During your consultation, we will assess the need for further testing and if this may be useful in getting a better look at the whole picture in terms of your health and treatment. Further testing is not compulsory and in many cases is not necessary. If you have a particular interest in certain testing we can discuss this during your first consultation.
Some of the common functional tests include:
ZINC LEVELS
This is usually done by blood pathology.
Zinc is an essential mineral required for many functions within the body. It is required for normal cell division and for the growth and manufacture of DNA. It is also plays an important role in the nervous and immune systems.
Deficiency may be linked to the following symptoms:
- Depression
- ADHD
- ADD
- Learning difficulties
- Acne
- Poor immunity
- Poor wound healing
- Hair loss
The following factor may contribute to zinc deficiency:
- Long term supplementation of iron and calcium
- Medications such as the oral contraceptive pill, antacids and antibiotics
- Diarrhoea
- Digestive conditions that are associated with impaired absorption through the gut, such as inflammatory bowel disease
- Diabetes, liver or kidney disease
- High caffeine or alcohol intake
- Increased stress levels
HORMONE TESTING
Our fast paced modern lifestyles mean that most people experience stress in their lives. Stressors may be emotional (e.g. relationships, financial), or they can be physical (e.g. lack of sleep, over consumption of caffeine, chronic pain). When stress is continuous and without adequate recovery it can lead to elevations in adrenal hormone levels, leading to disorders ranging from anxiety to infertility.
Over time, continuous stress can impair the body’s normal response to stressors, reducing adrenal hormone output and resulting in adrenal insufficiency, also known as “adrenal burnout” or “adrenal fatigue.” Testing salivary cortisol can give an indication of the degree of adrenal dysfunction someone is experiencing.
Symptoms of adrenal dysfunction include:
- Morning and/or evening fatigue
- Allergies
- Increased susceptibility to infection
- Insomnia
- Poor recovery from exercise
- Apathy
- Chemical sensitivity
- Depressed mood
- Unstable blood sugar
- Low sex drive
- “Burned out” feeling