From Symptoms to Strategy: Why I Start With Labs
If you have been dealing with persistent symptoms for years, chances are you have tried a lot.
Supplements.
Diet changes.
Lifestyle tweaks.
Advice from social media.
Advice from well-meaning friends.
Maybe even multiple practitioners.
And yet, the symptoms linger.
Fatigue that never fully lifts. Mood swings that feel out of proportion. Brain fog that makes simple tasks harder than they should be. Hormonal symptoms that seem to worsen with age instead of improve.
This is one of the most common frustrations I hear in practice. And it is exactly why I do not start with protocols.
I start with labs.
Not because labs are trendy or because more data is always better, but because guessing, even educated guessing, often leads people further away from relief instead of closer to it.
Why Symptom-Based Guessing Often Backfires
Here is the uncomfortable truth. The same symptom can come from very different root causes.
Anxiety might be driven by:
Blood sugar instability
Neuroinflammation
Nutrient insufficiency
Stress hormone dysregulation
Neurotransmitter imbalances
Fatigue might be related to:
Mitochondrial stress
Iron or B-vitamin transport issues
Inflammatory burden
Poor sleep quality despite “normal” sleep duration
Hormonal symptoms may not be purely hormonal at all.
When people chase symptoms without understanding why those symptoms are happening, the result is often:
Over-supplementing
Conflicting protocols
New symptoms layered on top of old ones
A nervous system that becomes more reactive over time
Research consistently shows that individuals vary widely in how they respond to nutrients, foods, and interventions, even when symptoms appear similar on the surface (Berry et al., 2020; Antwi, 2023).
This variability is not a failure of the person. It is a limitation of one-size-fits-all advice.
Why “Just Try This Supplement” Is Rarely Neutral
Supplements are often framed as harmless or supportive. In reality, they are biologically active compounds.
For some people, adding the “wrong” supplement at the wrong time can:
Increase inflammation
Disrupt neurotransmitter balance
Worsen anxiety or insomnia
Aggravate gut symptoms
Increase symptom volatility
This is especially true for individuals with:
ADHD or neurodivergent nervous systems
PMDD or severe hormone sensitivity
A history of chronic stress or trauma
Perimenopause or menopause transitions
Studies in precision and personalized nutrition show that generalized recommendations often produce inconsistent results because they fail to account for metabolic, genetic, and biochemical differences between individuals (Ordovás et al., 2018; Antwi, 2023).
This is not about being “sensitive” or “difficult.”
It is about biology.
How I Think Through Complex Symptoms
Before I ever look at a lab result, I am already looking for patterns.
I consider:
When symptoms began
What was happening in life at that time
How symptoms cluster together
What makes symptoms better or worse
How the nervous system responds to change
I also pay close attention to overlap.
ADHD, PMDD, perimenopause, chronic stress, and mood symptoms often share common pathways, including:
Blood sugar dysregulation
Neuroinflammation
Mineral insufficiencies
Altered stress hormone signaling
This is why diagnoses alone rarely guide effective care. Two people with the same diagnosis may need very different strategies. Two people without a diagnosis may have nearly identical underlying patterns.
Symptoms are signals.
Patterns tell the story.
Why Labs Come Before Protocols in My Practice
Labs are not about collecting data for the sake of it.
They are tools that help answer very specific questions:
What systems are under the most strain right now?
What is driving symptoms beneath the surface?
What should not be supported yet?
What does the body have the capacity to handle?
Research on precision nutrition and metabolomics consistently shows that individualized data improves decision-making and reduces unnecessary or ineffective interventions (Tebani & Bekri, 2019; Antwi, 2023).
In other words, labs help us work with the body instead of pushing it.
What I Look for First in Functional Labs
I do not start by chasing optimal numbers.
I look for direction, burden, and capacity.
Some of the first areas I assess include:
Blood Sugar and Stress Response
Blood sugar instability is one of the most overlooked drivers of mood swings, fatigue, anxiety, and hormonal symptoms.
Even subtle dysregulation can amplify:
Irritability
Sleep disruption
Focus issues
Hormone sensitivity
Neurotransmitter and Metabolic Patterns
Rather than trying to “balance” neurotransmitters, I look for patterns that suggest:
Excessive demand
Poor synthesis or recycling
Increased breakdown due to stress or inflammation
Research shows significant variability in neurotransmitter metabolism and post-meal responses, even when individuals consume the same foods (Berry et al., 2020).
Inflammation and Oxidative Stress
Chronic low-grade inflammation does not always show up on standard panels, yet it strongly influences mood, pain perception, and hormone signaling.
Oxidative stress markers help explain why some people feel worse with interventions that are marketed as “supportive.”
Mineral Sufficiency and Transport
Minerals are foundational, but deficiency is not always about intake.
Transport, absorption, and utilization matter just as much.
This is particularly relevant for:
PMDD
ADHD
Perimenopause
Chronic stress states
Gut-Brain Signaling
Gut health is not just about digestion.
Microbial metabolites, inflammation, and immune signaling all influence brain function, stress response, and hormone metabolism (Sonnenburg & Bäckhed, 2016).
Why This Matters More With Age, ADHD, and Hormonal Transitions
One of the biggest myths I see is that symptoms should naturally improve with age.
For many people, the opposite happens. Hormonal transitions like perimenopause often unmask underlying imbalances that have been compensated for years.
At the same time:
Stress resilience may decline
Blood sugar tolerance narrows
Inflammatory load accumulates
This is why symptoms such as PMDD, anxiety, or focus issues can intensify rather than fade. Research supports that individualized, lab-guided approaches are more effective than generalized recommendations during these transitions (Celis-Morales et al., 2017; Antwi, 2023).
What Happens After the Labs
Labs do not automatically lead to supplements.
Sometimes the first step is:
Removing something
Simplifying
Stabilizing sleep or meals
Supporting one system at a time
In many cases, doing less initially leads to better long-term outcomes.
This slower, strategic approach is consistently supported by research on behavior change and personalized nutrition, which shows improved adherence and outcomes when interventions are tailored and paced appropriately (Antwi, 2023).
Who This Approach Is For (And Who It Is Not)
This approach is for people who:
Are tired of guessing
Want clarity, not quick fixes
Are open to understanding their body more deeply
Prefer thoughtful, stepwise care
It is not for those looking for:
A single supplement solution
Aggressive protocols without context
Trend-based interventions
And that is intentional.
Symptoms are not the problem.
They are the message.
When we skip the message and jump straight to solutions, we often miss what the body is asking for.
Labs allow us to listen more carefully, respond more precisely, and build strategies that actually hold.
Ready to Move From Guessing to Clarity?
If you are dealing with persistent, overlapping symptoms and want a thoughtful, lab-guided approach, this is exactly why I offer my 3-Month Functional Lab Package and my Restore & Regulate 6-Month Program.
These programs are designed for people who want:
Clear interpretation
Personalized strategy
Support that evolves with their body
References
Antwi, J. (2023). Precision nutrition to improve risk factors of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Current Nutrition Reports, 12, 679–694.
Berry, S. E., Valdes, A. M., Drew, D. A., et al. (2020). Human postprandial responses to food and potential for precision nutrition. Nature Medicine, 26, 964–973.
Celis-Morales, C., Livingstone, K. M., Marsaux, C. F., et al. (2017). Effect of personalized nutrition on health-related behavior change. International Journal of Epidemiology, 46, 578–588.
Ordovás, J. M., Ferguson, L. R., Tai, E. S., & Mathers, J. C. (2018). Personalized nutrition and health. BMJ, 361, k2173.
Sonnenburg, J. L., & Bäckhed, F. (2016). Diet-microbiota interactions as moderators of human metabolism. Nature, 535, 56–64.
Tebani, A., & Bekri, S. (2019). Paving the way to precision nutrition through metabolomics. Frontiers in Nutrition, 6, 41.
