Unlocking Health with Blood Work – A Deep Dive with Double Edge Fitness and Guest Cassie Wellock PA-C

Meet Cassie Wellock: The Preventative Health Pro

Cassie’s no stranger to medicine. With a background in internal and family medicine in Reno, she’s spent over a decade helping patients aged 12 and up. Now, she’s teamed up with her husband to launch Vertical Primary Care within Double Edge Fitness. Their mission is simple but bold: combine their expertise to bring you actionable health insights. As Cassie puts it, “Instead of treating something after it’s developed, I’d love to work on optimizing your baseline labs to prevent irreversible issues.”

Her husband, a fitness nerd in his own right, added, “We talk health and fitness at home all the time—it just made sense to bring this to you guys.” Their synergy is electric, and this podcast was a masterclass in why blood work is your secret weapon for longevity.

Blood Work: Your Car’s Dashboard

“Blood work is like your car’s dashboard—it tells you when to act before the engine fails.” This metaphor stuck with me. They hammered home a key truth: many chronic conditions—like high cholesterol, insulin resistance, or hypertension—creep up silently. By the time you feel symptoms, the damage might be hard to reverse. But regular labs? They’re your early warning system.

Cassie’s husband shared his own wake-up call: “I didn’t take blood work seriously in my younger years. If I’d waited until 45 or 50 to check my cholesterol or blood sugar, it could’ve been bad.” Cassie nodded, “The younger you are, the more proactive you can be—fixing or preventing things entirely.”

So, what should you test? It depends on your history, but Cassie outlined some basics for a healthy adult with no chronic issues:

• CBC : Checks blood cell counts (white, red, platelets).
• CMP : Covers fasting blood sugar, electrolytes, kidney, and liver function.
• Lipid Panel : Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides (though she prefers the NMR—more on that later).
• TSH : Screens thyroid function.
• Vitamin D : “Most people are deficient until proven otherwise,” she says.

From there, she tailors labs to your story—family history, symptoms, lifestyle. It’s personal, as medicine should be.

Cholesterol: Beyond the Basics

Cholesterol got a big spotlight. Cassie’s husband has battled familial hypercholesterolemia—a genetic tendency to high cholesterol—since his 30s. He learned the hard way that coconut oil in his coffee (hello, saturated fat!) sent his “sticky” LDL soaring. Cutting it out, plus meds like ezetimibe, turned things around fast. “Labs let you trial and error without setting yourself too sideways,” he said.

Cassie digs deeper with the NMR lipid profile. Unlike a standard panel, it breaks down LDL into small (bad, sticky) versus large (fluffy, safer) particles and measures ApoB, the protein that carries LDL into your arteries. “I’ve seen patients with mildly elevated LDL—say, 120—where an NMR shows it’s all small LDL and their ApoB is through the roof. Others have high LDL, but it’s all large particles, and their risk is low.” It’s a game-changer for precision.

Insulin Resistance: The Silent Threat

Insulin resistance stole the show as a sneaky killer. “It can start 10 or 15 years before you notice,” he warned. Cassie agreed, “You don’t feel diabetes until it’s advanced—vision changes, neuropathy. Catching insulin resistance early could prevent it entirely.”

Key labs here? Fasting insulin, triglycerides, and A1C. Her husband’s been on a mission to lower his A1C (currently 5.3) by adding quality carbs and fiber—think chia seeds, oatmeal, lentils. “I was low-carb, and my fasting glucose kept creeping up. Increasing carbs retrained my body to use it.” Cassie chimed in, “Carbs aren’t the enemy—fiber helps with glucose, cholesterol, and gut health. Most Americans get 10 grams a day; aim for 35-45.”

Hormones: Men, Women, and the Full Picture

Hormones sparked lively debate. He’s on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) after exhausting lifestyle fixes—sleep, diet, stress management. “My testosterone was in the 200s, and I felt like crap. Providers didn’t care if I was ‘in range.’ We ruled out sleep apnea, pituitary issues—everything.” At 40, post-vasectomy, TRT at a minimal dose (total testosterone ~600) restored his vitality. But he’s clear: “Young guys, don’t jump on it without fixing lifestyle first. It’s a big deal—sterility, atrophy.”

For women, Cassie’s diving into perimenopause and menopause. “It’s complex—cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, all interplay. Symptoms like fatigue or irregular cycles might mean low progesterone or high stress.” She uses blood and salivary tests to check ratios, especially in the luteal phase. “Women need carbs, especially if you train hard. Low-carb can throw hormones off.” Her own journey at 39 fuels her passion here.

Blood Pressure & Kidneys: Silent Killers Too

Blood pressure’s another stealth threat. “I’ve had patients walk in at 200/100 with no symptoms,” Cassie said. “It’s a kidney and heart destroyer.” Check it at home (sit 3-5 minutes first!), but calibrate with your provider—electronic cuffs can read high.

For athletes, kidney labs can trick you. High creatinine from workouts might skew GFR, but Cassie uses cystatin C for clarity. “It’s not affected by exercise. If your creatinine’s up but cystatin C’s normal, you’re likely fine.”

Bridging Lifestyle and Medicine

Cassie’s philosophy shines: prioritize lifestyle—diet, exercise, sleep, stress—but don’t fear meds when needed. “If your blood pressure’s 200/100, I’m not waiting weeks for diet to fix it. But if it’s 130/82, we’ve got wiggle room.” Tools like CT calcium scores (checking artery plaques) guide decisions too. “It’s about severity and timeline,” she says.

Your Takeaway

At 40, they’re living proof: proactive health beats reactive fixes. He feels better now than at 30, thanks to labs and accountability. Cassie’s transformed lives—including his—by looking beyond “normal” ranges to optimize longevity.

Ready to peek under your hood? Start with a checkup at Vertical Primary Care . Ask us your lab questions—we’ll tackle them in a future podcast. Let’s keep that dashboard green and roll strong into the future!

What’s your health goal this year? Share below!

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