Lab Testing
Both conventional and functional lab testing are available
Conventional Lab Testing
As primary health care providers, naturopathic doctors use lab testing to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment. Serum testing is a common form of testing that involves testing a person’s blood. Standard serum lab tests include basic blood chemistry, complete blood count (CBC), tests for liver function, thyroid, gastrointestinal health, blood glucose, hormone testing, nutrient levels, and more.
Urine Hormone Metabolite Testing (DUTCH)
There are multiple benefits of the DUTCH test as compared to regular blood testing. The DUTCH test measures not only levels of estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone, but also the metabolites of these hormones. This offers key insights into how your body is breaking down hormones. For example, there are certain estrogen metabolites associated with many menstrual symptoms, and certain testosterone metabolites associated with increased acne, hair loss, and unwanted hair growth. See Dutchtest.com for more information.
Food Sensitivity Testing
Food sensitivity testing measures serum IgG antibodies to about 200 different foods. Food sensitivities may create inflammation in the body and are associated with health complaints such as allergy symptoms, headaches, joint pain, and skin conditions. Gastrointestinal health is extremely important for overall health. Testing for intolerances instead of guessing provides information to help get to the root cause of symptoms.
Microbiome Testing
Microbiome testing is available through Diagnostic Solutions GI Map test. This lab uses PCR technology to detect bacteria, yeast, and parasites. This test also measures other markers of gastrointestinal health aside from the microbiome, such as calprotectin, anti-gliadin antibodies, occult blood, and more. For more information see: https://www.diagnosticsolutionslab.com/tests/gi-map