Functional ranges and conventional lab ranges
Functional range. Functional medicine ranges are the window where the body heals and functions optimally.
Conventional lab range. This is the interval used by your laboratory. A value outside the functional range is a prompt to look at related markers and discuss the result with your clinician.
| For every functional range we publish | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The source studies or guidelines | So you can inspect the evidence yourself |
| The population the evidence comes from | Targets can differ by sex, age, pregnancy and ethnicity |
| Clinical caveats | Acute illness, medications and timing change many markers |
| Strength of evidence | Some targets rest on trials; others on observational data |
| Last-reviewed date and reviewer | Evidence changes; ranges are re-reviewed on a schedule |
Functional ranges for individual markers, with their sources, are listed on each biomarker page.
The Health Score (0–100)
The Health Score summarizes how your measured markers sit against their functional ranges, across seven systems: metabolic, inflammatory, hormonal, nutrient, cardiovascular, liver/detoxification and mitochondrial. Each marker contributes a distance-from-target value; markers are weighted by the strength of their evidence and their link to how people feel day to day; system scores roll up into the overall score.
- A higher score means more markers are within functional ranges. It is a summary, not a diagnosis.
- The score is only as complete as the panel behind it. A basic panel yields a less complete score; the report states which systems were measured.
- Weights and formulas are documented for the clinical team and re-reviewed by the medical advisory board when functional ranges change.
Health System Scores
System scores (for example heart, liver/metabolic, thyroid pattern) are computed the same way as the overall score, using only the markers assigned to that system. They are presented as patterns, not organ diagnoses, and are labeled "Health System Scores" for that reason.
Biological-age estimate
The biological-age estimate compares a set of blood markers known to shift with age against reference data to estimate a "biological" age relative to your chronological age. It is available on the Longevity panel and on uploaded labs that include the required markers; the report states which markers were used. It is an estimate with meaningful uncertainty, most useful for tracking change in the same person over time.
Tracking over time
Comparisons between draws are meaningful when conditions match: the same lab, fasting status and time of day, at least 60–90 days apart. The report flags comparisons where these conditions differ.
Limitations
- Scores summarize markers; they cannot see symptoms, history or context. Your clinician can.
- Lab methods differ; uploaded results are interpreted with the ranges of the lab that produced them where available.
- Functional ranges reflect population evidence and may not apply to every individual.
- An unusual result is flagged for follow-up with your clinician; on the Longevity panel, a practitioner reviews the report before it's released.
Questions about the methodology: clinical@draxe.com. See also our Editorial & Medical Review Standards.
