Have you been told that your routine blood tests are all normal, yet you know that there’s something going on with your health? You can’t shift those stubborn extra kilos, you feel exhausted, you wake up with achy joints and your gut is unhappy. Here’s why…
Conventional Testing vs Functional Testing
Between optimal health and being diagnosed with a chronic condition, there is a slippery slope where your body starts to warn you that all is not well. You can’t put your finger on it, but you know something is going on.
Conventional medicine is about diagnosing and treating disease. It’s about what happens at the end of the slippery slope. This is a ‘downstream’ approach, and it plays an important role in managing disease. When I wear my mainstream GP hat, I am going to follow set protocols and criteria to confirm the diagnosis and then I am going to follow specific treatment guidelines to treat the disease I have just diagnosed. Each laboratory provides ‘normal’ reference ranges for the various tests, and as long as your result falls within this range, you’re OK.
Functional medicine is about what’s happening on the slippery slope. Why are you on this slope, what’s keeping you here? It is about an ‘upstream’ approach to identify and manage the underlying drivers that cause you to be on this slope in the first place. Getting off the slope before you end up with a diagnosis is obviously ideal, but not always possible. If you’ve already been diagnosed, then addressing the underlying drivers will hopefully slow down and even reverse your disease progression.
With my functional medicine GP hat on, I am going to look at your conventional test results, but instead of checking whether they are in the ‘normal’ range, I am going to check if they are in the ‘optimal’ range and if they are trending up or down. And depending on your symptoms, I am going to consider advanced testing to get a better understanding of what’s driving your symptoms.
Keen to explore your ‘slippery slope’?
With our focus on gut health, cardiometabolic health and hormonal health, we offer the following advanced testing:
For gut health:
For heart health:
- Comprehensive Cardiovascular Profile ($190 + postage)
- Omega 3 Index ($105 + postage)
- CT CAC score referral
For hormonal health:
Book a functional testing consultation with Dr Nelda Swart to get a ‘behind the scenes’ look at your health.
Your investment
For a once-off investment of $350 plus the cost of the specific test, you get:
- A 30 minute initial consultation during which Dr. Nelda will review your medical and lifestyle history, and refer you for the appropriate functional testing.
- You will receive a detailed report explaining your results, as well as a treatment plan with recommendations on how to address the issues identified in your report.
- Access to the Master Roadmap for Healthy Living course, valued at $249
- A 30 minute follow up consultation to review your treatment plan and answer any questions you may have