Advanced diagnostic tests more precisely show the status of your health, which allow detection and/or confirmation of underlying root causes of your symptoms, lack of energy and/or pain. Test for damage to DNA and blood vessel lining, complete thyroid status and more…
The laboratory tests we typically use include, but are not limited to, the following:
Comprehensive Medical History
Accurate assessment begins with thorough evaluation of all fundamental physiological processes, clinical imbalances, environmental exposures, genetic predispositions, and fundamental clinical imbalances. Detailed screening of your body’s systems, including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, immune, neurologic and endocrine, is also performed. You will fill out the comprehensive Adult Medical Questionnaire and fax it to us for review at least a day prior to the one-on-one consultation.
Complete Physical Exam
After the one-on-one consultation and review of your medical history, a physical examination is conducted. It includes blood pressure, pulse, inspection of ears, eyes, throat, audible assessment of heart and lungs, palpation of kidneys, liver, gallbladder, and abdomen, palpation of thyroid, lymph node assessment, and visual inspection of skin surfaces and nails for clues to altered physiologic processes. Neuro-musculoskeletal examination is also performed. The in-office physical examination allows discovery of many clues for full, accurate diagnosis.
Body Composition Testing
Using a Bio-impedance Analyzer (BIA), your fat to muscle ratio is objectively measured. This highly accurate, fast, painless, and sanitary method for measuring body composition. It also measures the energy storage capacity of cells. Energy storage capacity is an indicator of the integrity of cell membranes. This electronic tool also measures many other indicators of cellular health. For weight-loss programs, this is an essential tool for assessing whether weight loss is fat loss or muscle loss.
Nutritional Evaluation
With assessment of health history, a Diet and Exercise diary is provided for keeping a log of your diet, activity and exercise for 3-5 days. Laboratory analysis to determine imbalances and deficiencies is used to objectively verify results. Professional evaluation of dietary content, nutrient content and quality, recommended supplements, exercise prescription, and lifestyle modification is provided. A Personal Health Notebook containing all recommendations, some recipes and personalized “real world” healthy eating and exercise tips is formulated to help you take control of your own health. Specific nutritional and lifestyle recommendations for significant medical conditions also can manage, improve or correct these conditions.
Dental Materials Compatibility Testing
Materials used in dentistry can significantly impact your health. Biocompatibility testing and desensitization of materials prior to placement can save you years of potential health problems. Bioenergetic desensitization from existing dental materials can decrease the toxic load on the body. Compatibility and sensitivity evaluation is performed using computer-assisted bio-energetic testing. We work collaboratively with several dental offices to make sure that biocompatible materials are used.
Laboratory Testing
Many preventable problems show up in blood, saliva, stool, hair, and though other physiologic tests long before any apparent illness. Certain tests, when properly interpreted, will indicate if you are progressing toward a serious illness, such as cancer, heart, liver, or many other diseases. These tests can also confirm if you are eating and supplementing appropriately. Here are some of the tests we use for assessment:
- CBC, and Chempanel:
A complete blood count (CBC), and measures of liver, kidney function, fasting glucose, and electrolytes. This is a basic screening tool that gives basic, limited, though often useful, information. - Hormonal Evaluation
Performed using either blood, urine or saliva, dependent on the clinical condition. For males and females, we run tests for DHEA-S, IGF-1 (indicative of Growth Hormone output), FSH and LH (Pituitary hormones), and Cortisol. For men, we run tests for Testosterone, DHT, Androstenedione, Estrone and Progesterone. Imbalances predispose to sexual dysfunction and prostate cancer. For women, we run tests for Progesterone, Testosterone, the Estrogens (Estradiol, Estrone, Estriol), and the 2 and 16 hydroxyestrogen metabolites, which are significant tools for determining propensity towards breast cancer, Fibrocystic Breasts Disease, Polycystic Ovarian Disease and other disorders. All hormonal imbalances are modifiable using nutrition, lifestyle modification and plant-based bio-identical hormones. We collaborate with several local holistically-oriented Ob-Gyn doctors for complete care. - Organic Acids Analysis
Urine organic acid tests provides a detailed view into the body’s cellular metabolic processes. Identifying metabolic blocks or problems with detoxification, gut dysbiosis, or oxidative stress allows for individual tailoring of interventions using nutrition. These tests objectively detect subclinical nutritional deficiencies, and provide an objective assessment to the correction of these deficiencies. - Cardiovascular Assessment Panel
Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides and VLDL, only give part of the story. Elevated homocysteine is intimately involved in plaque formation and is a key biomarker for Alzheimer’s and many chronic diseases. Accordingly, this is included in all our cardiovascular assessments, irrespective of age or family history. In many cases, C-reactive protein and fibrinogen give valuable information towards the inflammatory component involved in cardiovascular disease, and is evaluated as clinically indicated. All these are modifiable by diet, supplements and lifestyle changes! - Adrenal Stress Panel
An invaluable test for assessment of physiologic imbalances of adrenal gland function. Most accurately assessed by salivary testing. A key diagnostic test for low energy states in Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Adrenal imbalances are often involved in inability to lose weight, weight gain particularly in the midsection, decreased immunity and thyroid dysfunction. - Toxic Element Analysis
Either hair or urine, is used for toxic element analysis, dependent on clinical history and other lab findings. Useful for discovery of hidden heavy metal toxicity held in tissues. An essential assessment for finding the hidden causes of disorders when many other tests are normal. Nutritional resolution of heavy metal toxicity is extremely important for behavioral disturbances, depression and progressive dementia such as Alzheimer’s. - Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis
Functional gastrointestinal (GI) imbalances are prevalent in many people. A compromised GI tract lining is central to the development of many diseases. Without proper nutrient digestion, absorption, assimilation and waste elimination, all physiologic processes suffer, leading to multiple chronic degenerative diseases. This test is one of the key tests that we perform on many of our patients. We use the 21st century technology for stool analysis with DNA analysis to identify microbiota including anaerobes, a previously immeasurable area of the gut environment. DNA assessment is specific and accurate. It avoids the pitfalls of sample transport, reports results as specific numbers, and is more sensitive than classic laboratory methods. - Genetic Testing
Genetic predisposition to diseases can be significantly modified by nutrition, lifestyle and environmental factors. Being aware of specific genetic predispositions to disease enables the patient-physician partnership to make early interventions without waiting for symptoms to appear.
Personal Health Notebook
A summary of all findings, copies of lab reports, and personalized treatment, nutrition, supplement and exercise recommendations are provided in a binder. Recipes and tips for success are provided to help you take charge of your health. Daily log sheets are provided for use to help you keep on track with your personalized dietary and exercise modifications.