embracing-nutrition November 12, 2024
Do you ever wonder what is causing your health issues? Are you tired of being told your test results show nothing is wrong, yet you still don’t feel right?
Here at Embracing Nutrition, we dig deep to discover what exactly is happening in your body. And in these modern times, it’s now possible to peek inside your body’s cells to uncover imbalances contributing towards ill-health. Tapping into this information empowers lasting improvements to your health.
This blog will reveal why testing is so important, what types of imbalances functional tests can reveal and how results can inform decisions about your health.
Imagine you have a problem with your car. You bought it six months ago and it didn’t come with a user manual. You’ve been topping it up with a certain type of oil, not realising you should have been using a different grade. Over time, this has caused wear on tear on certain parts of the engine, and you hear a knocking noise.
You take the car to the garage and the mechanic tells you to turn the radio up while driving to mask the noise coming from your engine. You don’t like this advice, so you seek another opinion. The second mechanic advises you need new parts for your engine. You have the work done, but in another six months the knocking noises return. The new engine components are wearing out faster than they should because you’re still using the wrong oil.
Although the mechanic was right to replace the engine parts, they didn’t consider why they had worn out prematurely. It’s not dissimilar with your body. Turning up the car radio when driving is a bit like taking a painkiller to mask pain without addressing the cause. Replacing worn out components is like taking a drug to change the biochemistry of your body without looking at why those changes have occurred in the first place.
Furthermore, your body is a far more complex machine than a car engine. Therefore, looking at symptoms alone can be misleading, because many different heath issues can cause similar symptoms.
Let’s say you’re suffering from fatigue. Imagine the myriad of issues that could possibly be causing this. For example, it may be thyroid imbalance, anaemia, a viral infection, adrenal issues, hormone imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, or cardiovascular issues. Therefore, it’s essential to drill down and discover what’s causing your symptoms. This is where testing is so useful.
GPs and medical specialists use tests to diagnose health conditions. Functional testing, on the other hand, reveals the imbalances contributing to your health issues while focussing on root causes. Functional tests can identify patterns, so it’s ideally suited to unravelling complex or persistent health issues.
GP-led tests tend to use broader reference ranges than functional tests. However, many imbalances can be missed by applying an average reference range. Everyone is a unique individual and your normal might, for example, fall at the upper edge of the average range. Therefore, a low level for you might show up as being normal. Typically, functional tests use narrower reference ranges to pick up subtle imbalances. This can also enable proactive early detection of health issues, preventing them from becoming more serious.
Secondly, GP tests often look at fewer biomarkers. For example, if your GP orders a hormone test, it will typically measure overall hormone levels but won’t assess how your body is processing those hormones.
With so many functional tests available, it’s invaluable to tap into practitioner support to guide you towards the test or tests most appropriate to your situation. However, there are certain tests we tend to find really useful here at Embracing Nutrition.
Your stools are a window to what is happening in your gut. They not only contain undigested particles of food, but also substances produced by the microbes living in your gut, alongside their DNA. This can build a picture of your inner ecosystem, the health and permeability of your gut lining, how efficiently your digestive system is breaking down your food, and any inflammation present in your gut. All this can reveal how your gut health is impacting your wellbeing and your longevity.
We offer advanced stool tests GI 360™ and GI Effects®, recommended by broadcaster Julia Bradbury in her bestselling new book ‘Hack Yourself Healthy’.
Hormones regulate almost every function in your body. Dysregulated hormones contribute to a myriad of different health issues. Therefore, hormone testing like the DUTCH Complete or Adrenal Stress Profile, using saliva or urine samples, can drill down to the root causes of your symptoms.
Looking at your genetic makeup from a simple cheek swab can reveal your predispositions to developing health conditions. These tests can reveal inherited tendencies towards, for example, poor detoxification or methylation. Armed with this information, the goal will be to ensure the gene is bathed in an environment which reduces the likelihood that these genetic tendencies are expressed. Genes may be your blueprint, but they don’t need to be your destiny.
Certain tests can reveal detailed information about nutritional imbalances, food sensitivities and mitochondrial health. Others examine metabolic energy production pathways, detoxification efficiency, and even levels of brain neurotransmitters.
Functional testing is a cornerstone of functional medicine, offering powerful insights into your unique body. Tests dig deep to uncover imbalances and tailor these insights to your personal biology. Your practitioner will think like a health detective, using your results to tailor precise, personalised recommendations to optimise your health. This will enable you to take control of your health and make informed decisions. Knowledge is power when it comes to your health.
Start your journey by booking a Discovery Call today.
Do you need help with your immune health. Having a functional medicine practitioner review your lifestyle could be the answer. Speak to one of our practitioners by booking a FREE discovery call to see if Functional Medicine is for you.
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