It's a NEW DAY, Reader!

Have you ever looked at the lab report from your doctor and thought, I have no idea what any of this means!

You most definitely are not alone!

You also wouldn't be alone if you are questioning if you've ever actually SEEN your lab results 🤔

Many doctors just have their nurse or office staff call their patients and give them a verbal 'report' which may simply sound like, "Everything looks good, see you next year!" or maybe "There are a few numbers we'll be keeping an eye on, but nothing to worry about right now. See you next year!"

If you do end up with some trouble, though, you will likely be called back in to consult with the doctor and they will tell you what's worrying them about your lab results.

Here's one you may hear about: HbA1c.

Hb is the abbreviation for hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body. HbA (hemoglobin A) is one type of hemoglobin, and 1c is a subtype of HbA.

Thus we get HbA1c.

This particular subtype of hemoglobin is made when glucose (sugar) in the blood bonds with the protein. The techinical term is glycosylated, but I prefer to use the term I made up: sugarized.

The result on your lab report for HbA1c will be listed as a percentage, indicating how much of your hemoglobin has been sugarized. Everyone will have a bit of this simply because everyone's blood has hemoglobin and everyone has glucose in their blood.

Since red blood cells live anywhere from 2-4 months, HbA1c is a useful test to estimate what your blood sugar levels have been like over the course of a couple months. The more sugar (glucose) in your blood, the more opportunity there is for hemoglobin to bind with it.

This gives a very different kind of information than the moment-in-time glucose level that is usually assessed during the same lab workup. Both are valuable, and both are part of the diagnostic criteria for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes as well as the assessment of how well the management techniques are working for a diabetic individual.

According to the CDC, if your HbA1c is less than 5.7% it is considered "normal." What does that mean, anyways? Normal is a setting on your washing machine!

Between 5.7% and 6.4% is the pre-diabetic range, and anything above 6.5% indicates type 2 diabetes.

The importance of understanding this goes WAY beyond knowing its value as a diagnostic tool.

Red blood cells with their hemoglobin travel to every single part of your body, even throug the teeniest, tiniest blood vessels called capillaries. These are so small that red blood cells have to line up and go through one at a time, meaning there is a much greater chance that they will rub up against the delicate walls of these blood vessels, and with that comes a higher likelihood that the sugarized hemoglobin will cause damage.

The smallest capillaries are found in the fingers, toes, kidneys, and eyes... the very same parts of the body that are earliest and most severely impaired in a diabetic person.

Poorly managed diabetes can quickly lead to kidney damage and a need for dialysis.

Nerve damage in the feet can lead to unnoticed injuries which don't heal and eventually become infected and could lead to amputations of entire limbs.

Vision becomes more and more impaired, eventually leading to blindness.

These things are no laughing matter.

Here's the thing... they don't just appear out of nowhere!

But how will you know if this could be in your future if you aren't paying attention TODAY?

Ask your doctor for a copy of your lab test results. Every. Time.

You can even go into their office and ask for your results from years past 💡! They might not like it, and you might have to ask more than once, but it's YOUR HEALTH, and ultimately it's YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

Don't just take their word for it that 'everything looks good, nothing to worry about.'

If your HbA1c keeps creeping up year by year, there's a lot you can do to reverse that trajectory. And I can help you with that!

It's your business to KNOW, because what you DON'T know CAN hurt you.

If you're wondering what your HbA1c level means, hit REPLY to this message and I'll be happy to talk with you about it!

With Hope for your Health and Healing,

Valerie

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The content of this email is intended for inspirational and informational purposes only, is not a substitute for medical advice, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. Consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your routine.