Nutritional and Metabolic

At GCSP we are dedicated to doing everything we can in order to help patients get pain free, get moving and get well again. This includes incorporating nutrition and functional medicine to treat patients as a whole and help them get better and stay better for the long run. These methods can be used alone to help improve a patient’s overall health, or as a complement to traditional medical treatments the doctors at GCSP provide.

LEARN MORE ABOUT NUTRITION AND FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE TESTING

WHY DOES NUTRITION MATTER?

Proper nutrition can help decrease inflammation and pain. Our basic anti-inflammatory diet principles include eating more vegetables, fruit, healthy proteins, healthy fats, and avoiding processed foods, sugar, and simple carbohydrates. We help equip patients with strategies to eliminate foods that maybe causing them harm and educate them on how to replace those foods with healthier options.

We will also recommend nutritional supplementation in order to support a healthy and anti-inflammatory diet. While the main purpose of our nutritional protocols is to lower inflammation, optimize the immune system, and disease management, some patients also experience weight loss as a result of making the dietary changes we recommend.

WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE?

Functional Medicine helps to address the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both the patient and practitioner. It allows providers to address the person as a whole, not just as an isolated set of symptoms. This is typically achieved via the use of various lab tests to assess nutritional deficiencies, metabolic deficiencies, and toxicities in addition to a proper history and exam.

WHAT SYMPTOMS CAN BE ASSESSED?

If you experience one or more of the following symptoms/conditions on a regular basis, you would benefit from nutrition and functional medicine laboratory testing.

Additionally, if you don’t have any of the above symptoms, these tests can help if you are an athlete, weekend warrior and/or just interested in preventative health and seeking to optimize your well-being and sports fitness.

FOOD SENSITIVITY & ALLERGY TESTING

Classic skin-scratch testing for allergies only measures IgE-mediated reactions, such as those of a classic allergic reaction (ie lip and tongue swelling when someone is allergic to peanuts).

Food sensitivity testing is different. It is a blood test that includes the measurement of IgG antibody levels to specific foods that can produce symptoms such as those listed under “What Symptoms Can Be Assessed” that can contribute to pain, inflammation, and digestive problems. This antibody food sensitivity test is ideal for patients to help provide insight into food intolerances. We offer a cost-effective test that measures up to 90 food items including gluten, wheat, dairy, beans, meats, egg, sugar, chocolate, certain fish, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Additional tests are available to assess for spices, molds, environmental and seasonal allergies.

VITAMIN, MINERAL AND NUTRITIONAL TESTING

Many patients experience chronic illnesses because of nutritional deficiencies. We offer a broad range of vitamin and mineral testing that can help diagnose vitamin, mineral and nutritional deficiencies and imbalances to help improve patient health. These are primarily blood tests that include, but are not limited to: Vitamin D and other fat-soluble vitamin testing, Mineral testing (including magnesium), iron deficiency testing, essential fatty acids (including omega 3 and 6 testing), fatty acid profiles.

We are also proud to offer the NutrEval test. This is our most comprehensive test. It gives physicians a better understanding of a patient’s’ nutritional deficiencies by combining testing in 5 key areas of core nutrients. It provides an in-depth analysis of a patient’s overall nutritional status. The NutrEval test includes:

1. Metabolic Analysis Profile – Provides information on 45 key organic acids that provide insight for functional support in the areas of: malabsorption & dysbiosis; cellular energy & mitochondrial metabolism; neurotransmitter metabolism; vitamin deficiencies; and toxin exposure & detoxification need.
2. Amino Acids Analysis – Features either plasma (37 total) or urine (41 total) amino acids to assesses nutritionally essential and non-essential amino acids, as well as intermediary metabolites that augment an understanding of B vitamin need, and need for support of protein digestion & absorption.
3. Essential & Metabolic Fatty Acids Analysis – Provides a high level overview of the balance of various families of fatty acids in relation to each other: Omega 3, 6 and 9 Fatty Acids; Saturated Fatty Acids; and Monounsaturated Omega 7 and Trans Fats. It also provides key ratios for understanding cardiovascular risk, including the Omega 3 Index.
4. Elemental Analysis, Packed Eyrthrocytes – Provides information in two categories: Nutrient Elements which evaluates intracellular nutrient status, and Toxic Elements which evaluate short-term toxic element exposure.
5. Oxidative Stress – Highlights the body’s current state of oxidative stress and reserve capacity. Markers of oxidative injury assess cell membrane (lipid peroxides) and DNA (8-hydroxydeguanosine/8-OHdG) damage, while direct measurement of glutathione and CoQ10 provide insight into antioxidant reserve available to counter free-radical impact.

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS TESTING

Environmental toxins should be evaluated as part of program to help patients get back on the road to wellness.

We offer various individual tests that can assess for exposure and sensitivity to environmental agents. This includes screening for Bisphenol A (BPA), pesticides, organophosphates, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), phthalates, parabens, porphyrins, toxic elements, and volatile solvents.

Assessing exposure to phthalates & parabens can help identify everyday exposures to toxins from the use of items such as personal care products, toys, perfumes, furniture, and plastic food containers. Phthalates and parabens are considered endocrine disruptors and have been associated with conditions such as cancer and infertility. Other examples of endocrine disrupters include BPA and 4-nonylphenol.

The Toxic Effects CORE test is a comprehensive blood and urine panel that tests the body for 43 different potentially harmful chemicals including endocrine disruptors to which we may be exposed to via food, air, products, and the environment. Chronic exposure to the aforementioned environmental agents may contribute to autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative conditions and many other symptoms listed in this section.

GASTROINTESTINAL TESTING

Gastrointestinal (GI) tests can provide clinicians with information about gut health, which can provide clues regarding whether chronic diseases and symptoms are associated with GI dysfunction. This includes tests such as celiac and gluten sensitivity; the bacterial overgrowth of small intestine; comprehensive digestive stool analysis with parasitology testing; comprehensive parasitology profile; microbial ecology profile; gut immunology; intestinal permeability assessment; lactose intolerance breath test. The most concise GI test, IBStatus, uses 15 different analytes to assess the overall health of the GI tract.