I often start with basic labs for my patients, which can usually be covered by PPO insurance plans. I don't just see whether your numbers are within the laboratory ranges; I go through them with a fine-toothed comb. I rely on functional ranges and look at patterns and trends over time, and use multiple markers to get a complete picture.

A food sensitivity means your immune system is reacting inappropriately to certain foods, whether you have symptoms or not. It is not as obvious as a food allergy, signs of which (hives, anaphylaxis) happen immediately after eating the food. Identifying food sensitivities is very helpful as an initial step to reduce the overall inflammatory load.

Often after some time treating underlying infection, optimizing sleep and other foundational work, patients can return to eating some or all of those foods again. This is especially true if the food sensitivities are due to leaky gut (intestinal permeability).

I frequently utilize a <a href="https://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/organic-acids-test" title="The Great Plains Laboratory, LLC" target="_blank">urine test</a> by Great Plains Laboratories that looks at a broad range of metabolites (end products) that show up in your urine.

This test can provide insight on imbalances in nutrition, neurotransmitters, and the microbiome. I use this for patients with mental and emotional symptoms such as brain fog, ADHD, depression and anxiety, especially if I suspect there may be dysbiosis (an imbalance between good and bad bacteria/yeast in the gut).

I am a DUTCH test provider because I believe this urine test is an excellent way to analyze multiple systems at once. It is helpful for identifying not only levels of hormones but the entire pathway of production and breakdown of adrenal and sex hormones.

I generally use DUTCH testing for male or female patients with suspected or confirmed hormone imbalance, fatigue or insomnia. I usually use the DUTCH Complete, which also evaluates nutrition status, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitters.

Breath tests I utilize stool and/or breath tests for the vast majority of my patients. Breath testing is crucial for the diagnosis of SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), a condition associated with gas, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea along with reduced ability to absorb certain nutrients. SIBO overlaps with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and often goes undiagnosed in conventional medicine. I use the TrioSmart test, which tests for all three types of SIBO.

Stool tests Patients that have recurrent infections, skin problems, and mental/emotional symptoms often have abnormalities on a stool test. Stool tests can reveal dysbiosis and infections (bacterial/viral/fungal/parasitic), often a root cause of both digestive and non-digestive symptoms like skin rashes, anxiety and brain fog. Expert interpretation of a quality stool test can go beyond this, to reveal reasons for immune dysregulation and inflammation. For example, there may be a large number of bacteria associated with reduced ability to detoxify, which can lead to cancer.

Intestinal Permeability ("leaky gut") urine tests The cells in the intestinal lining are responsible for determining what gets excreted and what is allowed to go back into the bloodstream. When this is compromised because, for example, there isn't enough fuel for the cells to thrive, then a condition called intestinal permeability ("leaky gut") can occur. Large molecules leak through, and the immune system launches an attack against what it sees as an invader. This can show up as food allergies or sensitivities, and a wide array of gut, brain and skin symptoms. Recognizing the presence of leaky gut through a urine test can be an important first step in healing the gut and restoring proper immune function.

Nutrition testing The (NutrEval test)[https://www.gdx.net/news/genova-nutritional-testing] by Genova Diagnostics offers the most in-depth analysis of nutrition status and function. I use this in cases of unexplained malabsorption or weight loss and for optimization of nutrition for athletes or those who wish to measure the efficacy of their current diet.

Our unique genetic makeup can determine if we are more prone to anxiety, ADHD, allergies, fatigue, depression and more. Many doctors just look at MTHFR and recommend a generic B12 supplement. </p><p> I look at the full picture of your methylation and detoxification genetic mutations and how they work together. This test only needs to be done once, since your genetics are your hard wiring and never change. I use precise, personalized nutrition to support too-slow or too-fast genetic expression - which translates to improved symptoms.

I utilize several tests for various purposes including mold, heavy metals and other toxins

Prevention is key. There are several tests that help a patient understand their disease risk or biological age, in order to be able to intervene effectively via simple lifestyle changes and targeted natural treatments.

I utilize several other tests for various purposes including mold and heavy metal toxicity, allergies, in-depth nutrition status, cardiovascular risk assessment and more.