Blood Chemistry

Written By Shane Brill

Blood work offers valuable insight—not just for diagnosing disease, but for spotting patterns that may indicate your body is under stress before a condition develops.

Nutritional blood chemistry chart showing trends

I use functional reference ranges—often narrower than conventional ones—to highlight patterns that may relate to nutrition, lifestyle, or symptom trends. This is a non-medical, educational approach to understanding how your body may be functioning.

As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner with advanced training from Institute of Restorative Health, I use functional blood chemistry to help you understand what your lab results might be telling you about your health. I provide education and support based on your body’s unique patterns to make informed choices relating to food and lifestyle.

An alternate view of Lab Results

Standard lab ranges are designed to flag disease. But “normal” doesn’t always mean optimal.

Through a functional perspective, we explore results that fall within clinical ranges but might still indicate underlying stress or imbalance. This can be especially helpful if:

  • You have symptoms but no clear diagnosis

  • You want a proactive, prevention-focused approach

This comprehensive panel includes markers commonly used in conventional care—but we view them through an educational lens. Key categories include:

Blood Sugar & Metabolic Health

  • Hemoglobin A1c with eAG

  • Fasting insulin

  • Glucose (via CMP)

  • Uric acid

Cardiovascular Markers

  • Lipid panel with ratios

  • Apolipoproteins

  • Homocysteine

  • hs-CRP

Iron & Nutrient Status

  • Ferritin

  • Iron and TIBC

  • CBC with differential

  • LDH

Liver & Detox Support

  • AST, ALT, GGT

  • Bilirubin

  • LDH

Thyroid Wellness and Hormones

  • TSH

  • Free & Total T3/T4

  • Reverse T3

  • Thyroid antibodies (TPO, TGAb)

Other Nutritional Markers

  • Magnesium

  • Phosphorus

  • Vitamin D (25-Hydroxy)

How We Use the Results

Once your labs are in, we’ll walk through the findings together. You'll learn how your results connect to your symptoms, history, and goals. We’ll build a personalized wellness strategy rooted in nutrition and lifestyle.

Your support plan may include:

  • Nutrient-dense food suggestions

  • Supplement considerations

  • Tips for supporting blood sugar, energy, or inflammation

  • Lifestyle shifts for sleep, digestion, and stress resilience

medical Collaboration

I deeply respect the role of licensed medical professionals and prioritize staying within my scope of practice. Here’s what that looks like:

  • I don’t diagnose or treat medical conditions

  • I use lab data to guide nutrition and lifestyle education

  • I encourage all clients to review results with their healthcare provider

  • If anything falls outside of standard medical ranges, I may suggest follow-up with a physician

This collaborative approach creates a bridge between clinical care and preventative wellness. You'll also gain the tools to better understand your labs over time—and feel more confident having informed, productive conversations with your provider.

Disclaimer: Lab results are reviewed through a nutritional lens to inform wellness strategies. It is outside of my scope to diagnose, treat, or cure disease. Please consult your licensed healthcare provider for any medical concerns.

Shane Brill
Previous

The GI-MAP Test