The Tests They Don't Order

The Problem

Modern medicine is reactive, not investigative.

They wait for something to break. High blood pressure? Here's a pill. Tumor? Here's chemo. Fatigue? You're probably just stressed.

What they don't do is ask why. Why is your blood pressure high? Why did the tumor develop? Why are you exhausted at 2pm every day?

The tests that could answer those questions exist. They're available. They're not experimental. But your doctor probably won't order them — because they're not "standard of care," insurance pushes back, and the system isn't built to find root causes. It's built to manage symptoms.

The alternative and functional medicine world runs these tests routinely. The conventional world scoffs at them — until the research catches up and suddenly it's obvious.

You don't have to wait for them to catch up.

The Hidden Load

Your body is dealing with things you can't see or feel.

None of these will show up on a standard annual physical. None of them will trigger a diagnosis. But they add up. They compound. And eventually, they create the conditions for something serious.

What They Test vs. What Matters

The standard panel tells you if you're about to die. It doesn't tell you why you feel like shit or what's quietly building toward a future problem.

Tests Worth Asking For

Inflammation Markers

Chronic inflammation is the common thread in heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, and neurodegeneration. If you don't measure it, you can't address it.

• hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) — General inflammation marker. Elevated levels associated with cardiovascular risk and cancer.
• Homocysteine — Amino acid linked to inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Elevated by B-vitamin deficiencies.
• Fibrinogen — Clotting protein that increases with inflammation.
• ESR (sed rate) — Non-specific inflammation marker.

Full Hormone Panel

"Normal" testosterone ranges are based on population averages that include sick, sedentary, obese men. What's normal isn't optimal. And testosterone alone doesn't tell the full story.

• Total Testosterone — What most doctors test, but only part of the picture.
• Free Testosterone — The usable portion. Often low even when total is "fine."
• SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) — High SHBG binds testosterone, reducing what's available.
• Estradiol (E2) — Men need some, but excess causes problems. Aromatase converts T to E.
• LH & FSH — Signals from pituitary. Help diagnose primary vs secondary hypogonadism.
• DHEA-S — Precursor hormone, declines with age.
• Cortisol — Stress hormone. Chronic elevation tanks testosterone.
• Prolactin — Elevated levels suppress testosterone.

Thyroid (Complete)

Doctors test TSH and call it done. But TSH can be "normal" while you're functionally hypothyroid. You need the full picture.

• TSH — Standard test, but just the signal from pituitary to thyroid.
• Free T4 — Storage hormone, what thyroid produces.
• Free T3 — Active hormone, what your body actually uses.
• Reverse T3 — Inactive form that blocks T3 receptors. Elevated by stress, inflammation, dieting.
• TPO & TG Antibodies — Detect autoimmune thyroid (Hashimoto's) often years before TSH goes abnormal.

Metabolic / Insulin

Diabetes is diagnosed by elevated glucose. But insulin resistance — the precursor — can be present for years while glucose stays normal. By the time glucose is high, the damage is done.

• Fasting Insulin — Should be low (under 5-6 μIU/mL ideal). High fasting insulin = insulin resistance even with normal glucose.
• HOMA-IR — Calculated from fasting glucose and insulin. Measures insulin resistance directly.
• Fasting Glucose — Standard, but late indicator.
• HbA1c — 3-month average blood sugar. Useful but not the whole story.

Nutrient Status

Deficiencies cause vague symptoms — fatigue, brain fog, weakness, poor immunity — that get blamed on stress or aging. Most doctors don't test.

• Vitamin D (25-OH) — Target 50-70 ng/mL, not just "above 30."
• B12 — Standard range starts too low. Optimal is upper third of range.
• Ferritin — Iron storage. Low = fatigue. Very high = inflammation or iron overload.
• RBC Magnesium — Serum magnesium is useless; most is intracellular.
• Zinc — Difficult to test accurately, but plasma zinc gives some signal.
• Folate — Important for methylation, especially with MTHFR variants.

Food Sensitivities

IgE allergies are immediate and obvious — hives, swelling, anaphylaxis. IgG sensitivities are delayed, subtle, and cumulative. They drive inflammation without dramatic symptoms.

• IgG Food Sensitivity Panel — Tests reactions to 96-200+ foods. Not perfect, but reveals hidden triggers.
• Elimination Diet — Gold standard. Remove common triggers for 30 days, reintroduce systematically.

Gut Health

70% of your immune system is in your gut. Dysbiosis, leaky gut, and chronic GI inflammation affect everything.

• Comprehensive Stool Analysis (GI-MAP, GI Effects) — Bacteria, parasites, yeast, inflammation markers, digestive function.
• Zonulin — Marker for intestinal permeability ("leaky gut").
• Calprotectin — Inflammation in the gut lining.

Toxins / Environmental Load

Heavy metals, mold, and environmental chemicals accumulate. The body can handle some; it can't handle an endless load with no detox support.

• Heavy Metals (blood or urine) — Lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium. Provoked urine test after chelation challenge is more revealing.
• Mycotoxins (urine) — Mold exposure markers.
• Organic Acids Test (OAT) — Metabolic byproducts indicating nutrient status, detox capacity, mitochondrial function, yeast/bacterial overgrowth.

How to Get These Tests

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