When I see clients in my practice, they often come with many symptoms and I can obtain a lot of information from an in-depth health questionnaire.  Simple changes to their food intake along with lifestyle and targeted supplements can often alleviate some of their symptoms.

However, more often than not, there are times when it is important for me to dig deeper. Getting an understanding of what may be driving your symptoms helps me to understand more about what may be going on. Functional testing helps to assess imbalances and inform personalised diet and lifestyle recommendations, to support wellbeing, helping to fast-track your results. Please note these are at an additional cost. From there I can design a personalised plan using diet, lifestyle and specifically targeted supplements to address the clients’ issues and get them better outcomes.

What do the tests show me?

When you have unwanted symptoms, functional testing allows me to look at the bigger picture to show me how food, exercise, stress, lifestyle, obesity, and/or inflammation within the body are having on hormonal health.

Testing can tell me a lot about how the hormone is being produced and whether the hormone is low, elevated or within a normal range.

It also allows me to see how your hormones are being used in the body, how they are being converted, how hormones are being broken down by detoxification and removed safely from the body. 

There is a comprehensive dried urine test that I use within my practice and it measures the following:

1. Sex hormones levels of progesterone, the 3 types of estrogens (estriol, estradiol and estrone) and how estrogen is being detoxified, and testosterone.

2. Neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that offer an insight into symptoms such as mood disorders and fatigue. Markers for vitamin B6 and B12,  both important cofactors when dealing with hormone detoxification and supporting our mood. 

3. Adrenal function and their hormones, DHEA, cortisone and cortisol, and how our body produces it and uses it throughout the day. 

4. Melatonin production and this is important to assess sleep issues.

These hormones are collected via saliva and dried urine samples that can be done in the comfort of your own home over a 24 hour period. The urine strips need to be taken at a certain time of your cycle, to catch you at your luteal phase (the second part of your cycle once you have ovulated). If you have irregular cycles or you are not ovulating due to menopause, ablation or the Mirena coil, there are ways that this test can still be carried out.

What can testing help with?

Testing can help to understand why you may be experiencing symptoms such as:

PMS / mood swings

Fibroids

Fibrocystic breasts

Endometriosis

PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Heavy and painful periods

Weight gain

Acne

Low sex drive

Perimenopause

Menopause

Fertility issues

Insomnia

Depression

Anxiety

Energy  . . . and more 

This is only one of the tests that I use in my practice, I will be covering other tests that I commonly use, such as stool, thyroid panels, vitamin and mineral test, blood sugar levels, food allergy and more in another blog post.

If you would like to gain control of your hormones by getting to the root cause and no longer just “manage” your symptoms. Get in touch with Nikki Harris through her SouthHams.com listing.