Functional medicine testing is an essential part of finding the root cause of your symptoms. At Jellison Integrative MD, we want to find out the “why” of your symptoms and disease process. With functional medicine testing, it helps pinpoint any underlying imbalances or dysfunctions happening in your body. We don’t want to simply cover up your symptoms – we want to help reverse and heal the damage.
The following functional medicine tests help guide your individualized treatment plan for your unique physiology:
- Gut microbiome testing – Your gut bacteria contain some powerful information. Since 70-80% of your immune system is located in your gut and it’s estimated that 90% of the body’s serotonin, a neurotransmitter, is produced in your intestine, it’s critical to test your gut health. With this test, we’re able to tell what specific bacteria – beneficial and pathogenic – are growing in your gut and how that can affect your overall health. Gut health has been strongly linked to chronic illnesses such as autoimmune diseases, food sensitivities, malabsorption, depression, and more.
- Comprehensive stool analysis – Many chronic illnesses originate in your gut. Testing your stool helps determine what pathogenic microorganisms are present in your gut. The comprehensive stool test will also verify any inflammation happening in your gut which can cause intestinal dysfunction and will look at your ability to digest and absorb foods. This helps us in understanding the underlying cause(s) of multiple diseases.
- Heavy metal testing – The environment you live in can directly affect your health. Toxins, such as heavy metals, infiltrate your everyday life and can adversely affect the following: energy levels, reproductive health, immune function, cognitive health, cancer-risk, mental health, and more.
- SIBO testing – Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is unwanted bacteria growing in your small intestine. This form of gut dysbiosis may impact your digestive system function. Your bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue may be from SIBO and therefore finding the root cause of your gastrointestinal issues is important.
- Mycotoxin testing – Mycotoxins are metabolites produced by fungi such as mold which you can inhale or ingest. These harmful toxins can be found in your food, workplace building, and even your home. They have deleterious effects on your health which can cause immune suppression, autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic inflammatory response syndrome, depression, and neurotoxicity.
- Food sensitivity and allergy testing – This test measures levels of IgG antibodies in your blood to test for “non-allergic” or “delayed” food reactions. It helps determine conditions such as leaky gut syndrome, other gastrointestinal disorders, chronic inflammatory response syndrome, and possibly neurological disorders.
- Autoimmune testing – Testing for auto-antibodies in the blood is important for diagnosing autoimmune diseases. This is when your immune system produces antibodies which mistakenly attack the healthy cells in your body. Other inflammatory tests may be prescribed to determine inflammatory biomarkers in your blood for autoimmune diseases.
- Tick-borne illness testing – Tick related diseases are difficult to diagnose, particularly in the early stages of development. This test will help determine the presence of the bacteria Borrelia which may be causing Lyme disease or any other tick-borne illness.
- Hormone testing – The complexity of your endocrine system lies in the multiple organs which produce and regulate hormones throughout your body. Testing the balance of your hormones can assist in the clinical management of any hormone-related conditions. A complete hormone test can help issues with perimenopause, post-menopause, and andropause patients as well as your natural detoxification process and risk of cancer.
- Environmental Exposure Testing – Chemicals have become ubiquitous in nature. Many are integrated into the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, the clothing we wear, the products we put/spray on our skin. Chemicals can alter our metabolism, create hormonal imbalances, cause cancer, contribute to chronic illness, and much more. Testing can help identify exposures and assess your body’s detoxification ability.
- Genetic testing – Testing can reveal mutations in your genes that may contribute/cause illness or chronic disease.
