Doctor’s visits and physicals don’t always go the way we want. Even if we might think something is off, we may still be surprised to have that confirmed. Or we may have been doing everything right, only to get results of a creeping A1C, a less-than-ideal lipid panel, or markers of inflammation.
Understandably, many people, after getting less-than-ideal news, spring into action. They’re eager to fix the problem. They download a new health app, start a new diet, kick off a new exercise regimen, or order a stack of supplements. In some cases, they take advantage of medical websites to become experts who can chart their course to better health.
The reality is, however, that restoring metabolic health has little connection to a person’s effort or motivation. Rushing to find a solution often ignores the value of taking a step back to build a strategy. Instead of jumping from possible solution to possible solution, a better approach is to be patient. This isn’t advice that Type-A personality types often like to hear, but patience and planning before proceeding pays off better in the long run.
Common Mistakes People Make
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Prioritizing the Short Term
Often, when people rush for a solution, they don’t ask one of the most critical questions: Is this a new habit that I can maintain over the long term?
It can be easy to say that we’re cutting out all cheese and dairy or never again eating a piece of birthday cake. And short-term, high-impact diets have a benefit. Overall, however, maintaining health is a marathon and not a sprint. We advise our clients to make changes that are sustainable with their lives and their schedules.
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Over-Reliance on Technology and DIY Tracking
Modern health tracking tools give us the illusion of control. We have the data, and therefore we must be able to solve the problem.
While these tools are valuable, they often encourage a fragmented view of health. They can cause us to fixate on small details without focusing on the big picture.
Data can be beneficial, but it can also be deceptive. A single metric taken in isolation rarely tells the whole story, which is what health and wellness are really about. Elevated glucose may mean someone’s diet needs help. It may also indicate high stress levels or insufficient sleep.
Anyone who has ever watched a close football game can tell you that an elevated heart rate may mean nothing more than being caught in the moment. Events can excite us and raise alarms on a heart monitor, but they don’t indicate any serious, long-term health problem.
Data is useful, but its use is limited without professional interpretation and taking a whole-body approach. One questionable reading may result in some chasing ghosts and failing to address root causes. Technology is beneficial as a tool and as one part of a comprehensive health plan. It’s not a replacement for trained medical professionals, but a way to give those professionals more information to make more informed diagnoses.
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Failing to Address Root Causes
A patient comes to a doctor and says that they’ve been suffering from insomnia. The doctor runs tests, suggests multiple changes, but the solution turns out to be simple: The patient needs to stop drinking coffee in the late afternoon.
While a silly example, it highlights why we don’t recommend rushing for a solution. When we fail to consider the root causes or don’t ask the right questions, we don’t have the information needed to make changes.
Root-cause thinking is the key to metabolic restoration. The body rarely malfunctions without reason. The challenge can be that the cause and effect aren’t always apparent. The same symptom may have multiple causes. Nutritional deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, medication side effects, chronic inflammation, or even hidden infections can all be solutions to the same problem.
For example, dyslipidemia, which is an abnormal lipid profile, can be caused by diet, insulin resistance, thyroid dysfunction, or micronutrient imbalances. Elevated glucose could indicate the need for an improved diet. It could also be a sign of chronic stress. While improving their diet is generally beneficial, if the stress remains, someone won’t see the results they want.
The key to finding the root cause is pattern recognition. It’s using as much information as possible, from using technology to asking the right questions, to identify the actual cause. Our office focuses on finding interconnections, from how gut health influences inflammation to how cortisol impacts insulin sensitivity. We emphasize a focus on solving problems rather than randomly jumping from possible solution to possible solution.
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Tests Are Snapshots, Not the Final Word
Too often, individuals will see a single lab result and rush to fix it. It may cause anxiety. We understand the worry, but it’s important to remember that one result is only one piece of information. Stress levels, hydration, diet, the time of day, the season, and the menstrual cycle phase: all of these can influence test results.
Full moons, for example, have been shown to affect our sleep patterns. During a full moon, people on average sleep less and spend less time in the needed deep sleep.
Health is about more than one test or one point of information. It’s about trends, long-term monitoring, and knowing the individual. Some people have higher cholesterol levels than others. Some people need to avoid gluten or dairy. Other people benefit from regularly drinking kefir.
The key is to assemble a complete picture, one that uses multiple tests, that tracks over the long term, to give a full picture. Having more information reduces the risk of overreaction. It allows us to flag when a different approach may be needed or when a problem needs to be addressed. Consistent measurement creates accountability, motivation, and perspective.
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Everyone is an Expert
Lifelong learning and education are beneficial for the brain. The Internet has made it easier than ever for patients to be better informed about nutrition and physiology. Not all circulating information is correct, however, and knowledge without context can be dangerous.
Patients need to strike a delicate balance between being proactive about their health and becoming their own practitioner. The human body is complex and interdependent. Well-intentioned experimentation can have unintended consequences. For example, lowering cholesterol through diet or supplements