How to Read Your Blood Tests for Optimal Heart Health
a self-paced course by Michelle Routhenstein, MS RD CDE CDN
Knowing your numbers is one of the first steps needed to reduce your risk of heart attacks.
Oftentimes, my clients are confused about what their blood work means and rely on physicians to tell them if they are meeting their health goals - which unfortunately leads to many things unnoticed until they present with a heart disease complication.
We know that plaque formation in the arteries is brewed and ignited by multiple factors. By addressing certain blood tests we can help prevent plaque formation to even begin. Knowing and optimizing blood sugar, cholesterol, and lipids, and addressing insulin resistance and inflammation can protect your blood vessels and heart health.
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We should be testing and then optimizing these values proactively to prevent and halt the progression of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
I frequently get asked to define what blood tests I am referring to, what they mean, and what the optimal ranges are for heart health and heart disease prevention.
In this course, we review these answers together.
Why it’s important for you to know your numbers (and why you can’t purely rely on your physician)
- After your yearly physical, you may rely on the physician to give you a call to say “everything is okay,” but oftentimes labs can be slightly elevated or trending in the wrong direction, and you aren’t notified.
Many times your physician will not tell you if your labs are slightly elevated or trending in the wrong direction, unless it is time for them to recommend a medication regimen. However, this is the opportune time to optimize your laboratory results through science based nutrition to avoid progression of chronic disease.
It is essential for you to be an active participant and request your lab results in order for you to take a proactive approach in protecting your heart against heart attacks and strokes. This means it is up to you to know your numbers and be your own advocate for your health. - The other issue I see with relying on physicians is that many doctors will judge lab parameters based on a patient’s weight, which is inaccurate. You can be any weight, underweight or overweight, and have heart disease and plaque brewing in your arteries.
- I have repeatedly seen in my practice that a heart attack, bypass surgery, or cardiovascular incident could have been prevented if the person had been more proactive in optimizing their numbers, specifically in knowing what they needed to be, and subsequently took action through science based nutrition and lifestyle management.
I want to give you the first thing needed in implementing a more proactive approach to reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes.
I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and I specialize in heart disease management and prevention through science based nutrition.
While practicing for over 10 years, I have reviewed thousands of client’s laboratory parameters, and each time my clients’ learn something new about their results. Typically, people rely on their physician to inform them about whether their labs are atypical or normal, and do not ask follow up questions.
I have frequently seen clients, retrospectively to a heart attack, start to question the red flags within their past labs that could have indicated and help prevent a cardiovascular event. The non-proactive approach can increase your risk of heart disease because not knowing can cause silent damage leading to plaque formation and extra strain on your blood vessels and heart.
I want you to take a proactive approach in your care, and this course helps you begin. In this course, I give you the tools you need to jumpstart your heart health journey - know your numbers, understand their meaning, and become an active participant in your care!
- Know what numbers to look for
- Understand what your numbers mean
- Identify the beneficial range for optimal heart health
- Learn to assess trends in your numbers
- Know what steps to take if your numbers are not trending in the right direction, and
- Become an active participant in your care so you can ask questions to your healthcare team.
In this self-paced 60-minute course, I will help you:
Hi, I'm Michelle Routhenstein,
creator of this course
Heart disease is the number 1 killer globally, yet 80% of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes can be prevented through science based nutrition and lifestyle medicine.
did you know:
Before we can implement change, we need to understand our own baselines - and YOU do that by knowing and understanding your numbers!
This course includes:
Module 1: Course Overview
- In this module, you will learn how to utilize this course effectively.
Module 2: Metabolic Profile
- In this module you will learn laboratory parameters and their ranges regarding kidney function, electrolytes, protein, liver function, and thyroid function routinely performed on a standard blood test. You will also learn about your urine test results.
Module 3: Insulin Resistance
- In this module, you will learn what insulin resistance is, why it matters for heart health, how we can test for it in a blood sample, and understand what the results mean.
Module 4: Inflammatory Markers
- In this module, we will discuss what it is, why it matters for heart health, how we can test for it in a blood sample, and understand what the results mean.
Module 5: Lipid Profile
- In this module, we will discuss why it matters for heart health, what it is, and how we can test for it. We will also discuss standard lipid testing versus advanced lipid testing, and understand what these values mean.
Module 6: Vitamin Assessment
- In this module, we will discuss which blood vitamin tests are accurate, which are important to test for heart health, and how to understand what the results mean.
Module 7: Wrap Up
- In this module, we will summarize the course and provide next steps.
**Bonus! 1) a summary booklet with all of the laboratory measures requested and their optimal heart healthy ranges.
2) a worksheet for you to assess your trends over the last 3 years alongside the normal value!**
This course is for you if any of the following is true:
This course is not for you if:
You need help understanding what your blood tests are and what they tell you
You blindly accept your physician’s word, but haven’t seen or reviewed your blood work in the last 1-5 years, and want to take a more proactive stance.
You need guidance on improving these laboratory parameters (if this is you, let’s chat about my 1 to 1 counseling services)
Are looking for a group course and community (if this is you, my group program may be a better option!)
Are wanting a consult about your laboratory values (if this is you, send me an email to book an hour laboratory/medication review consultation)
“It is interesting how even my cardiologist didn’t request the advanced testing that Michelle suggests. When I brought it to his attention, he agreed that they were necessary! Thank you Michelle for sharing this vital information so I can be more proactive in my health.”
“Wow, I looked through my past 3 years of blood work trends, as Michelle suggested, and my values have all been elevated and the doctor never told me! I am planning to start Michelle’s 6 week group program to get these levels under control. Thank you!”
“This course made me feel more confident in my health journey! Knowing my numbers has a whole new meaning! Michelle shares invaluable information. Highly recommend.”
“I knew I had inflammation in my body because my joints were stiff when I woke up, but I never knew how to test it. This course provided me with the information to get further tested to better guide my doctor and dietitian to answers I was looking for for a while. Great course!”
“Having taken this course allowed me to request several tests that my doctor wouldn’t have tested for my heart. Knowledge is power. Highly recommend everyone who doesn't know what tests to ask their doctor for or how to read their blood work to take this course.”
Disclaimer: This course is general information, and not intended for individual diagnosis. Please consult with your physician and registered dietitian for personal care. Due to the immediate access to course materials, this course is final sale, no refunds or exchange.
Course Price: $47
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