Functional Nutrition Testing at our Wexford Location

As a proponent of holistic medicine, Dr. Daniel Turack believes in healing from the inside out. This is why we offer a wide range of functional nutrition tests at our Wexford, PA clinic.

As part of helping you feel better, Dr. Turack strives to understand why you’re sick. And testing always trumps guessing. Our nutrition functional testing helps us determine whether or not certain dietary changes or supplements may possibly help you alleviate symptoms and regain your health.

Within the past two decades, researchers and physicians have started to link many chronic health conditions to nutritional deficiencies. For instance, we’ve learned more about the relationship between nutritional deficiencies and common mood disorders such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances.

We are also learning more about nutrition’s possible role in preventing various cancers, lung conditions, and heart disease, while also reducing inflammation in the body.

The following functional nutrition assessments provide Dr. Turack with laboratory insight into your overall nutritional profile; enabling him to more effectively diagnose and treat your symptoms or condition.

Metabolic Analysis Profile (MAP)

This analysis assesses 45 key organic acids that support the body’s metabolism, gastrointestinal function, energy production, and amino/organic acid balance as influenced by vitamin/mineral cofactors.

This nutritional test will reveal vitamin deficiencies, toxin exposure, and whether or not there is any need for detoxification. Results of this analysis could potentially help address issues ranging from mood swings to headaches, fatigue, general aches and pains, and digestive complications.

Amino Acids Analysis

There are either 37 plasma or 41 urine amino acids included in this analysis of both nutritionally essential and non-essential amino acids.

The purpose of this test is to evaluate the adequacy and assimilation of dietary protein. Metabolic imbalances are revealed that could be the underlying cause of chronic disorders such as fatigue, food sensitivity, depression, behavioral issues (including autism and ADHD), neurological problems, gastrointestinal imbalances, and cardiovascular disease.

Intermediary metabolites are also analyzed to determine any need for B vitamin supplementation or the need for further protein digestion and absorption support.

Urine is typically preferred to plasma for an amino acid analysis. Unlike the plasma level, the amino acid level in urine isn’t affected by circadian rhythm variations. This makes marginal deficiencies much easier to detect with a urine sample.

If the patient shows signs of malnutrition, anorexia, rheumatoid arthritis, or the presence of blood in urine, a plasma-based amino acids analysis may be recommended to determine if low histidine is an issue.

Dr. Turack offers both urine and plasma amino acid testing.

Essential & Metabolic Fatty Acids Analysis (EMFA)

Many inflammatory conditions, as well as hormonal, autoimmune, neurological, mental/behavioral, and hair/skin-related disorders, can be linked to an imbalance of fatty acids.

Fatty acids are one of the most essential nutrients in our diet but much of today’s population has an unhealthy Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio. This is because we’re eating way too many Omega-6 acids and not enough Omega-3s.

It’s a damaging aspect of the Western diet. We are eating more processed seed and vegetable oils that are loaded with Omega-6 fatty acids. Whereas we once got plenty of Omega-3s from animal fat, the livestock we feed from today is also consuming more Omega-6 than Omega-3s. This is because most are corn or grain-fed, not grass fed, to pack on weight.

Some people with a healthy dietary Omega-6 to Omega-3 balance may also have biochemical abnormalities that compromise their body’s ability to properly metabolize these EFAs.

Dr. Turack and the staff at his Wexford clinic perform a thorough and detailed evaluation of a patient’s fatty acid levels to determine if nutritional intervention or supplementation is necessary.

Oxidative Stress Analysis 2.0

Our oxidative stress testing assesses the body’s balance between oxidative damage and antioxidant reserve.

Researchers have discovered a correlation between aging, declining health, and oxidative stress within the body; namely free radical chemistry.

Free radicals are generated by the body’s own natural processes. In some instances, these free radicals have protective attributes, however, if the body does not process them rapidly, built-up free radicals can cause cell mutations and suppress immune function. This contributes to wrinkles and accelerated aging, and may be a contributor to diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.

In fact, many researchers and physicians suspect that free radical damage plays a role in every known disease. Antioxidants are the established antidote to these free radicals.

A simple blood test helps Dr. Turack determine if your body’s antioxidant reserve sufficiently provides the protection needed to squash free radicals. Our test will also verify any damage excess free radical production has already caused to the body. We will then determine if dietary changes or nutritional supplementation are needed.

Vitamin D Test

Vitamin D deficiency is a commonly under diagnosed condition that may be a contributor to depression, obesity, certain cancers, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, and poor bone health.

It’s suspected that 25% of today’s population has a severe Vitamin D deficiency while many more are believed to have Vitamin D levels low enough that it jeopardizes their overall health.

Unless you work outdoors every day, or live where there is literally year-round sunshine, it’s next to impossible to achieve optimal Vitamin D levels from sunlight alone. Especially since our fear of skin cancer has us all layering sunscreen over every inch of exposed skin; compromising the body’s natural ability to convert sunlight into usable Vitamin D when it hits our skin.

Vitamin D insufficiency is also very common among obese or elderly patients, anyone with a darker skin pigment, or confirmed malabsorption syndrome.

Dr. Daniel Turack’s Wexford Vitamin D test is a blood test measuring both natural and synthetic Vitamin D-levels to determine if dietary changes or supplementation is necessary.