Connecting Nutrition employs functional testing from established worldwide laboratories including Genova Diagnostics, Invivo, Cyrex, Biolab, Cambridge Nutritional Sciences and Regenerus Laboratories. This allows the most appropriate test to be selected.
Specific laboratory tests explore the health status of the individual by measuring the functionality of specific body systems and nutritional imbalances. Nutritional imbalances are often at the root of many complex, chronic health conditions.
Tests are based on saliva, blood, urine and stools. The more popular tests are:
Gastrointestinal Function:
The health of the gut is the foundation for overall good health. Digestive complaints are one of the most common factors in individuals seeking professional nutrition guidance:
- Stool testing: comprehensive assessment of complete gut health, investigating the root cause of most GI symptoms such as: bloating, gas, indigestion, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and constipation. This advanced stool profile provides actionable clinical information and valuable insights into digestive function, inflammation and the gut microbiome.
- SIBO: small intestinal bowel overgrowth happens when there is excess bacteria in the small intestine. Over 60% of people with IBS may have SIBO as an underlying issue.
- Candida: is a yeast found naturally in the digestive tract. However, if the natural balance of the gut bacteria has been disturbed, such as with a high use of antibiotics, candida levels can grow to pathogenic levels resulting in multiple symptoms affecting different parts of the body.
- Helicobacter Pylori: has been recognised as an underlying cause in the formation of gastritis and gastric ulcers.
- Intestinal permeability: Gut health has far reaching consequences in the body. Autoimmune conditions are considered linked to the integrity of the gut lining and food intolerances often start from impaired gut health. This is often found in people with highly stressed lifestyles.
Allergy and Antibody Profiles:
These tests assess your body’s reaction to a wide range of foods, food additives and preservatives, spices, inhalant and mould profiles. The selected test will depend on the immediacy or delayed nature of your symptoms.
- Food allergy or food intolerance: A number of tests are available. The tests identify antibodies related to immediate (IgE) and delayed (IgG) hypersensitivities to foods and other specific allergens. Some tests includes gluten antibody profiles which may identify gluten intolerance.
- Celiac Profile (gluten sensitivity): the clinical presentation of gluten celiac disease is many and varied which is why diagnosis can often take years.
- Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity: gluten related disorders can exist without having celiac disease. Cyrex Laboratories offer an array of multi-tissue antibody testing.
- Lactose intolerance test: for identifying intolerance to lactose sugars found in milk
Hormone profiles:
Hormones orchestrate the functioning of nearly every body system from hunger to reproduction, from energy to mental health and even the immune system. When one element of the hormone orchestra is out of balance, the whole body and mind can feel out of tune. Tests available for men and women:
- Thyroid Screen: Thyroid hormones are essential regulators of the body’s metabolism and imbalances can affect virtually every metabolic process in the body, exerting signifiant affects on mood, energy levels, weight and sex drive. NHS tests typically measure TSH and sometimes T4. The thyroid test goes deeper and evaluates imbalances that often go undetected with more limited assessments.
- Adrenal: regulates the stress hormone response. A highly informative test for clients exhibiting with unexplained energy issues.
- Sex Hormones: influence the female reproductive cycle, menopause and can affect mood in both men and women. Balance is the key with the sex hormones and clinical imbalances exert many effects on the body.
Nutrition and Toxin Assessment:
- ONE Test (Optimal Nutrition Evaluation): This test is unique in helping to evaluate overall nutritional status and individual functional requirements for key vitamins, mineral and antioxidant status. Additionally, it evaluates gastrointestinal function, cellular energy production and neurotransmitter processing. This test is appropriate when there are many and diverse presenting symptoms including mind and mood.
- Essential Fatty Acids profile: Evaluating the important Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids required by the body.
- Single nutrient analysis: such as vitamin D, B12, folate, iodine, anaemia, magnesium
Further tests include:
- Osteoporosis Risk Profile
- Environmental toxicity profiles
- Methylation panel
- Genetic profiles
Nutrition programmes are effective without testing. However, testing enables more highly targeted nutrition programmes to be developed and helps monitor the effects of specific protocols.
Contact me now to find out how functional tests may be able to help