Let’s dive deeper
Testing Available
When it comes to a customized approach to nutrition, lifestyle and supplements, I take a “Test Don’t Guess” approach. Testing gives us a deeper look and more pieces to the puzzle to give you the personalized care that you deserve!
Are you feeling…
like you KNOW something is off in your body but all you are being told by practitioners is that “your labs look fine”? You deserve being heard and identifying what is going on underneath the surface so that you can have a plan and finally FEEL BETTER. Unfortunately, most patients I see are getting very BARE MINIMUM testing done by their practitioner and are not getting a full picture of their health to identify imbalances that are driving their symptoms. Here are SOME of the specialty tests that I use in my practice. Below, you will find a brief description of each test. Both the Nourish & Thrive and Gut Love Programs include testing and additional testing beyond what is included in the package is available for an additional cost.
- Food sensitivity test called Mediator Release Test (MRT)
- Gut microbiome or “gut health test” called GI-Map
- Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth Test
- Complete Metabolic Panel
Mediator Release Test (MRT)
Is the food your eating making you sick?
Food sensitivities can play a big role in many common health conditions such as digestive problems, headaches, joint and muscle pain and fatigue. They are implicated in over 35 different health conditions and affect ~20-30% of the population.
Reactive foods are sometimes easy to identify and other times it’s a food chemical or many food sensitivities (including healthy foods sometimes) that when consumed together even in small amounts, can cause symptoms. Food sensitivities are dose dependent and often, symptoms can manifest anywhere from 45 minutes after ingestion to up to 3 days later which can make identifying food sensitivities challenging.
The MRT is a patented blood test through Oxford Biomedical Technologies that quantifies how strongly your immune cells react to a variety of foods and food chemicals. When chemical mediators such as histamine, cytokines and prostaglandins are released from immune cells, they produce damaging effects on body tissues leading to the development of many symptoms.
The first test step is identifying your reactive foods and chemicals. The next step is to figure out the what and how to eat with the test results so we can lower inflammation and allow healing to begin.
Based on the MRT results, I then help clients develop a personlaized low inflammatory diet with a customized food reintroduction schedule. Learn more about the MRT Test here.
GI Microbial Assay Plus (GI-Map)
Let’s take a peek at your gut microbiome
Gut health impacts overall health. Over 70% of our immune system stems from our gut!
This test measures gastrointestinal microbiota DNA from a single stool sample with state of the art, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology.
It’s a gut health test designed to detect microbes that may be disturbing normal microbial balance or contributing to illness as well as indicators of digestion, absorption, inflammation, and immune function.
Some conditions that warrant testing are:
- Autoimmune diseases
- IBS/IBD
- Digestive complaints, diarrhea or constipation
- Brain fog
- Skin problems, like acne and psoriasis
- Mood disorders, depression, and anxiety
- Diabetes and weight loss issues
Learn more about the GI Map here.
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
Not your average blood test
This is a great place to start for a test because it includes markers that are often not included in your annual blood work. This test is often my go to for clients in my Nourish & Thrive Program.
You won’t just get a fasting glucose level to assess your sugars. I’ll test your HgbA1c AND fasting insulin to get a better understanding of how well you are responding to the insulin and what your average glucose levels have looked like over the last 3 months.
Ever get told that your thyroid is “fine”? Take a peak at those labs and make sure you have not only a TSH but also a T4, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies TPO and TG so you have a FULL picture of how well your thyroid is functioning.
You’ll get all the above mentioned on this comprehensive metabolic panel
PLUS:
a FULL Iron Panel
Variety of thyroid supporting nutrients such as iodine, selenium, zinc and other micronutrients such as magnesium, Vitamin B12 and metabolite of Vitamin B12 MMA, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6
Omega fatty acid profile to assess your omega 3 to omega 6 ratio
CRP which is an inflammatory marker
and a few other labs that are incredibly valuable as we optimize your health and create a customized nutrition, lifestyle and supplement plan