When Your Labs Say You’re Fine, but Your Body Says Otherwise
There is a specific kind of frustration that happens in a cold exam room when a doctor looks at a stack of papers, looks back at you, and says, "Everything looks normal." You know you’re exhausted. You know your joints ache. You know your brain feels like it’s wrapped in cotton. But according to the data, you’re the picture of health.
In a recent episode of the Ancient Health Podcast, host Dr. Chris Motley sat down with Dr. Efrat LaMandre—known to her followers as Dr. E—to unpack this exact phenomenon. As a nurse practitioner who runs a massive primary care practice in New York, Dr. E has a foot in two very different worlds: the rigid, protocol-driven world of Western medicine and the investigative, root-cause world of functional health.
The Electrician and the Plumber
One of the most refreshing takeaways from their conversation was Dr. E’s perspective on the limitations of conventional doctors. She uses a brilliant analogy: if your toilet is overflowing, you don’t get angry at your electrician for not being able to fix it. You just recognize that they have the wrong toolbox for that specific problem.
Standard medical training is designed to rule out pathology. Their job is to make sure you aren't dying of a tumor or an acute infection. If they find nothing, it’s actually a reason to celebrate, but it’s also the moment you need to stop asking the "electrician" to fix your "plumbing." They have maxed out their training. To get better, you have to stop trying to convince a skeptical doctor to believe you and instead start building a diverse team of practitioners who specialize in different aspects of wellness.
The Invisible Gaslighting
We often hear the term "medical gaslighting" used to describe doctors who dismiss symptoms as mere anxiety or age. Dr. E points out that this rarely stems from malice. Instead, it’s a byproduct of a system where a provider is taught that if it isn't on the lab slide, it doesn't exist.
When a practitioner tells you "it's just stress," they are often trying to fill the gap between your lived reality and their negative test results. The danger is that patients start to internalize this, questioning their own sanity rather than questioning the limitations of the test. Dr. Motley and Dr. E emphasize that the first step to healing is finding a provider who says those five life-changing words: I can’t find it, but I believe you.
The Business of Sickness
Perhaps the most startling part of the discussion was the breakdown of why the system feels so broken. Dr. E, who teaches healthcare policy, explains that our current system is designed to reward complexity, not wellness. Through the lens of insurance coding, a well patient is actually the least valuable person in the system.
There is no financial incentive for a doctor to spend an hour talking to you about sleep hygiene or emotional peace because the system pays for diagnoses and procedures. This is why self-care isn't just a luxury; it's a necessity to stay out of a system that isn't built to keep you healthy, but rather to manage you once you’re already broken.
The Golden Nugget
"The well patient is actually the least valuable patient... your entire mission in life is to never need the system."
Taking the Reins
If you’re stuck in the cycle of "normal" labs and chronic symptoms, the path forward starts with preparation. Dr. E suggests coming to your 15-minute appointments with granular data: exactly when the pain starts, what makes it better, and what makes it worse. Move away from dramatic language and toward clinical precision to help your doctor help you.
But more importantly, look inward. Both Dr. Motley and Dr. E agree that chronic illness is often tied to being "emotionally stuck." Whether it's a lack of sleep, a toxic relationship, or a nervous system trapped in a state of high alert, no amount of supplements can fix a body that doesn't feel safe.
Would you like me to create a checklist of the specific "granular questions" Dr. E recommends you prepare before your next doctor's visit?
Listen to Ancient Health Podcast: https://podranker.com/podcast/ancient-health-podcast