Feeling out of balance?

-Struggling with brain fog and concentration

-Fluctuating mood

-Exhausted and cannot find answers -Constant anxiety

-Unable to cope with stress

-Eat well though still have no energy

Looking for answers?: Functional testing may help

Are you fed up with how you are feeling and are looking for answers? Functional testing can help to shed some light on what is happening in your body and contributing to how you are feeling. Functional testing can help investigate:

-Neurotransmitter biochemistry

-Hormone balance: Thyroid, adrenal and sex hormones

-Nutritional status

-Digestive health

-Environmental factors: Chemical and heavy metal exposure

-Genetic factors

Are my neurotransmitters in balance? Neurotransmitter testing can tell us how the body is working, in a biochemical nature, specifically, which out of balance neurotransmitters are responsible for your changing your mood, low energy or any other symptoms.

Mood, Depression, and Nutrition

Neurotransmitter imbalance can be due to:

Adrenal dysfunction

Poor blood sugar balance

Food sensitivities

Heavy metal exposure

Chemical and drug exposure

Hormone imbalance

Nutritional deficiency

Underactive or overactive thyroid function

Conducting a urinary neurotransmitter test will show what levels of excitation (exciting) and inhibitory (calming) neurotransmitters you have in the body, and therefore what is influencing your mood. Knowing the answers to your body’s biochemistry can help to guide a specific treatment protocol to achieve the appropriate balance for you.

How are my hormones involved? Low energy, stressed or experiencing low moods? This could be due to adrenal fatigue, thyroid dysfunction, issues with melatonin production or an imbalance in sex hormones.

Here’s a quick run-down on each:

Thyroid gland: The thyroid gland produces hormones that influence essentially every organ, tissue, and cell in the body. It responds to stimulation by thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH); a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland in the brain. It is linked with weight gain or loss, energy changes, stress and many other unexplained symptoms.

Adrenal glands: The adrenal glands are primarily responsible for the body’s adaptations to stress. Chronic adrenal stress affects communication between the brain and hormone-secreting glands, including the thyroid. Therefore, untreated chronic stress can lead to adrenal fatigue and can greatly affect the functioning of the thyroid gland. Testing cortisol can be an indicator of adrenal health and stress adaptation.

Melatonin: This is produced in our deep sleep. If you are not reaching a deep sleep you will not produce sufficient melatonin to rest and recharge your body at night and feel refreshed in the morning.

Sex hormones: Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and many other sex hormones are closely linked with many of the symptoms mentioned above. A full sex hormone profile can provide a snapshot of what is happening inside your body.

Why digestive health and nutrition is so important We require many nutrients to produce the neurotransmitters and hormones within our body, that are required for optimal nervous system function.

For key nutrients, see our Blog: Smoothie Secrets For Mood Regulation

We also require a proper functioning digestive system to absorb these nutrients from our food.

Further, serotonin, our mood-regulating neurotransmitter, lives in the lining of our gut. Therefore, a permeable gut wall will impair serotonin status and can be one reason for your depression. A leaky gut test can indicate whether the gut wall is permeable and requires healing.

Still haven’t found the answer? Consider the environment and genetics Heavy metal testing through hair sample or urine. Testing for kryptopyrroles to diagnose pyroluria, and genetic testing for polymorphisms such as MTHFR can be other areas to investigate.

Can these tests help diagnose your Mood?