Normal Labs, Still Feel Like Crap? Here’s Why Your Doctor Might Be Missing the Full Picture

If you’ve ever been told:

“Everything looks normal. You're fine.”

...but you're absolutely not fine - exhausted, bloated, foggy, hormonal, inflamed - this one’s for you.

Because I see patients every week who feel dismissed, gaslit, and downright discouraged by lab results that say everything is “normal.”

Let’s break down why that happens and what you can do about it.

“Normal” Isn’t Always Optimal

Most lab ranges are designed to flag late-stage disease, not early dysfunction. They’re based on a wide population — not necessarily healthy individuals.

So you could be:

• One point away from low iron

• Borderline hypothyroid

• Riding the cortisol rollercoaster

• Or functionally deficient in key nutrients...

…and still get told you’re fine.

But being barely in range doesn’t mean you’re thriving. It means your body is struggling right under the surface.

The “Big 3” That Get Missed

Here are the top patterns I see missed by standard lab reviews:

1. Low-Normal Thyroid

TSH might be “fine,” but if your Free T3 is low, Reverse T3 is high, or you’re showing classic signs of sluggish thyroid? That’s a red flag.

Symptoms: fatigue, weight gain, cold hands/feet, constipation, hair thinning

2. Suboptimal Ferritin

Ferritin is your iron storage — and you can feel awful when it’s under 70. Especially if you’re a menstruating woman, postpartum, vegetarian, or dealing with gut inflammation.

Symptoms: fatigue, hair loss, shortness of breath, anxiety

3. Flat Cortisol Curve

Your total cortisol might fall in range — but timing matters. A blunted AM spike or reverse curve (wired at night, dead tired in the morning) often explains brain fog, anxiety, and burnout.

Symptoms: “wired but tired,” energy crashes, poor sleep, anxiety, inflammation

You’re Not Broken. You’re Just Depleted.

You don’t need to “accept” feeling like trash just because your labs say you’re “normal.”

We need to run the right labs — and interpret them through a root-cause lens:

• Optimal vs just “not broken”

• Pattern recognition

• Function, not just disease

This is where functional medicine shines.

What You Can Do

• Start with smarter testing: Ask for a full thyroid panel (not just TSH), ferritin, B12, Vitamin D, and cortisol (ideally a 4-point test like DUTCH or saliva).

• Look for patterns, not just red flags: Energy, hormones, inflammation, digestion — they’re all connected.

• Work with a practitioner who listens: If your concerns are dismissed, it’s time for a second opinion.

Ready to Stop Guessing?

If you’re done being told “you’re fine” when you know something’s off, you’re in the right place.

This is what I do every day in practice.

✅ We run better labs.
✅ We look at your whole story.
✅ And we rebuild your body from the root up.

Want to work together? Book a free discovery call.