As I discussed in my interview in Suzanne’s book Breakthrough: Eight Steps to Wellness, nutritional testing is available now and represents an incredibly exciting tool that can help us fine tune our diet and nutritional supplementation to match our metabolic needs.

The more we discover new facts about human genetics, the more we understand how different people’s needs and metabolisms are. And then the same individual can experience changes in time in their metabolism and nutritional needs due to the normal process of aging or due to various damaging factors such as poor diet, environmental pollution or degenerative diseases. Consequently, it is very useful to do periodical nutritional testing in order to get the optimal “tune-up” for your program.

See below a list of nutritional and advanced cardiovascular tests I find extremely useful. Unfortunately not enough health care practitioners (doctors, nutritionists, chiropractors, licensed acupuncturists) are using these tests to optimize their nutrition advice. As you know, most of them do not incorporate nutrition advice in their practice at all, which is such an important component of keeping and getting people well.

A lot of the recommended doctors on this site perform various nutritional tests. I am only recommending healthcare practitioners I know personally and they are located in the Los Angeles, Orange County area.  If you do not live in this area, email us at info@cristianapaul.com. We will be doing some of the basic nutritional tests by Metametrix Labs remotely via various testing kits and do an interpretation by phone consult.

NUTRITIONAL TESTS I RECCOMMEND

1. Fatty acid profiles (by Metametrix). In my opinion this is one of the most important nutritional tests available This test will show if you have an adequate intake of fish oil and GLA (another less known important nutrient) See below...
   
   
2. Comprehensive Metabolic Profile (by Metametrix and Designs For Health). This is a good baseline screening nutritional test that includes Essential Fatty acid profile (see above) and reveals additional indicators of vitamins deficiencies, energy metabolism, gut heath, food allergies, brain function, toxicities and detox capacity and more.. See Below...
   
   
3. Cardio-ION comprehensive Panel (by Metametrix). This is an expanded version of the Comprehensive Metabolic Profile (see above), which includes among other additional tests the assessment of COQ10 and vitamin D levels.  (Read more - PDF)
   
   
4. GI-Effects: stool test for digestion markers and evaluation of the beneficial versus dangerous microbes in the gut)  by Metametrix
   
   
5. Bone loss (urinary markers) by Metametrix
   
   
6. Nutritional status of the immune cells, also called FIA™ (Functional Intracellular Analysis™) from SpectraCell Laboratories.
   
   
7. Genetic tests by  Genova Diagnostics. These tests show the challenges derived from specific genetic variations related to important aspects of metabolism and gives nutritional suggestions that may partly compensate for these metabolic challenges.
   
   
8. Halides test for body stores of iodine, bromide, chlorine, fluoride by DoctorsData Labs
   
   
9. Test the water you are regularly drinking DoctorsData Labs

ADVANCED CARDIOVASCULAR TESTS I RECOMMEND

1. HeartSmart IMT-Plus This is a quick noninvasive ultrasound test evaluation of the carotid artery that can reveal the early or advanced signs of cardiovascular disease (artery thickening and /or plaque). It is especially useful because it reveals the soft as well as the calcified plaque and it will give you a sense of your risk factors for stroke or heart attack.
   
   
2. Berkley Heart Labs  This is a much more comprehensive that the regular cholesterol blood test that most doctors order part of basic blood tests. It shows the levels of cholesterol and other blood lipids, but also reveals the type of cholesterol molecules you have and the associated risk factors. This report will also include other important cardiovascular risk factors such as: CRP, Fibrinogen, Insulin. This lab can also reveal your genetic ApoE type, which helps you take nutritional measures to reduce your genetic risks of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis. Add the test for LpPla2 to the Berkley panel or any other lab panel (www.PlacTest.com) because is a good indicator for the risk of stroke.

The good news is that a lot of these detrimental arterial changes and cardiovascular risk factors can be reversed to better health. Contact Trisha Ochoa (see details under nutritionist area on this website) about the nutritional support for inproving cardiovascular health

Fatty Acid Profiles

Fatty Acid Profiles (by Metametrix). In my opinion this is one of the most important nutritional tests available This test will show if you have an adequate intake of fish oil and GLA (another less known important nutrient while also evaluating the intake of trans fats and others.  Fish oils and GLA are semi-essential fatty acids that have a huge impact on health. This test should be done every 6 months in order to make sure you have the right ratios of AA/EPA for optimal health.
From a simple finger stick, this unique test measures the ratio of the principle omega-6 (AA) and omega-3 (EPA) fatty acids. The AA/EPA ratio is a measure of the body’s eicosanoid balance, detecting “silent” inflammation that can lead to heart disease and other chronic and inflammatory processes. Also included is the major metabolite of GLA, DGLA, an Index of Omega-3 Fatty Acids: the sum of EPA and DHA as a percent of total fatty acids. Studies have shown that this index  and the AA/EPA ratio can be used to estimate a person’s risk of dying from coronary heart disease (CHD), inflammation and pain, cancer and benign growth risk due to excessive cell proliferation, clotting (stroke), vasoconstriction (blood pressure, erectile dysfunction, impaired circulation to the heart, brain), exagerated allergic and auto-immune response. This is also important for brain function: ADD/ADHD, memory, depression, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s.

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Comprehensive Metabolic Profile

Comprehensive Metabolic Profile performed by Metametrix with interpretation provided by Designs For Health. This is a good baseline screening nutritional test that includes Essential Fatty acid profile and reveals additional indicators of vitamins deficiencies, energy metabolism, gut heath, food allergies, brain function, toxicities and detox capacity. Included components:

A. Blood Spot Fatty Acid Profile

[See above]

B. A single urine specimen provides important information about:

• Useful nutrients such as carnitine,  NAC,  Lipoic acid or CoQ10
• B-vitamins deficiencies, efficiency of energy production
• Methylation sufficiency status (this is important for heart disease and cancer protection)
• Oxidative stress and antioxidant sufficiency, through urinary lipid peroxides (High levels of lipid peroxides are associated with cancer, heart disease, stroke, and aging)
• Neurotransmitter metabolites: serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine
• Markers of gut problems, markers  of microbial origin found in the gastro-intestinal tract and possibly other areas of  the body (gums, respiratory tract, blood, genito-urinary tract)
• Markers of adequate detoxification function (shows presence of certain toxins and the ability of the body detoxify in general

C. Designs for Health Bloodspot™ IgG Food Antibody Profile

Researchers estimate that at least 60% of the U.S. population suffers from unsuspected food reactions that can cause or complicate health problems. These reactions are difficult to identify since they can occur hours or even days after consumption of an offending food. In some cases, a person may eat a food for several days before developing a reaction to it, so they may not realize the link between the food and their symptoms. Symptoms can be extraordinarily diverse, ranging from arthritis to eczema to migraines.

For that reason, many health professionals routinely consider food allergies or intolerances when evaluating a patient’s health problems. The Bloodspot™ IgG Food Antibody Profile tests for sensitivity to 30 of the most commonly positive food antigens, all from a single finger stick.

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