Whatever path you take (provider-ordered or DIY), below are 6 tests we recommend exploring, to see if they are right for you and worth the investment. The return is the knowledge you gain about your health.
1. A 24-hour adrenal stress index
Dysfunction in your adrenal glands can be at the root of a wide variety of symptoms related to fatigue, anxiety, depression, blood sugar imbalances, brain fog, weight gain, irritability, decreased sex drive, and trouble sleeping. The reason is that the adrenal glands release several hormones, including your body’s main stress hormone (called cortisol), through a complex web of communication between your brain and adrenal glands, known as the HPA-axis. Adrenal fatigue occurs when there is an imbalance in cortisol due to miscommunication in the HPA-axis. This causes cortisol to be low when it should be high, high when it should be low, always low, or always high.
Each one of these cortisol imbalances can result in different vague or even severe uncomfortable symptoms. Since your hormones play a large role in the rest of your health, this imbalance can throw off other hormones, as well, which contribute to the long list of symptoms that can be caused by adrenal fatigue. The 24-hour adrenal stress index is a saliva test that tracks your cortisol levels throughout the day, resulting in a general assessment of the functioning of your HPA axis.
2. A full thyroid panel
If the adrenal glands affect many parts of your system, the thyroid glands affect even more. Every cell in your body needs thyroid hormones to function, but unfortunately, thyroid dysfunction can be hard to nail down. Many underlying thyroid problems don’t show up on standard labs because conventional medical doctors typically only run TSH and T4. A full thyroid panel is a blood test that looks at TSH and T4 but also at T3 uptake, total T3, free T4, free T3, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies, to give you the most accurate picture of your thyroid health and rule out possible autoimmune thyroid problems.
Functional medicine also has a narrower reference range when reading lab test results. That means that what a conventional provider might deem as normal after surveying labs might well be considered abnormal to a functional medicine provider. This can explain why you may be experiencing symptoms of thyroid dysfunction, like fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, hair loss, and depression, even though you’ve been told you that you do not have thyroid issues.
3. Gut permeability labs
As Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut”. Gastrointestinal problems can be directly connected to chronic health problems, mental health issues, and autoimmune diseases. When your gut lining is damaged due to stress, poor diet, medications, and other triggers, it can cause undigested food particles and bacterial endotoxins to pass into the bloodstream, leading to a cascade of chronic inflammation that can pop up all over the body, leading to a wide variety of symptoms. This is commonly known as leaky gut syndrome and is tested through a gut permeability lab test.
This test checks for:
Zonulin and occludin: These two proteins control how permeable the gut is by regulating the tightness of the “mesh” that lines the intestines. If the test finds antibodies in your blood to these proteins, that is a biomarker indicating that the intestinal tight junctions have been compromised.
Actomyosin antibodies: These antibodies should also not be in your blood unless the the gut lining has been damaged.
Lipopolysaccharides LPS: These bacterial endotoxins are supposed to stay in your gut. If they are in your blood, it could mean there was enough loosening of the intestinal junctions in the gut lining to let them pass.
4. Sex hormone labs
All of us need balanced levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone to maintain optimal health. The ratios are a little different in each of us, but all the sex hormones are important and when they are not balanced we see symptoms like weight gain, anxiety, depression, erectile dysfunction, mood problems, low sex drive, infertility, acne, and more. A female salivary panel as well as blood and saliva testosterone and DHEA panels look for ratios of these hormones.
5. Inflammation labs
Chronic, systemic inflammation is a factor in almost every health problem we face today. Whether a cause or a symptom or both, inflammation is certainly a culprit in autoimmune conditions, cancer, heart disease, brain fog, fatigue, and even weight gain. Even though a certain amount of inflammation is healthy to fight off infections, viruses, and injuries, inflammation becomes a problem when it doesn’t go away after the threat is gone and continues to perpetuate throughout the body.
A blood test can detect markers of inflammation in the body. As with other tests, the functional medicine reference range to determine what lab results are normal or abnormal are stricter than conventional reference ranges, so you can know sooner that inflammation is becoming a problem for you. Lab tests for chronic inflammation investigates:
CRP: C-reactive protein is an inflammatory protein and is tested alongside another pro-inflammatory protein, IL-6.
Homocysteine: This inflammatory amino acid has been implicated in brain problems, heart disease, and autoimmune conditions.
Ferritin: This is a measure of stored iron levels in the body. That may not seem relevant to inflammation, but ferritin it is considered an acute phase reactant—in other words, it is a sign of inflammation when the level is higher than usual.
6. Genetic Testing
Our genetics is one aspect of our health that is predetermined, but even though we may not be able to change it, we can do a whole lot to influence how our body responds. Specifically, certain genetic mutations can make you more susceptible to certain nutrient imbalances, drug reactions, and other health problems.
In genetic testing, one of the main dysfunctions to look for is a methylation impairment. Methylation is a complex process that acts like your body’s biochemical superhighway. This process assists in keeping your gut, brain, hormones, and detox pathways healthy and fully functioning. Methylation happens a billion times every single second, so if it isn’t working well, it can greatly affect your overall health. Certain genetic mutations can impede certain methylation pathways, with a ripple effect of symptoms and problems. Attack the deficiency, excess, or imbalance at the source and you can prevent trouble down the line.
Keep in mind that this is a general list. Each person is unique, so the specific combination of labs may be different based on the assessment of your particular health case, health history, and previous lab work
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