Biochemical Testing is particularly useful for assessing people’s health at a functional level i.e. before disease may have started. Many people will be told that although they don’t feel very well their blood tests are fine. For these people carrying out a test to assesses their function rather than a disease can have a dramatic effect on their health and enables the Nutritional Therapist to put a dietary and supplemental programme to help correct any imbalances found.
There are too many laboratory profiles available to mention them all but here is an outline of the most popular ones :
- Food allergies will show if you have a true allergy i.e. in the case of peanuts it won’t go away by avoiding the foods.
- Food Intolerances will show if you have an intolerance to a food which should stop being a problem once the food has been avoided for about six months.
- Symptoms due to food intolerance can be joint pain, digestive problems, muscle aches, fatigue, weight problems, hyperactivity, skin irritations, anxiety plus many others.
- It is also possible to carry out an Additives Profile, Inhalant Panel, Dairy and Grain Panel and Gluten Sensitivity.
- Candida Antibody Profile is useful to see whether the balance between friendly bacteria and and candida has become disrupted which can lead to pathogenic forms of the organism resulting in symptoms such as fatigue, thrush, bloating, digestive disturbance, skin problems, headaches and muscle pains. A saliva sample is required for this test.
- Cardiovascular Risk Assessment can include testing for cholesterol, triglycerides, homocysteine, CoQ10, vitamins and minerals as well as key inflammatory markers that can be tested for using both traditional and functional methods.
- Digestive and Stool Analysis is a comprehensive assessment of the whole digestive tract including the gut flora, parasites, bacteria and yeasts and is frequently used in cases of digestive disturbance. Two stool samples are required for this test.
- Gut permeability is also available to clarify whether the gut has become more permeable, sometimes more commonly known as leaky gut. This requires both a saliva and urine sample.
- Helicobacter Pyloria has been recognised since 1988 as being an underlying cause in the formation of gastritis and gastric ulcers. Blood or saliva are used to detect this bacteria.
- Hair Mineral Analysis is an incredibly useful tool for assessing health from a cellular perspective i.e. what is going on in the cells/tissues which is where we need our nutrients to be and is also great for checking heavy metal toxicity. A small amount of hair is taken in ½ to 1” snips close to the scalp is taken & sent to the laboratory.
- Once assessed your get a comprehensive report explaining your body’s level of nutrient minerals and toxic metals mineral ratios, A list of recommended foods – and those to avoid, food allergy indicators, body chemistry balance analysis, supplement recommendations and metabolic assessment and details on obtaining the minerals recommended to you.
- Hormone Profiles are available for both men and women.
- Women may carry out a female hormone panel if they are suffering from PMS, fertility issues, fluid retention, heavy bleeding, menstrual irregularity, low libido, infertility, acne, poly cystic ovaries, endometriosis or ovarian cysts. The test involves providing 11 saliva samples during the menstrual cycle to measure oestrogen and progesterone production throughout the month.
- A menopausal assessment is also available consisting of a 1 day progesterone/oestrogen test.
- Complete Hormone and Oestrogen Metabolism test is also excellent for assessing imbalances between hormones and also whether a person is able to eliminate excess hormones appropriately.
- For men the Male Hormone Profile measures testosterone, cortisol, DHEA and melatonin levels in order to assess sex and stress hormones and the daily circadian rhythm.
- Thyroid Hormone Panels are available as a blood and. Problems can be picked up before medication may be needed. Specific vitamins and minerals can really help to improve thyroid function.
- Comprehensive Adrenal Panels are great for clarifying over or under or over production of stress hormones which could result in symptoms such as chronic fatigue, insomnia, depression, migraines, recurrent infections, menstrual difficulties and infertility.