The Meridix Labs Blog
Plain-English guides to understanding your lab results — written for curious patients, not just clinicians.
Thyroid Function Tests Explained: TSH, T3, T4 and What They Mean
Thyroid tests are among the most frequently misread lab results. A TSH of 5.2 can mean very different things depending on your age, symptoms, and whether you're already on medication. This guide explains how TSH, Free T4, Free T3, and antibody tests work together — and what it actually means when one of them is flagged.
Vitamin D Deficiency: What Your Blood Test Actually Tells You
Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common findings in modern lab work — yet the reference ranges on your report are deeply misleading. A level of 21 ng/mL is technically 'normal' on most lab reports, but emerging research suggests optimal health starts at 40 ng/mL or higher. Here's what the numbers mean, why deficiency is so widespread, and what you can actually do about it.
Kidney Function Tests: Creatinine, eGFR, and BUN Explained
Your kidneys filter about 200 liters of blood every day, and a basic metabolic panel gives you a window into how well they're doing it. Creatinine, eGFR, BUN — these values appear on almost every routine blood test, yet most patients have no idea what they mean or when to worry. This guide breaks it all down.
HbA1c and Blood Sugar Tests: What Pre-Diabetes Actually Means
HbA1c is the single most important number for understanding your long-term blood sugar control — yet most people don't know what it measures or how it differs from a fasting glucose test. This guide explains the full picture: HbA1c, fasting glucose, the oral glucose tolerance test, and what it means when you're told you're 'borderline.'
Liver Function Tests: What ALT, AST, ALP, and Bilirubin Actually Mean
A slightly elevated ALT is one of the most common incidental findings in routine blood work — and one of the most anxiety-inducing. Is it serious? Does it mean liver disease? Most of the time, the answer is nuanced. This guide explains each liver enzyme, what it measures, and when elevated values are actually worth worrying about.
Complete Blood Count (CBC): A Plain-English Guide
The Complete Blood Count is one of the most frequently ordered lab tests in medicine — and one of the most misunderstood by patients. Your CBC report might contain a dozen or more values, each with its own abbreviation and reference range, and very little explanation of what any of it means. In this guide, we break down every component of the CBC: what red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets actually do, what it means when they're high or low, and why your doctor ordered this test in the first place.
Iron Deficiency and Ferritin: Why Your Doctor's 'Normal' Range Might Be Wrong for You
Ferritin is the most sensitive marker for iron deficiency — yet the lower end of most lab reference ranges is set so low that millions of people are told their iron is 'normal' while experiencing classic deficiency symptoms like fatigue, hair loss, and brain fog. Here's how to read an iron panel properly.
How to Read a Lipid Panel: LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides Explained
Your lipid panel results arrive and you're staring at four numbers — Total Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides — with no clear idea which direction is good and which is bad. It doesn't help that two of them are labelled 'bad cholesterol' and 'good cholesterol' without any explanation of why. In this guide we break down every component of the standard lipid panel in plain English: what each marker measures, what optimal levels look like, and what your results are actually telling you about your cardiovascular health.
What Does High Glucose on a Blood Test Actually Mean?
You got your blood test back and one number is flagged in red: glucose. Maybe it says 108, or 115, or even 130 mg/dL. The reference range says 70–99 and yours is above it. Before you spiral into worst-case scenarios, take a breath. A single elevated glucose reading tells a story — but it's rarely the whole story. In this guide, we'll walk through exactly what blood glucose is, why it gets measured, what different levels actually mean, and what your next steps should be. Understanding your numbers is the first step to taking control of your health.
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