At Palm Beach Healing Arts we work to develop a therapeutic partnership with each of our patients so that we may empower them to be an active participant in their own healing. Part of this partnership includes providing each patient with access to the best laboratory testing services and diagnostic techniques available, thoroughly going over all results and answering any and all questions that may arise, and then educating each patient individually on the best plan of action for the prevention and treatment of all disease processes. We want our patients to stay healthier longer, gain a stronger constitution, bounce back from health challenges faster, and overall live a healthier and more peaceful, vibrant life.
We offer the following lab testing and diagnostic techniques:
Blood Chemistry
At Palm Beach Healing Arts we practice Functional Blood Nutrition. Have you ever been told by your doctor that your blood tests are normal – yet you don’t feel normal? Traditional methods of evaluating blood chemistry often fail to identify patterns of disease that are occurring until it is too late. With Functional Blood Nutrition we look at your blood work with a more critical eye, and use a tighter reference range that aims to identify an optimal state of health and bodily system function, while also identifying patterns of disease so that we may correct them before they become debilitating pathologies. Allow us to examine your blood chemistry by taking a more thorough and detailed look at your test results to identify any developing disease processes and physiological imbalances and then customize dietary and nutritional support to get you back to your most healthy self.
Salivary Hormone Panels
Saliva testing is a safe and convenient way to measure our hormones. Unlike blood testing, saliva testing allows us to collect several specimens over a period of time (Chronobiology), and since hormones cycle throughout our bodies in feedback loops and change over the course of a day, each week, and throughout the month, testing this way gives us an accurate picture of our hormone topography. Another difference between testing hormones in the saliva versus testing them in the blood is that saliva testing looks at “unbound hormone levels,” or “free fraction hormone levels” which are the hormone levels that are present out of the bloodstream and in the body’s tissues, i.e., the active and effective form of the hormone. This gives us more information as the biologically active levels are assayed. We offer the following panels:
Adrenal Stress Index Panel – Stressed? Exhausted? Energy levels fluctuating? Insomnia or poor sleep cycles affecting you? The ASI evaluates your levels of cortisol, glycemic control, and gives you a picture of how your cortisol cycles throughout the day so we may design a treatment plan to get you back on track, sleeping soundly, and responding to the daily stressors of life appropriately.
Cycling Female Hormone Panel – This panel provides the most complete information of the dynamics of a woman’s cycle at any age during the cycling years, and is very helpful for fertility problems, PMS, and more.
Peri and Post Menopause Hormone Panels – This panel provides measurements of eight key hormones, including pituitary hormone levels. Usually done in conjunction with the ASI these panels can provide data about stress and hormone variances at the end of cycling age groups.
Male Hormone Panel – Andropause is a combination of lowered hormone levels and stress. The MHP assesses both testosterone and DHT, the antecedent hormones progesterone, DHEA and androstenedione, the controlling pituitary hormones, FSH and LH, and estrogens (often elevated).
Bone Health Panel – Hormonal balance, nutrition, lifestyle, and genetics are all contributing factors to bone metabolism.
GI Health Panels – The prevalence of gastrointestinal complaints is extremely high and if left untreated nutritional assimilation may be impaired, while regeneration of the endothelial tissue may be compromised. This panel screens for parasites, yeast, food intolerances, and more. If you have or are experiencing any of the following this panel is indicated to gain further diagnostic information: Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Loose stool or diarrhea after travel or camping; chronic loose stool or constipation; sudden changes in bowel habits; fat, grain, or food intolerance; bloating; poor digestion; heartburn; excessive gas or flatulence; chronic abdominal discomfort or pain; chronic skin conditions; chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia; excessive eating or anorexia.
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
Your hair contains all of the minerals present in your body – both nutritional minerals as well as toxic heavy metals. With hair mineral testing, we are given results of what mineral content is in the hair. This differs from blood testing because a blood test is a snapshot of what is going on in your body on whichever given day your blood is drawn – with hair mineral analysis we are looking at how nutrients have actually been assimilated into your tissues and into your body over a period of time – illustrating what the actual levels are within the body. This information allows us to see what nutrients you may have in excess, which are deficient, and which are out of balance as most minerals act in relationship with one another.
Stool Testing
Gastrointestinal function is important for general health. The intestinal tract contains significant amounts of bacteria which, when imbalanced, have been associated with IBS and IBD, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Balancing gut microflora is key to optimize digestion and the absorption of nutrients, as well as metabolic functions. Poor digestion and malabsorption can lead to immune dysfunction, nutritional insufficiencies, mental/emotional disorders, and autoimmune diseases.
Stool testing evaluates stool for the presence of parasites, levels of beneficial flora, imbalanced flora, pathogenic bacteria, and yeast. Assays are also available of both blood and stool for immune reactivity to Candida albicans, Helicobacter pylori, Clostridium difficile, and more. Stool profiles are indicated for chronic gastrointestinal problems, acute bowel pattern changes, and for many systemic diseases, while also providing a sensitivity panel for treating pathogenic flora.
Allergy Testing
We offer IgG and IgA testing for foods and food sensitivities, inhalants, spices, molds, as well as cross reactivity of many foods and other substances including very high sensitivity testing for both Celiac and Gluten sensitivity.
Serum Nutritional Testing
Research suggests that nutritional deficiencies are at the root cause of many chronic diseases. We use a comprehensive nutritional evaluation system that provides a framework of essential nutrients in 5 key areas: Antioxidants, B-vitamins, Minerals, Essential Fatty Acids, and Digestive Support. Nutritional testing can help identify specific, personalized recommendations for even the most difficult to treat cases including: Mood Disorders, Fibromyalgia, Fatigue, and Optimized Health and Sports Fitness.
Antibody and Autoimmune Testing
Use for early detection of neuro-autoimmune conditions, autoimmune processes of Type 1 Diabetes, impaired blood sugar metabolism and Metabolic Syndrome, early detection of mixed connective tissue disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis; measure predictive antibodies to cardiac tissue, parietal cells, thyroid tissue, arthritic peptides, bone and osteocytes, myelin protein, cerebellar, gonadal, liver, skin and more – some of which can appear up to ten years before the clinical onset of disease.
Please contact us at Palm Beach Healing Arts to see which lab and diagnostic tests are indicated for your condition. Don’t wait – it’s time to reclaim your health!