YES IT WILL. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. Don’t disillusion me.
Remember that kid in your class who ate dirt or licked the inside of the freezer or sucked down paste? Well it turns out that he may not have been one pinto bean shy of a bingo like we all thought. Pica – the intense desire to eat non-food items – is now thought to be the result of an iron or other mineral deficiency. Who knew? Get the kid a steak and he might have been class president. Or maybe his blood was fine and he just really liked the taste. See, that’s the tricky thing about our bodies – figuring out what is actually going on inside them takes a weird mash-up of science, voodoo, ESP and cosmic luck. One of my greatest fantasies (you ready to find out how truly geeky I am?) is to have a computer screen attached somehow to my brain that would tell me exactly what is going on inside my body.
Back in the days when I counted calories – so glad that’s over! – it used to frustrate me to no end that every measurement was an estimate. There was no real way to tell exactly what calories were in that apple or how my body used them or what nutrients I gained or lacked from it. And it wasn’t just calorie counting. I’d lay in bed and wonder if my intense craving for Lindt dark chocolate truffles were really from PMS hormones – and which hormone exactly? – or if I was lacking magnesium or if my body was fine but it was my mind that was whacked out. (I heart my OCD.) But of course there is no way to know any of that.
Or is there? Recently I got to try out a new service called Inside Tracker. Basically it’s all the blood tests you wish you could ask your doctor to do. The difference is that your doctor is mostly interested in diagnosing dysfunction in your body and being “not sick” is not the same as being “optimally healthy.” Inside Tracker doesn’t diagnose disease but rather focuses on helping people be their healthiest. All you have to do is go get your blood drawn at a local lab – because that’s what everyone does for fun in their spare time, right? Just me? – and within just a couple of days you get your results back along with recommendations about how to improve your numbers based on your age, gender and fitness level. It also gives you recommendations on what foods and supplements to take more of and which to avoid.
Answers? Numbers?? I was like a kid in a candy store! Unfortunately – or fortunately, depending on how you look at it (you say Back Street Boys, I say N*Sync) – my results were surprising. And they raised more questions than they answered.
First the good news: out of everything tested (folic acid, glucose, calcium, magnesium, creatine kinase, vitamin B12, vitamin D, ferritin, total cholesterol, hemoglobin, HDL, LDL and triglycerides if you’re curious), I only had two “red flags.” But here’s where it gets weird:
First, my folic acid was too high, despite not taking a multi-vitamin and pretty much never eating fortified foods like bread, pasta or cereal (I eat those things but I make my own so obviously I’m not adding supplements to them). This is concerning because too much folic acid leads to increased cancer risk and brain damage. (And in case you missed the memo, too little is really bad too, especially if you are a pregnant woman.) When I clicked on the recommendations from Inside Tracker it told me to eat boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. Because they’re really high in folic acid. Obviously the program is used to people being too low in folate rather than too high. (Inside Tracker assures me this was a glitch and they’re fixing it.) So I did what any freaked out person would and googled the crap out of it. According to the womenshealth.gov it is “impossible to get too much folate from natural sources.” Okay, then. Phew?
Second, my triglycerides are too low. Again, most people have the opposite issue. I’m a freak? I’m too healthy for my own good? I have a glandular problem?? Unfortunately Googling this did not reassure me. So I have my yearly checkup scheduled in a couple of weeks with my doctor and I’ll definitely be talking to her about this. (Side note: my regular doc happens to be my OBGYN. I adore her. Is it weird that I’m willing to put up with a pelvic exam just to talk to her about my anti-depressants?)
The other thing I noticed about my Inside Tracker results is that their definition of “optimal” is different than what most doctors and health organizations recommend. I found their answer very intriguing: ” The bottom line is that the AHA [American Heart Association] gives you generic numbers for everybody in the population, from baby to centenarian. If you are within these wider ranges you are within physiological boundaries, ie. you are not sick. This zone is depicted by the pink zone in the InsideTracker graph. However, we are not diagnosing disease. InsideTracker gives you an optimized zone for your special cohort: age, gender, race, performance needs. This zone is much tighter, and InsideTracker makes its recommendations based on this zone.” I’ve often wished for more individualized recommendations so this is awesome.
In the end, I am glad I did this. Preventative health care is so so important. Plus I’m a girl who loves numbers and this takes me a step closer to understanding what all is going on inside me. (Yay, no anemia! I had anemia for years as a vegetarian that never resolved with supplements so seeing these numbers was a relief and an assurance than adding some meat back into my diet has been helpful for my body.) While I still have a lot of questions – my total cholesterol is nice and low but my LDL (“bad”) is a little higher than I’d like and now I’m wondering if that’s because I eat a ton of coconut oil and other saturated fats? – I feel like this test gave me some useful information that I can now use to make tweaks. Their food recommendations were not at all accurate or helpful for me, however. I mean, there was no glue on their anywhere!
Do you worry more about being not sick or about being optimally healthy? (As I type that it strikes me there may be a happy middle ground between the two. Seeing as I am notoriously bad at the whole balance thing, please enlighten me!) Do you do any of these kinds of “extra” health tests? Have you ever had a pica??
This seems so neat! I haven’t had a pica, but it seems really interesting!
I wouldn’t stress too much about your LDL! There are different types of LDL, and only one of them is harmful (according to the latest research). Unfortunately our current blood tests only measure the total amount of LDL. Robert H. Lustig talks about it in his lecture: Sugar: The Bitter Truth, it’s on youtube if you want to hear it from someone with credentials!
Oooh thank you! I love credentials almost as much as I love numbers, lol! I’ll go look him up!
Oh my gosh, I need to look into this! I’m so frustrated with not feeling my best. I hate that my doctor doesn’t help me be healthier, she just keeps me not sick. yeah, I need a new doctor.
Okay, so I just started seeing a naturopath, because even though I’m certainly not sick right now, some things do run in my family history, and I would like to prevent them. Plus, I’m vegetarian, and I’d like to make certain that everything stays in order (esp. with the B12s, iron, etc.).
She’s amazing, she tells me what foods I should try to eat, and what to avoid, behaviours to encourage, etc. I found that my food cravings have dropped, and that I’m generally feeling like I’m moving toward “peak performance” (particularly mentally, which is great for work) even though nothing was wrong before. She’s all about us being “co-pilots” of my health.
I think my goal is the optimal balance between health and happiness. For example, my naturopath would like if I didn’t drink any alcohol, which I’m happy to do 6 days of the week (since alcohol kinda messes with my sleep). However, I do like a glass or two of red with dinner when I’m with friends, so when I have dinner with friends on Friday or Saturday, there is no way I’m giving that up- which my naturopath knows, and is okay with.
I’ve never had pica, but my little brother had a serious thing for sponge when he was little- he would rip open couch cushions and pick at it. It was so bizarre, and he seemed to eventually grow out of it, but for at least a year my mom spent a lot of time checking our couches to make sure my brother hadn’t managed to use his safety scissors and open up the couch for sponge. He also would gnaw on loofahs. I guess luckily he wasn’t tall enough to reach kitchen or cleaning sponges, or they were locked away or something, but it was weird. And he seems fine now (at least as far as we can tell, he’s 16, so something might come up eventually).
I need a naturopath like yours! She sounds amazing. And glad your little brother grew out of his pica!
I would love to take such a test! Nothing is more fascinating than the functions of our bodies! I am a very healthy eating vegan and would love to know if my efforts show!
Yay for being able to know the exact details about your health! It sounds like a powerful tool to help us get to the best place possible. I’m totally into the paleo diet and would love to be able to tell my clients that it’s working by sharing my results. Blood doesn’t lie!
I love your blog! I can’t believe it took me so many months to discover.
I would love to try this. I am much like you. I am always wondering and wondering about what is going on inside my body and how A effects B and C. I had a full blood panel done recently and it was mind-blowing because I think I am really healthy, but sadly, my blood panel came back with all kinds of stuff that made me freak out! For instance, my liver enzymes were elevated (I drink once a week or so…), my triglycerides were a bit high (I live on a very high protein, low carb style diet, so what the eff….?) and my thyroid is all messed up (which I already knew, but which depresses me every time I am reminded.) I was like, damn, for someone who wakes up at 5am to exercise, plans ridiculously healthy meals, and is generally not a boozer, I sure got screwed! Thanks, Mom.
Okay, I’m sorry but this: ” I was like, damn, for someone who wakes up at 5am to exercise, plans ridiculously healthy meals, and is generally not a boozer, I sure got screwed! Thanks, Mom.” made me giggle. Ah, genetics! I got dealt some bad cards too;)
And thanks for reading my blog (and commenting!) that means a lot to me!
I would be totally down for trying something like this. Of course, I would probably obsess over the numbers if anything came back skewed. I check my blood pressure every time I go to the store, and whenever the numbers are high I always freak out a little bit.
My husband has a story he likes to tell about this personal transformation he underwent several years ago, after he stopped drinking and embraced sobriety. He said he got to a point where it wasn’t enough to just not drink; he wanted to be healthy. And then after a while, he decided he wanted to become as fit as he could possibly be, which is when he took up running. Now he’s a triathlete and a total superstud and is very, very fit. It’s pretty cool.
I now find myself in those latter stages, where it’s not enough for me to just not get sick. That seems like the barest baseline of personal care. I’m really into making the most of my limited time on this planet, and for me part of that is pursuing health and fitness to the best of my abilities.
Interesting! I’ve never thought about it but I too have followed a similar arc to your husband’s (although I think I’m coming back down the other side now, lol). It’s like you get a taste of how awesome healthy feels and you just want more!
I have yet to do any additional health testing beside going to the Bod Pod for body fat analysis. However, I am trying to eat more optimally to support my workout/fitness routine.
My most recent blood test results (required by my life insurance company to support a new policy) were the best blood test results since I was in my early 20s–I’m currently 44.
I agree with esmemerrie, if you haven’t watched Lustig’s video…DO IT TODAY! http://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM
It’s 90 minutes of information on sugar (sometimes in excruciating detail) that every American needs to digest. 😉
Oh…and please be careful with the flippant comments about eating healthy fats and their affect on your cholesterol levels…your body (liver) produces (naturally) 3-4 times more than you eat. …don’t get me started on all of the bad nutritional science out there…
Oooh thank you for the link! I was going to look it up but now I don’t have to! I know what I’m doing during nap time:) And I honestly wasn’t trying to be flippant about my LDL and sat fats. I’ve read a lot of research about the newly discovered benefits of sat fat and how LDL is more complex than just “bad” but it’s still hard seeing that number be borderline high and learning to be ok with it, you know? It takes time to undo 20+ years of programming…
I knew 🙂
I’ve long been an advocate for prevention as the best way to stay healthy!
Will you please be my doctor??
Excited to try out Inside Tracker! Thanks! Maybe I can demonstrate just how healthy my diet really is! 😉
If you do it let me know! I’m totally interested in your results!
As one of the many in this country without health insurance, I worry about it all. I worry when I want to get things checked & I can’t because if they find something than I have a pre-existing condition & I will never be able to get or afford insurance. I worry that people in this country fight the issue that one can still work hard & not afford it. I worry about it all but I do agree that not being sick & being optimally healthy is different.
I am also very numbers-oriented and I can’t stand that everything is an estimate. Yes, I am still counting calories… Still need to read the intuitive eating book!
I am about 6 1/2 months pregnant right now, and already get lots of blood work done for that reason. After I have the baby, I want to have a total blood work-up done, then do it again about 3 months later to see if I improve. With numbers comes measures, right?
I have heard of pica, and a friend of mine experienced it during her pregnancy, which is pretty common. She craved dirt and chalk. Not exactly what I want to snack on when morning sickness is in full swing, but hey, everybody has their thing right?
With my first pregnancy I craved huge bags of raw pasta. If it was cooked, I was not interested. And it was weird because I generally don’t like pasta much. And never before nor after have I ever had the slightest desire to eat raw pasta. But during that pregnancy? Couldn’t leave it alone. My sister thinks that was a kind of pica;)
I think preventative health care is essential, however I caution against very serious comparisons of the numbers that blood tests give. While they are good guides, you only start to show up as deficient when you are at 75% of a diseased state…already partially gone. Take Vitamin D for example. While healthy levels exist now about 20 nmol/L that is still pretty low and i’ve had many holistic doctors and naturopaths tell me that to be thriving one should be up around 80 nmol/L, especially if prone to depression!
Again while blood work is helpful I really encourage learning to listen to your body instead of relaying soly on numbers. If something is wrong, even in the blood the body usually lets you know it!
Great point about trusting yourself over any outside medical sources! And you’re right about the amount of optimal vit D being hotly debated right now. Experience Life mag recently had a great article about how to know how much to take.
First, I just want to say, I’m not a doctor. Repeat, not a doctor. But I do do research in the area of obesity/nutrition/cvd risk. I have to say that measuring your LDL CHOLESTEROL levels are not the same as measuring the NUMBER of LDL particles nor their quality. For example, if you have large LDL particles, you’d have a fewer number of LDL particles compared to someone with the same LDL cholesterol level but small LDL particles. And more small LDL particles is worse than fewer large LDL particles even if the LDL-Cholesterol was the same.
Did they measure your apolipoprotein B levels? Each LDL particle has one apolipoprotein B (apoB) protein on it. Therefore, when you measure apoB, you are estimating the number of LDL particles you have, which some doctors and researchers (including me) thinks is a better indicator of cvd risk than LDL-C levels.
Basically, you’re really healthy based on your lifestyle. These intermediary indicators of health (i.e. plasma risk factors such as LDL-C) are just estimates of your risk for developing disease (e.g. type 2 diabetes, CVD) or suffering from premature mortality but they aren’t conditions themselves that should be treated and they aren’t perfect. Researchers and physicians are continuously refining their view of these factors and there does exist some controversy about these things. It isn’t as black and white as it sometimes seems and it definitely isn’t a matter of everyone with a LDL-C above a (somewhat) arbitrary cut-off being at risk. But again, I’m not a doctor.
You may not be a doctor but you sure are smart! Thank you for taking the time to share your expertise with me. I found it both interesting and illuminating. And this: “but they aren’t conditions themselves that should be treated and they aren’t perfect.” is a great point. I don’t think it was an apoB test. I learn so much doing this – thank you!!
Oh boy, I am totally addicted to data also and am highly intrigued by this whole thing. Or was until I noticed the price, LOL this thing is obviously not targeted to grad students. Which is kind of a shame if you think about it, because people at lower SES levels (not specifically grad students, who probably tend to come from middle-class or higher backgrounds) are probably most in need of preventative medicine due to having less resources for healthy lifestyles and medical care once they get sick.
Really interesting that the advice given for abnormal folate reflects the assumption that people would be low and not high in it. I think the “more is better” assumption permeates way more aspects of our culture than we realize sometimes, hence the entire multivitamin industry…
This: “because people at lower SES levels (not specifically grad students, who probably tend to come from middle-class or higher backgrounds) are probably most in need of preventative medicine due to having less resources for healthy lifestyles and medical care once they get sick.” is so true and yeah it is a pricey procedure. Inside Tracker saw your concern and they’ve decided to offer a percentage off. Not sure what it is yet but I’ll post the details and the coupon code when I get them. Also, this: “I think the “more is better” assumption permeates way more aspects of our culture than we realize sometimes, hence the entire multivitamin industry…” Very astute!
Was the LDL value a calculated value or was it measured directly? The equation they use to calculate it is wrong if you have very low triglycerides, so if yours was. Calculated its presumably off… I think there’s a different equation that’s been proposed for triglycerides below a certain value… Sorry I’m on my phone so I can’t look it up very easily at the moment. 🙂
SO interesting!!! And I have no idea which way it was calculated. I’ll have to ask them. Thanks for the tip!
If you take 20 tests, each of which is 95% accurate, you will probably get one abnormal result purely by chance.
That said, these types of tests are great for detecting large metabolic disturbances, such as diabetes or hypercholesterolemia, but small variations around the “optimal” levels are not anything to worry about. These “optima” are only fuzzy estimates produced from observational studies and have very large errors and uncertainties.
“These “optima” are only fuzzy estimates produced from observational studies and have very large errors and uncertainties.” – so true, thank you for the reminder!!
I would love to try out those tests. Working in the hospital has shown me how the “average” ranges don’t always fit for everyone. I mean I’m on the low dance of normal for B12, but I get ill if I don’t take supplements. I would love to know what I could tweak to be more healthy.
In the lab I’m my own “control” whenever I can be…having more data would be so cool 🙂
I’ve always had a low immune system I got it from my mom. I’d love to know how to make myself healthier so I don’t get sick so much!
It all sounds fascinating! I’m not one to go for those types of tests because my inner hypochondriac comes out to play. (High school biology was a NIGHTMARE, lol!) But I’ve been obsessing over my pedometer again lately. Although not in the same way I used to. I used to strive for a minimum of 15,000 steps/day, and feel like a failure if I didn’t reach that goal. ‘Cause I was a bit nuts.
Now it’s more like a game: How many steps did THAT take? How many am I at? If I end up with, say, 6,000 in a day, that’s alright. Because the previous day I probably got 20,000 and, darn it, I’m tired, lol!
Besides,I JUST got an iPhone. One piece of modern technology at a time is all I can handle. Maybe in a few years…
Why is it that every time I read your blog I feel as though we’re the same person?
I COMPLETELY know what you mean with this: “There was no real way to tell exactly what calories were in that apple or how my body used them or what nutrients I gained or lacked from it. And it wasn’t just calorie counting. I’d lay in bed and wonder if my intense craving for Lindt dark chocolate truffles were really from PMS hormones – and which hormone exactly? – or if I was lacking magnesium or if my body was fine but it was my mind that was whacked out. (I heart my OCD.) But of course there is no way to know any of that.”
I believe preventative health care is SUPER important – but simply being “not sick” doesn’t mean we’re at our optimal health. And health tests are great 😀
Optimal health care would be great, but very expensive up front. And with a less than motivated general population, preventative health care might be the most realistic. But we can dream for now..and take it into our own hands like you have! The resources are out there. So great that you’re proactive with your health, very inspirational.
Your kids may be too young for this and it’s not terribly educational…maybe art/science? But it’s my favourite pinterest art project (currently have it hanging on my wall right now!) Melted crayon art! But check it out: http://pinterest.com/source/unsimpleliving.wordpress.com/
So wierd…comment went to the wrong blog…glitch?
Haha – either way it’s awesome! I love it! THanks for the idea!!
This is really interesting. I definitely think prevention is the way to go…our medical system is designed to treat disease and dysfunction, not prevent it – it is so backwards! That is why it is so important to be your own health advocate…yes Google can get you in trouble sometimes, but it can also help you advocate for yourself (the reason most doctors don’t want you to use it)
Hello charlotte! I just wanted to mention that folate is not exactly the same thing as folic acid. Folate occurs naturally and is found in whole foods but folic acid is synthetic and is used for supplementing foods and is the type in most vitamins. There is research controversy regarding folic acid, but folate appears to be safe.
Be well!
hey Charlotte! Great post as usual. Just wondered if you knew any websites which did a similar thing by you inputting your diet/lifestyle info? Obviously it’s not going to be as accurate, but I live in Indonesia so getting blood tests not an option!
Thanks
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Congrats on taking charge of your health! Its damn confusing! I’m glad to see more people presenting preventive medicine as an important part of their healthcare.