Blood tests are self care

Sent myself for an iron and B12 test this morning (practitioner perks - no doctor’s appointment necessary!).

I have a history of low ferritin (stored iron) during my last pregnancy- even though I eat red meat and entered pregnancy replete. Most likely the heavy demands on my body from breastfeeding my eldest till 22 months was aiming for 24 months as recommended by the world health organization but when I fell pregnant with our second I had some breastfeeding aversion so weaned. The demand for pregnancy and breastfeeding left me depleted though. I've also started working out at the gym again regularly, which can deplete iron stores in women. And then chuck in the fact that I’m a menstruating female with a past history of Hashimoto’s (kept in check most months now with diet, herbs, and removal of said above cheeky little parasite) makes sense to get checked regularly.

Which leads me to wonder... when’s the last time you had basic blood done?

🩸 Iron + Ferritin

🩸 B12 + Active B12

🩸 Vitamin D

🩸 Fasting blood glucose

🩸 Cholesterol

🩸 Liver and kidney markers

🩸 Thyroid (if you’re fatigued)

🩸 Autoimmune/inflammation markers (if you have joint pain)

If you get these done through your GP, most are covered by Medicare. You can also get them done through many naturopaths (like me!), but it will cost you a bit more - think of it as an investment though.

And then... take your results to a naturopath, functional medicine practitioner or integrative GP as we have different reference ranges to “regular” GPs, meaning we can catch and correct problems when you’re borderline - before you get really sick.

Self-care is so much more than just a massage or pedicure - it’s proactive stuff like this. It’s making the time to keep yourself well, rather than waiting for something to go really wrong.

email me at ashlee@ashleetabrett.com if you would like me to look over your recent blood tests 😊 and give you my interpretation. More information and pricing for this service can be found here