How Functional Testing Helps To Personalise Your Health Care

In my newsletter this month, I have spoken about ‘personalised’ healthcare.

It’s an approach that has been stated as a major healthcare trend for 2024, although it’s been gaining momentum for quite a bit longer than that, and as a registered nutritional therapist, it’s something I’ve been practising for more than 12 years.

My view is that healthcare becomes truly personalised and optimised when we have an idea of what’s going on under our bonnets. In other words when we can get an idea of how our body is functioning.

We are all biochemically unique. We have our own personal mix of genetics, food and lifestyle habits, and outside influences that create our health picture. We all respond differently to what we put into and on our bodies, and what we absorb from our environments. And these factors can dictate the nutrients we need, and lifestyle practices we might need to adopt to make us feel fantastic and optimise our health in the long term, especially around the menopause transition. There isn’t a one-size fits all approach to optimum health.

As a nutritional therapist I offer a wide range of optional functional laboratory testing to help clients understand their bodies and symptoms. On the basis of these test results, we can personalise recommendations for each client.  Essentially, it takes out the guesswork, which means we save time and money by being targeted with diet & lifestyle changes and any nutritional supplements we might use. And importantly, it puts the client much more in control of their own health. So if you are someone who has ‘tried everything’ and has a cupboard stuffed with random supplements, this could be a great option.

It’s important to state that testing isn’t obligatory, and it isn’t always necessary. We can often deduce a lot from a clients’ symptoms, medical and health history and current food and lifestyle diary.

What Kind Of Testing Is Available? 

Testing can include a Functional Blood Test, Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis, Saliva Test for Hormones or Urine for Hormones (I recommend the DUTCH Test) depending on what we may need to investigate.

If I was to choose my favourite test, especially for new clients, it would be a Comprehensive Functional Blood Panel. The ‘bloods don’t lie’ as someone once said to me. We can use the results to make appropriate diet and lifestyle changes, or initiate further investigations, depending on each clients’ needs and challenges. This might mean further functional testing, or referral back to a medical professional.

One company I use for blood testing is Functional Diagnostics, a leading UK-based company who offer a range of tests that include a large variety of blood markers. Each client receives a comprehensive report that shows out of range markers AND ALSO where a client sits in the ‘optimal’ range.  This means we can detect where things are starting to become imbalanced, so we can make changes now to optimise our health in the future.

Each report also includes a priority list which gives a weighting to how important a particular area of health might be, so we can choose what to focus on first. When it comes to midlife health, there may be a number of areas that would benefit from change.

It can feel quite overwhelming to look at a set of blood test results and decide where to start, so this priority list does help guide our plan of action. Then as your practitioner, I help to break this down into logical and actionable steps that are achievable and enjoyable and explain and analyse what might be happening.

Although, as with any computer-generated report and algorithm, I always analyse this alongside each client’s set of symptoms and health history. It’s important not to solely rely on blood results, we have to take a 360-degree view of each clients’ symptoms, health history, life challenges, preferences, and personal goals to deliver the best level of care. 

Functional Diagnostics offer a wide range of tests to suit a variety of needs and budgets, but one of the most comprehensive for women who really want to invest in their current and future health is the Femme Ultra Profile which includes 110 different biomarkers across the following areas:

1. Hormone levels
2. Thyroid function
3. Metabolic markers – key for acid/alkaline balance and metabolic health
4. Blood lipids –
5. Blood glucose handling
6. A comprehensive iron panel
7. Key Vitamins
8. Key Minerals
9. Homocysteine (an indicator of cardiovascular and future cognitive health)
10. Inflammatory markers
11. Blood Chemistry
12. Electrolytes
13. Immune markers
14. Key enzymes
15. Liver and gallbladder health

So, if you’re thinking about how you can gain more insight into your own symptoms and health, you can see it’s incredibly comprehensive. It really can give you so much information about what’s going on under your bonnet. The test results can also give you confidence that you’re working on what’s important, and the motivation to make any recommended changes.

 And of course, as a nutrition practitioner and health coach, I work with my clients to create solutions and steps that feel good and that they’re excited to try and give them any necessary support. And, if there’s anything concerning that needs medical investigation, I refer clients to their health professional.

If you would like to know more about how functional testing could benefit your health, please do get in touch to arrange a no-obligation  free Clarity Call to find out how you can optimise your menopausal and midlife health and feel fabulous.