Our Naturopaths are strong believers in a functional medicine approach, where thorough lab testing helps to find the root cause of the problem. Although symptoms are a very important piece of the picture, having the appropriate lab values can tell us exactly what the body is doing.

Conventional blood work

Through Dynacare and LifeLabs we can run a wide variety of standard blood, urine, stool and sputum tests that are used by family doctors.

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Food Sensitivity and Allergy testing

Our bodies produce immunoglobulins, also known as antibodies, as well as leukocytes which help our immune system identify harmful agents in order to protect us. Occasionally these immunoglobulins attach to the foods we eat and these foods create an immune reaction which makes us feel unwell. This creates a food allergy or sensitivity, depending on which type of antibody recognizes the food molecule.

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Salivary hormone testing

Salivary hormone testing is an easy, effective, non-invasive and scientifically proven way of measuring hormones. Unlike serum testing, saliva measures bioavailable hormones that actually entered tissue, as opposed to total hormone levels. This is because hormones have to pass through the salivary gland tissue before getting into saliva. Therefore, saliva provides a more accurate reflection of the hormones which are actively being utilized by the body instead of just total hormone levels, which may never get into the tissue.

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Urine hormone testing

Urine hormone testing, like salivary hormone testing, is an easy, effective, non-invasive and scientifically proven way of measuring hormones. The difference is that urine hormone testing measures not only the hormones, but also the metabolites of those hormones. The hormone metabolites show how the body is breaking down, or metabolizing, each of the hormones.

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Comprehensive stool analysis

One of the most common health concerns people experience are issues with the digestive system. Our stool holds a lot of valuable information that pertains not only to digestive health, but the health of all of the systems in our body. From symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea and indigestion to symptoms that may seem less related such as skin conditions or even mood disorders. This test shows any imbalance in bacteria, yeast and fungus as well as how well your digestive system is digesting and absorbing the foods you eat. Additionally, this test shows which antimicrobial agents the specific bacteria in your digestive tract are susceptible to in order to improve treatment.

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Comprehensive parasitology

As stated above, digestive concerns are one of the most common health concerns people experience. This testing includes the testing for bacteria, yeast and fungus to test the balance of your digestive flora. This test also detects infectious pathogens and parasites, which could be wreaking havoc on your digestive tract. In today’s society where our food often travels large distances before it gets to our table, and where many of us are often travelling to parts of the world our body is not used to, parasites are becoming a more common concern. Additionally, this test shows which antimicrobial agents the specific bacteria in your digestive tract are susceptible to in order to improve treatment.

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Heavy metal screening

Our bodies require minerals for most of our everyday bodily functions. Unfortunately our diets often leave us with insufficient amounts of essential minerals. When mineral deficiencies occur, toxic metals often replace these minerals. Because our current societies contain a lot industrialization, we are exposed to toxic metals everyday. The presence of heavy metals has been implicated in many conditions.

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Stress hormone profile

We all have stress in our lives on a regular basis, which would be nearly impossible to eliminate. Whether small or large stressors, our body has a very similar hormonal response to help manage the stress. How we cope with stress is influenced by many things, including our hormonal balance. Our adrenal glands produce stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which can help show us how the body is coping with the stressors we are experiencing every day.

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