Hi everyone,
I wanted to share the results of my blood tests I got back today.
A bunch of us in class did them to see where we need to pay special attention.

I have eaten primarily a vegan diet for the last 5+ years, but it is only since I started chef school that I really started focusing on eating for health.
I feel like many of the issues that came up are from the past that are still lingering in my body.

I am posting these results because I am guessing others on this board would probably come back with some similar results.

I did the test the day before I left for costa and was running late, so I fasted for 16 hours when it was only supposed to be for 8-12. I think that explains the starvation statements.

Anyway, here are my very personal results. Any help in getting me past some of these issue would be so awesome!

1. Blood glucose - is just slightly low, but there is another blood marker for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) that is very low.
Recommendation: This indicates a need for regular meals (breakfast within an hour of getting out of bed, lunch 3-4 hours later, snack 3 hours later and dinner 3-4 hours later). Our bodies like routine with bedtime, wake time and meal times. Also important to eat balanced meals of some carb, fat, protein, fiber and reduce sugar, refined carbs. Absolutely important that you don't skip meals based on other blood test results also.

2. Thyroid - your TSH is low. This usually means that you have an overactive thyroid. From my observation of you though, it doesn't seem that you have any of the following symptoms: nervousness or anxiety, irritability, panic disorder or having a lot of nervous energy, changing moods, increased perspiration, coarse, dry, thin skin, fine brittle hair, muscular weakness especially in upper arms/thighs, shaky hands, puffiness around eyes and they're enlarging or look bug-eyed, insomnia, racing heart, more frequent bowel movements , diarrhea, weight loss despite a good or increasing appetite. These are the symptoms of a hyperthyroid condition, which is very serious.
Recommendation: If you have these symptoms, go to a doctor right away, give him/her the results and have them evaluate you for a hyperthyroid condition. (I doubt you have this, usually women for one thing.)
However, if you don't have these symptoms, then chances are that you have a hypothyroid or LOW thyroid condition as a result of adrenal insufficiency. Do these symptoms better describe you: fatigue, exhaustion, feeling run down and sluggish, depression, difficulty concentrating, brain fog, unexplained or excessive weight gain, dry, coarse and/or itchy skin, dry, coarse and/or thinning hair, feeling cold, especially in the extremities, constipation, muscle cramps.
If so, then you probably have low thyroid function as a result of a stressed adrenal system. First, this is totally reversible. You need to take care of yourself: eat regularly (skipping meals is the worst thing you can do for this and probably part of how you got here), get good sleep, practice daily stress reduction, eat more high mineral foods (seaweeds) and some supplements for adrenal support could also be helpful: eleuthero, ashwaganda, rhodiola, holy basil, Panax ginseng, B-vitamins, cordyceps mushroom to name a few. A supplement to support thyroid function could also be helpful: B-viamins and minerals mostly.
I highly recommend you either focus on this over the next 3-6 months and then get another TSH test (send me the results) to see if you're better. Or work with a practitioner to remedy this. To get your thyroid back in balance means you will be feeling much, much better: more energetic, less low mood, higher metabolism, better appetite, etc. Thyroid function is very important, part of your whole body's hormonal system, and this shows that your lifestyle is causing your metabolism, thyroid and hormonal system to slow down.

3. Iron - your serum (blood level of) iron is quite high (western medical range is 40-155 and you are at 225) so this could be serious. It could mean several things. First, you could have a condition called hemochromatosis, which can be dangerous if untreated. The treatment is usually for you to donate blood regularly to lower the amount of iron you are accumulating. It could also mean that you have low hydrochloric acid (HCl) and your blood levels are high while the iron stored in your body is normal. The only way to determine this is to get a ferritin test.
Recommendation: I highly recommend you get a ferritin test ASAP. I can order it for you if you're still going to be around ($49), but otherwise you'll have to find a doctor in Costa Rica to do it for you (no problem, common test). This will measure your iron STORES. If they are high, then you'll need to do something to lower your iron level (like donate blood) and is a strong indication of hemochromatosis, which puts you at higher risk for heart disease as iron is a very strong oxidant and will damage your body. Have a doctor help you with this. Chances are you don't have this as it takes 20-30 years to build dangerous levels of iron to the point that the iron begins damaging organs, etc. But I need to educate you as the possibilities so you can take care of yourself.
The symptoms of hemochromatosis are: joint pain, fatigue, lack of energy, weight loss, generalized darkening of skin color (often referred to as bronzing), abdominal pain, loss of sexual desire, testicular atrophy, loss of body hair, weakness, heart problems, symptoms related to the onset of diabetes. Because this takes 20-30 years to manifest from age 19, chances are you aren't experiencing any of these symptoms.
If your stores (as measured by ferritin levels) are low or normal, you need to supplement with HCl (and there are several other indicators in your blood test results that you need to do this anyway). You'll have to call me or arrange some additional time for me to help you with this. Not difficult, just time-consuming to explain. Or find a practitioner there to help you with HCl supplementation to lower serum iron and raise ferritin levels.

4. Several blood markers indicate that you're not eating enough food, not getting enough protein (or not absorbing your protein), and some of these markers actually indicate starvation. Recommendation: Look at your food intake and adjust accordingly. If your hunger level is low, this could be another sign of hypoglycemia, so begin by eating small, but more regular meals until your appetite returns. There's also an indication that you need to exercise more and this could increase your appetite also. Remember, you only have a few chances each day to get all the nutrients you need, so eat at least 4x/day and make your meals nutrient-dense.

5. There are several indications that you need to supplement with B-12 and folic acid. Recommendation: If you are a vegetarian, you should take a sublingual (under the tongue) B-12 supplement daily as the only source of B-12 is animal foods. In addition, I recommend you take a standard B-complex supplement, delivering about 50mg of most of the Bs, one capsule daily. The low status of these nutrients can be because you're a vegetarian (little or no animal foods), low intake of leafy greens (high in folic acid) and low hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which is necessary for the absorption of these nutrients, along with protein. And funny, there are the indicators of low protein also, which may just mean that your HCl is low and you're not properly breaking it down to be absorbed. It can also mean that you're a vegetarian who doesn't eat enough protein daily, or both.

6. There's also an indication that you've either just recovered from a bacterial infection of some kind (a bug?) OR you have food allergies. You might want to look into the food allergy by avoiding any food for a month or so that you think may be bothering you, and then add it back in on a day when you're feeling good to see if there are any changes in your health or symptoms produced over the next 3 days.

7. Your cholesterol is very, very low (in my book, below 160 is low, yours is 118). This puts you at lower risk for heart disease, but your "good" cholesterol is also low, which is often an indication of a lack of exercise, being a vegetarian and not getting enough protein, having poor digestion/absorption OR all three. Recommendation: I think you just need to take good care of yourself here by getting more, and more regular exercise, eating more food, and more nutrient dense food with plenty of protein in your meals. Next time you test cholesterol, check to see that it is above 160 and your HDL or "good" cholesterol is above 55 (yours is 45). Low cholesterol puts you at greater risk for cancer and oddly enough, accidents and suicide.

8. There are several indications for dehydration, so make sure you're drinking enough water. One half-ounce per pound of body weight.

9. There are indications of adrenal stress (which totally relates to the thyroid issue above). Recommendation: get enough Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs). You need to get these from fish oil (supplement) or if you need to get them from a vegetarian source, there is one algae EFA supplement on the market, but you'll have to take A LOT of it (lower dose than fish oil). Don't take flax oil (concern with men and flax oil). Eating ground flax seeds daily would be good for you though too. Lower stress daily, eat regular meals throughout the day, get regular exercise and support your adrenals with a supplement.