Fine is Not the Goal - Optimal Is
You deserve so much more than the line of “fine.”
Lately in my stories, I’ve been talking about how often women are told they’re “fine” — especially with blood work — even when they absolutely don’t feel fine. This message has resonated deeply with so many of you, and honestly, I’m not surprised. I hear this every single week in my practice.
And yes… normal ranges matter. It’s good news when nothing is drastically abnormal.
But normal doesn’t mean optimal — and it definitely doesn’t guarantee that you feel energized, rested, or like yourself.
Every blood test has a range, and you can fall anywhere within it and still be told everything “looks good.” But if you’re tired, achy, waking through the night, struggling with focus, dealing with hot flashes, or just not feeling like you… that is your body saying something is not functioning optimally.
That’s where my naturopathic lens comes in.
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Example: Low Energy
When someone tells me they’re tired, I don’t brush it off — I investigate.
Here are the areas I look at most often:
1. Blood work
This is usually my first step because it can quickly rule in or out several common contributors to fatigue.
B12 and iron are frequently checked — and frequently dismissed as “fine.” But when I look at the actual numbers, they’re often nowhere near where they need to be to support real energy. Being at the bottom of the normal range can still leave you feeling exhausted.
2. Sleep quality (not just hours)
Are you getting deep, restorative sleep? Are you waking through the night?
I look at stress hormones (your cortisol curve), and in perimenopause I also consider progesterone — because lower-than-optimal progesterone is one of the most common reasons midlife women suddenly start struggling with sleep.
Blood work doesn’t always capture this well because hormones fluctuate throughout the day and month. Symptoms tell me a lot, and if needed, DUTCH testing gives us a much clearer picture.
3. Blood sugar + insulin
Most women only ever have fasting glucose checked — sometimes not even fasting.
And again, you can be told it’s “fine” even when it’s trending too high.
But the biggest missing piece is insulin.
If your insulin is elevated, your body is working extremely hard behind the scenes to keep blood sugar stable… and that struggle absolutely affects energy. Insulin resistance becomes more common as women move through perimenopause and menopause — yet insulin is rarely checked conventionally.
4. Mitochondrial function
Your mitochondria are your cellular energy factories. There isn’t a simple blood test for this, but once we’ve addressed the foundations above, supporting mitochondrial health can make a dramatic difference in how you feel.
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This is why the “line of fine” isn’t enough.
Conventional medicine is excellent for acute care:
• Break a bone? They’ll fix it.
• Infection? They’ll treat it.
• Heart attack? They’ll save your life.
But when it comes to your day-to-day quality of life — your sleep, energy, mood, metabolism, hormones — most women are discharged at the line of fine.
Not optimal.
Not vibrant.
Not functioning at your full potential.
That’s exactly where I come in.
My job is to uncover the why behind how you feel and build a personalized, step-by-step plan to help your body function optimally — not just “normally.”
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If you’re ready to find out what optimal feels like… let’s talk.
I still have a few consult openings for November.
Not sure if this is the right step for you? You can always start with a Discovery Call.
Your best health is so much better than fine.