One of the first things I do as a naturopath is try to understand what’s happening beneath the surface. Symptoms tell us part of the story, but blood tests can reveal patterns long before they develop into more significant health concerns.
In an ideal world, every patient would come to their first appointment with a comprehensive set of baseline blood tests. I know that isn’t always practical or affordable, and that’s completely understandable. However, if you’re interested in taking a proactive approach to your health, these are the tests I believe provide the most valuable overview of how your body is functioning.
These recommendations apply to both men and women, with the main difference being hormone testing, which is tailored to your sex and life stage. While there are many more specialised tests that can be useful depending on your individual health concerns, these are the core investigations I find myself referring to again and again in clinical practice.
Full Blood Count (FBC)
A Full Blood Count provides an overview of your red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. It can help identify signs of anaemia, infection, inflammation, immune dysfunction and other underlying health issues that may be contributing to symptoms such as fatigue or recurrent illness.
Full Iron Studies
Iron is far more complex than simply measuring ferritin. A complete iron panel includes ferritin, serum iron, transferrin and transferrin saturation, allowing us to assess your iron stores, how well iron is being transported and whether inflammation may be influencing your results. Iron status plays an important role in energy, cognition, immune function and exercise capacity.
Lipid Profile
Your cholesterol panel provides insight into cardiovascular health and metabolic function. Looking beyond total cholesterol allows us to assess LDL, HDL and triglycerides, helping us better understand long-term cardiovascular risk and how your body is processing fats.
Liver Function Tests
Your liver is involved in hundreds of vital processes every day, including detoxification, hormone metabolism, blood sugar regulation and nutrient storage. Liver function tests can identify early signs of liver stress and help guide nutritional and lifestyle support before more significant problems develop.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D influences far more than bone health. It plays an important role in immune regulation, mood, muscle function, inflammation and hormone health. Many Australians are surprised to discover they are deficient despite living in a sunny climate.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is essential for healthy nerves, brain function, energy production and red blood cell formation. Low levels can contribute to fatigue, poor concentration, tingling sensations and low mood. Certain medications, digestive conditions and dietary patterns can also affect absorption.
Inflammatory Markers (CRP and ESR)
These markers provide a broad indication of inflammation within the body. While they don’t tell us exactly where inflammation is occurring, they can be useful pieces of the puzzle when investigating chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, persistent fatigue or other inflammatory processes.
Hormone Panel
Hormone testing should always be individualised based on your symptoms, age and sex. Depending on the situation, this may include oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, LH, FSH or other hormones. These tests can provide valuable insight into menstrual health, fertility, perimenopause, menopause, low testosterone and many other hormone-related concerns.
Fasting Glucose
This measures your blood sugar after fasting and gives us a snapshot of how your body is regulating glucose at that moment.
HbA1c
Unlike fasting glucose, HbA1c reflects your average blood sugar levels over the previous two to three months. It’s an excellent marker for identifying prediabetes, diabetes and longer-term blood sugar control.
Fasting Insulin
This is one of my favourite tests because it often identifies metabolic dysfunction years before fasting glucose becomes abnormal. Elevated fasting insulin may suggest insulin resistance, one of the earliest drivers of type 2 diabetes, weight gain, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and cardiovascular disease.
Comprehensive Thyroid Panel
Rather than relying on TSH alone, I like to see a full thyroid panel where appropriate, including Free T4 and Free T3, and sometimes thyroid antibodies. The thyroid influences metabolism, energy, mood, digestion, body temperature, hair health and much more. A more complete picture allows us to better understand how well your thyroid is functioning.
Urea (BUN) and Kidney Function
Your kidneys are responsible for filtering waste products from the blood, regulating fluid balance, maintaining electrolyte levels and supporting healthy blood pressure. Measuring urea (known as Blood Urea Nitrogen or BUN in some countries), alongside creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), gives us a picture of how well your kidneys are functioning.
While abnormal kidney function is important to identify, these markers can also provide clues about hydration status, protein metabolism a
Functional Testing: Why I’m Such a Big Advocate for Gut Testing
If there is one functional test I wish more people considered, it’s comprehensive gut microbiome testing.
In my experience, gut health influences almost every other body system. Your gut is home to trillions of microorganisms that communicate with your immune system, produce vitamins, regulate inflammation, influence hormone metabolism and even affect brain health through the gut-brain axis.
When someone presents with digestive symptoms, gut testing makes obvious sense!
But what surprises many people is how often gut dysfunction is also involved in conditions that don’t seem digestive at all.
- Hormonal imbalances? I always consider the gut.
- Acne or eczema? Likely the gut.
- Fatigue? The gut is often part of the picture.
- Brain fog? Gut health matters.
- Autoimmune conditions? The gut deserves attention.
- Bloating, reflux, constipation or diarrhoea? Duh, definitely the gut.
That doesn’t mean every health problem begins in the gut, nor does it mean gut testing is necessary for everyone. However, optimising gut health frequently improves multiple body systems at once, making it one of the most valuable areas to investigate in functional medicine.
Can You Get These Tests?
Many of these blood tests can be ordered by your GP under Australian Medicare when there is a clinical reason to do so. Others may be available through private pathology providers if you would simply like to establish a baseline.
As a naturopath, I can also arrange many pathology investigations where appropriate and help interpret the results from a functional perspective. While conventional medicine often focuses on identifying disease, functional medicine also looks at whether your body is functioning optimally -not just whether your results fall inside broad, binary laboratory reference ranges.
Prevention Is Always Easier Than Treatment
Here’s a truth- it’s much easier to keep someone healthy than it is to help them recover once disease has developed.
These blood tests won’t tell us everything, but they provide an incredibly valuable snapshot of your current health. They help us identify nutrient deficiencies, metabolic dysfunction, inflammation and early warning signs before they progress into more significant health concerns. And of course, for some people there are a few other tests worth adding! Especially functional ones.
Whether you’re feeling fantastic or you’ve been struggling with symptoms for years, understanding your baseline health gives us a place to start, and often provides the clues needed to create a treatment plan that’s truly tailored to you!
My name is Ash and I’m a naturopath based in Perth Hills, Kalamunda.