#286 - Understanding electrolytes: Decoding blood & urine tests and focusing on the right things | Dr. Rich Joseph + Mike Haney

Nov 20, 2025

Dr. Rich Joseph, a Harvard-trained physician and performance-focused clinician, shares insights on interpreting annual lab tests for long-term health optimization. He breaks down blood work essentials, like CBC and electrolytes, helping listeners understand trends over time. Discover how white blood cell patterns reveal stress levels and immunity, and why urine tests are often underrated. Dr. Joseph emphasizes the importance of electrolytes in energy and hydration while advocating for lifestyle experiments to guide health decisions.

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INSIGHT

Foundational Labs Still Matter

Basic labs like CBC, urinalysis, and electrolytes remain foundational and highly informative despite newer tests.
Dr Rich Joseph argues these cheap tests reveal early physiological 'drift' before diagnosable disease.

INSIGHT

Trend Labs, Spot 'Drift' Early

Track lab trends over time rather than treating single snapshots as absolute.
Dr Rich Joseph calls subtle, within-range changes 'drift' and uses them as feedback to adjust lifestyle interventions.

ADVICE

Contextualize Labs With A Full Assessment

Synthesize blood work with physical tests and lifestyle data to interpret results accurately.
Get a comprehensive assessment and contextualize labs before making clinical decisions.

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Your annual labs can reveal far more than most people realize—if you know how to interpret them. In this episode of A Whole New Level, Dr. Rich Joseph walks through how to read basic blood work like the CBC, electrolytes, and urinalysis, and how to use those numbers as feedback loops, not pass/fail judgments.

He explains which values matter most, what trends reveal over time, and how to connect lab data to sleep, training, nutrition, and stress.

What the Complete Blood Count (CBC) actually measures
How to identify early signs of iron or B-vitamin deficiency
What white blood cell patterns reveal about immunity and stress
How electrolytes reflect cellular energy, hydration, and training load
Why urinalysis is underrated (and how to read it quickly)
How to use lab trends—not single snapshots—to guide health decisions

🎙 What Dr. Rich Joesph & Mike Haney discuss:

[03:12] — Why basic labs still matter

[07:58] — How to read the CBC: Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets

[18:45] — MCV and what it tells us about iron vs. B-vitamin deficiency

[24:40] — White blood cells as a window into stress and recovery

[44:10] — Electrolytes and cellular energy

[1:01:22] — Urinalysis: the overlooked lab with real value

[1:09:55] — Using labs as feedback over time

Levels helps you see how food affects your health, empowering you with the tools needed to achieve health goals and improve healthspan. Levels Members gain access to the Levels app and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), providing real-time feedback on how diet and lifestyle choices impact your metabolic health.

Look for new shows every month on A Whole New Level, where we have in-depth conversations with thought leaders about metabolic health.

🔗 Helpful links:
Watch the conversation: https://youtu.be/cpwB4-_7o-w

Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/levelshealth?sub_confirmation=1

📲 Connect with Dr. Rich Joseph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-joseph-md-mba-61448b33a/