My high CRP suggested that my body was in crisis

I had no idea. I felt fine. I eat clean. I stay active. I get good sleep. My vice is a cold plunge for crying out loud.

But two years ago, I decided I needed to get a better feel for my health and saw an ad for a new service called - Function Health. I just drove home about 45 minutes ago from my 4th round of biomarker testing and I’m excited to see how my latest habits are impacting my labs.

When I signed up, I got on the waiting list - I waited until they opened it up and I was ready for their 160+ biomarker test. I’m a curious person and so I love to try new things. I had a business idea about a decade ago when I was going through my health crisis that it would be amazing to have a lux lounge type place where you get a ton of labs and have a functional/lifestyle medicine physician give you insights on habits, supplements and ways to optimize your health without the use of drugs. Well - Function is the best version of that.

My brewing crisis

I was confident my labs would come back all green, all good, all gravy - a picture of health. I was so wrong. My CRP - C-reactive protein came back high - I was upset. How could this be? I did my deep dive - I was possibly on track for a heart attack and would have never known why.

So I started to research and take their advice on what to do - the biggest was check my Omega-3 intake. I have always made sure to include all the right things in my diet like walnuts and flax and I could go on - but the truth was - the food I was eating did not have enough - or so I thought.

So I started taking an algae based omega supplement and retested 6 months later. My CRP went to nearly zero. I also started to get outside for more deep breathing, more sun exposure, more fresh air and finding ways to get some bad stress out of my life. So it is absolutely a cocktail of habits.

I tell you this because prevention is worth a ton of cure - let alone a pound of it. Especially for men - we avoid doctors, we think we know better - but beneath the surface there may be something brewing that if sustained for a few years or decades will lead to trouble.

Most lab visits and typical clinics will at best test you once/year and that is usually only a few labs. Function tests the whole gamut. I’m happy to say now that most all of my extended family have done it and are already seeing labs improved after implementing suggested lifestyle, dietary and supplement changes.

My Year End Thoughts

I’m trying to be more proactive with my health - it is my greatest asset.

My two favorite methods of getting an unclose look at my biomarkers are:

1 - I believe between my Whoop giving me insights into how I sleep, what effects my Resting Heart Rate, my HRV and with the new band detecting blood pressure, stress levels and steps - I can’t live without it.

2 - Function Health - it gives such an insight into how my life is impacting my biomarkers and what ways I need to adjust to get my labs just right. From the first time I did the labs to my latest - all of my labs have been improving - and I’m obsessed with seeing that trend continue.

In the new year, I’m hoping together we can find the best health of our lives.

Thanks for joining me in this journey. I’ve got some exciting things cooking in the new year that I think you’ll dig.

-Jared

P.S.

Function is currently running a sale at the moment - $365 for 2 comprehensive tests/year. Best money I’ve ever spent.

I’d love to hear if you have done this test or what methods you use to check in on your health that I can learn from. Thank you in advance.

P.S. - This newsletter does not provide medical advice. The content, such as graphics, images, text, and all other materials, is provided for reference and educational purposes only. The content is not meant to be complete or exhaustive or to be applicable to any specific individual's medical condition.