Special Studies for Health Assessment

    

At Bateman-Gatrost Chiropractic we have several unique diagnostic tools at our disposal for the assessment of nutritional status.  Blood work, saliva testing, tissue mineral analysis, acoustic cardiographs, and symptom surveys can all be used in making nutritional recommendations.  All nutritional recommendations should be cross-referenced with at least two indicators.  Our nutritional recommendations are always a complement to any prescribed medications, or medical care and are never a replacement.  We strive to achieve optimal physiological balance within the body.  This often negates the need for some medical treatments as a pleasant side-effect, not an overt intention.  All herbs utilized are carefully scrutinized for any possible drug interactions.

 

Blood Chemistry can be a tool for the assessment of nutritional status within the body.  In allopathic, or mainstream medical care it is the primary means for the diagnosis of disease.  Blood work is an excellent indicator of the end-stage of disease.  In other words, blood values are generally the last of the indicators used naturopathically to go awry.  This is necessary within allopathic medicine due to the nature of their treatments.  The end-stage must be reached prior to prescribing medications with side effects or potentially dangerous surgeries.  This is why so many patients feel as though there is something wrong with their health but their medical doctor appears to be playing the “wait and see” game.  Naturopathically, we use blood values, not to ascertain end-stages of disease, but to see optimal physiological balance.  This is accomplished by using optimal reference ranges rather than population averages for the desired blood values.

 

Saliva Testing is essentially one step more sensitive than blood chemistry.  The analogy used to explain the difference is a simple one.  Blood work will show you how many individuals a company employs, while saliva testing shows you how many of those employees actually show up to work. In other words, blood testing demonstrates bound components in the blood, not those free to do work at the tissue level, which saliva testing does provide.  Saliva testing also provides direct, sensitive measurement of secretory antibodies commonly found in allergies and autoimmune diseases.  This is especially useful information in the nutritional assessment of individuals with diagnoses of thyroid dysfunction, digestive problems, behavioral issues, infertility, PMS, menopause, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndromes among other ailments, or simply to optimize wellness.

 

Tissue Mineral Analysis, TMA, is an indicator that can be used to show predispositions to imbalances within an individual’s physiology.  TMA consists of taking a one gram hair sample from the nape of the neck and then sending it to a laboratory for analysis.  The extrapolation of what is in the hair to what is occurring in the body is at the heart of TMA.  Every vitamin, enzyme and hormone in the human body is activated by a mineral co-factor.  So by evaluating which minerals are present,  at what levels and most importantly, at what ratios to one-another, TMA can provide a window into the function of the body’s organs prior to the end-stage seen in abnormal blood chemistry.  TMA can also show levels of the toxic metals lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic and aluminum.  If any of these toxic metals are present, oral chelation therapy can be administered. 

 

Acoustic Cardiographs or ACG’s are the recordings of heart sounds over each of the four heart valves.  The resultant graphs can then be studied to demonstrate nutrient need and organ dysfunction as reflected in the heart sounds.  The apparent need can then be supplemented, and in just a few minutes the ACG can be re-recorded showing the improvement in the graph.  This is very different than an electocardiogram, ECG or EKG, used by the allopathic profession.  EKG’s are the record of electrical activity of the heart and only show permanent damage to the heart tissue and arrhythmia.  The ACG is another naturopathic window into body physiology not intended to diagnose, treat or cure disease.  Once again, optimal overall function of the body is the only objective.   

 

Symptom Surveys are the easiest way to evaluate nutrient need.  Patients simply respond to the presence or absence of symptoms and their severity.  We may also take into account diet, acid/alkaline balance and basal body temperatures on this form.  Along with the patient and family histories, this is the starting point of all nutritional evaluations at Bateman-Gatrost Chiropractic.