Functional medicine utilizes scientific advancements often before adoption by the medical community.
Below are four tests I use most frequently:
Micronutrient Testing
Microbiome Testing
Comprehensive Food Allergy Testing
DUTCH testing
Micronutrient testing includes some 31 vitamins, mineral, amino acids, fatty acids, anti-oxidants and metabolites. This allows for decisions on personalized supplementation.
Microbiome Testing allows for mapping out microbiomes within our body where there is more roles of microbiome's contribution to health and diseases are being discovered. This utilizes quantitative PCR technology to detect parasites, bacteria, fungi, and more allowing better understanding of overall condition of the digestive system. If abnormalities are found, further testing such as comprehensive diagnostic stool analysis + parasitology can be used to confirm the diagnosis.'
Comprehensive Food Allergy Testing - while environmental allergies focus on IgE reaction and such tests are readily available, food allergies are much more complex. The main advantage of this test is that this can help to distinguish between food allergy and food sensitivity. In addition, it also allows for evaluating IgG4, IgG, and C3b/d (complement). This approach, while not infallible, offers most comprehensive way to evaluate food allergy.
The Dutch Complete™ provides a comprehensive assessment of sex and adrenal hormones and their metabolites. It also includes the daily, free cortisol pattern, organic acids, melatonin (6-OHMS), and 8-OHdG. I use this test as a starting point for assessing adrenal hormone patterns (for cause of fatigue), sex hormone status, and also provides a rudimentary organic acid analysis which serve as metabolic markers for various functions such as B12, B6, Biotin, Glutathione, Dysbiosis, Neurotransmitter, Neuro-inflammation, Melatonin, and Oxidative Stress at no added cost.
If you are interested in learning more, please contact Memorial Institute of Health & Healing, located in Memorial Hospital, Carthage, IL or call us 217.357.6815. Memorial Institute of Health & Healing accepts most insurances for services.
Please know that functional medicine tests (above) are not covered by insurance.
Yoon Hang Kim MD