Bloody Paleo (part 2)

OK... finally made it to the new box... LOVE WORKING OUT THERE!! Paleo was great today (Stuck to it eating out) and I feel AWESOME!

Great questions on the blood tests... I thought I would explain all that I look for and why in a follow-up to yesterday's post.

I'm definitely not a doc either... but I have lost a ton of weight in the past year and before the weight came off I was in a whole mess of trouble medically. Short story time...

In September of 2007 I found out that I had a heart attack. I continued to treat myself with all the prescribed medications and visited the doctor regularly. I also continued to gain weight and felt increasingly worse. About 5 months before I found CrossFit I decided I couldn't let it go any further so I found a new cardiologist and told him that I wanted off the drugs and to feel better. He told me I would have to make some drastic changes for that to happen and I committed without batting an eye and never looked back.

So you can see why it was so very important for me to keep track of my progress as I have gone along. I am still not where I would like to be internally but the tests help assure me that I am going in the right direction while alerting me if I go astray.

CBC (Complete Blood Count) - This is the most common test and it measures the white & red blood cells as well as platelets. White blood cells are part of the immune system, red are for transporting of oxygen and platelets are mainly for the clotting of blood. Highs and lows of these numbers can mean different things. For example: A low red blood count can point to anemia where a high could signal bone marrow problems, a low white blood count could also signal bone marrow problems and high could be because of an infection and with platelets highs could be severe inflammation where lows could signal abnormal bleeding.

CMP (Complete Metabolic Panel) - This test is to examine organ function and it actually tests 14 different components of the blood. The ones I am most interested in are:

• Glucose - Though we know high counts can be tied to diabetes, it can also be elevated because of stress or even because of liver disease. Low levels can also signal hypoglycemia.
• Protein (albumin & pre-albumin) - the pre-albumin is more helpful in determining nutritional changes because it changes quicker than the albumin levels. Lows in either of these can point to kidney or liver disease, obesity, malnutrition and trauma to name a few. Since I have changed my diet so dramatically I like to keep an eve on this.
• Electrolytes - Every time I see it I think to myself "Brawndo has electrolytes" and crack up a little (Thanks Mike Judge for a horrible movie that still made me laugh). Seriously, electrolytes help regulate your salt and water levels. Problems can occur when any electrolyte level is too high or low.
• Calcium - We know it is important for our bones, right? Well it also is part of muscle contraction, hormone action and blood clotting among other things. Abnormal levels could mean problems in your bones, pancreas or kidneys.

Each one of these sections might use more than one of the 14 tests and it also tests kidney and liver function. I specifically monitor the two kidney test results because they are linked to congestive heart failure, intestinal bleeding, increased protein and dehydration.

Hemoglobin A1c (glycated hemoglobin) & CRP (C-Reactive Protein) - I know most people tie cholesterol to heart attacks. One thing I would have liked to know way back in 2007 is that A1c is a more accurate predictor of heart attack! Meaning that you could have normal cholesterol levels and still be at risk. A1c over 5% puts you at a much higher risk.

A1c gives you a view of your blood glucose for the past 2 or 3 months. So what you ate the night before won't affect these results. It pretty much hands you your risk of having diabetes related complications. Extra glucose enters your red blood cells and "glycates"with hemoglobin. More extra glucose means more hemoglobin glycating and the typical lifespan of a red blood cell being 120-days gives you the average count of a 2-3 month window.

The CRP is another heart health test. It measures the level of c-reactive proteins in your blood. These can be indicators of inflammation in the blood. This could be linked to heart disease but it also can be a marker for autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases and even arthritis.

Lipid Panel (Cholesterol) - This is the one most people know about. This measures the amount of cholesterol carried by HDL & LDL particles. High levels of total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides and low levels of HDL have a higher risk for heart disease or hardened arteries. Although this is not the only indicator and the A1c, CRP and homocysteine tests can prove to be just as valuable.

NMR Lipo - This one can cost as much as all the others combined (or more). It is a relatively new blood test. This basically expands upon your Lipid profile by counting the amount of LDL particles in the bloodstream. Technically, this is the cholesterol test that more accurately predicts heart disease or stroke.

OK... I think that is all I have on the topic for now. I may try and revisit the topic of sleep tomorrow... Has anyone tried darkening their room?