Laboratory Testing
I believe in the ‘test don’t guess’ philosophy and recommend state-of-the-art functional medicine tests to patients who want to get to the root of their health issues quickly. Detailed lab reports can reveal many hidden imbalances or infections. With this information, I can tailor recommendations so you can get quicker results.
Some of the tests I use most often are listed below. I’m happy to talk you through the ones you may be interested in if you want to book in a quick free call with me.
Digestive Health Tests
This range of tests is used to determine underlying causes of gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, cramping, nausea, reflux, flatulence and belching. I work with many different labs and will recommend the lab test most appropriate for your symptoms. Some of the ones I use the most are:
GI Map from Nordic Labs (stool test)
Click here for sample reportGI Complete from Doctor’s Data (stool test)
Click here for sample reportSIBO lactulose (breath test)
Click here for sample reportAdvanced Intestinal Barrier Screen from Precision Diagnostics (blood test)
Click here for sample report
Hormonal Health Tests
The DUTCH Complete Test is a convenient at-home urine test that can help identify the root causes of hormone imbalances in men and women. It can provide insights into conditions such as menopause, PCOS, weight gain, fatigue, low libido, premenstrual syndrome, mood swings, sleep issues, mood disorders and prostate issues in men. In addition to sex hormones, it also measures metabolites of your stress hormone cortisol which will give an indication of adrenal health and how resilient you are to stress. This detailed test can also be used to gather baseline measurements for the administration and monitoring of hormone replacement therapy.
Advanced Blood Screening Panels
I use a lab called FunctionalDX for advanced blood testing as their blood science technology is the single most comprehensive and accurate blood analysis on the market today. It covers a wide range of markers and they offer bespoke panels that can assess specific issues including thyroid health, cardiovascular health, fertility, cognitive health and more.
Autoimmune Panels from Cyrex Labs
Identifying whether or not one’s symptoms are autoimmune can only be confirmed by testing. As removing the triggers for autoimmunity is key for the management of the disease, finding out what your body may be reacting to is key so those foods can be removed. For instance, I often use a Wheat/Gluten Proteome Reactivity And Autoimmunity test to identify possible Celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, dermatitis herpetiformis, gluten ataxia or other wheat/gluten-related disorder. This will confirm whether or not it is absolutely necessary for someone to remove wheat/gluten from their diet.
Autoimmune testing is recommended for patients who:
Have non-responsive GI symptoms
Present multiple-symptom complaints (including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia)
Suffer from depression or neuro-autoimmunity
Other lab tests
I use many more lab tests in order to check for the body’s burden of heavy metals, environmental toxins, Candida, H. pylori, toxic mould exposure and more. Genetic testing and methylation panels are also very helpful in tailoring support to make sure the body is getting the right form and amount of nutrients as many people have genetic conditions that affect their ability to metabolise certain vitamins and other nutrients.
To learn more about how I would use lab testing to get to the root of your symptoms, please book in a free call with me.
What to expect with lab testing
After reviewing your symptoms and health history in our consultation, I may recommend certain lab tests so we can find answers more quickly and therefore give you more targeted support.
Lab tests each come with detailed instructions on how to take samples and send them in. All lab tests will cost extra and I will discuss these costs with you before ordering your test.
After you send in your samples, results can take anywhere from a few days to 4 weeks to be returned. Lab test results are only discussed in a follow-up appointment so I will also recommend you book a follow-up for the review of your results. At this appointment, I will give you an updated health plan with specific actions based on lab test results.
With some tests, re-testing in a few months is recommended so we can check to see if the recommendations are working, or if we need to tailor support even more.
If you’d like to know more, please book in a free call so we can discuss.