Integrative and functional medicine is focused on the health of the whole patient. Based on holistic ideals, functional medicine says that the body must be balanced for health to occur.
The medicine of the future will identify diseases before they will clinically manifest. Many markers may be present in the blood before they manifest in the physical body. Diagnostic testing is the best way to bring the future into your present practice through early diagnosis and treatment. Lab work can help guide your diagnosis and indicate appropriate treatment. After all the blood doesn’t lie!
NEW and ingenious diagnostic testing is the cornerstone of the integrative and functional practitioner. Here are some new lab tests that you might want to take advantage of to help your patients:
- Molecular RPP (Respiratory Pathogen Panel) Tests
Throughout millennia the flu has been a deadly and serious problem. A quick-spreading viral illness, it doesn’t respond to antibiotics. Many times, a patient may present in your office with flu-like symptoms, but there’s no way to know by sight if it is the flu or a respiratory illness that is caused by bacteria. The Molecular RPP (respiratory pathogen panel) test can show you results in just 24 hours. The test is non-invasive requiring only a nasopharyngeal swab for diagnosis. Treating the flu or a bacterial illness correctly is your patients best bet for speedy and effective treatment, and this new test can tell you what you need to know in record time.
Molecular UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)Tests
The best new tests for UTI’s are molecular. Molecular UTI (urinary tract infection) test, offers same-day results and far more sensitive identification of bacterial species than all other testing methods. The urinary tract infection molecular test panel simultaneously identifies 17 pathogens (gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria) from a single urine specimen. The test can identify hard to culture bacteria and can give results even if the patient has recently taken antibiotics. A great lab can have results for you in 24 hours.
Gastrointestinal Pathogen Tests
Gastrointestinal symptoms can be so uncomfortable for patients. With the rise of new superbugs, such a c-difficile, they can also be deadly! Many infectious agents can colonize the large gastrointestinal tract, which is a home to many naturally occurring microorganisms, many are beneficial, but others can be harmful. Gastrointestinal pathogen tests can identify problem agents in the GI tract. It is a molecular test intended for the detection and identification of bacterial, viral, and parasitic GI pathogens. This diagnostic stool test accurately identifies the correct pathogen within 24 hours to ensure appropriate treatment and patient management. Correct diagnosis and treatment decreases incidences of infectious gastroenteritis, a condition which can lead to severe illness and even death!
- Cognitive PGx Tests
With a larger aging population than ever before in history, one of the biggest challenges that practitioners face is keeping patients’ cognitive abilities intact. Losing one’s cognitive ability over time is not inevitable! There are nearly 50 known causes of cognitive decline that exist, and the cause varies from one patient to another. A cognitive care plan PGx test uses a blood test and proprietary algorithms to analyze over 1000 points in each patients’ genome and thousands of other biological and behavioral data to identify the active underlying causes of cognitive decline in each individual. Medicare helped to create this test to prevent loss and cognitive care plans are widely reimbursed for patients over 65.*
Utilizing these NEW cutting-edge tests in your integrative practice can improve patient care in your integrative and functional practice. Of course, at EC3 we work with labs that provide these NEW tests and the more traditional diagnostic, HRT, thyroid and weight loss panels that will be familiar to all functional and integrative practitioners. Ask us today about the labs we partner with, we are always excited to partner with integrative and functional practitioners looking for a great lab!
*EC3Health is not responsible for Medicare treatment information or initiatives. Please visit medicare.gov for more info on Medicare eligibility.
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