When your metabolism functions optimally, your body can effectively convert food into energy, maintain stable blood sugar levels, and support overall cellular function. The result is stable energy levels throughout the day and healthy appetite regulation. However, when metabolic processes are disrupted, it can lead to a cascade of health issues, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, hormonal dysfunction, infertility, and even dementia and depression.

We are going to cover a lot of biomarkers today – more than a dozen. Your body is a system, and only by looking at how many of the components of that system are working can we get a sense of what might be off. This is why the old standard lipid panel from your doctor is dangerously outdated and not much help in assessing true cardiovascular health. Just knowing your total cholesterol, or even your total LDL cholesterol isn’t enough. You need to really lift up the hood and see what’s going on within your LDL cholesterol, and how it relates to your HDL, and so much more. 

Testing your nutrient levels is so important because even though you might not be deficient in a nutrient to the point that you have a deficiency disease like scurvy or rickets, a long-term subclinical deficiency can increase your risk for all sorts of chronic diseases, like osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease. You may feel “fine” but meanwhile hidden nutrient deficiencies may be quietly undermining your health.

Stress is more than just a feeling; it’s a powerful force that can create profound disruptions in our body’s delicate balance, leading to overall dysregulation. The good news is there are so many natural, powerful interventions to reduce stress, from meditation and mindful movement to carving out some time for a hobby you are passionate about. You will also learn about a test for Biological Age, which tells you whether your body is aging faster or slower than your chronological age. This is a fantastic all-in-one indicator of how you are progressing on your path to optimal health.

These four lessons are a deep dive into male and female sex hormones, which have far-reaching effects beyond reproductive health, influencing muscle mass, bone density, cardiovascular health, metabolism, cognitive function, skin health, and immune function. Many doctors will not run hormone testing unless you are really sick, have been trying to conceive a baby for a long time, or have an overt issue with sexual dysfunction. And then often they won't do a complete set of testing, which can miss more subtle problems.

Thyroid conditions often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed because the symptoms overlap with other issues. Fatigue, weight gain or weight loss, depression, anxiety, and brain fog are easily attributed to things like stress, depression, or aging. But hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism affect millions of people, many of whom just don’t feel great and don’t know why. The right testing can help you understand if you have a full-blown thyroid problem — or are heading toward one.

If there is a disease that you really want to discover early, it’s cancer, and new breakthroughs in blood testing are now making it possible for you to be tested on an annual basis. This has the potential to revolutionize cancer detection and treatment. With Alzheimer’s disease there are also exciting new ways to test for the onset of the disease, but those are a bit beyond the scope of this program. However, there is a genetic test that can help you assess your personal risk for the disease decades ahead of time.