I. Overview

• Catch health problems early or before they happen altogether

Measure how/if your health plan is working and how changes to it affect you. Specifically, you will be able to measure the impacts of:

• Exercising and training
• Dietary changes
• Vitamins and Minerals
• Stress in your life
• Medical professional recommendations (MD's, Dentists, Chiropractors, DO's, Optometrists, etc.)
• Stress management techniques

Lab Statistical Reference Ranges (used to detect the presence of illness and disease) These are not optimum because:

• They are subjective and change
• They are not customized to you
• They are set to detect the presence of disease/illness NOT to detect trends toward disease/illness
• You can change within them over time and still be considered normal
• They are inconsistent; your scores can be considered normal at one lab and abnormal at another lab

YFH Optimum Ranges (customized to you to optimize your future health)

• Learn your own unique Optimum Ranges that are customized based on your height, sex, blood type, age, and your other blood test scores
• Your HealthPrint compares your actual scores (on all 56 tests) to your Optimum Ranges
• We are constantly adjusting your Optimum Ranges based on your latest HealthPrint, NOTE--some of your Optimum Ranges are dependent on several of your other test scores
• We guide you in developing a customized plan to help you reach your Optimum Ranges, or improve on the specific scores you desire

YFH Personal Normal Levels (the levels you are comfortable with)

• Provide you with a benchmark
• Give you a way to know where you are today (even if you are not at your Optimum Ranges), so that changes from your Personal Normal Levels can be caught before you feel differently and, hopefully, before you develop an illness/disease
• Specific levels you are comfortable with that are based on your current health plan (Personal Normal Levels can be found once you have settled into a consistent health plan)
• Your Personal Normal Levels can change as you make changes to your health plan (e.g. refraining from drinking alcohol may lower your personal normal levels for your liver scores)

• Have more energy, reduce your risk of illness, sleep better, etc.
• Potential to enjoy a higher quality of life, longer

• Save money over the long haul on health care
• Know whether the money you are spending on healthy foods and vitamins is being spent on nutrients you actually need and whether or not they are actually increasing the levels of those nutrients in your body
• Save you and your family from potential emotional pain by catching health problems/changes early

• Learn about your liver, kidneys, heart, cholesterol, electrolytes, protein levels, bones, immune system, etc.
• Learn how you can improve your health with diet and supplement changes you tailor to your needs and your blood type, etc.
• Read about the available blood tests, why they are important, and what they measure
• See how two identical twins who are the same age, gender, and blood type can have nutritional needs that are completely different

• Have more control/understanding of your health and have peace of mind
• Provide a framework and history that allows you to work WITH your doctor
• Have a detailed history of your body in terms that are easy to understand (you keep these records for yourself)

III. Additional Perspective
from Our Founder

You've probably had a blood test at some point in your life. If you have, you've probably wondered what all those numbers on your report mean and how they relate to you. In this section, I will explain some of the reasons to test in more detail and provide real-life examples where appropriate.

First and foremost, I want to explain that "having a blood test" is not a standardized procedure. "Having a blood test" may mean having a cholesterol, red and white blood cell count test to one person and a check on blood type, protein levels, and heart to another. Did you know there are well over 60 blood tests that can be analyzed in your blood? Our system looks at a minimum of 56 different tests within your blood. All of these tests are involved in providing you with the most accurate HealthPrint possible.

Another reason that "having a blood test" is not a standardized procedure is that different labs can have different lab statistical reference ranges. If you've looked at your old blood tests, you may have noticed that the lab statistical reference ranges (provided by the lab) are not consistent. The reason may surprise you. That's because the ranges you are benchmarked against (for each test) are set by the laboratory's personal Medical Director. Given the large number of independent labs in the country (and thus the large number of Medical Directors), it is easy to see how these ranges can lack consistency.

Furthermore, these ranges, called "lab statistical reference ranges," are derived from testing a select group of people of similar age and gender to you. They do not take into account things like health history, blood type, weight/height, symptoms, or other blood test scores. This is one of the many ways YFH provides a superior service to its clients. We benchmark your scores against ranges that are customized based on your specific health factors listed above in addition to age and gender. Another reason for inconsistency is that the lab's standards are only periodically updated. We, on the other hand, are constantly updating your Optimum Ranges based on your latest health information and blood test scores.

It is important to note that the statistical normal range provided by the lab is still very useful. Currently, the lab statistical reference range is used to determine whether or not you have a disease or illness. A score outside the lab statistical reference range can be a sign that you have a health problem. This is obviously a good thing to know and review with your doctor. That is why YFH strongly encourages you to review scores that are outside the lab reference range with your doctor or medical professional.

Why isn't it sufficient to benchmark yourself against these lab statistical reference ranges? There are a few reasons.

One is because being in extraordinarily good health may cause your test score to be marked as abnormal according to the lab statistical reference range. Two of our clients, Ruth and Harold are 82 and 85 years old respectively. Their outstanding blood test results fit better into the 35 year old lab statistical reference range than the 80 year old lab statistical reference range. Consequently, some of their results are routinely pegged as "abnormal" according to the lab statistical reference range despite the fact that they are more active and healthier than most 35 year olds! They have even improved their scores over the last 20 years using the YFH System.

Another reason only looking at the lab statistical reference range is not sufficient is because having a score outside of that range usually means you have some form of illness or disease. As a result, it may be too late for a simple correction. Often times, people who are outside the lab statistical reference range are already at a point where they need surgery or drugs to correct the problem. In fact, some illnesses can't be reversed at all! They become something the patient copes with for the rest of their life.

One of my closest friends recently experienced a situation like this with her dad. This situation impacted me deeply because I feel it could have been prevented. It was painful to watch my friend (and her dad) suffer. Her dad was unwilling to get his HealthPrint because he always said he felt fine and that his blood test results were no worse than others his age and sex. He concluded he was "normal." About a year ago he was diagnosed with severe plaque build up in the arteries of his brain. This plaque did not suddenly appear. It had been building up for years. Unfortunately, the plaque, given his older age, was not something that could be reversed or removed. He and his family had no option except to wait for this condition to worsen and for him to die.

The sad thing is that if he had an ulcer or some other disease that could be felt, he would have made a change in his life to avoid the pain and discomfort. However, he had plaque build up which he couldn't feel. His laboratory blood tests (run periodically by his doctor) showed a negative trend, but his scores were still considered "normal." He felt fine and as a result, he did nothing about his scores. In fact, he joked about his daughter's plea to make changes and get his HealthPrint.

A final reason lab statistical reference ranges should not be the only ranges you look at is because they are not customized to you. Your weight, height, blood type, age, gender, symptoms, other blood test scores, and health history all play a part in determining what ranges are "normal" for you. Consequently, we analyze ALL of your information and then compare your actual blood test results to what we call your Optimum Range.

The Optimum Range is specific to you and your health situation. It is not used for diagnosing illnesses or diseases. That's the goal of the lab statistical reference range. Your Optimum Ranges are for optimizing your future health. They are the ranges you shoot for to maximize your health and they are usually narrower than the lab statistical reference range, yet usually within that range. They are also the ranges that when achieved, will result in significantly reduced risks for future illnesses and diseases. These are the ranges that work toward prevention. YFH knows not everyone cares and/or has the energy to reach their Optimum Ranges. That's why we teach our clients how to use their Personal Normal Tracker (blood test history) to alert them to changes that might be significant.

Determining Personal Normal Levels is another reason why we should test our blood. We've spent the last 20+ years helping our clients find their unique, personal normal levels for each of our 56 tests. We've developed a method to help you find your Personal Normal Levels for all of the blood tests we offer. This is a complicated process that we make simple for you to learn when you receive your YFH Guide with your first HealthPrint.

What is a Personal Normal Level? Personal Normal Levels are levels set by you. They can be within your Optimum Range or outside of it. It all depends on your comfort level with the health risks. The safest option is to have your Personal Normal Levels be within the optimum ranges provided by YFH, but this requires the most effort. As a result, some of our clients choose to accept having Personal Normal Levels that are not within their Optimum Range. They are comfortable with setting their Personal Normal Levels within the lab statistical reference range. Technically, you could also have a Personal Normal Level that is outside the lab statistical reference range, but this is rare. For most people, having a Personal Normal Level that is outside the lab statistical reference range is a personal choice that goes against both the lab recommended range AND the YFH Optimum Range and is, therefore, not advised unless your doctor approves it. To conclude, the Personal Normal Levels are the scores (by test) you are comfortable with.

For some of our clients, anything less than their Optimum Range is unacceptable. For others, they are OK with less than optimum scores and just work to make sure they are not outside of the lab statistical reference range provided by the lab. (Click here to read about Tracy and Mary) This second group may make a choice to keep drinking significant amounts of coffee and alcohol or to continue eating poorly. Consequently, they accept that they will have higher liver scores than is optimum for them. After a few HealthPrints, they establish a baseline, or Personal Normal Level, where their score usually lies. (Personal Normal Levels can usually be determined after four HealthPrints.)

After establishing their Personal Normal Levels, our clients test periodically (usually a minimum of once per year if they are in good health) to compare their scores to their Personal Normal Levels to make sure nothing has changed significantly with their blood.

How is this process useful? As our clients go through life, they monitor their scores to make sure they have not started to drift away from their Personal Normal Levels. If they see a significant change away from their Personal Normal Levels, they know they need to begin making changes in their life and schedule a trip to see their doctor. This process has helped a lot of our current clients catch health problems before they became serious or before they became problems at all!

The best part about YFH is that you control the ordering of your tests. We help you understand them. We will help you develop, recognize, and record your scores as well as teach you how to share this valuable information with your doctor or health professional to obtain their medical interpretation.

I would like to share another example that occurred this past year with one of our family's closest friends. He has never received his HealthPrint despite numerous discussions about why he should. He always said he felt fine. Does this sound familiar? He had to undergo an emergency surgery because the major artery in his neck had become 90% blocked. A full review of his past cholesterol test results later revealed what we all suspected… that he could have seen this coming. But, because of his age (he is 80 years old), his scores were always marked as normal because they were within the lab statistical reference range for his age and gender category. His blood was telling him about his blocked artery, but he didn't have his HealthPrint to help him spot this negative trend. What is most surprising in this story is that it wasn't until he was 90% blocked that he felt differently. At 40% and 80% blocked, he was still telling us he felt "good." Fortunately for him (and our family!), his illness was fixable.

By understanding your Personal Normal Levels you will be able to know when one of your scores is not falling within the normal ranges you've been tracking on your Personal Normal Tracker. Plus, you will have your entire blood test history that you can share with your doctor or health professional. A sudden change could indicate something simple or it could be much more serious.

My hope is that you are beginning to see the power of testing and tracking your scores, even if you feel great. Watching for trends in your scores can alert you to hidden health problems, even when your scores stay in the "normal" range. A sudden jump from a consistently low alkaline phosphatase score to a 50 point higher, but still statistically normal score, means you should visit your doctor and talk about doing additional testing.

This was the experience for one of our clients, Freda. Freda was 85 when her alkaline phosphatase scores changed suddenly. She found a doctor who took the change very seriously, despite the fact that her score of 114 was still within the lab statistical reference range. Further testing (including an isoenzyme blood test) uncovered cancer, much to her doctor's surprise. Despite her severe arthritis, Freda's Personal Normal Tracker showed that her alkaline phosphatase score had never been above a 78 (in over 70 HealthPrints). Having her blood test history helped her doctor give her immediate medical attention. Without her Personal Normal Tracker (blood test history) her symptoms would have been unresolved because her test results were normal as defined by the lab statistical reference ranges. It could have taken months to discover her cancer. As you can see, understanding your personal normal levels can be very powerful and helpful.

No matter how nervous you are about having your blood tested, I hope you can see the benefits of testing your blood not only when you are sick, but more importantly when you are well. My hope is that you will make getting your HealthPrint a priority rather than waiting for your body to feel differently. My goal, and our goal, is to help you effectively manage your future health.

Warmest regards,