Functional Nutrition Lab Testing
Going Beyond Normal Lab Testing
What is Integrative Lab Testing?
Integrative lab testing goes beyond the standard labs recommended by your doctor or conventional medicine practitioners. Functional nutrition lab testing addresses the root cause of your symptoms using cutting-edge nutritional science including genetics and current biochemical research to develop your personalized nutrition roadmap for your healing journey.
Gut Health/Microbiome
Integrative gut health testing goes beyond the standard lab testing like colonoscopy, offering comprehensive lab testing and evaluation of your digestion and gut microbiota health.
Your test results include targeted and focused recommendations for healing your digestion to resolving intestinal permeability (leaky gut).
Organic Acid Testing
Many biomarkers, including nutrient levels, neurotransmitters, and hormones, are better tested with urine rather than blood.
With advanced training in organic acid testing, I use this relatively inexpensive and easy at-home test to develop your personalized nutrition plan to begin your healing journey.
Food Intolerances & Sensitivities
Histamine intolerance is the number one food intolerance with autoimmunity, mold infection, and flouroquinonal antibiotic toxicity.
As your histamine intolerance expert, I evaluate the most accurate testing for food intolerances and sensitivities including genetic testing, putting together your roadmap to get back to enjoying the foods you love.
My Expertise
After struggling for years with health conditions, including autoimmune, poor gut health, and hormonal imbalances, it has become my passion for helping others on their healing journey.
After getting my master's degree in functional nutrition and graduating summa com laude, I went on to get advanced training in lab evaluation, including organic acid testing, food sensitivities/intolerances, mold toxicity, and nutrigenomics.
Lab Testing Packages
Best Test for Histamine Intolerance
Have you been avoiding foods thinking that you might have a food intolerance like histamine, sulfur, or glutamate intolerance?
If so, this breakfast of avocado toast, egg, and tomatoes may look fantastic, but it may not be worth the risk of having digestive disorders like gas, bloat, and constipation. Or, the thought of having a headache or migraine may come to mind. Learn more about what is histamine intolerance.
Histamine intolerance can be very difficult to test for, unlike most food sensitivities that can be tested using the MRT Oxford testing or Precision Point Diagnostics (the best test for autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's or psoriasis).
The gold standard test for histamine intolerance is completing a 30-day food/symptom journal while maintaining a low histamine diet.
Get your Histamine Food/Symptom Journal – complete with food lists, culinary tips, and more.
Doing a food journal is a great start to uncovering your food intolerances.
After all, that is, I found out I was histamine intolerant. But what it doesn't do is get to the underlying cause of your histamine intolerance.
Did you know that histamine intolerance originates in the gut?
One of the best tests for histamine intolerance is a test for Zonulin (leaky gut or intestinal permeability), diamine oxidase (DAO) enzyme, and histamine – Precision Point Diagnostics, Advanced Intestinal Barrier Assessment.
Learn more about the Best Test for Histamine Intolerance.
Advanced Intestinal Barrier Assessment Package
Why Do Organic Acid Testing?
Organic acid testing is an easy at-home lab test that uses urine as the sample. Our urine contains many different metabolites that can help determine everything from microbial balance, mitochondria function, neurotransmitter balance, oxidative stress, and even nutrient values.
Microbial
Balance
Mitochondria
Health
Mood
Balance
Oxalates
Levels
Nutrients
Levels
Are You Struggling With?
- Poor Digestion
- Suspected Candida Overgrowth
- Fatigue, Brain Fog
- Joint Pain
- Kidney Stones
- Anxiety, Insomnia, Depression
- Chronic Inflammation
- Allergies
Organic Acid Testing – OAT
Organic acid testing is an easy at-home lab test that uses urine as the sample. Our urine contains many different metabolites that can help determine everything from microbial balance, mitochondria function, neurotransmitter balance, oxidative stress, and even nutrient values like vitamin B12, B6, and even CoQ10.
Whether you are struggling with an autoimmune flare-up, chronic infections, fluoroquinolone toxicity (adverse reaction to antibiotics like Cipro), or gastrointestinal disturbances, the organic acid test is a great place to start to determine the underlying cause.
And what you can do to get on your healing journey!
The OAT test is also the test to see if your genomics/genetics are having an impact. And how you can address your genes to create a truly personalized approach get on your healing journey or to optimize your health.
And that is why I have partnered with Functional Genomic Analysis, which uses your genomic report and your OAT test results to create your healing journey blueprint.
Whereas there are many different OAT tests available, my favorites are:
*Genova Diagnostics Metabolomix highly recommended for those struggling with chronic conditions or autoimmune flare-ups.
Hormone Testing – Is it Right For You?
Did you finally get your doctor to test your hormones and the results were all normal? Now what? The problem with the most common serum hormone tests is that they do not test for the right values like estrogen metabolites. That is why I use the DUTCH hormone tests that tests for all hormones, cortisol and even neuotransmitter levels. If you are struggling with estrogen domaniance symptoms or have low thyroid, then testing levels is a great way to start your healing journey.
DUTCH Hormone Test
Using the DUTCH hormone testing which looks not just at estrogen, progesterone and testosterone but cortisol levels. This test uses dried urine and salvia; one the most accurate methods of testing hormone levels.
In addition, the DUTCH tests for the estrogen metabolites that have been implicated in breast cancer and looks at how you can reduce your risk for breast cancer through nutrition.
Organic acid testing is also tested in the DUTCH which includes neurotransmitters, vitamins B6, B12, oxidative stress, and melatonin. Package includes comprehensive review consult putting together a hormone balancing program for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
About Genetic Testing
Does the type of genetic testing you are offering tell me if I am going to get a devastating disease and die early?
The type of testing I offer is called genomic testing. This form of testing looks at gene variants called SNPs or “Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms” that respond to diet, lifestyle or exercise modifications. Think of this as the form of genetic testing that provides clues to suggest where a clinician can look for efficiencies or inefficiencies in your biochemistry (operating system) that can be improved upon for better health.
How many times do I have to get a test?
Usually you will only need to have one genetic test in your lifetime. We like to think that your genes are stable and don’t change much over your lifetime. We do know however that traumatic events, debilitating environmental exposures, and periods of rapid growth can influence gene expression or behavior.
Though traumatic events, stress, and environmental exposures often cause epigenetic changes that change how your genes behave, these changes do not happen day after day. For most individuals, one genetic test is good for a lifetime
Is there a difference between tests I can buy at a store or online versus one that is through you?
At-Home tests can fall into two categories: The ones you buy directly, or the ones a practitioner would use. The direct-to-consumer tests are ones you order and decipher yourself.
You could consider them like ready-to-go toolboxes that will essentially tell you, "These are your genes, now go and do this.”
These over-the-counter interpretations will most often produce results that tell you what diet is suitable for you, or which supplement is recommended for you.
However, these tests don’t truly open up your genetics, or really detail the full wiring diagram of who you are.
How can knowing my genetic blueprint help my nutrition...and health?
Your genes are signposts that provide insights into possible nutrition weaknesses that can impact your health. Getting to know your genes is the best way to know which areas you can improve on your nutrition, and, importantly, how.
Think of a genomic test as helping you bypass hours and hours of guesswork, countless tests, and money spent on different supplements and diets that, a lot of times, just don't work because they are neither pinpointing, nor addressing the root cause of the issue.
What are the benefits of a genetic test?
Genetic testing reflects your unique blueprint. It's the plan of how YOU are built! Your blueprint provides the best insights into YOU, and removes the guesswork out of "What's wrong with me." Genetic testing provides answers to questions you may have about your health.
Additionally, detailed explanations and insights into health trends in your family and whether they apply to you. Imagine knowing ahead of time that you share the same potential for hypertension, but you are in a position to “head if off at the pass!” That is a powerful position to be in.
Do genetic reports tell me what supplements i should take?
Genetic reports do not directly tell us "you have this gene, therefore you need to do that." And this is why working with a genetic expert comes into play. Clinically relevant reports (AKA those that don’t get sold via the Internet or at the local store) are not designed to be turnkey solutions. These types of reports often look at one gene at a time and suggest a supplement based on a gene result. We call this line-item genetics!
Latest Blogs
Can Probiotics Help with Histamine Intolerance or Make it Worse?
Can Probiotics Help with Histamine Intolerance or Make it Worse? If you have been struggling with histamine intolerance; you have probably been looking for supplements that would help relieve the symptoms, like IBS, gas, and bloat. And most likely, you have tried some...
What is Histamine Intolerance?
What is Histamine Intolerance? Does it seem like every time you have a glass of wine and a cheese appetizer, you get a headache or even a migraine a few hours later? You might have histamine intolerance. Both cheese and wine, especially red wine, are high in...
What is The Best Test for Histamine Intolerance
What is the best test for histamine intolerance? Are you giving up your favorite foods because you believe you are histamine intolerant to help relieve your symptoms? Then you are probably looking for a test to determine if you are histamine intolerant and what might...
Virtual Nutrition Consulting
Are you ready to achieve optimal health and want the convenience of staying home for your consults? All of my consults are virtual, so you can stay at home and get on your healing journey today. Using Practice Better, I offer an easy-to-use phone app for communication, food journaling, and more!
Not sure how the lab testing works with virtual consulting? In some cases, I may recommend integrative lab testing where most are at-home test kit. With other lab testing that includes a blood draw, you will be directed to closest facility.
