Have a Mental Health Issue? 

Here are the tests you need to get done!

 

 

If You Have a Mental Health Issue Here Are All the Tests, I Suggest

Often by the time I see someone who has been struggling with a mental health issue they have seen many doctors and alternative specialists. They are by this time feeling defeated and not as willing to spend as much money.

This may be an issue because often the right tests were never run. I do my best to keep your cost down and thus often try to pick the one right test that I want you to start of with. The issue is that in many cases, we still have more unanswered questions, we are not getting full results and more testing is needed. Most people end up not wanting to pay for more tests and end up not getting full results

This is frustrating for you and for me. I want to see you get completely better, not only slightly or partially. I do a full and detailed intake to get helpful information but unfortunately, I am not a psychic so without testing I am still making educated guesses.

Here are ALL the tests that I suggest you start off with right off the bat. This will give us all the information we need to help develop a plan of action for you and the right steps and in the right order!

I review all tests with you in detail!

I suggest running these tests if you have anxiety, depression, ADHD, ADD, bi-polar or schizophrenia.  These tests are all suggested as well for gut, digestive and bowel disorders too.  

Where to Start

Get These tests First- Ordered by Your Doctor Under Your Insurance

Here is the very first place you should start. You should be able to get all these tests via blood work from your primary care doctor. If he or she does run these tests and says “everything is normal” I still want to see them! Often everything is NOT normal, and I have found that even though you ask for certain tests and the doctor nods her head, she often doesn’t run all of them so when I see the lab results, they are often incomplete.

Doctors because of lack of time, will often only look at numbers on lab work that are out of range. I am going to look at every maker on your lab work, whether it is out of range or not. Even if the numbers fall within Western Standards ranges, there is often revealing and helpful information.

If your doctor doesn’t run all these tests, then we can order the ones she did not run. I can order these tests for you, but it is out of pocket, not covered by insurance.

Blood Work Via Your Doctor

Please note that when it says panel, this isn’t just one marker, but a panel of markers and you doctor knows what all these markers are.

These are all very standard tests that should be ordered if you are experiencing any mental health issue.

  • Lipid Panel
  • Iron panel
  • Thyroid panel including antibody testing
  • CRP
  • A1C
  • Fasting glucose
  • WBC, RBC
  • Liver and kidney markers
  • Homocysteine
  • B12 and MMA
  • Celiac test (ask for the tTG-IgA or the Celiac antibody panel)
  • Folate
  • Vitamin D

Other Tests BUT Your Doctor Likely Won’t Run These

(and may not even know anything about these tests!)

GI Map with Zonulin ($325)

A gut test is important when looking at mental health because our gut health is intertwined with our mental health.

This is a stool test that looks at bacteria, fungi, worms, yeast, digestive function, leaky gut and the immune system. This test will give us insight into the GI health and how to address any issues. Often there is more than one issue and health issues may need to be addressed in a certain order.

Zonulin is a marker for leaky gut syndrome (intestinal permeability). Zonulin is a protein that modulates the permeability of tight junctions between the cells of the wall of the digestive tract.

This is a test option for those with anxiety, ADHD, depression, digestive issues and/or bowel issues.

This test can be dropped shipped to you and you can send the stool sample directly back to the lab along with the fee. 

Organic Acid Test ($280)

This is an in-depth test that looks at these biomarkers: mitochondrial products assessment via citric acid cycle components, NT metabolites to look at CNS function, vitamin and mineral insufficiencies, amino acid insufficiencies, oxidative damage and antioxidant sufficiency markers, indicators to assess detox sufficiency, markers for B complex def, lipoic acid and COQ10 sufficiency markers, dysbiosis markers for bacterial and yeast overgrowth, methylation sufficiency status

This is a good test to take for those with fatigue, CFS, anxiety, depression, autism, struggling to lose weight, ADHD, and gut issues. This test will not show if you have SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth).  For SIBO a breath test is needed.  

Food Sensitivity Testing ($195)

You can do a food elimination diet for the main food groups which can be long and intensive, but I prefer this route as it is less painless. Also, it can be surprising as some foods you may be sensitive to may not be included in the food elimination diet. For instance, I have had results come back with people sensitive to rice, or to lentils, coffee and sesame seeds. I prefer the test to rule out foods that we may miss in a food elimination diet. Additionally, I find that youth and teens need to see a test result in order to commit to swapping certain foods out of their diet.

Food sensitivities don’t just cause gut related issues but often are associated with mental health issues as well. Parents of children with food sensitivities who have swapped out these foods often say, “its like I have my child back”

Food Dye and Coloring Testing, Chemical Testing ($209)

This is a blood test. The kit is mailed to you and then you need to contact a lab to arrange for a blood draw. This is the Alcat Food Additive/Colorings & Environmental Chemicals test to order via my Direct Labs account. This test will look at food dye colorings, along with MSg, artificial sugars, and other chemicals such as polysorbate 80, that can be found in many processed foods.

In a processed diet, often the amount of dyes and colorings and other chemicals that are consumed are at elevated levels. Some people are more sensitive to these non-food ingredients. You may even have a whole food diet yet still are consuming dyes say in your vitamins and your sport drinks. Sensitivity to these chemicals can cause an array of signs and symptoms including behavioral issues, head banging in toddlers, bed wetting into pre-teen age, anger, autism, and aggressive outbursts.

Spectra Cell Test ($400)

This test looks at nutrient levels at the cellular level. It will show you what you are deficient in, what nutrients are borderline and which ones you have adequate amounts of. Being deficient in an array of nutrients can cause mental health issues. This test will look at 35 vitamins, minerals, amino and fatty acids, antioxidants and metabolites.  Your white blood cells are analyzed to provide an accurate analysis of your body’s deficiencies.  This is a blood test. The kit is sent to you and then you need to go to a blood draw site.  

Kryptopyrrole test ($180)

This test looks for Pyroluria and is through Great Plains Labratory. This is a disorder in which the person excretes too much B6 and zinc in their urine leaving them in a constant state of deficiency. Main- stream medical doctors are not taught about this disorder and so are not familiar with it and its signs and symptoms.

Pyroluria is a genetic metabolic condition. If you have it, this is a lifelong condition in which the person is deficient in B6 and zinc. The protocol is simple-take higher doses of B6 and zinc than the average person would need but you will need to do this permanently.

Those who have or struggle with alcoholism, schizophrenia, ADHD, depression, anxiety or autism may have Pyroluria as an underlying condition. As stated, most doctors do not recognize this condition, nor will they test for it.

This is a sensitive test that can result in false negatives, so a questionnaire is used in addition to this test to help determine the best plan of action. This is a urine test.

Other Tests

Other tests that can be added in on a case by case basis would include Celiac disease (if doctor didn’t test for it), Mold Exposure test, and a Heavy Metal Test.  

This list is subject to change as new tests are created.  

Bottom Line

For all tests the total cost comes out to $1809. I know this is pricey.

But wouldn’t it be nice to know what is at the root of your mental health issue instead of guessing or basing it off something you read on the internet?

Wouldn’t it be nice to know what is going on with your body instead of the doctor saying, “tests results are all normal. It’s “just” a chemical imbalance and you should use medication”.

Wouldn’t you rather address root causes for life -long health, vitality, energy and happiness rather than using symptoms management for the rest of your life?

If so, please give me a call and we can discuss the best possible route for you.

Please note that prices on tests are subject to change due to lab changes in pricing.