Test it Tuesday: hs-CRP

 

🔬 What is hs-CRP—and Why Should You Care?

When it comes to health, especially cancer prevention, most people wait until symptoms appear. But what if we could catch the earliest whispers of imbalance before disease takes hold? That’s where hs-CRP steps in—a quiet but powerful biomarker that can help you understand what's happening beneath the surface.

hs-CRP stands for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a blood test that detects subtle levels of inflammation in your body. Unlike standard CRP tests that measure acute inflammation (like with an infection), the high-sensitivity version picks up on low-grade, chronic inflammation. And that kind of inflammation has been strongly linked to a higher risk of chronic diseases—including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and autoimmune conditions.

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🌿 Why Inflammation Matters in Cancer Prevention

Inflammation is your body’s natural defense mechanism—but when it becomes chronic, it acts like a slow-burning fire, damaging cells, mutating DNA, and setting the stage for tumor growth. Studies have shown that elevated hs-CRP levels are associated with increased cancer risk, especially in cancers of the colon, breast, lung, and prostate.

By checking your hs-CRP levels regularly, you’re giving yourself a deeper view of your internal terrain. It's a peek into the terrain before the storm. When this number is elevated—even in someone who feels perfectly healthy—it’s a call to action, not panic. It tells us that your body may be silently inflamed and asking for support.

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📉 What’s a Healthy hs-CRP Level?

• Optimal: less than 1.0 mg/L
• Mild risk: 1.0–3.0 mg/L
• High risk: greater than 3.0 mg/L

It’s important to test when you’re not acutely sick, as illness can temporarily elevate CRP levels. If your numbers are high and you’re not experiencing an infection or injury, it’s time to dig deeper.

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🧬 What to Do If Your hs-CRP is Elevated

The beauty of hs-CRP is that it's modifiable. Lifestyle and nutrition can make a significant impact:

• 🌱 Anti-inflammatory diet (high in fiber, phytonutrients, omega-3s)
• 💪 Movement to regulate insulin and immune function
• 🧘‍♀️ Stress management—chronic stress is inflammatory
• 🌿 Targeted supplements like Curcumin, Red Yeast Rice, omega-3s, and medicinal mushrooms
• 🧪 And most importantly… retesting to track your progress

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❤️ The Takeaway

Checking your hs-CRP is a simple, affordable, and powerful way to take control of your health. It doesn’t diagnose cancer—but it gives us insight into the terrain that cancer can thrive in. In my practice, I use it as one of many tools to assess cancer risk, monitor inflammatory load, and build personalized prevention plans.

Don’t wait for a diagnosis to start caring about your health. Prevention isn’t passive—it’s proactive.

This is what Test It Tuesday is all about: educating, empowering, and helping you take the next right step toward wellness.