Tests
Sometimes it can be helpful to utilize lab tests to find out more about what is
going on. These may include a Hair Mineral Analysis, blood, urine, saliva or a stool
test. You can obtain most test samples in your own home with the exception of blood,
which requires you attend a local clinic. Labs in both London and the United States
are used, and tests take between 1 and 3 weeks for results to be returned.
Hair Mineral Analysis
This measures the mineral content of your hair which reflects the mineral content of the body's tissues. If a mineral deficiency or excess exists in the hair, it usually indicates a mineral deficiency or excess within the body, or biounavailablity. Various mineral imbalances, as revealed by hair analysis frequently lead to metabolic dysfunctions before any symptoms become manifest. Clinical results have shown that a properly obtained sample can give an indication of mineral status and toxic metal accumulation following long term or acute exposure. It also reveals a unique metabolic world, intracellular activity, which cannot be seen through most other tests. This provides a blueprint of the biochemistry occurring during the period of hair growth and development.
Stress Panel
The output of the body's stress hormones can profoundly affect his/her energy levels, emotional state, disease resistance, and general sense of well-being. This test measures the levels of the body's important stress hormones, cortisol and DHEA via a saliva test. It can help to uncover biochemical imbalances that can underly anxiety, chronic fatigue, obesity, diabetes and a host of other clinical conditions. If your body isn't coping sufficiently well there are dietary measures and supplements, along with lifestyle suggestions that can help improve the way you handle stress.
Digestive tests
We are, essentially, what we eat and then absorb. Over the long haul, excellent health is impossible without good nutrition. However, without adequate breakdown and assimilation, even the best diet offers little help. Additionally, incomplete or faulty digestive processes may lead to a variety of chronic disorders.
This test of gastrointestinal function includes analyses of digestion, absorption, bacterial balance, yeast and parasites. This profile is recommended for patients with diffuse and non-specific GI-related symptoms, such as indigestion, dysbiosis, constipation, and diarrhea. This test requires a stool sample.
Allergy and intolerance testing
Food allergy and intolerance screening - This is a blood test that detects foods that trigger a type 'B' response (delayed allergy or intolerance, when a reaction occurs up to 72 hours later) which may be contributing to digestive problems.
Female Hormone Profile
This is a safe, non-invasive saliva assay that analyzes levels of progesterone, testosterone and oestrogen over 28 days. Because hormones shape the course of a woman's menstrual cycle, imbalances can produce disruptions in mood, sleep patterns, appetite and PMS symptoms. The Female Hormone Profile provides clinical direction for successful treatment of women with menstrual irregularities, difficulties with ovulation, functional infertility, pre-menstrual syndrome, menopause, osteoporosis, and other hormone related disorders.
Essential fatty acids
Fatty acids were once thought to be nothing more than a stored form of caloric energy. Current research is amassing new evidence that they may be some of the most essential nutrients in the human diet, critical for cell membrane structure and function and for local "hormonal" signaling. The number of diseases whose clinical course can be affected by fatty acid therapy is huge, including inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular disease, hormonal disorders, autoimmune disorders, arthritides, mental and behavioral disorders, and many cases of senile neurological degeneration. Only very recently has laboratory analysis achieved the level of sophistication necessary for healthcare providers to provide precise supplementation based on a patient's biochemical individuality.
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About Catherine
Catherine is a Nutritional Therapist practicing in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, Scotland.
She is a graduate of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and a member of the British Association for Nutritional Therapy.
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Nutritional Therapy in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, Scotland
Mobile 07977 135865
