You can order all the key nutrient tests on the shop here.
If you’re all confused, simply follow the Wellbeing protocol here; you’ll not go far wrong! Or ask me if you need help.
Nutrient Testing: A Minefield!
Nothing happens in the body without the right nutrient in the right place, in the right quantity and form and the right time! Simple as. You cannot function without the right nutrition in place. You’d have to go some to have no nutrition at all, of course – we all eat, however badly sometimes! – but the reality is that most health conditions are caused or at least exacerbated by a nutritional deficiency or imbalance in my view. It is always involved.
For example: think about fatigue. Very likely it is to do with poor adrenal, thyroid or mitochondrial function. It might also have to do with stress levels. All of those issues are dependent upon minerals – especially magnesium. So, you can test your adrenal or thyroid, you can take mitochondrial boosters, you can try and calm down BUT if your magnesium is low, you’re only going to get so far. Do you see? Nutrient levels are crucial.
I’d love to say if you eat the right diet, you’ll get everything you need, but experience has told me over many years, this just ain’t likely! Even if you think about what we’ve done to food production and how that has impacted on the nutrient levels in soil and therefore our food, many, many people are simply not digesting and absorbing well enough. That means the little they may be getting is not going anywhere.
Most people are eating a poor carb- and processed food- heavy diet, sadly, and not absorbing much of even that. I call it ‘starving in the midst of plenty!’ In other words, we eat far too much food, but it is so nutrient-poor and our absorption capacity so low that the body is still needing to plug a load of nutrient gaps. I often think this is why people are hungry a lot – the body makes us eat more and more until it can get enough of the basic nutrients. Any weight loss programme should have a really good supplement protocol as part of it for this very reason.
Anyway – rant over – we end up with hypofunction in some way – we’re just not firing on all four cylinders and our systems start to not work as efficiently. Think: cholesterol, weight, blood sugar control for a start. Let alone how rubbish we might be feeling energy-wise.
So, do not underestimate the importance of nutrition – and of absorbing well enough – I would ask that you sort that out as a priority too. Check these:
Testing Summary
This is a toughie because it depends what you want. Each test seems to have a different collection of nutrients, of course!
You would think it would be pretty easy to test nutrient levels, wouldn’t you? Well, it’s not – if you’re going to do it properly! There are tons of tests out there that would be cheap and easy to use, but often they are not looking in the right places in my view – and I’ve done a lot of work on this.
For example, minerals are most often measured in serum. However, I think that only gives you a snapshot of what’s in the body, whereas red or white blood cell, or even whole blood, will give you more of an idea what’s happening in the cells ie. have you got enough to actually do something with in the right place? For example, if you measure magnesium in serum, it will give you a very different picture to red blood cell magnesium – and the same goes for most minerals. It’s not perfect by any means, but I would choose intracellular if you can, every time. And, by the way, fingerprick tests will also likely be incomplete, sorry, don’t shoot the messenger!
Here is a technical, but useful overview of nutrient testing that might help you choose which test to do.
Nutrient Tests
In general, I would go for the Genova Elemental Analysis Test, which measures the key minerals and toxic metals in the correct forms (rare!). You can order that on the shop or direct using my code A42RS. For vitamins, choose TDL’s Vitamin Profile 2. This is costly because it is a special process – and not easy – to test the correct active forms of B vits, active B12, red cell folate etc. Then, add on anything else you need using the ideas I’ve given below.
Alternatively, use functional profiles. I love the Genova Metabolomix urine test or Nutreval, depending how comprehensive you want to be. You can order those on the shop or using my code A42RS at Genova. The nice thing about these is they give you a suggested corrective protocol – all the hard work’s done for you!
Heavy Metal Testing
Nowadays, I think Quicksilver Lab is the best at this. Use their blood metals panel or the Mercury Tri-test if mercury is all you need or you need to dig deeper to see if any mercury showing up is actually needing treatment or not. This is because it is the only test I know of that can differentiate between the types of mercury. ie. is it coming from your amalgams (the most damaging type: inorganic mercury) or fish/seafood (methyl mercury)? And it will also measure how effectively you are detoxifying it.
A hair test can show mostly methyl levels (fish) but a bit of swallowed amalgam mercury. Challenge tests, which can mobilise mercury before you are ready to detox it are thankfully no longer necessary. Blood tests will also measure mainly methyl/fish again. Urine tests all inorganic (amalgam) mercury. With the Tri-test, you get to measure all of it so much easier! You can see the collection instructions here and a sample report here. The Tri-Test can also be done on children – obviously bear in mind it needs a blood sample, not fingerprick, so very young children may not like that much!
You can read much more about this on my Mercury Factsheet.
Specific Nutrients
Ensuring Vitamin D is becoming more and more crucial. You can do a simple 25-OH fingerprick Vitamin D test. Order on the shop or direct with that link.
Another useful addition is Fatty Acids, too if necessary (ie. especially fatigue, inflammation, pain, neurological issues present). You can get much more complex fatty acid testing too but this, I think, is enough for most needs. You can order direct using my code A42RS or on the shop.
An extra word on Anaemia and B12 testing. This is surprisingly tough to find. Use the TDL Anaemia Profile, which includes active B12 (serum can be misleading) and red cell folate (ditto) as well as the usual iron panel markers. Even better, it includes ESR because inflammation can make a difference to what the ferritin levels do.
Those of you on statins should be checking your CoQ10 levels since those meds are known to deplete this important DNA, heart, energy and brain nutrient. A lack of CoQ10 is also thought to be a possible cause of the common muscle pain side effects.
Genetic Tests
Finally, there can be some genetic reasons why some people struggle with certain nutrients. I found, for example, that I have a weakness on absorbing Vitamin D from sunlight – who knew?!
Here, you might like to do the Optimal Health Pro (use Micki Rose as practitioner to order) or order it on the shop. Simply fascinating – and more importantly, give you some real clues as to what ‘weaknesses’ you may have that you can address and prevent issues from in future. Caveat though: just because you have the SNP on a gene does not mean you will get a problem. But it does answer some questions for some people – like WHY CAN’T I LOSE WEIGHT?!!
The Optimal Health Pro gives a really good overview and a fantastic report using information on your diet and lifestyle too that you supply – which makes sense of the results in the most key areas for you. You can then go through each element that shows up and do stuff about it – work with a practitioner who will guide you. Look at the sample report – all 47 pages of it; I love this one!
Testing Tips..
Q: Do I have to stop taking anything for an anaemia or active B12 test?
A: Stop any iron or folate supplements for 48 hours before unless monitoring on them. The active B12 lab advises stopping B12 supplements for 2-3 weeks before this specific type of B12 test.
Q: Can someone with thalassaemia have a red blood cell mineral test done OK?
I checked with the lab and they said that neither the size nor shape of the cell matters as they break them open anyway to do the test process. However, if the cell is too fragile and breaks during centrifuging (which some tests needs to have done), and there are regularly signs of haemolysis, then there would be a problem. In that case, they advise whole blood testing instead rather than red blood cell.