Functional Lab Testing

A complete assessment of your general health is necessary to map your path to success. Your approach to good health needs relevant data to ensure you will arrive at your objective, just like every successful travel requires an accurate map. Consider it this way: You need to understand the underlying source of a problem to know where to start or what path to take.

Typically, conventional medicine addresses one facet of your healthcare journey; managing symptoms. Any traditional medicine treatment plan lacks the comprehensive information required for a holistic approach to healing since testing is limited in scope and concentrates on a particular condition.

On the other hand, functional lab testing can examine the complete body. That’s because our health is a complex network rather than a collection of isolated processes. Reviewing your overall health enables you and your healthcare professional to stand back and consider the larger picture. Therefore, a treatment strategy is thorough rather than only concentrating on treating one condition.

What Are Functional Laboratory Tests?

As its name suggests, functional lab testing tries to ascertain how your body functions collectively. The most typical testing could include the following:

Blood test
Stool tests
Samples of feces
Urine specimens

The information acquired from these tests aids in understanding how your body is affected by factors such as hormones, stress, environment, nutrition, and more. Additionally, it may evaluate the health of your gut microorganisms or microbiome. As a result, functional health practitioners are more equipped to identify the root reasons for any health problem.

Important Functional Tests

Since there is no standard testing procedure, a healthcare professional will choose the tests that are most appropriate for you. Among the most popular and valuable tests are:

Estrogen panel

Your hormone levels have a significant and frequently ignored effect on your general health, which includes both your physical and mental well-being. Cortisol, DHEA, progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, androgens, insulin, and thyroid hormone imbalances can all negatively affect your health in ways that are challenging to identify with conventional tests. Without focused hormone testing, debilitating symptoms, including weight problems, mood swings, and weariness, may persist unnecessarily.

Since a functional medicine practitioner would want to observe the balance of many hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, it’s frequently important to have a whole panel rather than focusing on one. Blood tests or saliva tests can be used to screen for hormones.

Gut health evaluations

Another usually disregarded function that has broad health ramifications are gut health evaluations. In reality, science is just beginning to understand how your gut health significantly affects many prevalent health problems, such as depression, obesity, and diabetes. Modern foods and lifestyles damage your gut by upsetting the delicate bacterial balance, which results in inflammation and poor absorption of vital nutrients. The microbiota affects even your cardiovascular health.

Tests to determine the condition of your digestive system include:

Stool Evaluation:

These tests can identify malabsorption problems, which may be brought on by gut damage, diseases like celiac, Crohn’s disease, or autoimmune disorders.

SIBO Breath Test:

SIBO stands for small intestine bacterial overgrowth. After consuming sugar, the amount of hydrogen in your breath can be used to gauge your capacity to digest lactose and the number of bacteria in your small intestine.

Testing for Zonulin Antibodies

A protein called zonulin aids in preserving the ideal level of intestinal permeability. Zonulin antibody testing can help in the identification of leaky gut syndrome. Testing zonulin levels typically yield less precise findings than testing for antibodies.

Sensitivity Tests for Food

Food sensitivities can significantly impact your general health, but they are notoriously challenging to identify independently due to the wide range of possible reactions. Working with a healthcare professional is recommended. Elimination diets with meticulous records and blood tests that look at things like immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are tests that can help pinpoint potential sensitivities.

Tests for Gut Inflammation

Inflammation is frequently a warning that something is wrong with your body, yet most routine exams don’t look for inflammation-related symptoms. Tests for inflammation include:

C-reactive protein tests
Homocysteine\Ferritin tests

Elevated inflammation indicators don’t always indicate what’s wrong, but they are unquestionably a warning that more testing is necessary. This information can be beneficial. According to one study, those with high levels of c-reactive protein are up to 3 times more likely to experience a heart attack.

Tests for Toxin Levels

Another factor that affects our health is exposure to harmful chemicals like heavy metals, mold, or pesticides, especially when it comes to autoimmune diseases and digestive problems. However, despite the dangers, testing for exposure is frequently disregarded. One test that can show whether your body’s detoxification mechanisms are operating as they should be is the MTHFR genetic test. A genetic difference in some people can affect the complex process of methylation, which puts them at higher risk of having excessive quantities of poisons in their bodies.

Additionally, testing for heavy metals looks at the concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals like mercury, lead, and cadmium.

Mold has also been a hidden contributor to numerous “mystery ailments,” but traditional medicine rarely investigates this possibility. Mold exposure symptoms might include cognitive decline, depression, sleep difficulty, brain fog, stomach issues, and more. They are not always as visible as sneezing or itchy, watery eyes.

Nutrient deficiency tests

Essential nutrient deficiencies can cause a wide range of health problems. Unaccounted-for exhaustion, mental fog, mood disorders, and other symptoms are typical. Even if your diet remains the same, stress can influence levels of numerous minerals, including magnesium and iron. It is crucial to monitor your levels frequently because they can fluctuate readily depending on what else is going on in your life. Discussing your findings with a certified healthcare professional is crucial because many holistic practitioners adhere to different criteria than traditional healthcare providers.

Metabolic Analysis

How you metabolize nutrition can result in health problems regardless of how well you eat. The metabolic analysis considers enzyme levels and nutrient levels in the blood to see whether metabolism is affected.

A panel of HgA1c, Fasting Glucose, Insulin, and Lipids

These tests’ ability to identify possible problems before they materialize is one of their key advantages. Monitoring glucose and HgA1c readings, for instance, can assist in identifying insulin sensitivity before you experience the onset of prediabetes or diabetes. A holistic approach will keep an eye out for patterns and suggest improvements before an issue arises.

Analyzing the Results

Numbers can provide context, but they must be appropriately comprehended. Missing the story’s point can result from simply looking at test results and only responding when they deviate from the “normal” range. After all, the purpose of testing should be to identify all the variables affecting your health and see if there are any areas where you can improve for maximum health. The pursuit of so-called normal ranges will reveal the existence of the disease, but it might not stop it from emerging. Utilizing functional testing and looking at ideal levels can assist in maintaining optimal health and aid in illness prevention.

Functional testing will assist you in creating a road map to a healthier you by identifying the root causes of health issues. Begin your healing journey with Mar360 Wellness; get in touch today!