Assessment Tools

Hair analysis reveals heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium. These metals which can displace many of the lighter, essential elements, can interfere with the way vitamins and minerals are used in the body. The use of hair mineral analysis has been accepted as an effective tissue for the biological monitoring of toxic heavy metals by the U.S.EPA. and as such has gained acceptance worldwide.

The fundamental differences between other types of testing are urine testing measures the amount of metal that is excreted, not what is being ABSORBED by the body while blood testing measures the amount being ABSORBED and TEMPORARILY in circulation before excreted or stored.

• Hair testing offers several advantages in determining mineral
  status.
• Hair is fairly slow growing tissue, so there are no fluctuations in mineral levels in the body. Diet for instance can substantially impact a blood test on the day it is taken. Hair analysis reflects an average created over a longer period of time, which is a better indicator of long-term dietary habits and exposures.

Hair analysis accurately reflects the storage levels of minerals in the body, rather than the current level being transported in the blood. This correct information enables correct factors either contributing or creating the conditions and symptoms being experienced. This, in turn helps create a road map for reclaiming your health and vitality.

Criticism of hair analysis is based on methods that were used 20 years ago. Today’s techniques are greatly refined and improved. Now all reputable laboratories are licensed and certified by state and federal regulatory agencies. The validity of hair analysis testing has continued to grow with organizations such as the EPA and both allopathic and neuropathic health professionals embracing hair analysis testing as an aid to reaching their patients’ health objectives.

Salivary hormone testing measures unbound, or free, hormone levels in the body. Unlike serum-based hormone testing salivary hormone testing accurately reflects the active and unbound hormones, which are biologically available to their receptors in target tissues. Since its development, salivary hormone testing has been gaining popularity due to its simplicity and non-invasive method of collection. The ease of sample collection allows for accurate timing to obtain samples at critical intervals throughout the day, yielding more accurate results than blood or serum testing. Since hormone levels may vary during the day or the month, multiple saliva specimens can be collected conveniently offering precise measurements. The inherent stability of salivary hormones also allows latitude in collections and shipment.

Importance of Hormone Testing

Hormonal imbalances have been linked to a broad spectrum of health conditions and clinical symptoms in both men and women. Science has shown that hormones decline and change as we age. Identifying and managing such changes is critical in the prevention of many chronic diseases. Measuring critical hormone levels and interpreting the results can help explain symptoms and accurately recommend proper treatment. This makes hormone testing an essential element of every annual checkup and disease-prevention program.

Common Symptoms and Conditions Associated with Hormonal Imbalance

• Cardiovascular disease
• Depression & irritability
• Low sex drive, libido
• Fatigue
• Weight gain and decreased muscle tone
• Memory loss, foggy thinking & Alzheimer’s disease
• Insomnia & sleep disturbances
• Hair thinning and loss
• Osteopenia and Osteoporosis
• Cancer
• Acne

Advantages of Salivary Hormone Testing

• Less expensive that serum testing
• Non-invasive
• Easy sample collection, convenient
• No special handling or shipping
• Painless collection
• Multiple collections, important for hormones with circadian or monthly rhythms
• More representative than serum of total bio-available steroid hormone levels
• Detects unbound and free hormones

Gastrointestinal (GI) function including balancing the beneficial microbial flora in the intestine, is important for general health. GI health is key in digestion, nutrient usage and ridding the body of waste and pathogens. Poor digestion and malabsorption can lead to immune dysfunction, nutritional insufficiencies and various disease states. Poor GI function can also lead to food allergies and other toxicities.

The intestinal tract contains significant amounts of bacteria, some beneficial, some neutral and some that can be harmful. It is essential to know the microbial balance of your GI tract, especially if you have chronic health problems.

When the heart beats, it radiates a pulse wave down the lining of the arteries. This pulse wave travels to the fingers and toes then back. The frequency and strength of the wave measures the overall health of the cardiovascular system. The Bpro monitor allows measurement of arterial stiffness and cardiovascular health. Using the software that comes with this system allows measurement of the following:

• Central Aortic Systolic Pressure (CASP)
• Radial augmentation index (rAI)
• Systolic and diastolic blood pressure
• Pulse pressure
• Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP2)
• Pulse rate
• rAP
• PRT

An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is a test that checks for problems with the electrical activity of the heart. An EKG translates the heart’s electrical activity into line tracings on paper. The spikes and dips in the line tracings are called waves. The heart is a muscular pump made up of four chambers. The two upper chambers are called atria, and the two lower chambers are called ventricles. A natural electrical system cause the heart muscle to contract and pump blood through the heart to the lungs and the rest of the body.

Reasons for EKG or ECG:

• Check the heart’s electrical activity.
• Find the cause of unexplained chest pain, which could be caused by a heart attack, inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart (pericarditis), or angina.
• Find the cause of symptoms of heart disease, such as shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, or rapid, irregular heartbeats (palpitations).
• Find out if the walls of the heart chambers are too thick (hypertrophied).
• Check how well medicines are working and whether they are causing side effects that affect the heart.
• Check how well mechanical devices that are implanted in the heart, such as pacemakers, are working to control a normal heartbeat.
• Check the health of the heart when other diseases or conditions are present, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, diabetes, or a family history of early heart disease.

Bone density scanning, also called dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or bone densitometry, is a form of x-ray technology used to measure bone loss. An e-ray (radiograph) is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions. This imaging exposes a part of the body to a small dose of ionizing radiation to produce pictures of the inside of the body. This oldest and most frequently used form of imaging is enhanced in DXA.
DXA is most often performed on the lower spine and hips of children and some adults to screen for low bone mass. Some of the most common uses of this procedure are to diagnose osteoporosis, a condition that often affects women after menopause. It may also be found in men. Osteoporosis involving a gradual loss of calcium, as well as structural changes, causes the bones to become thinner, more fragile and more likely to break. DXA is also effective in tracking the effects of treatment patients receive for these conditions. DXA can detect an individual’s risk for
developing fractures. This risk is affected by age, body weight, history of prior fracture, family history of osteoporotic fractures and life style issues such as smoking.

When testing is strongly recommended:

• Is a post-menopausal woman and not taking estrogen.
• Have a personal or maternal history of hip fracture or smoking.
• Is a post-menopausal woman who is tall (over 5 feet 7 inches) or thin (less than 125 pounds).
• Is a man with clinical conditions associated with bone loss.
• Use medications that are known to cause bone loss, including corticosteroids such as Prednisone, various anti-seizure medications such as Dilantin and certain barbiturates, or high-dose thyroid replacement drugs.
• Have type 1 (formerly called juvenile or insulin-dependent) diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease or a family history of osteoporosis.
• Have high bone turnover, which shows up in the form of excessive collagen in urine samples.
• Have a thyroid condition, such as hyperthyroidism.
• Have a parathyroid condition, such as hyperparathyroidism.
• Have experienced a fracture after only mild trauma.
• Have had x-ray evidence of vertebral fracture or other signs of osteoporosis.

Obesity and fat loss are the number one health concerns of the new millennium. While there are many diets and programs designed to lose weight, most patients struggle to lose fat and keep it off. One of the main reasons given for this is the lack of motivation and progress. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis or BioImpedence Analysis (BIA) is a method of assessing the body composition and measuring the body’s fat in relation to lean body mass. Research has shown that body composition is directly related to health. A normal balance of body fat is associated with good health, vitality and longevity. Excess fat, being overweight or obese, can greatly increase the risks of disease. The BIA monitors and detects imbalance in the body composition, which allows for earlier intervention and prevention.

The BIA is much more sophisticated than your bathroom scales, but just as painless and almost as quick. The BIA uses a small electrical signal that circulates through the body. It measures the impedance or resistance to the signal as it travels through the water that is found in muscle and fat tissue. The more muscle in the body, the more water the body can hold. The greater the amount of water, the easier it is current to pass through. The more fat, the more resistance to the current. The BIA is safe and painless and cannot be felt at all.