Functional Lab Testing

What is Functional lab testing?

These Lab Tests Provide Answers. Functional labs take a detailed look at the current state of your metabolism, cholesterol, hormones, immune system, genetics, and more.  They can help answer "why" you aren't feeling your best, often providing answers when your regular labs do not.​  And, more to the point, they help determine "how" to regain your health by pointing out areas that require attention - before they become overt illness.

 

Why would you do this kind of testing?  

Most of the labs run by conventional docs are looking for disease that already exists.  These tests are important, but since they are often run during regular check-ups, we confuse them with preventative care rather than what they are - disease detection.  Functional lab testing gives information about that gray area between optimal health and disease while you still have the ability to fix it - true preventative care.

 

Some key examples of tests I use are listed below.

 

Adrenal Health Testing

Your adrenal glands, while pretty small, have big responsibilities.  They contribute to the regulation of blood sugar, blood pressure, metabolism, sleep/wake cycles, energy, and your stress response.

 

Importantly, your body has only one stress response and modern life is constantly putting it to the test.  So, whether you’re actually running from a bear, just running up against tight deadlines at work, experiencing a rocky relationship, are sleep deprived, have anxiety, and/or blood sugar difficulties your adrenal glands are working hard.

 

Over time these otherwise super resilient glands can become unregulated, resulting in fatigue, difficulties getting to or staying asleep, weight gain, mood disorders (depression/anxiety), and may even contribute to chronic pain. 

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What's key to understand is that your adrenal response is one of the major links between chronic stress and chronic disease.  Over time you'll become susceptible to high blood pressure, heart disease, lowered immunity, metabolic syndrome / diabetes, chronic fatigue, brain fog, dementias, and cancer.  

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Conventional medicine only recognizes overt disease of the adrenal glands Addison’s and Cushing’s diseases.  This very black and white view is thankfully not held by Naturopathic and Functional medicine docs.  We understand that life happens in the gray areas and this test looks at dysfunction - because small changes to such an important system can have a big impact on your quality of life.

 

Nutritional Analysis

You don't have to guess.  We can test if you're feeding your body what it needs or if you're getting the good nutrition from your food.  Knowing your overall nutritional status will help us personalize a diet and health plan for you.  Whether you're just curious, want to stay well, reverse disease, or even optimize your recovery from illness this test will help! 

 

Nutritional analysis will help personalize your supplementation needs for antioxidants, B-vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, amino acids, and give us insight into your digestive and metabolic health.  Not enough?  We can add some genetic markers to help assess conditions such as depression, anxiety, heart disease, metabolic syndromes (sugar related illnesses), inflammatory conditions, and even chronic pain syndromes.

 

Digestive Analysis 

Assessing and optimizing gut function is a pillar of all naturopathic health programs. These tests identify gut inflammation, digestive issues, imbalances of gut bacteria, and even infections making it an essential test for those with any digestive pains or discomfort,  IBS, inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune issues, and even weight problems. These are powerful tests that guide and target therapeutics.

 

Hormone Panels

Hormones are the internal conductors that orchestrate your life, love, energy, sleep, mood, fertility, thirst, hunger, bodily functions, and resilience. Finely tuned their masterpiece is the symphony of your health and wellness. Disharmony can leave you fatigued, gaining weight, depressed, anxious, having difficulty with your mood and relationships, infertile, and feeling generally unwell.

 

Hormone testing is for both women and men throughout all stages of life, these tests will help to evaluate your balance of hormone levels, adrenal health, as well as key nutrition markers to help direct the appropriate use of supportive supplements, bio-identical hormone therapy, and lifestyle recommendations. 

 

Comprehensive Cholesterol & Heart Health

Did you know that when you get your basic cholesterol levels checked your risk for Heart Disease is determined incorrectly about 50% of the time?  In other words, your doctor may tell you that your risk is low, yet there's a 50% chance that you will still have a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular events. 

 

This is because the key predictors of heart disease measured in basic lab tests (LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides) are NOT enough to say whether you are headed towards a heart attack or stroke.  In fact, they aren't even close.  

 

Functional cardio-metabolic testing looks at your advanced cholesterol markers, inflammation, blood sugar disorders, insulin resistance, genetic contributors, and more. 

 

Prevention requires early risk detection. Testing will provide you personalized treatments to help keep you healthy and prevent heart attacks, strokes, other cardiovascular events, Alzheimer's and other Dementias, and all of the pain and reduction in quality of life these diseases bring.  I consider these tests indispensable.

 

Mitochondria and Metabolic Health

Metabolism is the sum of your body's chemical reactions.  These reactions build new molecules and break down old ones, eliminate waste, and produce energy. 

 

Specialized testing allows us to look at many of the specific details of these reactions, such as those involved in energy production, detoxification, neurotransmitter breakdown, oxidative stress, and gut microbe (yeast and bacteria) activity.  In addition, we can see your  vitamin, mineral, anti-oxidant, and amino acid levels that are associated with theses processes as well. 

 

When any of these pathways are slowed or blocked a personalized nutrition plan can be created specifically for you.  

 

If you or your loved one suffers from fatigue, sleep disorders, depression, or altered immune function this may be the right test.

 

Food Sensitivity Testing

Food sensitivities cause a wide range of symptoms and if not corrected can lead or contribute to acute distress and chronic illnesses.  Some examples include:

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• Gastrointestinal disorders, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), indigestion, heartburn, GERD, constipation, nausea, diarrhea, bloating, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's Disease

• Metabolic disorders, such as obesity, NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), Type II diabetes, and difficulties to lose weight

• Inflammatory conditions, such as eczema, psoriasis, arthritis, asthma, or autoimmune disorders

• And more, like fatigue, headache, migraine, cognitive impairment

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That said, the best way to figure out what foods you’re sensitive to is to do an Elimination-Challenge diet experiment. If you’ve tried this already and weren’t able to relieve your symptoms or if you have personal or medical concerns about trying it a food sensitivity test may be right for you. 

 

Genetics

Specific tests can be included with most of the above tests to really personalize your testing!

 

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