Have you ever had this experience with your doctor: you go in for a follow-up visit after taking a prescribed medication as directed, and the provider says, “Your lab numbers look good!” but you don’t feel any different? And even after you tell your doctor that you don’t feel better, they tell you that it’s okay because your numbers are good?
I know that this happens because when I am doing functional medicine consultations, I hear it from my patients. Or I ask about a medication that they’re taking and if it is helping, and the patient tells me they feel no better (or even that they feel worse), but the doctor keeps them on the medication anyway. I won’t call it malpractice, but it is definitely medical mismanagement.
A classic example where I see this happening far too often is with cholesterol management. For years, we have been told that we need to keep our cholesterol down to prevent heart attacks. So we are prescribed statin drugs, and after a follow-up visit, the doctor smiles when they read your new, improved lab numbers. Statins definitely do lower cholesterol, but at what cost? The muscle aches, constant fatigue, and worsening memory should all be a concern. Not something to be overlooked just because numbers are getting better.
Statin drugs are one of the most prescribed drugs on the planet, yet their benefits are minimal (over 500 patients have to take statins to prevent one heart attack1). In the meantime, 22% of patients who take statin drugs have significant side effects, including erectile dysfunction, dementia, liver damage, and weakness. And actually, now research shows that seniors over 75 live the longest when their cholesterol is higher.2
Another one I see a lot is thyroid management. In a typical lab draw, most medical providers only check TSH. TSH is actually a brain hormone that your pituitary gland sends down to run your thyroid. Without the rest of the tests — free and total T3 and T4, reverse T3, thyroid antibodies — it really tells you nothing about what is causing your thyroid problems. And again, if your TSH is good, your provider will tell you that you are good to go, despite not feeling better.
Please remember this: you are not a number. Numbers are a nice guide, but they can never tell you everything about what is going on. Relying on numbers may make you miss the actual answer. For example, quite often, thyroid problems are caused by an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s. Hashimoto’s, like most autoimmune diseases, is managed by balancing your immune system and inflammation. Vitamin D3 and selenium are very helpful in managing Hashimoto’s. Taking a synthetic hormone very often fails, and yet it is the typical Western medicine response.
The next time your care provider tries to tell you that your lab numbers are good, ask them to put down the lab reports and look at you. Tell them how you are really feeling. How the medications are not making you feel healthier. If they listen, that’s great. If not, try some new numbers — like on your phone, dialing a new health care facility that treats you, and not your numbers.
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