Know Your Numbers: How Personalized Testing Can Optimize Your Health And Reverse Disease with Pranitha Patil
Sep 15, 2023
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Pranitha Patil, co-founder of Function Health and a Harvard dropout, shares her journey from healthcare insider to health empowerment advocate. She discusses how traditional lab tests often miss critical health issues like hormone imbalances and nutrient deficiencies. The conversation highlights the importance of personalized testing and data-driven insights for proactive health management. Pranitha also addresses innovative solutions for managing diabetes and the breakthroughs in cancer detection, showcasing how modern technology can transform personal health.
Comprehensive testing for cardiovascular health is essential to understand the impact of cholesterol particles on heart health.
Type 2 diabetes can be managed and even reversed through lifestyle modifications and proactive measures.
Thyroid health requires comprehensive testing beyond TSH measurement and consideration of nutrient deficiencies and triggers for effective treatment plans.
Deep dives
Cardiovascular health and importance of comprehensive testing
Comprehensive testing for cardiovascular health is essential in order to understand the quality of cholesterol particles, such as LDL and HDL, and their impact on overall heart health. Traditional cholesterol numbers may not provide a complete picture. Tests like lipoprotein fractionation, APOB, and lipoprotein(a) help determine the size and number of cholesterol particles, which can have a direct impact on heart disease risk. These tests, along with markers for inflammation and metabolic health, provide a comprehensive overview and enable targeted interventions to improve cardiovascular health.
Managing and reversing type 2 diabetes
Contrary to common belief, type 2 diabetes can be managed and even reversed through a combination of lifestyle modifications. Studies have shown the effectiveness of a ketogenic or low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet in reversing type 2 diabetes. Other factors, such as proper sleep, stress management, and supplementation of key nutrients like selenium and zinc, can also play a role in managing blood sugar levels. Early intervention and proactive measures can make a significant difference in improving metabolic health and preventing complications associated with type 2 diabetes.
Optimizing thyroid health and testing
Thyroid health is often underdiagnosed and poorly managed. Comprehensive testing beyond the usual TSH measurement is crucial to assess thyroid function accurately. Tests such as free T4, free T3, and thyroid antibodies provide a more thorough assessment. Understanding the causes behind thyroid imbalances, including nutrient deficiencies like selenium or iodine, celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, as well as toxins and inflammation, is important for developing an effective treatment plan. Bioidentical thyroid supplementation may be considered for optimal management.
Autoimmunity and its prevalence
Autoimmunity affects a significant portion of the population and is often underdiagnosed. More prevalent than heart disease, diabetes, and cancer combined, autoimmunity is characterized by the immune system attacking its own healthy cells and tissues. Comprehensive testing to identify autoimmune markers and to determine potential triggers, such as gluten sensitivity, environmental toxins, or microbial imbalances, is critical for early detection and developing targeted treatment plans. Autoimmunity can be better managed and its impact minimized through addressing underlying triggers and optimizing overall immune health.
The Importance of Hormone Testing for Women's and Men's Health
Hormone testing is crucial for understanding and optimizing women's and men's health. Most doctors do not perform comprehensive hormone testing, which can lead to missed diagnoses and ineffective treatments. For women, testing should include a full spectrum hormone panel, including estradiol, progesterone, FSH, LH, testosterone, prolactin, DHA sulfate, and anti-malarian hormone. Hormone levels are influenced by various factors such as stress, diet, exercise, exposure to light and dark, alcohol, and environmental toxins. For men, testing should also cover testosterone, adrenal hormones, pituitary hormones, and PSA. Eating a diet high in sugar and starch, excessive alcohol consumption, and exposure to environmental toxins can negatively impact men's hormone levels. Controlling and optimizing hormone levels can greatly improve overall health and well-being.
Managing Stress for Better Health
Stress management is crucial for maintaining good health. Learning to regulate and manage stress is a life skill that can have a profound impact on overall well-being. Various techniques including meditation, yoga, deep breathing, mindfulness, hot and cold therapy, exercise, and sleep can help reduce stress levels. Each person can find what works best for them and incorporate it into their daily routine. Stress can have a direct impact on hormone levels, so it's important to prioritize stress management for optimal health. By taking steps to manage and reduce stress, individuals can help protect themselves against the negative effects of chronic stress on their physical and mental well-being.
Doctors often order lab tests based on specific concerns, which means potential issues from hormone imbalances to nutrient deficiencies can be overlooked. Routine physicals may not capture the full picture, leaving gaps in our understanding of heart disease, cancer, and more. Standard lab tests at a doctor's office aren't comprehensive enough. However, with robust, routine lab testing and personalized insights from top medical experts, we can finally understand and manage our health. This proactive approach represents the future of your healthcare.
I co-founded Function Health alongside Pranitha Patil and others. I was excited to sit down with her for this episode. Our mission is to empower people to live 100 healthy years. In our conversation, we dive deep into the importance of individualized health information, exploring topics like comprehensive cardiovascular, autoimmunity, thyroid testing, and much more.
Pranitha made a bold move, leaving Harvard University's graduate school early to build Function Health. Her extensive background at Accenture saw her working closely with the largest hospital systems and health insurance providers, where she witnessed the problems with healthcare from the inside. More personally, Pranitha's own health challenges inspired her to prioritize giving people the power to own their health.
Function is the first-ever membership offering access to over 100+ lab tests. It provides personalized insights from globally renowned doctors based on your results. You can join Function by securing your spot on the waitlist at functionhealth.com, to get access within a few weeks. Join Function now!
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Here are more details from our interview (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):
Pranitha’s personal health journey (3:46 / 1:06)
Optimizing your health with personalized data (8:30 / 5:58)
Why normal biomarkers are not necessarily optimal (22:46 / 20:14)
