Repair Deficit: What is it and how and why should you measure it?

When healthy, your body repairs itself (mostly while you sleep) from injury or from wear and tear promptly, efficiently and effectively. When your health is compromised, your body’s attempt to heal or repair itself can fall short, resulting in a repair deficit, otherwise known as inflammation. When repair deficits (aka inflammation) persist, it puts a metabolic burden on your body, especially the immune system. A combination of unmet repair needs and too much defense work slowly wears down your immune system, taking a toll on your daily quality of life and increasing your risk for disease. High sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) is the best way to measure your level of repair deficit inflammation. Levels of hsCRP rise in proportion to the need for repair. High hsCRP levels are seen in inflammatory autoimmune diseases from rheumatoid to juvenile arthritis, lupus, diabetes, psoriasis, eczema, asthma and more. High hsCRP does not mean you have one of these conditions, but persistently elevated hsCRP indicates an overloaded innate immune system. You might experience that as being more susceptible to infections and viruses such that “you catch everything that is going around”. Keeping your hsCRP at the goal value of <0.5 mg/L means that you are repairing and renewing properly and have tamed your inflammation. If you are above the goal value, it is time to increase your intake of antioxidants to help stimulate your body to repair itself at the cellular level. Nutrients like fully buffered l-ascorbate, polyphenolics (particularly quercetin dihydrate and soluble OPC), magnesium and choline citrate, and CoQ10 can dramatically reduce inflammation and hsCRP levels. It is also helpful to identify and eliminate inflammation triggers that you may not have ever considered. Hidden hypersensitivities to foods and chemicals can be a considerable burden to your immune system, resulting in even more inflammation. The LRA test identifies your hidden reactions to over 500 items. Once you know what foods and other common substances are inflammatory for you, you’ll have the information you need to start a completely personalized, inflammation-taming, disease risk reducing, health promoting lifestyle. Learn more about LRA tests and hsCRP tests available directly to you from Better Lab Tests Now (BLTN). LRA and hsCRP are just 2 of the 8 Predictive Biomarker tests available to help you identify opportunities to improve your body’s functioning and reduce risk years before disease strikes.