Mountain and stream

Advanced Lab Testing that Optimizes Health, Longevity, and Vitality

lab tests

In today’s world almost everything can be tested. Through testing there is less guessing, and health can be improved. Many of my patients are working hard to improve their overall health through optimizing hormones, improving diet and exercise, lowering blood pressure, getting better sleep, and controlling stress. We always do a very thorough traditional blood panel which is billed to insurance but there are many more tests that can be done. For those who want to take it to the next level I created this list of tests that I highly recommend.

Everything in the body is integrated; cells talk to each other. The nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system are all connected. All of the following testing measures body systems and allows for targeted treatments that result in improvements in cellular and biologic aging. As a result, you might feel better too!

Specialized Lab Testing for Optimizing Health

Genetic Testing. This measures DNA mutations and DNA aging. Mutations in DNA cause problems with gene expression and can increase cancer risk. Based on the results, treatment can be started. There are specific panels for identifying heritable risk of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative disease. There are also panels that help determine which drugs work the best, which diet is best, exercise routine, and more.

Telomere Testing. Telomere length determines how many times a cell can divide. In biology it is called the Hayflick limit. Luckily the length of your telomeres can be changed. Diet, lifestyle, and other approaches can modify telomere length.

Nutrient Testing. It is always better to know the taurine. All vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega six levels can be tested. This allows for more targeted recommendations on diet and supplements.

Oral Microbiome. The oral microbiome is an emerging field of great interest. Similar to gut bacteria, your mouth contains a lot of bacteria some of which are directly implicated in diseases such as atherosclerosis.

Gut Microbiome. This field is also exploding right now and relates to aging, weight management, cardiovascular disease, and brain health. Stool testing also checks for all parasites, worms, amoeba viruses, dangerous bacteria, fungi, digestive enzyme levels, normal healthy bacteria levels, efficiency of digestion, gut inflammation, and immune system activity.

Intestinal Permeability/Leaky Gut Testing. This test is done by drinking a solution that contains molecules that should not pass through the gut wall. The solution is ingested at night and then urine is collected in the morning and the sample is analyzed. Leaky gut is implicated in autoimmune disease, allergies, inflammation, and a general feeling of not being well.

Small Intestinal Bowel Overgrowth (SIBO). This is an easy test that involves swallowing a solution and measuring breath gases for hydrogen and methane levels. This test can diagnose why someone might be experiencing unpleasant gas and bloating, especially when nothing else has been working for them.

Food Allergies and Sensitivities. The food allergy testing from ten years ago was not very helpful but now we can do very precise allergy and sensitivity testing of foods. The new testing is more accurate because it measures immune tolerance to types of allergy and nonallergic sensitivities. By addressing allergies and sensitivities, inflammation and immune stress can be decreased.

Adrenal and Neurotransmitter Testing. Neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and GABA are important factors contributing to mood and energy levels. The adrenal hormone cortisol is also measured.

Pesticide and Herbicide Testing. This helps determine if your eating habits are keeping toxins out of your system. Elevated pesticides indicate a more organic food approach should be pursued. Pesticides are mutagenic and carcinogenic.

Mold Testing. Mold testing can help determine if there is current exposure as well as determining if there are mold toxins in your system.

Toxic Metals. Metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium are pervasive in today’s world.  Exposure is typically due to food, air, and water and does not discriminate upon socioeconomic status.  Metals affect the endocrine system mimicking the hormone estrogen and cause direct damage to DNA. They are carcinogens and mutagens.

Arterial Age and Arterial Flexibility. This is done by measuring the strength of the pulse, the shape of the pulse-wave, and heart rate variability. All the data can be helpful in determining the treatment plan to improve cardiovascular health and vascular longevity. It is done with a finger probe and takes about three minutes.

Carotid Artery Ultrasound. This test can identify three different stages of plaque: new, healing, and old calcified plaque. It also tests arterial age analysis and can be very helpful in determining treatment effectiveness.

A Coronary CT Angiogram. This is a CT of your heart that visualizes three main stages of plaque and percent arterial blockage. It gives more detail than a typical angiogram and is less invasive. All the main arteries are visualized and color-coded with the type of plaque that is there, and how much, with great precision. This test provides a baseline diagnosis and provides a way to follow-up on treatment effectiveness.

V02 Max Testing. This is one of the strongest predictors of longevity there is. We refer out for this test.

 

If you are interested in any of these tests please call our front office for pricing and ordering: 303-884-7557.