SPARK HEALTH COMPEHENSIVE LAB TESTING

At Spark Health, discovering the cause of your symptoms starts with a comprehensive understanding of how your body functions. Based on your unique symptoms, health concerns, and genetics, your naturopathic doctor will recommend specific functional and other lab tests to help determine the best treatment options. Testing may include:

FUNCTIONAL LAB TESTING

Functional Lab Testing refers to several categories of tests that evaluate how the body functions. Specifically, whether the body has the optimal levels of key nutrients, hormones that are in optimal range and in balance with each other, and low levels of inflammation and other markers of underlying health problems like autoimmune disease, blood sugar problems, or cardiovascular risk.

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Nutrient Testing

A blood test is used to check serum and intracellular levels of many critical vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fatty acids (like omega-3 fats), amino acids, and metabolites:

The Hydrogen and Methane Breath Test for SIBO & IMO can be ordered with a lactulose or glucose substrate. The lactulose breath test for SIBO is the gold standard for diagnosis. The bacteria in the small intestine produce hydrogen and methane gas, which is measured in the breath test. The test is performed at home and takes 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete. Breath samples are collected every 15 minutes to assess the levels of both gases after a lactulose solution is ingested.

  • Identify key nutrient deficiencies that can cause symptoms and affect the functioning of the different body systems.
  • Check to see if you’re taking the right supplements at the best dosing levels to optimize your health.
  • Understand what nutrients you tend to run lower in based on your unique genetics and lifestyle.
  • Nutrients can be tested as part of a larger functional lab test panel for regular patients, or done as a stand-along package (Click Here)
  • Hormone Balancing

    A blood and/or urine test is used to measure hormone levels in both men and women. This type of testing allows our doctors to:

    Thyroid Hormone Evaluation

    Thyroid imbalance can manifest in a number of symptoms. Patients with hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland, can experience low energy, constipation, weight gain, fluid retention, hair loss, cold sensitivity, and depression. Patients with hyperthyroidism, or an overactive thyroid gland, can experience anxiety, diarrhea, heart palpitations, heat sensitivity, and insomnia. Our doctors:

  • Run comprehensive testing of various thyroid hormone levels
  • Determine things that could be contributing to thyroid dysfunction, such as, autoimmune problems, other hormone imbalances, digestive problems, and nutrient deficiencies
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    Inflammatory & Autoimmune Evaluation

    Our doctors recommend checking inflammatory markers as part of a comprehensive lab panel since inflammation can indicate several different underlying health problems such as:

    • Autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s or Graves thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, celiac disease, scleroderma, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis.
    • Acute and chronic infections
    • Cancer
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    Blood Sugar Problems & Cardiovascular Risk Factors

    Blood sugar problems, including insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, and diabetes are often present long before there are any outward symptoms. Checking these levels periodically, especially if there is any family history, is an important proactive step. These problems frequently co-exist with other cardiovascular risks that can be tested for such as:

  • General and blood vessel inflammatory markers and levels of oxidative stress
  • Advanced lipid particle testing to better determine the risk of future heart disease or stroke
  • Levels of fatty acids in the blood, including saturated and trans fats that are associated with increased cardiovascular risk
  • DIGESTIVE TESTING

    Spark Health offers several types of digestive testing in addition to the types of imaging (endoscopy and colonoscopy) that patients have often done with their gastroenterologist. These tests are extremely helpful in identifying the root cause of symptoms and allow us to select the most effective and appropriate treatments for the specific diagnosis.

    Food Sensitivity Testing

    Our comprehensive IgG food sensitivity tests examine foods consumed in the typical healthy western diet. Food sensitivities or intolerances are abnormal responses to a food component triggered by the immune system in the form of immunoglobulins (IgE, IgG, IgA), prompting an immediate or delayed response. Consuming foods that you have a strong IgG sensitivity can lead to symptoms such as bloating, headaches, joint aches, rashes, nasal congestion, heartburn, or even cognitive dysfunction. Food sensitivities can be tested as part of a larger functional lab test panel for regular patients, or done as a stand-along package (Click Here)
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    SIBO Testing

    Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) occurs when a high number of bacteria is found in the small intestine, causing discomfort and other common symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, belching, fatigue, weight gain, mood, and skin issues. The Lactulose Breath Test for hydrogen and methane can identify this overgrowth and indicate the need for a comprehensive eradication treatment.

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    Stool Testing

    Comprehensive stool testing identifies the presence of bacterial imbalances and infections, yeast overgrowth, and parasitic infections in the digestive tract. It also tests for inflammation and digestive function. This not only indicates what eradication treatments may be needed, but also what kind of digestive support and dietary strategies are most important for healing.

    NEUROTRANSMITTER TESTING

    A vitamin or mineral deficiency can often decrease enzyme function, resulting in lower neurotransmitter levels. Our Neurotransmitter Profile examines neurotransmitter levels to determine how they affect mood and cognitive function. Imbalances in neurotransmitter levels can disrupt cardiovascular health, concentration, mood, sleep, and weight management. This test ensures our team can be your guide on the path to peak emotional health and mental acuity.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Chiropractic is a healthcare profession that focuses on treating people who have musculoskeletal conditionsDepending on your symptoms, your doctor will use one or more tests to evaluate how your body functions.

    Functional lab tests can be highly beneficial in uncovering the underlying reasons for many chronic conditions. Functional lab testing can help in several ways to identify rick factors, track health status and improve compliance.

    Functional Lab Testing provides important health information that is used to treat a variety of health conditions including

    • Mental Health
    • Musculoskeletal Disorders
    • Autoimmune Disorders
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Neurotransmitters
    • Cardiovascular Panels and much more...

    Lab testing enables us to discover the root cause of your symptoms and provide an outline of suggested services to incorporate into your plan.

    Licensed healthcare practitioners can order Functional Lab Testing.

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