Functional Lab Testing
Discovering a Deeper Understanding of Your Body
Functional labs can serve as invaluable tools that offer you a deeper understanding of your body’s intricate workings, enabling you to make more informed decisions about your health. They allow us to identify underlying factors such as gut health, hormonal balance, toxin levels, nutrient status, metabolic patterns, food sensitivities, and more, that may be hindering your progress but aren’t necessarily picked up on with conventional medical tests. The insights gained through functional labs empower you to identify health issues that might not be evident otherwise but are essential to address in order to meet your goals. At Amanda Lauren Wellness, we use functional testing to unlock a new level of targeted and personalized care because we can use the insights gained to craft a treatment protocol and program designed specifically to meet your unique needs.
In my Total Body Reboot program, we utilize the GI Map comprehensive stool analysis to take a deep dive into your gut health. Whether you have digestive symptoms or not, optimizing your gut is critical to meeting all your health goals. This is why “intestines” are one of the foundations (or 4 I’s, if you will) of my practice. Our intestines are home to our microbiome – a complex environment of microorganisms that regulate everything from appetite, to metabolism and weight, to hormonal balance, mood and cognitive function. On top of that, our microbiome is largely responsible for our immune system as well as the level of inflammation we may or may not have. Not to mention, if you aren’t properly digesting your food, you are going to have major nutrient deficiencies on top of terrible gastrointestinal symptoms. Looking at gut health is not something your general practitioner or even most GI doctors will think about when it comes to symptoms that aren’t obviously GI-related. But optimizing your gut is essential to getting to ANY health goal and finding the freedom you SO desire and deserve, which is why we include it in the Total Body Reboot! And Because I so believe in bio-individuality and a customized approach to health, I do not just throw a general probiotic at you – we take the time to look at your digestion markers, your inflammatory markers, your microbiome, and use appropriate pharmaceutical-grade targeted supplements to treat and improve YOUR gut health to get it functioning and optimal capacity.
Regardless of what program you choose, we may recommend additional functional medicine testing depending on your unique struggles, history, and goals. These tests are used to look at the following critical bodily systems:
- Gut Health
- Hormone Balance
- Metabolic Health
- Nutrient Status
- Food Sensitivities
- Stress Levels
Many of these tests are not labs you can get at a conventional doctor’s office; and, even if you could, the ranges we use to assess your values are completely different than “standard” ranges you might see on other test results.
There is a huge difference between being “normal” and being “optimal.” Functional medicine ranges are defined by optimal ranges. They are much narrower than normal or standard ranges because they are looking at where you need to be to prevent symptoms of chronic disease, not to diagnose disease once it is already present. In our practice, we don’t want you to be average. The average person doesn’t feel well. The average person is overweight, lacks the abundant energy they need to get through their days and live the life they desire, and the average person is either already showing symptoms of imbalance and disease or will develop those symptoms as the years go on. We don’t want you to be average! We want you to be optimal! That is why we compare your test results to optimal ranges to ensure you are the healthiest you can possibly be.
Ready to Take Action?
Are you sick of waking up feeling exhausted, overweight, and uncomfortable in your own body? It’s time to realize YOU are the greatest factor when it comes to your health, how you feel, and how you look. Say goodbye to yo-yo dieting, food guilt, and confusion over what to eat FOR GOOD. Life is complicated…but your health doesn’t need to be. Take charge of your health journey today!
