ENDOCRINE TESTING – Solutions, not Suppression ®The endocrine system of the body is a finely tuned system that relies on all the different hormones being in a state of balance.Hormones include not only estrogen and progesterone, but also testosterone, growth hormone, thyroid hormone, DHEA, cortisol, prolactin and insulin. If an individual experiences an excess or deficiency of any one of these hormones, it results in an endocrine disease.

When giving these replacement hormones to a deficient individual, for example, a woman in menopause or a man in andropause, it is critical that baseline levels be obtained and that the correct dose of the medication is monitored with ongoing therapy. By keeping replacement levels in physiologic range, it enables the individual to get the benefits of the hormone with little or no adverse effects. Hormone levels are usually assessed with blood testing.  Saliva testing may also be useful in some instances.

ADDITIONAL DIAGNOSTIC TESTING

A) Berkely Advanced Cardiovascular Marker (blood) to assess for risk of heart disease & stroke.

B) Estrogen Metabolites (Blood or Urine) to assess your ability to process estrogen and determine a modifiable risk for osteoporosis and breast cancer.

C) Gastro-intestinal testing (stool, urine) to assess digestive function in individuals with significant gastric symptoms. This test can be very useful especially in these patients who have already been screened with colonoscopy and have no serious pathology, other than irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Medical Director, Marina Johnson, M.D., F.A.C.E.  armed with 29 years of clinical experience and laboratory analysis, provides you sophisticated answers of all of the laboratory tests she performs and monitors. For patients under her care the absolute first directive is to provide you Solutions, not Suppression ®.