Healmatics

🩸 Blood tests explained in plain English
🧪 Daily lab insights & medication education
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[Healmatics @Healmatics]

Blood work back and it reads like another language?

Healmatics explains your lab results in plain English, with natural steps resourced by NIH research.

Join the waitlist for a free 11-page blood test guide: https://t.co/RchvCewfWy

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

A B12 of 300 can look normal and still leave the question open.

Most labs flag under 200 or 250 pg/mL. NIH says if yours is 150 to 399, a follow-up test called MMA (methylmalonic acid) helps confirm if you're truly low.

Worth asking about if you take metformin or acid reducers.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

@SBakerMD Real question: in the people who do see a rise, does it show up on fasting glucose the next morning, or mostly on a CGM in the few hours after the meal?

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

@dr_ericberg Worth knowing before buying any of them: the FDA doesn't review supplements for safety or effectiveness before they hit the shelf. It steps in after problems show up.

A USP Verified seal on the label at least means a third party checked what's inside.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

@EricTopol @AllofUsResearch @ScienceTM The FDA keeps a public Table of Pharmacogenetic Associations listing known gene-drug pairs.

Clopidogrel (Plavix) and the CYP2C19 gene is a classic one: some people convert less of it to its active form.

Worth asking if a test applies before a new prescription.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

High TSH often points to a thyroid running low, not high.

TSH comes from your pituitary gland, not your thyroid. When thyroid hormone drops, the pituitary makes more TSH to push the thyroid harder.

A flagged TSH is a starting point. Ask what your T4 shows.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

High uric acid doesn't automatically mean gout.

It's waste from breaking down purines, found in your own cells and in organ meats, some seafood and alcohol. MedlinePlus says many people run high with no health problems.

Aspirin and niacin can shift it too, so mention them.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

Potassium flagged high? Think back to the blood draw.

MedlinePlus says clenching and relaxing your fist just before or during the draw can temporarily raise potassium and throw off the result.

Keep your hand relaxed. If it's high, ask your clinician about a retest.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

Thank you I appreciate you 💚@Brenbyrn2

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

Bilirubin a bit high, rest of your liver panel fine?

Bilirubin comes from old red blood cells breaking down. MedlinePlus says 3 to 7% of Americans have Gilbert syndrome, a mild inherited condition where it creeps up with fasting, illness or dehydration.

Ask before you worry.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

Hard workout, then a liver panel? Your ALT might notice.

ALT is a liver enzyme that leaks into the blood when liver cells are damaged. MedlinePlus says intense exercise, some medicines and supplements can raise it too.

Mention that workout when you get tested.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

@KenDBerryMD @KenDBerryMD The label already does the sorting: "Includes 13g Added Sugars" is its own line on the FDA Nutrition Facts panel now. The other 5 g is naturally there, mostly from the milk. Plain yogurt with your own fruit skips most of the 13.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

@foundmyfitness @foundmyfitness Is the milk fat globule membrane doing most of the work there? Churning butter sends a lot of that membrane off into the buttermilk, while cheese keeps more of it. Same saturated fat on paper, different package.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

MCV on your blood count is the average size of your red blood cells.

That one number points a direction. MedlinePlus says small cells can go with iron deficiency, and large ones with low B12 or folate, or liver disease.

It's a clue for what to check next, not a diagnosis.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

Blood work back and it reads like another language?

Healmatics explains your lab results in plain English, with natural steps resourced by NIH research.

Join the waitlist for a free 11-page blood test guide: https://t.co/RchvCewfWy

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

@dr_ericberg @dr_ericberg Small update on the 10-to-1 ratio: a 2016 recount in PLOS Biology put it closer to 1 to 1, about 38 trillion bacteria to 30 trillion human cells. Still a lot of roommates.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

@SamaHoole @SamaHoole The potassium would like a word. NIH lists one medium baked potato with skin at about 926 mg, more than double a banana's 422. The starch critique is fair. "Only the fat" isn't.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

@KenDBerryMD @KenDBerryMD For anyone trying this: same meter, washed hands, same timing both times. FDA lets home meters land within 15% of a lab value for most readings. How big a rise do you treat as real rather than meter noise?

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

Your blood calcium isn't a readout of your bones.

MedlinePlus says only about 1% of your body's calcium is in your blood. The rest is in bones and teeth, and the body holds the blood level steady.

Bone health is checked with a DEXA scan, not the calcium on your lab panel.

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

@KissMyCarol https://t.co/E6bMqL4lxY

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

Blood work back and it reads like another language?

Healmatics explains your lab results in plain English, with natural steps resourced by NIH research.

Join the waitlist for a free 11-page blood test guide: https://t.co/RchvCewfWy

[Healmatics @Healmatics]

@KenDBerryMD Useful list. Real question: do you read C-peptide alongside a glucose from the same draw? A "normal" C-peptide next to a high sugar can mean something different than the same number at a normal sugar.