Imagine going to the doctor (not me, a different doctor), getting your bloodwork done, and eagerly waiting for the results. Then the doctor (again, not me) looks at your labs and says, “Everything’s normal!”

Great news, right? Well… maybe not.

See, when most doctors say “normal,” what they really mean is “you fall within the same range as the majority of the population.” But let’s take a step back—have you looked around at the “normal” population lately? More than 40% of adults are obese, stress levels are through the roof, energy levels are in the basement, and brain fog is practically a national pastime. Do you really want to be “normal”?

The Problem with "Normal" Lab Ranges

Here’s a little secret: laboratory reference ranges aren’t based on what’s healthy. They’re based on statistics. Labs take a huge sample of the population and calculate what’s common. The result? A giant bell curve where 95% of people land in the “normal” range, and only the top 2.5% and bottom 2.5% are flagged as “abnormal.”

That means that unless your numbers are completely off the charts, your doctor might tell you that you’re fine—even if you feel anything but fine.

Let’s put it another way:

• If most people are running at half-speed, “normal” means you’re just as sluggish as everyone else.
• If chronic fatigue, anxiety, and brain fog are common, “normal” means you’re right there with the rest of the exhausted, over-caffeinated crowd.
• If metabolic issues are widespread, “normal” means you might be on the same slow train to insulin resistance, but hey—you’re still on the train!

The Functional Medicine Approach: Optimal > Normal

Functional Medicine looks at lab results differently. Instead of saying, “Well, you’re not in the bottom 2.5%, so you’re good to go!”, Functional Medicine practitioners use much tighter ranges—ranges that are actually correlated with optimal health, not just statistical averages.

Think of it like this:

• If a major league baseball player is hitting .200, that’s normal for a struggling player—but far from optimal for winning games.
• If your car’s check engine light isn’t on, that’s normal—but if it’s making weird noises and shaking like a washing machine, it’s probably not running optimally.
• If you eat nothing but fast food, your digestion might be normal—but your gut won’t be thanking you anytime soon.

The goal of Functional Medicine is to help you reach your best—not just scrape by with what’s common.

Why This Matters for Your Health

Here’s what happens when you start looking at optimal lab values instead of just normal ones:

✅ You catch problems before they turn into full-blown disease.

• Your blood sugar may be technically normal now, but if it’s creeping toward the high end, you’re moving toward prediabetes. Functional Medicine spots these trends before they become major issues.

✅ You stop settling for feeling “meh.”

• Maybe your thyroid labs are “within range,” but you’re still exhausted, gaining weight, and feeling colder than a penguin in a snowstorm. A Functional Medicine approach digs deeper to find out why.

✅ You actually feel good.

• The difference between normal and optimal is like the difference between getting a participation trophy and actually winning the game. Why settle for just existing when you could thrive?

The Bottom Line

“Normal” is just an average of what’s common. But common isn’t the same as healthy. Functional Medicine focuses on optimal—helping you feel your best instead of just not sick enough to get flagged.

So the next time your doctor (not me) says, “Everything’s normal!”, don’t be afraid to ask, “Yeah, but is it optimal?” Because you deserve to do more than just get by—you deserve to thrive.