When "Normal" Isn’t Good Enough: Understanding Your Blood Test Results

If you’ve ever walked out of your doctor’s office clutching blood test results that say everything is normal, yet you still feel exhausted, foggy, or out of balance—you’re not alone.

As a Doctor of Chinese Medicine Keri has spent 2 decades supporting women with hormonal issues, I see this all the time. The truth is, there’s a world of difference between blood test results that fall within the “normal range” and results that reflect optimal health.

The Difference Between “Normal” and “Optimal”

Blood tests are assessed based on reference ranges—values considered “normal” based on a broad population. These ranges are designed to flag severe deficiencies or disease, not to assess whether your body is thriving.

For example:

A ferritin (iron storage) level of 20 might be considered normal, but for many women, anything under 50-70 can mean fatigue, hair loss, and brain fog.

A thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) of 4.5 may be technically within range, but for optimal energy and metabolism, many women feel best when their TSH is closer to 1-2.

Progesterone or oestrogen levels might be in the “normal” range, yet still be far from balanced—leading to mood swings, anxiety, or irregular cycles.

** This is generalised advice and not to be used as a diagnosis

Listening to Your Symptoms, Not Just Your Results

If you still feel unwell despite “normal” results, your symptoms matter.

Chinese Medicine doesn’t just look at numbers—it looks at the whole person.

Energy levels, digestion, sleep, mood, and menstrual cycles are all vital clues.

Instead of stopping at normal, we aim for optimal—where you feel strong, clear-headed, and resilient.

If your intuition tells you something is off, keep asking questions.

Work with practitioners who take your symptoms seriously and are willing to dig deeper. 

What Can You Do ? - This is where we come in!

Request a copy of your results and compare them to functional or optimal ranges.

Advocate for deeper testing—this may include full thyroid panels, iron studies, or hormone mapping.

Support your body holistically—acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle shifts can all play a role in restoring balance. 

Online consults and Womens Health consults

Both these types of consultations allow extra time to explore test results to support you in accessing optimal health.

An online session means that you don’t have to be local.

There is so much we can do within an online consultation from a Chinese medicine perspective with diet, lifestyle measures and assessing your results to see meaning full changes in your health.

Your wellbeing isn’t just about what’s normal—it’s about what’s right for you.

It is part of our job to keep searching for answers, and to advocate for nothing less than your vibrant health.