At the end of the day, you don’t know what you don’t know. The best way to see improvement in your overall health is to have an understanding of what’s currently going on inside your body. So you might be wondering — how should I go about doing that? Thankfully, this is Omnia Health’s area of expertise! Due diligence and thorough testing that leads to results is what sets us apart from mainstream healthcare providers. We don’t believe in shortcuts. We are advocates for long-term success. That’s what makes Functional Medicine so functional!
Health data is the key to healing.
Health data critical to the effective functional medicine process. It’s important to combine proper clinical evaluation with medical history and current lab results. Having this information on hand is what allows Dr. Jacqui to create the ideal, individualized plan of action for her patients. Omnia is all about the “test, don’t guess” approach. You would be surprised at how important it is to have a basic understanding of health variables such as:
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Inflammation
- Oxidative stress markers
- Gut health markers
Taking action based upon these factors can dramatically alter your health for the better. In order to help you reach your end goals, Omnia Health gains an understanding of where you are starting.
Labs are more than numbers — they tell a story of your health.
After years of practicing medicine (family medicine and functional medicine), Dr. Jacqui has found that labs present a narrative for the patient’s unique healthcare journey. For example, if a patient just ‘feels tired all the time’ the reasons for why that is can be vast. It is the initial lab evaluation that leads to the diagnosis behind what is causing the fatigue. In a way, it’s like being a healthcare detective. Functional medicine rules out various potential causes and identifies the underlying triggers with the power of proper testing.
You would be surprised how many individuals have not had the proper initial labs done. Dr. Jacqui has had many patients come in for an appointment saying they recently saw their primary care provider and that their labs all came back “normal.” The problem is that most primary care physicians only did minimal, surface level testing. Why? Because that’s all the insurance will cover. It’s actually quite unnerving to see how little western medicine has advanced over the years.
The yearly physical is the same today as it was nearly a quarter century ago! There is so much more that could be done regarding tests and patient analysis. Beyond identifying underlying issues, the system is failing when it comes to preventative care. We need to stop having tunnel vision when it comes to fixing health issues and need to foster a healthcare system that stops the problems from happening in the first place.
Using healthcare advancements to your advantage.
There have been so many advances in testing – let’s use them to help us live our longest, healthiest life possible. At Omnia Health, we see the benefits of utilizing health data tracking along with testing. One category that has become popular are wearable devices. These ingenious gadgets give you access to real-time results that give you important insights regarding how your body is functioning. Here are a few examples worth mentioning.
A continuous glucose monitor (CGM) provides accurate glucose readings without the nuisance of constant finger pricks. Tracking your blood sugar with a CGM allows you to identify how diet, exercise, stress and other lifestyle factors affect your levels. Having access to this information will help you to make the necessary changes to better manage your blood sugar.
The Oura Smart Ring is a premium sleep tracker. This minimalist ring gathers physical information including temperature, heart rate (including variability), and sleep quality. This information is used to generate three daily scores — your sleep score, readiness score, and activity score. All of these variables are crucial to achieving optimal health.
The WHOOP is a high-tech activity tracker with in-depth fitness feedback. Not only does it track your activity, recovery, and sleep, but it also uses that data to provide personalized recommendations and coaching feedback. This includes a Strain score that helps you understand when to rest or push.
Staying attune with your body.
Some people are innately good at listening to their body and their mind, while others are not. Getting attune with your physical, mental and emotional well being needs to be a priority. Whether you choose to utilize technology and tracking devices like those listed above or go more of the traditional route by keeping a health journal — having consistent, relevant data on hand is very beneficial. You and Dr. Jacqui can use this information to better understand the progress you are making and what areas require more attention or reevaluation.
At Omnia Health, we believe in continuous progress. We view every day and every appointment with our patients as an opportunity to get closer to achieving optimal health. Schedule your consultation today.
