r/Function_Health

Looking for advice on the next best steps regarding function lab results. Some background info: female, 42yo, 160lbs, 5’ 6,” and mom of 3 young kids. I workout 5x a week doing crossfit. My cardio needs work. I have worked out consistently for the last 17 years. My diet could stand to be cleaned up. I try to watch my calories for weight management.

Family history:
My mother had open heart surgery and has also had a few small strokes. On the maternal side, more heart attacks, stints, pacemakers and congestive heart failure in different family members (but very different lifestyle, than myself). I’m thinking I need a statin. But I’m sure this sub can help me hash out what type and the best course of action, please. Some of my cardiac numbers are alarming. Appreciate all the tips and knowledge.

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I’ve had mild ME/CFS symptoms for over a year, but things became severe over the last 6 months following surgery complications. After a massive crash last month, I went from being bedridden to currently housebound. All these months I have been dealing with my surgery complications which have exaggerated my chronic fatigue, meaning I haven't stopped doing examinations after examinations.

Anyway, my routine bloodwork keeps coming out very good. Autoimmune markers (ANA, etc.) are clear, thyroid is clear, kidneys are clear, liver enzymes are clear, insulin/glucose are clear, basic hormones are clear, inflammatory markers are clear, cardiovascular are clear. I do need to improve my ferritin a bit though. I also have a brain MRI scan planned just to rule out other things.

Since all the major systems SEEM to be fine, I researched a bit and found that there might exist a link with cellular energy disfunction? Like the issue is actually happening at a cellular level with ATP/mitochondrial energy production. Tbh, fatigue "on a cellular level" is precisely how I personally experience my kind of fatigue, so it sounds plausible.

There is a clinic where I live that offers an Organic Acids Analysis (OAT), a Plasma Fatty Acids Analysis and stuff like that. I am attaching the charts from their tests here. These panels map out the Krebs Cycle (Energy Production), cellular carbohydrates/lipids/proteins metabolism, oxidative stress markers, neurotransmitter metabolites, and Omega-3/Omega-6 pathways.

Regardless of the money these tests cost, I would like to know whether there is any scientific reason for me to delve into this approach. Since I have not found answers with the typical tests, why not take a more exploratory view? There are also a few papers discussing this view.

I am just wondering and I am also hoping. Has anyone else here done a full OAT for their ME/CFS? Did looking at your Krebs cycle or fatty acid pathways or metabolites actually help you find targeted supplements? And, therefore, help with treatment??

Please help with anything you know or personal experiences!!

P.S.: I am a bit new to this new shitty life and new to this sub reddit so if this topic has been brought up already, please send me the original link and I will read it through! Thanks!

“Scientists are increasingly concerned that certain everyday chemicals may be interfering with our hormones – and possibly for generations to come. According to a recent publication in Environmental Research, mothers who had higher concentrations of certain “forever chemicals” in their blood were more likely to have daughters that developed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) [now PMOS*] and moderate-to-severe acne by their later teenage years.

Dr. Zifan Wang, Research Associate in the Mahalingaiah Lab (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health) and others followed 322 mother‑daughter pairs enrolled in Project Viva, a long-term Boston-area study that included mothers who were pregnant between 1999 and 2002, to reach these conclusions.

Using blood samples and survey data, they found that mothers who had higher levels of a chemical called EtFOSAA in their blood were 2.7x more likely to have a teenage daughter with PCOS. Mothers with higher levels of PFNA were 2.3x more likely to have teen daughters with moderate‑to‑severe acne.

Of note, when the researchers looked mothers who had been exposed to all six PFAS together as a mixture, they didn’t see a clear overall link with PCOS or related traits.

EtFOSAA and PFNA are both chemicals that belong to a larger group called PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Commonly, these chemicals are used in products like nonstick cookware, stain‑resistant fabrics, and food packaging. PFAS build up in the environment and the body over time and don’t break down easily, raising concern about long‑term health effects.

This study suggests that exposure to certain PFAS during pregnancy may play a role in daughters’ reproductive health years later, the scientists explained, but it doesn’t prove cause and effect, and the sample size was relatively small.

More research with larger groups and longer follow-up is needed, they said – especially because most mothers in the study were non-Hispanic White and college-educated, which limits how broadly the findings can be generalized. Still, their findings add to the growing concern about PFAS in our environment, and they support efforts to reduce exposure.”

Article by Eliana Huffman (https://hsph.harvard.edu/mahalingaiah-lab/news/exposure-to-forever-chemicals-for-mothers-during-pregnancy-may-be-linked-with-higher-rates-of-pcos-in-teenage-daughters-study-suggests/)