Why Biomarkers Matter: The Body’s Early Clues to Health and Disease

Join Dr. James Odell for Season 2 of the Science of Self-Healing Podcast! He's the medical and executive director for BRMI, as well as a practicing naturopathic doctor for over 35 years, and he's here to share with you his extensive knowledge of medicine from a different perspective.

The Bioregulatory Medicine Institute

The Science of Self-Healing Podcast

What if your body has been sending you signals long before symptoms appear—and you just didn’t know how to read them? In this episode of The Science of Self-Healing, we explore the power of biomarkers—the measurable clues that reveal what’s happening beneath the surface of your health. From blood tests and hormones to inflammation markers, genetics, wearables, and environmental exposures, biomarkers translate the body’s complex internal language into information we can understand and act on.

You’ll learn what biomarkers are, where they come from, why they matter when symptoms are vague or delayed, and how they’re used in preventive and personalized care. We also discuss their limitations, the importance of context, and how emerging technologies are shaping the future of health monitoring.

If you want to listen to your body earlier, intervene smarter, and shift from reactive medicine to a more proactive approach, this episode will change the way you think about lab tests.

Tune in and learn how to read the body’s early clues—before disease takes hold.

Transcript of: Why Biomarkers Matter: The Body’s Early Clues to Health and Disease

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Science of Self-Healing podcast. For health and wellness knowledge from a different perspective. Produced by the Bioregulatory Medicine Institute, also known as BRMI. We are your source for unparalleled information about how you can naturally support your body's ability to regulate, adapt, regenerate, and self-heal. I'm your host, Dr. James Odell, the medical and executive director for BRMI, as well as a practicing naturopathic doctor for over 35 years. And remember, this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for the direct care of a qualified health professional who oversees and provides unique and individual care. The information here is to broaden our different perspectives and should not be construed as medical advice or treatment. Let's get started.

Biomarkers: The Science Behind the Body’s Early Warnings

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Science of Self-Healing.

In this episode, I will discuss biomarkers. Biomarkers have become one of the most important tools in modern medicine, though most people rarely think about them until a lab test comes back abnormal or a doctor recommends more bloodwork.

At the simplest level, a biomarker is a signal—a measurable piece of information that shifts as the body moves from one state to another. It may rise, fall, or fluctuate as health, stress, imbalance, or disease develops. Biomarkers are the body’s footprints: invisible clues that become visible when we know where to look.

They allow us to see physiological processes that would otherwise remain hidden, such as how we metabolize nutrients, how inflamed our tissues are, how quickly we detoxify chemicals, or whether hormones are in sync. They reveal early signs of illness long before symptoms emerge and offer a window into both resilience and vulnerability.

Understanding biomarkers means understanding the language of the body. They translate complex internal biology into information we can measure, track, and interpret. They help make sense of the dizzying array of sensations, responses, and processes that make up human physiology. Sometimes they validate what a person already feels. Other times, they expose something brewing silently, giving us a chance to intervene long before problems escalate.

In an era where preventive and personalized medicine are gaining momentum, biomarkers serve as guides that help chart a clearer, more insightful picture of health.

What Exactly Is a Biomarker?

A biomarker is anything measurable that reflects a biological state or process. This can mean the presence of a molecule in the bloodstream, the pattern formed on an MRI scan, the level of a hormone in saliva, the metabolites excreted in urine, or even continuous heart rate patterns recorded by a wearable device.

To qualify as a biomarker, the information must be measurable in a reliable way, tied to meaningful physiological processes, and interpretable within a medical or scientific context.

A biomarker might describe something that is functioning well, like a healthy level of HDL cholesterol. It might indicate an emerging problem, such as elevated inflammatory proteins circulating quietly long before symptoms appear. It might show how the body responds to treatment, such as a drop in viral load during therapy. Its meaning always depends on context, timing, and the interplay of surrounding systems.

The concept is far broader than many people realize. A glucose reading, a cholesterol value, a liver enzyme level, a genetic variant, a scan showing tissue density, or a urine sample revealing chemical exposures are all forms of biomarkers. They act as biological signposts, telling us what is happening beneath the surface.

A Brief History: From Primitive Clues to Precision Measurements

Although the term biomarker is modern, the idea of using measurable biological clues goes back thousands of years. Early physicians observed urine color, texture, and odor as diagnostic hints. The ancient practice of pulse diagnosis—used in traditional Chinese, Tibetan, and Ayurvedic medicine—is one of the world’s first physiologic biomarkers.

With the invention of the microscope in the seventeenth century, invisible structures like blood cells, bacteria, and crystals became measurable, allowing medicine to shift from guesswork to observation.

By the twentieth century, advances in chemistry, immunology, and molecular biology sparked an explosion in biomarker discovery. Hormones could be quantified at extremely small concentrations. Enzymes, antibodies, and proteins could be tracked with remarkable sensitivity. X-rays, ultrasounds, and later MRI and CT scans transformed anatomy into measurable and comparable structural biomarkers.

In recent decades, genomic sequencing, metabolomics, proteomics, and microbiome analysis expanded biomarker science even further, giving clinicians and researchers deep access to the body’s molecular terrain.

Technology has carried biomarkers into everyday life as well. Wearable devices continuously monitor glucose, heart rhythm, sleep architecture, oxygen saturation, and autonomic nervous system activity. These digital biomarkers create real-time maps of physiology, offering a dynamic perspective that was unimaginable a generation ago.

Types of Biomarkers and What They Tell Us

Biomarkers can be grouped by the kind of information they provide.

Diagnostic biomarkers tell us whether a condition is present at a given moment. For example, elevated troponin can indicate heart muscle damage, a positive PCR test signals viral infection, and fasting glucose helps determine blood sugar regulation.

Prognostic biomarkers help predict future health risk. BRCA1 mutations, elevated lipoprotein(a), or high homocysteine levels can signal increased likelihood of future disease, allowing for early planning and prevention.

Predictive biomarkers forecast how a person will respond to a particular treatment. Genetic differences in drug-metabolizing enzymes, for example, can guide medication choice and dosing, supporting personalized medicine.

Monitoring biomarkers track disease progression or response to therapy over time. HbA1c reflects long-term glucose control, while inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein can show whether interventions are effective.

Exposure biomarkers reflect contact with environmental chemicals or toxins. Blood or urine testing may reveal heavy metals, pesticides, or glyphosate exposure.

Heart rate variability is another powerful biomarker, offering insight into autonomic nervous system balance and how stress, lifestyle, and environment influence physiology over time.

Where Biomarkers Come From

Different biological samples provide different insights.

• Blood reflects metabolic, hormonal, immune, and toxicological activity throughout the body.

• Urine reveals detoxification patterns, chemical exposures, hydration, and kidney function.

• Saliva provides hormone and immune markers in a non-invasive way.

• Stool shows digestive health, microbial diversity, inflammation, and enzyme activity.

• Hair and nails accumulate elements over time, making them useful for detecting long-term metal exposure.

• Breath tests measure volatile compounds linked to metabolism and gut fermentation.

• Imaging studies transform structure into biomarkers by revealing inflammation, tissue density, blood flow, and organ size.

Together, these sources create a comprehensive map of health.

Why Biomarkers Matter—Especially When Symptoms Don’t Tell the Full Story

Symptoms reflect personal experience; biomarkers reflect internal function. The two do not always align.

A person may feel fatigued, but the cause could be anemia, thyroid imbalance, nutrient deficiency, disrupted sleep, chronic inflammation, or metabolic instability. Biomarkers help distinguish between these possibilities.

Many conditions develop silently. Insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and toxic exposures can persist for years before obvious symptoms appear. Biomarkers provide early warnings before the body reaches a tipping point.

They also bring clarity to nonspecific or overlapping symptoms. Two people with similar complaints may have entirely different underlying causes driving their experiences.

Biomarkers in Chronic and Preventive Care

In metabolic health, measuring fasting insulin, glucose, triglycerides, HDL, uric acid, and liver enzymes allows early detection of dysfunction long before diabetes or fatty liver disease develops.

In cardiovascular health, advanced markers such as lipoprotein(a), apolipoprotein B, high-sensitivity CRP, and coronary artery calcium scoring offer deeper insight than cholesterol alone.

Inflammation biomarkers—including CRP, ESR, ferritin, fibrinogen, and cytokines—reveal immune activity that may quietly influence long-term disease risk.

Hormone biomarkers inform energy regulation, mood, fertility, and metabolic resilience.

Environmental biomarkers uncover hidden chemical or metal exposures that may contribute to chronic illness.

Limitations and Cautions

Biomarkers are powerful, but they are not perfect. They should never be interpreted in isolation. Context, clinical history, lifestyle, and symptoms matter. Many biomarkers lack specificity, meaning one abnormal value can have multiple causes. Reference ranges reflect population averages, not individual optimal health.

Biomarkers also fluctuate naturally. Hormones, glucose, and inflammatory markers change throughout the day and in response to stress, exercise, or illness. Without understanding these rhythms, misinterpretation is easy.

More testing does not always equal better insight. Over-testing can create anxiety, false positives, and confusion. The art lies in choosing the right biomarkers and interpreting them wisely.

The Future of Biomarker Science

Emerging fields such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and microbiome analysis are expanding our ability to view the body as an interconnected system rather than isolated organs.

Wearable technology is enabling continuous monitoring of glucose, heart rate variability, sleep, and stress responses, though concerns about privacy must be taken seriously.

Artificial intelligence is beginning to identify subtle biomarker patterns that may allow detection of disease years before symptoms appear. Future healthcare may focus more on tracking individual baselines and identifying deviations early.

Environmental biomarkers are also gaining prominence, supporting a more ecological and preventive model of medicine.

Closing Thoughts

Biomarkers are important because they add clarity and context by turning unclear symptoms into measurable information and revealing biological changes we can’t see on our own.

When used thoughtfully, biomarkers empower individuals to take a proactive role in their health. They shift medicine from reactive to preventive, from generalized to personalized, and from symptom-driven to systems-aware.

So, that’s all for this episode. Tune in again in two weeks for another episode of the Science of Self-Healing podcast. Until then—be well.

Thank you for your time today, and remember that this podcast is made possible by the Bioregulatory Medicine Institute, also known as BRMI, a nonprofit, global, non political, non commercial institute to promote the science and art of bioregulatory medicine. We extend our gratitude to each and every one of you for listening today, and if you haven't already, make sure to visit us at brmi.online. A treasure trove of invaluable information awaits you there. Connect with us across various social media platforms as well. Come and become a member of our thriving tribe. If you've enjoyed today's episode, we invite you to show your support by rating us, leaving us a review, or sharing the podcast within your circle. Our podcast and mission flourish through sharing, and your participation means the world to us. Our organization is sustained by donations, each of which is tax deductible and fuels projects like this. Visit our website, brmi.online, to contribute or simply to explore the wealth of uncensored and impartial information we offer. No contribution is too small. In just two weeks, we'll be back delving into another captivating topic. Until then, we thank you once again for listening. May wellness and wisdom be your path. Be well.

Bioregulatory medicine is a total body (and mind) approach to health and healing that aims to help facilitate and restore natural human biological processes. It is a proven, safe, gentle, highly effective, drugless, and side-effect-free medical model designed to naturally support the body to regulate, adapt, regenerate, and self-heal. BRMI is a non-commercial 501(c)(3) foundation and will expand and flourish with your support. Our goal is to make bioregulatory medicine a household term.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for the direct care of a qualified health practitioner who oversees and provides unique and individualized care. The information provided here is to broaden our different perspectives and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.