Micronutrient Testing

Overwhelming scientific evidence confirms that vitamin deficiencies are associated with disease processes and the overall condition of one’s health. Vitamin, mineral and antioxidant deficiencies have been shown to suppress immune function and contribute to chronic degenerative processes such as arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This body of research has been reaffirmed by the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 19, 2002-Vol 287, No 23). The micronutrient tests measures how micronutrients are actually functioning within your patients’ white blood cells. These tests allow nutritional assessment of your patients for a broad variety of clinical conditions including arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular risk, diabetes, various immunological disorders, metabolic disorders and micronutrient deficiencies.

 A basic test costs $290 dollars.

 Why Micronutrient Testing?

Verify balanced levels of nutritional functioning based on your individual biochemistry. Micronutrient test measures over 30 different vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, and elements of carbohydrate metabolism. Your current supplemental regimen may be based on sound advice and science, but knowing what specific deficiencies exist for you is key to optimal health and prevention.

Why Is Functional Testing Better?

Serum testing measures nutrients levels in a very short window. MicroNutrient Testing measures LONG-TERM nutrient status over 3 – 6 MONTHS Serum testing only measures nutrient status outside the cell in the serum MicroNutrient Testing measures nutrient status WITHIN the patient’s own cells determining ABSORPTION.

Nutrient Status Is A Vital Foundation Of Health

Each micronutrient plays an individual and indispensable role in promoting optimal functioning of all our cells. When some of our cells do not function at their best, the foundation of our health is compromised, setting the stage for the development of disease. By identifying and correcting functional micronutrient deficiencies, you are taking an important step toward long-term maintenance of optimal health.

Micronutrient Test Is More Advanced Than Other Laboratory Tests

Before the introduction of the Micronutrient Test, many diagnosis and risk assessments were based on clinical observation and measurements of static levels of certain nutrients in serum. Static serum levels are not always representative indicators for assessing cell metabolism and utilization.

 MicroNutrient Test offers a unique means to scientifically assess the intracellular requirements of micronutrients that play an important role in overall health and wellness.

Micronutrient test measure the biochemical function of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants, providing a powerful clinical assessment tool. Our panels are designed to provide you with the most comprehensive nutritional analysis available.

What If I Am Deficient?

As the only lab that can offer a truly functional intracellular testing (Micronutrient Test), we also provide you with targeted nutrient repletion recommendations for those vitamins and minerals found to be deficient.

 Why Nutritional Testing Is Important?

 Nutrient deficiencies are common, in fact 90% of people are deficient and 50% of those are already taking supplements. Vitamin deficiencies contribute to common degenerative disease like heart disease, stroke, cancer and Alzheimer's.

Many prescription medication can cause nutrient depletions. (Ask us to provide you with a chart) Having a strong antioxidant defense system protects you against heart disease, cancer and other chronic conditions. There can be too much of a "good thing" -- too many antioxidants can be harmful. The only way to know what you need is to be tested. Simply taking a multivitamin may not be enough to meet your nutritional needs. You might be over supplementing with unnecessary vitamins, minerals or antioxidants.

 Heaving healthy cells promotes strong immune function and optimal health for a lifetime.

 What Does Micronutrient Test Include?



The MicroNutrient Test Tests For 32 Vitamins And Minerals:
 VITAMINS Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Biotin, Folate, Pantothenate
 MINERALS Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper
AMINO ACIDS Asparagine, Glutamine, Serine.
 ANTIOXIDANTS Alpha Lipoic Acid, Coenzyme Q10, Cysteine, Glutathione, Selenium, Vitamin E, SPECTOX™ for total antioxidant function.
 CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM Chromium, Fructose Sensitivity, Glucose-Insulin, Metabolism. FATTY ACIDS Oleic Acid.
 METABOLITES Choline, Inositol, Carnitine.

Vitamin D supplements liquid, topical, repletion ideas

What does vitamin D do for the body?

This essential nutrient is called a vitamin, but dietary vitamin D is actually a precursor hormone — the building block of a powerful steroid hormone in your body called calcitriol. It’s been known for many years that vitamin D is critical to the health of our bones and teeth, but deeper insight into D’s wider role in our health is quite new.

Vitamin D works in concert with other nutrients and hormones in your body to support healthy bone renewal — an ongoing process of mineralization and demineralization which, when awry, shows up as rickets in children and osteomalacia (“soft bones”) or osteoporosis (“porous bones”) in adults.

Researchers are discovering that D also promotes normal cell growth and differentiation throughout the body, working as a key factor in maintaining hormonal balance and a healthy immune system. It appears that calcitriol actually becomes part of the physical composition of cells, assisting in the buildup and breakdown of healthy tissue — in other words, regulating the processes that keep you well.

What’s more, evidence from studies tracking the prevalence of disease by geography and nationality shows clear links between vitamin D deficiency and obesity, insulin resistance, heart disease, certain cancers, and depression. Since most of these problems take many years to manifest, vitamin D deficiency has been overlooked by many providers for a very long time. I test all of my patients, and have been surprised to find that more than 85% come up with a vitamin D deficiency.

Your body can’t create vitamin D on its own. Instead, it’s designed to make it through sun exposure. In theory, you can make an ample supply of vitamin D with as little as a couple of hours per week in the sun — provided the UVB rays are strong enough. You can also ingest D through food, especially fatty fish like wild–harvested salmon. Plus, lots of foods are fortified nowadays, so vitamin D deficiency should be an easy problem to solve, right? But the truth is, we’re just not getting enough, and so many of us aren’t even close.
Few foods naturally contain or are fortified with supplemental vitamin D. For example, an 8-ounce glass of whole milk is fortified with 100 IU (international units) of vitamin D – just 10 percent of what the most conservative vitamin D researchers now say we need daily. In contrast, sun exposure to the skin makes thousands of units of vitamin D naturally in a relatively short period of time.

Vitamin D supplements are an alternative means of producing vitamin D when regular, non-burning sun exposure is not possible.

Humans spend less time in the sun today than at any point in human history – which is why more than 1 billion people worldwide are vitamin D deficient.

Consequences of low Vitamin D

Rickets: Rickets is caused in children by deficiency of Vitamin D, calcium or phosphorus. It used to be the most well known of the symptoms of vitamin d deficiency but has not been a big problem since food manufacturers started fortifying milk and other foods with small doses of Vitamin D.

Depression: There is some evidence to show that low Vitamin D levels have an association with depression, and studies have shown that Vitamin D3 has helped reduce seasonal depression during winter months. Lack of UVB Rays from the sun may be part of the reason for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Weakened immune system: Most cells in the body contain receptor sites for Vitamin D and these include immune system cells. Vitamin D has been shown to enhance the activity of those cells, and to decrease chances of developing autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis.

Mysterious health issues: Vitamin D has many varied effects on the cells in the body, and if you are experiencing any mysterious health symptoms then you should have a blood test done to make sure you are not Vitamin D deficient.

Long term symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency

Osteoporosis: An important role of Vitamin D is regulating calcium absorption and calcium balance in the bones, and a well known symptom of vitamin d deficiency is weakened and brittle bones, where the severe cases end up with osteoporosis.

Cancer: Vitamin D deficiency has in research studies been shown to be highly correlated with many forms of cancer. This makes the recommendation of people avoiding the sun in order to prevent skin cancer to be extremely bogus, since avoiding sun would cause low vitamin d levels and therefore increase risks of developing other cancer forms.

Please find the dose that your health provider recommended you take and make sure your blood levels are monitored regularly if you are on a high dose supplement.

Suggestions for my patients:
Please consider all of the other calcium containing supplements when you view these suggestions.
Vitamin D levels — what’s really optimal? >100 ng/mL Excessive vitamin D (see note on toxicity) 50–70 ng/mL Proposed optimal range 30–50 ng/mL Suboptimal but still normal range <30 ng/mL Deficient <20 ng/mL Overt vitamin D deficiency <10 ng/mL Seriously deficient
Vitamin D level:

<10 level 50,000 IU weekly or 10,000 IU daily 10-20 level 5000 IU daily 20-30 level 2000 IU daily 30-50 level 1000 IU daily 50-70 level 400 IU daily for 12-16 weeks, then return for bloodwork. Levels over 30 are considered normal Levels 50-70 are considered optimal If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, the upper daily limit for pregnant women is 4000 IU daily. FDA Disclaimer The statements and products shown on this website have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Those seeking treatment for a specific disease should consult a qualified integrative physician prior to using our products if possible.

Vitamins that taste good

I have many patients who complain that they stopped taking vitamins due to taste.
Here are recommendations of things I or my patients have tried. A couple of items, I included because they look fun (tell me how the calcium malted milk balls taste)...
Some can be found at your grocery store or pharmacy.

Also check out my Bariatric Surgery Supplements blog. Many other chewable and liquid options can be found there.

See my vitamin D blog for liquid, chewable, and topical options.

See my Omega blog for delicious options for those of you to object to fishy tasting supplements.

I also included some topical supplements that do absorb and provide some benefit.

FDA Disclaimer

The statements and products shown on this website have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration.

These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Those seeking treatment for a specific disease should consult a qualified integrative physician prior to using our products if possible.

Natural strategies for colds and flu

Cold and Flu Treatment with Intravenous Vitamin Therapy
It seems like some of us just can't get through cold and flu season without getting sick. Catching the occasional cold may be normal, but some people seem to be more susceptible, getting several colds a year. We all know people who always say they're going to get a flu shot, but never end up going through with it - and every year, without fail, they get a bad case of the flu that lays them up in bed for 2 weeks!

Antibiotics aren't the answer!
Many people who catch a cold go to their doctor and demand antibiotics. And even though colds are caused by a virus, some doctors give antibiotics to patients who request them just to make them happy. This has contributed to the now-widespread problem of antibiotic resistance. Of course, colds and flu can linger, and bacterial infections, such as sinusitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia, can set in. In such cases, antibiotics are appropriate treatment.

Why do I always get a cold or the flu?
If you get a lot more colds or flu than most people, you could have a depressed immune system. As you might expect, certain people, such as organ-transplant recipients or HIV patients, are much less able to fend off infection. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you might not realize that taking many of the new drugs for RA, such as Enbrel or Humira, can severely depress your immune system.

But what if you don't have any of these problems, and you still get sick with colds and flu frequently? You could be "burning the candle at both ends" - stressing yourself out - which can cause lowered immunity. There is a very real reason behind this: stress causes your adrenal glands to produce high levels of cortisol, which has benefits such as reducing inflammation, but also strongly suppresses your immune system!


Goji Berries

Goji berries or sometimes called wolf berries, are rich in immune boasting compounds known as Lycium barbarum polysaccharides, most often referred to as polysaccharides. Research show that these compounds enhance the body’s ability to resist disease. The polysaccharides in Goji berries have a chemical structure similar to substances found in echinacea and maitake mushrooms which are known for their ability to support a healthy immune system.


Goji berries are also a rich source of vitamin C and zinc, which you know from my articles, both are known to protect against disease and aid in recovery. They are also rich in antioxidants, vitamins and trace minerals which is vital on giving you the ability to strengthen your immune system so that your bodies can fight off against infections such as flu and influenza.

Vitamin D and influenza
Vitamin D from sunlight or supplements reduces the risk of influenza.

Two randomized controlled trials found reduced incidence of influenza for those taking higher doses of vitamin D. A study involving African-American postmenopausal women in New York found a 60% reduced risk of colds and influenza for those taking 800 IU/d vitamin D3 and 90% reduced risk for those taking 2000 IU/d.

According to an observational study, vitamin D provides protection against influenza. This occurs when vitamin D levels in the blood are more than 38 ng/mL (95 nmol/L).

Prevention
High levels of vitamin D may prevent or lower the risk of influenza. Vitamin D may also reduce symptoms of influenza and reduce the risk of developing pneumonia following influenza. Vaccines strengthen the body’s ability to fight infection. Therefore, combining high levels of vitamin D and anti-influenza vaccines provide the best protection.

Vitamin D
Based on several studies, raising vitamin D blood levels to 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/l) may reduce the risk of influenza. For most people, this involves taking 1000–5000 international units (IU) (25–125 mcg)/day of vitamin D during the influenza season.

Treatment
On average, 2000-5000 IU/day vitamin D3 may provide protection against influenza. Vitamin D3, the true form of vitamin D, is produced in the skin. Larger doses of vitamin D taken for a short time strengthen the immune system. This allows the body to fight infection


In Russia, Rhodiola rosea also known as "Golden root", has been used for centuries to cope with the cold Siberian climate and stressful life. But before describing this unusual herb, let's say a few words about stress itself. In Middle Asia, Rhodiola Rosea tea was the most effective treatment for cold and flu during severe Asian winters.



Green Cell Therapy is 100% organic product that contains a proprietary blend of 32 energetically balanced compounds of wild herbs, Probiotics and "superfoods" that are energetically balanced to perform at the cellular level. Green Cell Therapy activates cellular rejuvenation by providing nutrition that feeds the inner ecosystem to boost immunity; detoxifies the intestines and lymphatic system that aids in proper digestion and restores optimal PH balance; promotes healthy circulation and skin; strengthens the organs and balances internal chemistry that enhances energy levels.

This product contains alfalfa, spirulina, wheatgrass, digestive enzymes and lactobacillus.
Lactobacillus inhibits viruses and stimulates the immune system.