08/31/2026
"Normal" is an average of a population that isn't well. That's where the reference range on your lab report actually comes from.
Here's a scenario Valley Vital Medicine sees constantly. Your labs come back technically in range, every number lands inside the brackets, but you're exhausted, not recovering the way you used to, and something feels off in a way you can't quite point to. And you're told everything looks fine.
So where does that range actually come from? A lab takes results from a large group of people who came in for testing, trims off the highest and lowest few percent, and whatever's left in the middle becomes "normal." It was never designed to be a definition of health. It's a description of who walked through the door that year.
And those ranges shift over time as the populations being tested change. More people are walking around with insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and thyroid issues that never get named. So as the middle of the group shifts, "normal" shifts right along with it, quietly, without announcement.
Normal answers one question: are you in immediate trouble? Optimal answers a different one: is this number where it needs to be for you to feel and function at your best, now and two decades from now? You can be comfortably normal and nowhere near optimal. That gap is where most people live, and it's the part most practitioners never talk you through.
Reference ranges are a screening tool built to catch disease, and they do that job well. They were just never built to answer "how do I feel and function at my best?" That question needs more time, more markers, and an actual conversation.
Most people have results sitting in a portal that nobody ever walked them through. Bring yours in.
Call 701-532-1926 or visit www.valleyvitalmedicine.com to schedule your free discovery call and learn what optimal actually looks like for you!
Medical Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare provider before starting any treatment.
