Dr. Andrea Gartenbach: Why targeted medical profiling is vital

Many people are officially considered healthy - and yet do not feel that way. Because normal values do not necessarily mean that someone is not sick, standard diagnostics often fall short. Targeted medical profiling shows what modern preventive medicine can really achieve.

Fatigue, sleep problems, weight gain, irritability, susceptibility to infections: All of this often goes unnoticed as long as the standard values are within the "normal range." However, these normal values are based on statistical averages - not on actual individual health.

In my strategic work at the intersection of diagnostics, prevention, and performance, I repeatedly see: The classic system recognizes too late what has long been biologically out of balance. Preventive precision medicine begins right here - with a closer look, systemic diagnostics, and a clear understanding of the personal risk profile.

"The gap between statistical norms and actual condition is not an isolated case – it is systemic," says Dr. Andrea Gartenbach.

Normal ranges are average values. They do not indicate whether a person is individually healthy - they only say that (yet) no disease requiring treatment in the classical sense has been detected.

The gap between statistical norms and actual well-being is not an isolated case - it is systemic. Because our medical system is geared towards disease management, not health optimization. This is precisely where the work in preventive precision medicine begins.

We work differently. Our goal is not damage control, but the unfolding of individual health potential. It always starts with comprehensive profiling. Because without knowledge of the biological prerequisites, every recommendation is a shot in the dark.

What a true health profile can achieve

Medical profiling is not simply an extended version of the standard blood test. It is an attempt to understand the person in their biological entirety - not in comparison to the average, but in their individual dynamics.

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A true health profile shows functional reserve capacities, stress patterns, and systemic early warning signs. Modern markers are used that go far beyond classical laboratory diagnostics. These include, for example:

Molecular early warning systems

Liquid Biopsy: Modern analysis of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) or circulating tumor cells opens up new possibilities for early detection on a molecular level, even before structural changes become visible.

Genetic risk profiles

• COMT gene variant: Influences the breakdown of dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline – relevant for stress processing, mood instability and also estrogen metabolism.
• ApoE genotype: Determines not only the risk of Alzheimer's disease but also modulates lipid metabolism, inflammation susceptibility and vascular health.

Neurohormonal resilience and stress regulation

• Cortisol daily profile: Recording the diurnal course of the stress hormone – crucial for assessing chronic stress, exhaustion and sleep disorders.
• Catecholamine metabolism in the second morning urine: Provides indications of sympathoadrenal dysregulations – e.g. in irritability, inner unrest, sleep problems or burnout patterns.

Silent inflammation and cardiovascular risks

• Heart Rate Variability (HRV): Objective marker for vagal activity, stress resilience, and the functional recovery of the autonomic nervous system.
• Lp-PLA₂: Specific inflammatory marker for vascular tissue - helps to identify cardiovascular risks early.
• Lipoprotein(a): Genetically determined, independent risk factor for atherosclerosis - not routinely captured in standard labs.
• Homocysteine: Marker for vascular stress, methylation disorders, and neurodegenerative risks.
• hsCRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha: Markers for silent inflammations - central in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases and aging processes.

Cardiovascular fitness & metabolic prevention

• VO₂max: Most important individual value for cardiorespiratory fitness and healthy longevity.
• Blood sugar regulation: e.g., via the HOMA index - allows early detection of insulin resistance, often before fasting sugar levels rise.
• Triglycerides, HDL, LDL, ApoB: Fine differentiation of lipid values to assess metabolic health.

Micronutrient and methylation status

• Micronutrients: such as vitamin D status, omega-3 index, magnesium, selenium, and zinc in whole blood - crucial for immune function, inflammation regulation, antioxidant protection, and cellular energy.
• Bioactive vitamins: e.g. activated folate (5-MTHF), vitamin B12 in the active form - relevant for methylation, neurological health, and detoxification.

Microbiome and gut axis

• Stool analyses including microbiome profile: assessment of microbial diversity, barrier function, and mucosal immune response - central in irritable bowel syndrome, autoimmune diseases, immune susceptibility, and mood instability.

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What you only recognize when you look closely:

In practice, I often encounter people whose symptoms have been overlooked for a long time - not because they were subtle, but because standard diagnostics reach their limits.

• Like the physically fit manager who suffers from sleep disorders, irritability, and constant stress - but is "in excellent health" according to routine values.
• Or the woman around 50 who continuously gains weight, feels tired and inflamed - despite completely normal blood sugar levels.
• Or the 40-year-old entrepreneur who suffers from constant susceptibility to infections and brain fog - without any "objective" findings.

What these people have in commonNothing is wrong in the classical sense. But through precise medical profiling, connections become visible: silent inflammations, hormonal dysregulation, genetic metabolic variants, or an overwhelmed stress axis. And this is where real prevention begins - long before illness occurs.