SPECIALIZED LABORATORY TESTING

It’s truly amazing how much information we can glean from laboratory testing today. Everything from heart health to gut health to adrenal health to hormone evaluation is currently attainable from evaluating a patient’s blood, urine, saliva or stool.

Here at HeartWise Fitness & longevity Center we take pride in offering cutting edge diagnostic testing to help tailor our patients’ wellness plan.

CARDIAC LABORATORY TESTING

Everyone knows about Ldl (or lousy cholesterol) and Hdl (or healthy cholesterol). But there is so much more to the picture. Sub-classification into particle size helps determine one’s cardiac risk. Bigger is always better! We utilize the latest testing to not only determine particle size, but also to evaluate inflammatory markers, metabolic markers and genetic markers. Then there is the balance of both healthy fats and unhealthy fats which clearly is important to the cardiovascular system and to our health at large.

The labs we favor are Cardio IQ from Quest Diagnostics, and Boston Heart Diagnostics.  Boston Heart is clearly in a league of their own. They not only offer advanced cardiac testing, but also easy to understand patient booklets explaining an individual patient’s results. Moreover, they also offer a personalized nutrition and life plan

FOOD SENSITIVITY TESTING: Could your favorite food be ruining your health?

Many people have food sensitivities and aren’t even aware of it. Allergies are common and nearly 20% of Americans have some form of allergy. Allergies are simply an abnormal response to a substance in the environment (pollen for example). This abnormal response is triggered by one's immune system. A food allergy is therefore, an abnormal response to a food triggered by one's immune system. Traditional medicine has been doing allergy testing for years; however, testing of food intolerance has been too long neglected. 
Eight foods account for 90% of food allergies: peanuts, tree nuts, milk, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. 5% of Americans have a true food allergy...but about 80 % of us have some sort of food intolerance or sensitivity. The distinction is that food intolerance can occur hours or even days after the food has been ingested. Like people afflicted with allergies, those having food sensitivities have their immune system chronically activated, since each time a certain food is ingested, the immune system will come into play. This isn't good since it leads to chronic inflammation which we know leads to premature aging as well as all the conditions that go with aging, i.e. cardiovascular disease, arthritis, etc.

Who should be tested: 
Those individuals suffering from : migraine headaches, asthma, eczema, unexplained hives, chronic fatigue, digestive problems, irritable bowel syndrome, obesity, infertility, ADD/ADHD, autism.
All these conditions are associated with chronic activation of the immune system, so testing of food intolerance can be extremely beneficial in those with these conditions.

ADRENAL TESTING : Detecting the impact of long term stress

n this current modern age, it is not unusual for the adrenal glands to be in a state of stress. In fact nearly every patient I have tested has exhibited some degree of adrenal over stimulation or fatigue. It is essentially an epidemic in the adult population. The symptoms can be confused with menopause, chronic fatigue, and thyroid malfunction. Stressed adrenals can lead to sleeping disturbances, food cravings, weight gain and dependence on stimulants. This test accurately assesses adrenal function through saliva collection. 
Note: Our hormones are like a symphony. If one instrument is out of tune, it makes for a poor performance. If the adrenal glands are malfunctioning, it will carry over to all of our hormones.
Saliva testing will reveal the state of your adrenal function.

NUEROTRANSMITTER TESTING: Anxiety, Depression, Insomnia or panic attacks? 

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in the brain. They don't function alone, but in concert with our body's hormones and immune system. It's essentially impossible to embrace optimal health without neurotransmitter balance. This laboratory not only measures neurotransmitter levels, but they also offer for purchase a wide scope of natural occurring amino acids which can correct an imbalance. 

Just a few of the neurotransmitters measured are:  epinephrine, nor epinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, histamine and GABA.
 
Certainly anyone suffering from sleep disturbances should consider this test.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER: Your genes can provide answers

At HeartWise we can guide you in utilizing genetic profiling to assess your risk of cardiovascular events.

9p21-Early MI Check Genotype Test:
New evidence points to an abnormality on chromosome 9 that predicts increased risk for early onset myocardial infarction (heart attack), coronary artery disease in general, and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Identifying these carriers allows clinicians to aggressively treat the various risk factors in such patients, and to carefully screen those at risk for developing AAA.

ApoE: 

This may help detect the propensity for cardiovascular disease as well as Alzheimers disease

GUT TESTING: You’re only as healthy as your gut

Here at HeartWise, I use these sophisticated tests to determine gut function. There is a saying in anti-aging medicine, "If your gut isn't healthy, then you're not healthy.” The gut has a myriad of functions. One that is often overlooked is it's importance in maintaining optimal immune function. This is vital to the aging process, as well as to avert cancer, and auto-immune disorders, not to mention maintaining a state of perpetual wellness. 90% of the body's immune system is synthesized in the gut. Without normal gut function, one's immune function will surely be compromised. Neurotransmitters, chemical messengers in our brain, are mainly produced in the gut before traveling to the brain where they act. Again, normal gut function is paramount. We also use Genova testing to assess deficiencies in amino acids and essential fatty acids in special populations.

INTRACELLULAR NUTRIENT TESTING: How effective are your vitamins and supplements

This test evaluates your nutritional state at the cellular level. Routine labs measure the concentration of a particular substance in the plasma or liquid portion of the blood. In most cases that is quite adequate. To evaluate one's nutritional state, however, one must look at the cellular level. This test is performed by evaluating a subject's lymphocytes, a component of your white blood cells. The test not only measures your level of vitamins and minerals, but it also evaluates your total anti-oxidant store, which is extremely important to maintain as we age. Anti-oxidants quench free radicals which are constantly bombarding our bodies causing ceullar damage and gene mutations. The test is also quite useful in designing a customized supplement program, since we know that one size does not fit all! Imagine designing a supplement program based on science, not marketing hype. This cuts down on the expense and avoids what I call "expensive urine"!

HEAVY METAL TESTING: Unexplained chronic conditions

We’ve all heard that heavy metal toxicity from mercury and lead can adversely affect our tissues and cells. If you suffer from any chronic condition, including chronic fatigue, or if you have an unexplained neurologic problem such as tremors, difficulty with your gait or coordination, this test could prove to be quite useful as heavy metal toxicity can be treated by various forms of chelation therapy.

These laboratory tests specialize in essential and toxic elemental analysis of multiple human tissues. 
They are utilized in the detection, prevention, and treatment of heavy metal burden, nutritional deficiencies, gastrointestinal function, liver detoxification, metabolic abnormalities, and diseases of environmental origin.