Diagnostic Tests
Diagnostic Tests are an important adjunct to our extensive interview and initial examination protocol. It is an important part of our philosophy to gather as much information from our patients in regards to their health history as possible before embarking on a treatment plan. Sometimes we need to rely on scientific, diagnostic test results to provide necessary missing information prior to starting a course of treatment or to give ongoing progress results of a particular treatment.
Genetic Testing - Optimize Your Health Based On Your Genetics
By decoding nearly 40,000 genes in the human body, the Human Genome Project opened up an entirely new spectrum of knowledge, offering tremendous potential to improve health. By evaluating a carefully selected group of genes, genetic testing offers a glimpse into your potential health future. You can now evaluate your unique genetic predispositions, and work with our clinic to implement a targeted, customized intervention plan before disease develops.
Many people mistakenly assume that the presence of a certain gene means they are destined to experience the associated disease. This in not true! Most genes have flexible expressions and often are influenced by modifiable environmental, diet and lifestyle factors. This gives you the ability to modify the expression of disease years before a condition might otherwise develop, thereby minimizing your potential risk. Influence the ultimate outcome and more actively promote a healthy life. Genetic testing can identify your predisposition to a variety of conditions, including the ability to detoxify, heart disease, cancer , neurological disease, osteoporosis, arthritis , allergies , toxicity, anxiety, adverse drug reactions , and susceptibility to heavy metals.
Virtually all diseases result from the interaction of genetic weakness with environmental factors - including infectious, chemical, physical, nutritional, and emotional factors.
Genetic variations themselves do not cause disease but rather influence a person’s weakness to specific environmental factors that increase disease risk.
We are now offering a series of Predictive Genetic Diagnostic Profiles . Each profile focuses on a carefully selected set of genetic variations associated with a particular disease or imbalance (e.g. cardiovascular , bone metabolism , detoxification , immune , etc.)
These profiles focus on genetic variations whose expression is influenced by environmental factors. Each profile contains suggestions based on the patient’s genetic pattern to reduce risk including diet, nutritional, lifestyle, and pharmaceutical interventions.
Indications:
1. Challenging Cases- for chronic diseases that arise from multifactorial causes.
2. Familial Testing- for identifying inherited risks within families
3. Predictive Testing- for more precise, proactive health risk screening
Your genetic profile identifies DNA variations that may affect your ability to detoxify specific toxins and medication, create inflammation in your body, and increase your cardiovascular risk. Working with your healthcare provider, you can develop a personalized treatment plan that matches your environment to your genes, in order to optimize your health.
Heavy Metal Challenge Test
You’ve just had your mercury amalgam fillings out, you've been exposed to other toxic substances or you have unresolved health issues that have not been explained with normal medical tests. You should consider taking the Heavy Metal Challenge Test.
Ask about an assessment of your heavy metal status, including a detailed history, pre-chelation preparation, and a heavy metal challenge test. Our challenge test will indicate if heavy metals are slowing you down or a potential health risk, which metals are the problem, and what to do about it.
Chelation means ‘to bind’. A metal detoxifying agent binds to heavy metals and pulls them out of the body through the urine where they can be measured and compared to a pre-challenge measurement.
Get rid of toxic heavy metals that are trapped in your body. Heavy metals have no useful physiological function in our bodies. In fact high levels of one or more heavy metals can result in serious health risks.
Mercury: many peoples' health have been negatively affected by their dental fillings and the environment. Mercury is extremely toxic to all nerve cells , in any amount and those exhibiting high levels of mercury often feel much better after our mercury chelation program.
Lead: many people have high lead levels and don’t even know it. Leaded gasoline, pipes, paint and more have been linked to mental, immune, and neurologic symptoms. Menopausal women often have higher lead toxicity, as the lead stored in the bones is released with loss of bone density.
Cadmium- destroys the kidneys, and is often seen in smokers.
Arsenic , Aluminum , and other heavy metals can also be screened for, and are treatable!
Prior to the challenge we ensure your body is ready for chelation therapy. Our assessment will decrease risks associated with heavy metal removal, and prepare your organs of elimination. If you are sensitive we will modify a program to suit your needs.
The type and number of treatments will be indicated by your heavy metal challenge test results.
Hormone Testing
24 hr Urine Hormone Test
If you are wondering what is happening with all of your hormones, now there is one great test for you. Our 24 hour urine hormone test measures every hormone, including growth hormone, and tests hormone metabolites. It is our gold standard for hormone testing.
As there can be great variability in hormone levels throughout the day, especially in menopause, a 24 hour urine collection is ideal. The metabolites are important to measure as they indicate not only the total levels of hormone, but also the potency. For example, DHEA has the ability to turn into a milder ‘good’ estrogen, or a potentially harmful ‘bad’ estrogen metabolite, so it is important to know what is happening downstream. Higher amounts of the harmful estrogen metabolites are linked with increased hormonal cancers in both men and women. Measuring hormone metabolites keeps hormone therapies safe!
This test is recommended for anyone considering a hormone replacement program (herbal or bioidentical), for anyone taking hormone replacement therapy for more than six months, or anyone who would like to assess their risk for hormonal cancers.
This test includes:
• Total daily production of hormones
• Levels of active estrogens (estrone, estradiol, & estriol)
• Progesterone
• Female and male sex hormone balance and metabolites
• Free androgens (DHEA & testosterone)
• Activity of the 5α-reductase and aromatase enzymes
• Breast and prostate cancer hormonal risk factors
• Liver function as indicated by assessment of Phase I and II metabolites
• Human growth hormone
• Adrenal health / adrenal reserves
• Thyroid assessment
• Response to and safety of hormone replacement therapy
Adrenal Test - Feeling stressed or having trouble sleeping? This great saliva test measures cortisol and DHEA, in four samples throughout the day. Cortisol, the stress hormone, has a 24 hour rhythm, so this test lets us measure enough times to properly assess the adrenals. There are different phases of adrenal function and dysfunction, and knowing which phase you are in gives us more effective treatment strategies.
Female Hormone Test - This is a great test for any woman who is still having a monthly, or almost monthly, cycle and is curious about the balance of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA. This comphrehensive test uses saliva, allowing us to measure the levels of female hormones 11 times throughout the month. This is very important, as the levels can be normal in one phase of the menstrual cycle while out of balance in another thereby giving us the full picture. FSH and LH levels can be added on for a full ovulation assessment.
Menopausal Hormone Test - this is a great test for any of the ladies who are no longer cycling monthly. We use saliva testing again, measuring on three days and averaging the levels. As hormones are constantly fluctuating during this phase this test gives a much more accurate reading compared to one sample testing. We test estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA levels and can supplement accordingly.
Male Hormone Test - The ladies are not the only ones with changing and declining hormones as they age. Many men have decreasing testosterone which can also cause symptoms (andropause). This saliva test is designed to assess testosterone, estrogen, and DHEA.
NutrEval Test
NutrEval testing is a comprehensive nutritional evaluation to identify specific imbalances of vitamins, nutrients, and essential co-factors. This profile also provides assessment of gastrointestinal dysfunction and detoxification impairment. Once identified, imbalances can be corrected, helping to prevent many chronic illnesses before they can cause severe and lasting damage. We test for amino acids (the building blocks for all proteins in the body), fatty acids (essential for each cell membrane and nerve conduction), dietary vitamins and minerals, antioxidant and free radical damage, and energy and detoxification cofactors. This takes the guessing out of your supplement regime.
Complete Digestive Stool Analysis
This test evaluates digestion, absorption, the presence of good and bad bacteria, the colonic environment and inflammation. It is indicated for all chronic GI problems, for acute bowel pattern changes, and for many systemic diseases. Additionally, a parasitology component is available using microscopic examination with three samples. It provides a sensitivity panel for treating pathogenic bacteria, yeast and parasites, which provides herbal and pharmaceutical options.
Computer Regulation Thermography (CRT)
Regulation Thermography evaluates the thermal response of our internal organs to cooling stimuli. The purpose of the CRT is to measure how the body responds to stress (cooling) and makes comparisons to a historical library of data which identifies patterns of disease processes even in the early stages.
The CRT Procedure
The initial readings are taken on a rested, calm patient in a comfortable environment of 20 degrees. The procedure begins with measurements of 119 predefined points on the upper body ranging from the head (including dental points) to the torso. After this first series of measurements the patient disrobes and waits in room temperature for 5 – 10 minutes. This gentle cooling stimulus challenges the body’s organs and the 119 measurements are taken again. The two readings are then compared by a computer to evaluate how the body reacted to the stress (cooling). In a normal situation the reaction to the cooling would cause the autonomic nervous system to reduce the body temperature of the torso by 1 degree centigrade and increase the temperature of the head by 1 degree centigrade. This would be a normal response of the body to a stressful situation.
With the help of the computer comparison of the two readings we are able to assess the ability of the body to regulate via the autonomic nervous system.
For example if the temperature of the torso increases instead of decreasing after the cooling period this would indicate a possible inflammation of the organ related to the particular point or measurement.
On the other hand if the temperature of the torso decreased more than the normal 1 degree this might indicate that the organ is overburdened or toxic and is not responding in an appropriate manner.
If the first and second readings are the same this would indicate that the body is not responding at all to the stress and this is not an optimal situation either.
There are several parameters that are looked at following these measurements – we have only described a couple of possible outcomes to give an idea of what we are looking for in general with the results of this test. The actual analysis of the test is much more complicated to interpret and there are too many possible scenarios to outline here.
Once we have the results we can actually treat the zones of the body where disturbance was indicated. Often these areas are treated with a protocol called Neural Therapy . It is very beneficial to remeasure the points following the treatment to assess how the related organs respond to the diagnostic therapy. Having the capability to retest with the CRT following treatment of suspected areas gives the practitioner immediate and valuable information to further refine their diagnosis and treatment plan.
CRT can give an early indication (warning) of many abnormal and possible disease states that are occurring in the different systems of the body. Along with other diagnostic methods it can provide an important piece of valuable information in maintaining optimal health.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
HRV is another devise that evaluates the body’s autonomic regulatory functioning ability. This instrument, which has been used for years in major medical centers and hospitals is a devise that listens to the frequency sounds of the heart in order to monitor the subtle changes in the vibratory rates of the sympathetic and parasympathetic activities.
This simple 15 minute test accurately measures a person’s wellness and fitness levels. The readings are taken first in a supine position and then in a standing position, comparing the frequencies of the two.
In observing these subtle rhythmic patterns of the heart rate this test is useful in comparing several different pre and post situations such as different treatment protocols and detoxification programs, allowing the practitioner to determine the effectiveness of any given treatment.
EIS
The EIS testing system uses advanced biosensor technology to measure the bio impedance, or resistance, of the internal environment allowing an understanding of many of the body functions and regulatory mechanisms. In only 5 minutes this test will evaluate many of the body’s systems including nervous, cardiovascular, hormonal, digestive, respiratory and urinary.
