What if your body gave off markers to future disease or pain that could be used to detect and treat them before the disease ever appeared?
What if current disease and pain could be treated by healing the entire body’s functionality, significantly reducing symptoms or eliminating them altogether?
What if there were more tests that could be run outside of your general practitioners office that may just help find the root cause to your symptoms or illness and prevent future issues?
It almost sounds futuristic, but these aren’t just hopes for the future – they actually possible now and we see it happen thanks to functional medicine lab testing.
What is functional medicine lab testing?
Conducted by functional medicine doctors, this type of lab testing looks at the body’s overall functioning and any imbalances that may be occurring. The evaluation can then begin to discover the root cause of symptoms and how to treat them and/or the illness naturally.
How is functional medicine lab testing different from conventional lab testing?
Have you ever been to do your general practitioner or specialist in which labs have been ordered to determine if you have a certain disease or illness? Maybe this was a urine test to determine if you have a bladder infection due to the pain you may be experiencing. Or maybe it was a blood test checking your blood sugar levels to determine if your low energy is due to diabetes.
Whatever you have had, your doctor is more than likely looking for disease. He or she wants to rule out specific diseases due to your symptoms. If you’re results are positive, treatment is then prescribed, many times with pharmaceutical drugs, surgery, and/or therapy – a more conventional approach.
But what if you’re results don’t show any specific disease or if they do, you’re not thrilled about the treatment options given? Then functional lab tests may be a solid alternative.
Functional lab tests search for the root cause of symptoms and provide information needed for a holistic approach to better health. These labs may consist of testing such things as, but not limited to:
- saliva
- blood
- urine
- stool
Functional labs are tested in specific laboratories and provide information to functional doctors for use in balancing the body and healing it’s abnormal functionality.
What type of functional lab tests are available?
There are a variety of functional labs that may be performed to help evaluate the overall health and workings of the body.
Answers from these tests can give indications of how to encourage the body to heal itself and prevent future disease.
Some of these tests may include:
Comprehensive Hormone Tests: testing for both females and males that measure hormone levels and the balance among them. May help in detecting the root cause(s) for imbalances in such areas as mood, energy, sleep, inflammation, sex drive, weight gain, infertility, and cardiovascular disorders as well as others.
Metabolic and Nutritional Analysis: an overall look at nutritional deficiencies and metabolic performance. Used for those who may be experiencing fatigue, weight issues, inflammation, behavioral challenges, heart disease, in addition to others symptoms.
Comprehensive Stool Analysis: used to diagnose any digestive matters such as, but not limited to IBS, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, bloating, and mental/cognitive issues.
Food Allergy Test: discovery of which foods the body is sensitive to that may be resulting in such symptoms as fatigue, mood swings, allergies, sinus problems, migraines, and frequent infections in addition to others.
Adrenal Stress Test: explores the balance of stress hormones in the body and their relation to symptoms such as, but not limited to irritability, fatigue, sleep issues, headaches, and overall stress management ability.
Advanced Cardiovascular Analysis: tests to view blood vessel and overall heart health, to provide options for issues with cholesterol levels, blood pressure and inflammation.
Neurotransmitter Analysis: a comprehensive test to quantify neurotransmitter levels in the body for those experiencing anxiety and/or depression, sleep issues, mood swings, ADHD/ADD, fatigue, and Parkinson’s disease in addition to other symptoms or illness.
Complete Thyroid Panel: measures how the thyroid gland is functioning in the body for both those who may have been diagnosed with thyroid disease or for those with symptoms such as fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, temperature intolerance, constipation, and unhealthy nails in addition to further symptoms.
Heavy Metal Toxicity: exploring the level of any heavy metals in the body that may be affecting the nervous system, chronic pain, food allergies, brain disturbances, and/or gastrointestinal issues.
Advanced Osteoporosis Analysis: a look at bone health for those searching to increase bone density and lessen fracture probabilities.
Does insurance cover functional lab testing?
Most insurance companies cover testing and treatment based on specific diagnoses. Because functional labs test for the body’s overall functioning and not for a specific disease, some insurance companies are unable to provide coverage.
If you have questions regarding your testing coverage, we encourage you to speak with your specific insurance agency personally.
How does one go about testing?
Do you think one of these functional tests may be of use to understanding and bettering your health?
Contact our office at (303) 688-6698 or schedule online for a free 15 minute consultation on functional lab testing with Dr. Adam Graves. We’ll discuss your symptoms and/or illness and functional lab testing options to move forward.
Dr. Graves is a Functional Medicine Doctor , a Naturopathic Doctor (ND), and a Licensed Acupuncturist with a clinic located in Castle Rock which is near: metro Denver, Highlands Ranch, Parker, Castle Pines, Sedalia, Monument, and Larkspur.
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