Issues with Pathology Test Results
Pathology tests, also known as "blood tests" are often recommended by Doctors and other health professionals, to try and find what might be causing health issues with a patient, in order to make treatment recommendations or prescriptions.
Unfortunately in about 99% of cases in our experience, the Doctor or practitioner will find nothing wrong in the results and say "everything is normal!", despite the patient having symptoms and conditions. If the practitioner finds nothing wrong, then either the tests which should have been chosen were insufficient, or the practitioner did not analyse or interpret the results properly. Or both. And so the patient doesn't get the treatment they need.
Doctors and practitioners generally only compare each test result to the "reference range" on the lab's reports. This simply isn't good enough!
We have had patients come in with several folders FULL of pathology results from a dozen or more different Doctors, GPs, specialists, and integrative doctors too. But the doctors can't find what is wrong in the results, because "everything is normal"!
This will explain why...
On your pathology results, usually on the far right side, is a range - which is called the Reference Range. Practitioners will usually compare your result to the reference range to see if it might be ok or not. If your result is in the Reference Range, the practitioner will say that result is "normal" and move to the next one. Often resulting in all of your results being "normal" so therefore you must be fine right?! No! You wouldn't be seeing the Doctor if you were all fine and healthy!
Doctors don't seem to know or understand that the Reference Range on your pathology results is simply a STATISTICAL AVERAGE, of people who have had that test at that laboratory. This can be confirmed, as different labs use different reference ranges!
A question to ask yourself... "Do healthy people get blood tests?" - NO, they don't!
Hence the Reference Range is simply an average of, let's say, 95% of UNHEALTHY people who have had that test at that laboratory! Reference Ranges are NOT healthy ranges, nor are they "normal ranges" as they are often described.
So why does your practitioner compare your result to, say, a range of 95% of unhealthy people?! Because they haven't been trained properly in pathology analysis!
But that's why they can't often find out what is your problem - they aren't using a useful Reference Range, or the "Optimal Range", in order to really find what is causing health issues.
The Optimal Range is based on healthy populations, and is just one of many aspects of the IIFP method of pathology analysis, used by trained and certified IIFP practitioners. IIFP trained practitioners will also be trained to look for the following in pathology test results:
Unfortunately in about 99% of cases in our experience, the Doctor or practitioner will find nothing wrong in the results and say "everything is normal!", despite the patient having symptoms and conditions. If the practitioner finds nothing wrong, then either the tests which should have been chosen were insufficient, or the practitioner did not analyse or interpret the results properly. Or both. And so the patient doesn't get the treatment they need.
Doctors and practitioners generally only compare each test result to the "reference range" on the lab's reports. This simply isn't good enough!
We have had patients come in with several folders FULL of pathology results from a dozen or more different Doctors, GPs, specialists, and integrative doctors too. But the doctors can't find what is wrong in the results, because "everything is normal"!
This will explain why...
On your pathology results, usually on the far right side, is a range - which is called the Reference Range. Practitioners will usually compare your result to the reference range to see if it might be ok or not. If your result is in the Reference Range, the practitioner will say that result is "normal" and move to the next one. Often resulting in all of your results being "normal" so therefore you must be fine right?! No! You wouldn't be seeing the Doctor if you were all fine and healthy!
Doctors don't seem to know or understand that the Reference Range on your pathology results is simply a STATISTICAL AVERAGE, of people who have had that test at that laboratory. This can be confirmed, as different labs use different reference ranges!
A question to ask yourself... "Do healthy people get blood tests?" - NO, they don't!
Hence the Reference Range is simply an average of, let's say, 95% of UNHEALTHY people who have had that test at that laboratory! Reference Ranges are NOT healthy ranges, nor are they "normal ranges" as they are often described.
So why does your practitioner compare your result to, say, a range of 95% of unhealthy people?! Because they haven't been trained properly in pathology analysis!
But that's why they can't often find out what is your problem - they aren't using a useful Reference Range, or the "Optimal Range", in order to really find what is causing health issues.
The Optimal Range is based on healthy populations, and is just one of many aspects of the IIFP method of pathology analysis, used by trained and certified IIFP practitioners. IIFP trained practitioners will also be trained to look for the following in pathology test results:
- To find confirmations of results from multiple tests, not interpreting just from one individual result
- To look at combinations of results which together can find causes of symptoms and conditions
- To find the hidden nutrient deficiencies in the pathology results, which can be directly and indirectly causing the abnormal results and a patient's symptoms and conditions
- To find conditions for a patient, which might not have been diagnosed, based on abnormal results, which can be causing their symptoms
- To relate the pathology analysis to the patient's signs and symptoms, to find or confirm a suspected diagnosis or causes of their symptoms and conditions
- To identify risk factors for major organs and metabolic functions, including the heart, thyroid, immune system, mental health, energy, and more
- To find good results that may rule out a diagnosis or causes of symptoms and conditions.
FOR THE PUBLIC/PATIENTS
If you already have blood tests, and would like to have them analysed in the IIFP way, you can either:
You don't necessarily need to see a GP/doctor to get blood tests done. You can save time, and sometimes money, with getting the testing done on YOUR terms, and without the hassle of 2 visits to the doctor and all the waiting around. The Doctor might not also do all the basic tests that are really needed for a good analysis.
Because the IIFP is not a medical clinic, we cannot rebate the costs of the tests to Medicare, so they will need to be paid for privately to the lab.
For your convenience I have attached a Pathology Request form, for use in Australia, which shows the costs for each test:
- Contact a local Certified IIFP practitioner in the Practitioners page HERE, or
- Book your "pathology analysis and report" service from the Bookings page HERE, for a Master IIFP practitioner or IIFP trainer to analyse. You will be instructed to email your pathology results files to IIFP.
You don't necessarily need to see a GP/doctor to get blood tests done. You can save time, and sometimes money, with getting the testing done on YOUR terms, and without the hassle of 2 visits to the doctor and all the waiting around. The Doctor might not also do all the basic tests that are really needed for a good analysis.
Because the IIFP is not a medical clinic, we cannot rebate the costs of the tests to Medicare, so they will need to be paid for privately to the lab.
For your convenience I have attached a Pathology Request form, for use in Australia, which shows the costs for each test:
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This IHL pathology request form can be used for the labs in each state:
The IIFP recommend the following tests should be done by all practitioners as standard (the names of the tests can vary between labs and countries):
The IIFP recommend for these blood tests that you get tested in the early morning in a FASTED state, that is after not having food as yet! You can still have plenty of water, and this is recommended to make the blood draw easier! We also recommend to not be taking any nutrient supplements for the things being tested for, for at least 3 days before the test, and even not for 5-7 days is better, or the test results may not be accurate.
- QML in Queensland
- Laverty Pathology in NSW
- Dorevich Pathology in Victoria
- and other labs across Australia.
The IIFP recommend the following tests should be done by all practitioners as standard (the names of the tests can vary between labs and countries):
- FBC (Full Blood Count) or also called CBC (Complete Blood Count) - red and white blood cell markers
- Iron studies (iron, TIBC, Transferrin, Transferrin Saturation and Ferritin) - iron related markers
- eLFT (electrolytes, liver and kidney function test, and more) or also called "serum biochemistry test"
- Thyroid panel - at the very least should include the TSH hormone test, but preferably with the thyroid hormones of T4 and T3 too
- Vitamin D - being relevant for immune system function, inflammation, immune system function, and mental health
- Serum zinc - needed for so many body functions, and the most common nutrient deficiency that the IIFP sees in patients, when they don't know they are deficient in zinc.
The IIFP recommend for these blood tests that you get tested in the early morning in a FASTED state, that is after not having food as yet! You can still have plenty of water, and this is recommended to make the blood draw easier! We also recommend to not be taking any nutrient supplements for the things being tested for, for at least 3 days before the test, and even not for 5-7 days is better, or the test results may not be accurate.