Types of Testing We Can Do

Dr. Lyn Berutti at Dynamic Life Health Center uses a functional medicine approach with her patients. Many people are living with or are at risk for chronic diseases, hormonal imbalances, thyroid problems, and autoimmune disorders. These individuals are falling through the gaps of conventional medicine practices and are not getting the help that they need in order to heal and feel their best. Patients look to medical professionals to help them to get better and fix what’s wrong with them. In many cases, their quality of life is affected or grossly disrupted as they get sicker and lose hope. When they see doctors who only focus on addressing symptoms, they can become frustrated with the lack of comprehensive care.

Conventional medicine has its place. It focuses on treating symptoms and disease through medication and surgery. This works very well for things like acute infections, trauma, and serious life-threatening illness. Physicians use treatments such as surgeries, antibiotics, and other drugs to treat their patients. This can be beneficial and life-saving in many circumstances. However, in many cases this is not enough to restore the patient to health and vitality. A functional medicine approach is the practice of finding the root cause of disease. It also:

Looks for underlying causes of disease, strives to improve the aging process, and prevent future illness.
Offers an individualized and customized approach to your specific health needs.
Provides you with the much-needed time so that all of your health concerns can be addressed comprehensively. For example, our office visits range from an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. This is a stark difference from the standard ten to twenty minutes that you are likely to get in a conventional medicine environment.
Utilizes the latest preventative and screening tests in order to proactively manage chronic illness and prevent future problems from developing. This includes comprehensive testing which identifies key markers for illness, risks, deficiencies and imbalances.

Dr. Berutti Offers Customized Testing Based on Your Individual Needs

Dr. Berutti tailors the labs that she orders based on each person’s individual health needs and symptoms. Every person is unique. Your first appointmet with Dr. Berutti is an hour and a half in length so that she can take the time to understand your particular medical history, symptoms, and concerns. She will then determine which labs she needs in order to get an overall picture of your health and to locate the root cause of any symptoms that you may be experiencing. Generally, the initial lab panel can include wellness labs and hormone testing to generally include:

Full thyroid panel to include TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, and Thyroid Antibodies
CBC with Differential/Platelet
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
Hemoglobin A1c (depends on health history)
Lipid Panel
Insulin (depends on health history)
Pregnenolone
Prostate-Specific Ag. Serum (male)
Sex Hormone Binding Glob., Serum
Testosterone, Free and Total
Vitamin B12 and Folate
Vitamin D
Prolactin
Estradiol
Estrone
FSH an LH
Iron
Cortisol (see more information on this below)
DHEA
Progesterone

This list is only a generalized example, as lab testing will vary from patient to patient, depending on medical history, symptoms, and health goals.

Specialized Testing

Spectratcell Nutrient Testing

The Spectracell Micronutrient Testing measures how well micronutrients function at a cellular level, and not just the blood levels of nutrients. Other serum blood tests may only look at the concentration of nutrients outside of the cells, but the SpectraCell shows levels within the cell structure where essential metabolic function occurs. It is an excellent indicator of overall health. In some cases, people who are suffering from hormonal imbalances may actually be experiencing nutritional deficiencies which then cause hormonal imbalances. It’s also possible that attempts at balancing hormones can be thwarted because of malnutrition issues. Dr. Berutti also specializes in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and the Micronutrient test can be used in conjunction with hormone testing to get to the root of any symptoms that you may be experiencing. Another advantage of the SpectraCell test is that it will show long-term micronutrient status over a period of months, and not just a snapshot of where levels may be for the particular day that the testing is completed. SpectraCell also uses the patented Spectrox® which looks at antioxidant capacity and Immunidex which measures immune system function.

ZRT Neurotransmitter Testing

Hormones and neurotransmitters are synergistic. Both play important roles in production, signaling each other, and in metabolism. If hormones are out of balance, it affects the way neurotransmitters function, and vice-versa.

At the Dynamic Life Health Center, Dr. Berutti is focused on identifying root causes of symptoms and dysfunction within the body. Often times our patients who have hormonal imbalances also have neurotransmitter dysfunction which can exacerbate their symptoms and malaise. The ZRT Neurotransmitter testing can identify exactly where dysregulation is occurring.

Genova GI Effects Testing

Dr. Berutti prefers to use The Genova GI Effects Comprehensive Profile for gut health testing because it is an accurate and scientific stool test which measures biomarkers of your overall GI function. This clinical tool is an important part of gut health testing so that symptoms and root causes of illnesses can be addressed. This test will measure:

Inflammation within the gut microbiome
How your digestive system is performing
Biomarkers of GI function
Pathogens that may be causing illness
Balance of beneficial and harmful bacteria
Dysfunction which is causing Leaky Gut Syndrome which is the cause of many autoimmune illnesses
How well your body is absorbing key nutrients

Because a compromised gut microbiome sets in motion so many different chronic illnesses, the Genova GI Effects test is the first step in opening the door to recovery. Diagnosing and normalizing the Gastrointestinal Function can have exponential positive effects on overall health. Dr. Berutti is Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Anti-Aging Medicine, and Functional Medicine, which uses a whole-body approach to looking for root causes of disease. She offers a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her patients and understands the importance of accurate gut testing for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Genova Food Allergy Testing

The Genova IgE Food Antibodies Test does not involve introducing an allergen in order to test for antibodies. To provide a comparison, if you are suffering from airborne allergies, you may go to an Allergist or ENT in order to figure out what you are allergic to. That type of testing involves the skin-prick test where various allergens are injected just below the skin’s surface to see if a reaction is produced.

The Genova Food Allergies Test is different; a simple blood draw is all that’s required. If you have an allergy or a sensitivity to certain foods, antibodies will already be circulating in your blood and can be detected by the test.

Whenever you are exposed to foods that you are sensitive/allergic to, your body produces antibodies against these foods, and the Genova IgE Food Antibodies Test detects which antibodies are present which identifies the foods that your body is reacting against.

Symptoms of food sensitivities can be quite varied, and you may not realize that there is a correlation between the foods you are eating and the symptoms you are experiencing. Some of these symptoms can include:

Stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, and itchy or swollen eyes
Hives or itchy skin
Vomiting and diarrhea
Stomach cramps
Bloating
Shortness of breath/wheezing
Angioedema/swelling
Joint pain
Fatigue or tiredness, even after getting a full night’s sleep

Costisol Testing

Cortisol is a “stress hormone” and is the most important hormone to keep balanced. It’s needed to live, sleep, manage stress, regulate mood, balance blood sugar, regulate blood pressure, and modulate the immune system. With constant stress, your cortisol levels can initially rise, eventually causing you to deplete your “reserves,” leading to adrenal fatigue.

Cortisol testing is a crucial component to balancing all hormones, including thyroid and the sex hormones for both men and women. The reason for this is because adrenal health affects the entire endocrine system to such a degree that if this step is omitted, it is difficult to properly balance other hormones or achieve optimal health. Additionally, if the thyroid is not functioning properly, prescribing thyroid hormones without addressing cortisol and other adrenal hormones, can lead to adverse side effects.

Steroidogenic Pathways Testing

Contact our New Patient Coordinator for more information

When many patients come to see us, they have lost hope because they’ve felt unwell for so long and don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. It’s rewarding as a practitioner to be able to help so many people realize a much better “normal” and a regained sense of vitality!

Please call us to get more information about how our clinic and Dr. Berutti can help you with your health goals and to schedule an appointment.

We look forward to the opportunity to restore your health and regain your vitality for life!