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Anxiety and panic

Fibromyalgia: tryptophan or 5-HTP for anxiety, depression, pain and insomnia

By Trudy Scott 39 Comments

fibro and anxiety

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a musculoskeletal pain and fatigue disorder manifested by diffuse myalgia [muscle aches and pain], localized areas of tenderness, fatigue, lowered pain thresholds, and nonrestorative sleep.

This description comes from a paper titled: Fibromyalgia and the serotonin pathway

The paper discusses how low serotonin is often a contributing factor with fibromyalgia and how beneficial tryptophan and/or 5-HTP can be for the anxiety, depression, pain and insomnia we often see in those with classic fibromyalgia:

Evidence from multiple sources support the concept of decreased flux through the serotonin pathway in fibromyalgia patients.

Serotonin substrate supplementation, via L-tryptophan or 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), has been shown to improve symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia and somatic pains in a variety of patient cohorts.

I recently blogged about the effectiveness of 5-HTP being a clinically-effective serotonin precursor and how it improves many of these same symptoms:

Therapeutic administration of 5-HTP has been shown to be effective in treating a wide variety of conditions, including depression, fibromyalgia, binge eating associated with obesity, chronic headaches, and insomnia.

5-HTP improves symptoms of fibromyalgia but can also cause agitation when cortisol is high

An open 90-day study in 50 patients affected by fibromyalgia found benefits with the use of 5-HTP:

When all the clinical variables studied throughout the trial (number of tender points, anxiety, pain intensity, quality of sleep, fatigue) were compared with baseline results, they all showed a significant improvement.

It is concluded that 5-HTP is effective in improving the symptoms of primary fibromyalgia syndrome and that it maintains its efficacy throughout the 90-day period of treatment.

UPDATES March 25, 2022:

Despite the fact that 5-HTP is beneficial for many individuals there is no one-size fits all. 

I don’t recommend 5-HTP when a client has elevated cortisol levels because we know that it can raise cortisol levels in certain individuals. This can leave you feeling agitated, cranky, as well as “wired and tired” at the same time. You may be able to relate to this if you’ve ever used 5-HTP to help with anxiety and insomnia and ended up feeling more anxious and more wide-awake despite your exhaustion and need for sleep. You can read more about this here: Does 5-HTP make you “wired-tired” and affect your sleep when cortisol is high? 

A tryptophan-enriched diet and a combination tryptophan product for fibromyalgia symptoms

As you can see below, a tryptophan-enriched diet and a combination tryptophan product improved some fibromyalgia symptoms and for some individuals, but we still need to customize protocols.

In this study, Psychological and Sleep Effects of Tryptophan and Magnesium-Enriched Mediterranean Diet in Women with Fibromyalgia, “the intervention group received a Mediterranean diet enriched with high doses of tryptophan and magnesium.” Interestingly, the source of extra tryptophan (60 mg) and magnesium (60 mg) was eating walnuts at breakfast and dinner!

This study concludes that tryptophan and magnesium-enriched Mediterranean diet reduced anxiety symptoms, mood disturbance, eating disorders, and dissatisfaction with body image but did not improve sleep quality in women with fibromyalgia.

The addition of additional tryptophan as a supplement would be the next thing I’d recommend for improving sleep. This would be dosed according to each person’s unique needs and after doing a trial and adjusting as needed.

In another study, Comparison between Acupuncture and Nutraceutical Treatment with Migratens® in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial, the treatment group used product called Migratens®, a powdered blend of coenzyme Q10, vitamin D, alpha-lipoic acid, magnesium, tryptophan (300mg), niacin, and riboflavin.

It was used twice a day on an empty stomach and dissolved in a glass of water, spaced about 10 hours apart.

The authors report that “Migratens® treatment shows a statistically significant reduction of pain 1 month after the start of therapy, strengthened after 3 months with maintenance of treatment.” They also noted improvement in quality of life.

Unfortunately, gastrointestinal side-effects (diarrhea, nausea, dyspepsia, constipation, and lack of appetite) were reported by 11% of participants in the treatment group. I’d suspect these side-effects were caused by the ingredients used to make the product slow release.

It’s not surprising that the authors also confirmed “the validity of acupuncture in these patients, as stated by the most recent literature.”

If we suspect low serotonin may be a factor, I have my clients do the following (whether or not they have a fibromyalgia diagnosis):

  • complete the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution and check off their symptoms on the low serotonin section.  The rating uses scale of 1-10 with 10 being worst.
  • review the Amino Acids Precautions and figure out if we can do a trial of 5-HTP or tryptophan
  • do a trial of the amino acid 5-HTP or tryptophan and observe for improvements in anxiety, depression, pain, insomnia and the other low serotonin symptoms

We are all unique and some people do better on 5-HTP and some do better on tryptophan. I typically start with a tryptophan trial since I’ve seen such great benefits with this amino acid. If that’s not working, we’ll do a 5-HTP trial, always watching for high cortisol as 5-HTP can raise cortisol if it’s already high. In this instance 5-HTP may be too stimulating.

Quality is an important issue when it comes to the amino acids and this is especially the case with tryptophan. I find that the Lidtke brand is the most superior. You can see my amino acid product recommendations here.

If you suspect low levels of serotonin and do not yet have my book, The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings, I highly recommend getting it and reading it before jumping in and using amino acids on your own so you are knowledgeable. And be sure to share it with the team you or your loved one is working with. Blog posts like this are intended to add value to the chapter on amino acids, which contains detailed information on doses and time of the day for dosing.

If you are a practitioner, join us in The Balancing Neurotransmitters: the Fundamentals program. It’s an opportunity to interact with me and other practitioners who are also using the amino acids.

 

Do you have a diagnosis of fibromyalgia and have you found benefits with 5-HTP or tryptophan? For your pain? For your sleep? For your anxiety and/or depression?

I’d love to also hear what else has helped with your symptoms?

Feel free to ask your questions here too.

How to do an amino acid trial for anxiety

By Trudy Scott 184 Comments

amino acids for anxiety

The best way to figure out if you have a particular brain chemical imbalance and if you’ll benefit from a certain amino acid, is to do a trial.   This is something I do with all my clients with anxiety, when we’re working one-one-one and with those in group programs, and it works really well.

Because the effects of amino acids can be felt within a few minutes to a few days, it’s easy to confirm whether you do in fact have a deficiency in a certain area and whether you’ll benefit from supplementing with the associated amino acid.

How does doing a trial work?

  • I have my clients complete the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution  and check off their symptoms on the low serotonin, low GABA, low catecholamines, low endorphins, and low blood sugar sections.  The rating uses scale of 1-10 with 10 being worst.
  • I also have my clients review the Amino Acids Precautions  and we figure out which amino acids they can and can’t use
  • I have them do a trial of the amino acid that resonates the most with them. For example if they have really bad obsessive thoughts, anxiety in the head, negative self-talk we’ll start with trying to address low serotonin with tryptophan or 5-HTP. If they resonate more with physical tension and overwhelm, we’ll start with trying to address low GABA with GABA.
  • We trial one amino acid at a time and use them opened onto the tongue or chewed (and held there for 1 to 2 minutes) for getting immediate feedback.
  • I have my client rate themselves before the trial and then afterwards (10 is worst), looking for benefits and how many notches they improved. This helps us figure out how much to start with.
    • If it’s a big improvement (like 4 or 5 notches) they may start on 1 of the lowest dose (for example 1 x 500mg tryptophan or 1 x 125 mg GABA).
    • If they see a small improvement (like 1 or 2 notches) we may start with the lowest dose and give them a range to try over the next week (for example 1-2 x 500mg tryptophan or 1-2 x 125 mg GABA)
  • During the trial and over the next week we also look for possible negative effects, such as a headache or feeling light-headed. If the adverse effects of supplemental amino acids are uncomfortable, taking 1,000 mg of vitamin C is an effective short-term antidote.
  • If someone is very sensitive to small amount of supplements, we may have them do a trial with a dab or two rather than a whole capsule and start really low during the next week.
  • We typically allow a week to see how the selected amino acid is working and adjust up or down during that week until we find the optimal amount.

What are the advantages of doing a trial?

  • You are able to target the amino acid for your specific needs – I write more about this here: Targeted individual amino acids: what do we really mean?
  • You get feedback immediately – the amino acid works or doesn’t
  • You are able to figure out what your starting dose of the amino should be and are able to adjust upwards accordingly
  • You get more in tune with your symptoms and how certain amino acids affect you
  • You can use the results (provided you log them – this is something I recommend and encourage) if you ever need a tune up in the future

Which amino acids have you found to be effective? Did you do a trial to figure out which one to try and how did that work for you? We’d love to hear in the comments below?

Have you got questions about doing a trial? Feel free to ask in the comments below.

If this information is useful but also sounds a little overwhelming, check out the The Amazing Aminos for Anxiety homestudy program. This homestudy group program provides guidance with using each of the targeted individual amino acids and how to do a trial.

The Amazing Aminos for Anxiety Homestudy program launch

By Trudy Scott 53 Comments

aaabanner

I’m so excited to launch the home study version of the Amazing Aminos for Anxiety program!

A powerful home study program on how to use five of the top individual amino acid supplements to help you eliminate anxiety, social anxiety and panic attacks. The added bonus is that you will also feel less stressed and overwhelmed, happier, more energetic and focused and will sleep through the night! Your cravings and emotional eating will be a thing of the past – no willpower required and no feelings of being deprived. You really do deserve to feel on top of the world and the amino acids may well be the answer!

Here’s what a past participant said about the live version I offered earlier this year:

This class was extremely helpful for me personally and professionally. I was intimidated with amino acids and Trudy’s class improved my understanding and confidence. In addition to her well organized class materials and information, she also shared personal experiences which made me feel like I wasn’t the only person with anxiety issues and there is a solution to managing anxiety.

I’m also seeing how gluten, alcohol and sugar really change my mood and anxiety/depression levels. I am very conscious of the consequences for me personally if I choose to eat/drink any of these. Before, I knew it was not good for me or anyone, now I know what happens with anxiety and brain function, in addition to the digestive and weight issues.

We’re offering 3 versions:

#1 Basic: Homestudy if you’re a DIY person OR
#2 Plus: Homestudy + 2 Q and A Live with Trudy (if you need some guidance and will have questions you can opt for this one) OR
#3 Premium: Homestudy + 4 Q and A live + private Facebook group for group discussions and interactions.

You can read all about it and sign up here:
https://www.everywomanover29.com/aminosforanxietyhs

Got questions or comments? Please comment below

Anxiety and OCD: Inositol instead of tryptophan or 5-HTP?

By Trudy Scott 191 Comments

inositol for anxiety and OCD
DFH Inositol powder – it’s pleasant-tasting and 1 teaspoon is about 3g

Have you used inositol for anxiety and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) or even obsessive thinking or behaviors? Have you used it alone or with tryptophan or 5-HTP? I’d like to share an interesting discussion on a recent blog I wrote: Amino acids for anxiety – which ones and for how long? to illustrate how we are all unique and how some nutrients work well and some not so well.

I received this question on the blog regarding the use of amino acids tryptophan or 5-HTP and OCD/anxiety:

I was wondering if this will help with OCD? I did not see any mention of OCD in your articles. Do you feel it can be treated the same way you would treat other anxieties? I was told that since I take serotonin medication that I should not take 5-HTP because it may cause too much serotonin. What are your thoughts?

My answer was as follows (I’ve added a few links because I like to share the research):

OCD can often be related to low serotonin so yes tryptophan and/or 5-HTP can help and is often very effective. If you take an SSRI then tryptophan and/or 5-HTP should only be taken under a doctor’s supervision and at least 6 hours from the SSRI. I would suggest working with a practitioner who knows the amino acids too. And talk to your doctor about doing a taper if that’s what you’d like to do

The other nutrient that helps with OCD is inositol and this is fine to take with an SSRI. I start my clients on 2g/day and go up to 18g/day. Here is one of the older papers on inositol, showing benefits for depression, panic attacks and OCD and a more recent paper discussing OCD and inositol and other nutrients such as NAC and glycine.

With OCD I’d always also look into past strep infections and PANDAs as this could be a factor too.

One of my blog readers, Tracy, responded to the question with some encouragement (how lovely!) and gave us a great example of how we are all different and there is no one size fits all:  

Chiming in with a bit of encouragement here – a bit late perhaps, but wanted to let you know that my teenage son suffers from OCD and anxiety. A number of years ago I found Trudy’s website while trying to find some natural ways to help him. We tried 5-HTP with good success (it also helped lessen the frequency and intensity of his migraines) but it caused stomach upset with him, even when taken with food, so be aware that it may have this effect on you if you try it. After about 9 months of 5-HTP we kind of “forgot” to give it to him and he continued to feel good.

Once my son started high school he started having more stress in his life and his OCD, anxiety and migraines returned. I started him on inositol about 8 months ago. It has had an even greater effect on the OCD than the 5-HTP (remember everyone is different tho!).

I’d highly recommend you try the inositol since 5HTP/tryptophan is not an option for you at this time. My son has had no side effects from inositol at all. Good luck!!

I was pleased to hear that the 5-HTP helped when Tracy’s son was younger. Some people do have digestive issues with 5-HTP. It’s usually in the first week and then typically resolves. This was obviously not the case with this young man.

I was also thrilled to hear that the inositol is helping so much now and wanted to know how much helps so I asked her. Tracy shared how much her son needs (not much at all) and the symptoms it helps with:

My son takes 500mg (NOW brand) daily in the mornings, usually with breakfast. That amount works well for him most days.

When stress is higher and he starts experiencing “breakthrough anxiety” or obsessions, I have him take another 500mg in the evenings as well, just for a couple days or until the stress has diminished.

I should mention that his OCD tends to be primarily obsessive in nature with very little compulsion. His father was actually diagnosed with mild OCD before I met him and he learned to deal with his through counseling and behavior modification. I read about tryptophan (Julia Ross) and asked him to try it. It works well for him when his anxiety acts up (which interestingly tends to have a seasonal component!) It has been an education living with these two!

You can take up to 18g a day of inositol but I suggest starting with 2g a day and building up as needed.  But as you can see above, even 500mg to 1000mg (which is 1 g – I grew up in South Africa and love the metric system!) may be enough.

I happen to use the DFH Inositol powder (pictured above). It has a pleasant slightly sweet taste and is easy to increase the amount based on how much you find helpful. You can find this on the supplements blog here.

As I mentioned above, tryptophan or 5-HTP can help with anxiety, OCD, obsessive thoughts and behaviors (and panic disorders and depression). Adding inositol is an option when the tryptophan/5-HTP isn’t quite enough, or simply use inositol alone.

I also think inositol makes a great addition for mixing into the nasty tasting tryptophan if you find you get better benefits with the tryptophan capsules opened. I suggest starting with 2g inositol per 500mg tryptophan.

I appreciate Tracy giving me permission to share her son’s success with these nutrients. We can all learn so much from stories like this. If you’ve been using any of the amino acids and/or inositol, I hope this has been helpful for you.

Please share how you’re doing in the comments and feel free to ask additional questions.

If this sounds intriguing and you’d like guidance with using the amino acids and other nutrients like inositol, stay tuned for the launch of The Amazing Aminos for Anxiety homestudy group program. This homestudy group program will provide guidance with using each of the targeted individual amino acids, including nutrients like inositol. You can also add your name in the comments if you’d like to be notified when it launches. You’re also welcome to sign up here to be notified when we have more details about the start date.

SIBO / Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth Questionnaire

By Trudy Scott 14 Comments

sibo-bacterial-overgrowth

During season 3 of The Anxiety Summit, I interviewed Dr. Allison Siebecker on Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and Anxiety.

I talked about the SIBO Questionnaire I use with my clients and said I’d share it (with her permission).

There is a real SIBO-anxiety connection. I wrote about this in my book the The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Studies have found that people with digestive complaints such IBS, food allergies and sensitivities, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and ulcerative colitis frequently suffer from anxiety and, to a lesser extent, depression (Addolorato, Mirijello, D’Angelo, Leggio, Ferrulli, Abenavoli, et al. 2008).

One study (Lydiard 2001) found that 50 to 90 percent of people with IBS who visited a doctor for treatment also suffered from various anxiety disorders (panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder) and major depression.

I have all my clients who have any digestive issue (which is most of them), do the SIBO questionnaire and then talk to their doctor about doing the SIBO breath test/ hydrogen breath test or SIBO test. Genova offers this or you can ask your conventional doctor to order this.

Keep in mind that this is just one questionnaire/test of many that can be used to try and figure out the root cause of your anxiety. (I write about this and other questionnaires/testing here: Nutritional testing for figuring out the root cause/s of your anxiety.)

SIBO Symptoms, Clues and Associated Conditions

The main symptoms of SIBO are those of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  SIBO has been shown to exist in up to 84% of IBS patients and is therefore theorized to be the underlying cause.  It is associated with many other disorders as well, as an underlying cause or as an after effect of the pre-existing disease.

In particular, if the symptoms of IBS are present, or one of the associated diseases along with digestive symptoms is present, consider SIBO.

According to Bures et al, “It is mandatory to consider SIBO in all cases of complex non-specific dyspeptic complaints (bloating, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, abdominal pain), in motility disorders, anatomical abnormalities of the small bowel and in all malassimilation syndromes (malabsorption, maldigestion).”

Check off or highlight all that apply:

IBS Symptoms
Abdominal bloating (gas)
    – belching, flatulence
Abdominal pain, cramps
Constipation, Diarrhea, both

Other symptoms
Heartburn (Reflux or GERD)
Nausea

Leaky Gut Symptoms (Leaky Small Intestine)
Food Sensitivities
Headaches
Joint Pain
Fatigue
Skin symptoms (such as eczema or rashes)
Respiratory symptoms (such as asthma)
Mood symptoms (depression/anxiety/OCD)
Brain symptoms (such as in autism)

Malabsorption Symptoms
Steatorrhea (fatty stool – stool that floats)
Anemia (Iron or B12)

Associated Conditions– see SIBO Diseases for Study links
Acne Roseacea
Acromegaly (excess growth hormone)
Age: Elderly
Alcohol Consumption (moderate intake)
Anemia
Autism
Celiac Disease
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia)
Cystic Fibrosis
Diabetes
Diverticulitis
Erosive Esophagitis
Fibromyalgia
GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease)
H pylori Infection
Hyprochlorhydria/low HCl
Hypothyroid/ Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease)
    -Crohn’s
    -Ulcerative Colitis
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Interstitial Cystitis
Lactose Intolerance
Leaky Gut
Liver cirrhosis
Lyme
Muscular Dystrophy (myotonic Type 1)
NASH/NAFLD (non-alcoholic: steatohepatitis/fatty liver disease)
Obesity
Pancreatitis
Parasites
Parkinson’s
Prostatitis (chronic)
Restless Leg Syndrome
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Scleroderma
Surgery:  Post-Gastrectomy

The above list of SIBO symptoms has been adapted from the site of Dr Allison Siebecker and used with permission here on the blog. Please check out Dr. Siebecker’s site siboinfo.com for a wealth of information about SIBO.

Risk factors/other possible clues*: (* all the following added by Trudy Scott, based on what I see with clients)
C-section birth (yours)
Not breast-fed
Probiotics cause digestive distress
Prebiotics (such as inulin) cause digestive distress
Have seen some symptom relief after a course of antibiotics
Symptoms appeared after a bad bout of gastroenteritis
Low triglycerides
Digestive enzymes help
Markers of poor enzyme status on a stool test
Pyroluria (see the Pyroluria Questionnaire here)
Low niacinamide
Low ferritin
Low vitamin D
Carb intolerance
Fat intolerance
Markers of fat malabsorption on a stool test
Low fatty acid levels on a fatty acid test
Have done well on gluten-free diet
Have done well on GAPs/Paleo diets (no grains, no starchy vegetables, no legumes)
Carb/sugar craving/addiction
Other addictions
Low zinc
Low GABA
Low serotonin
Low endorphins
Low catecholamines
Blood sugar issues (for low GABA/serotonin/endorphins/catecholamines and low blood sugar see Amino Acid Questionnaire here)
Stressed
Eat on the run i.e. not sitting down
Low secretary IgA (stool or saliva)
Adrenal fatigue
Heavy metals/environmental toxins
Appendix has been removed (it stores bacteria needed for motility motor complex)

Other possible causal factors **:  (** added June 2017 after the MINDD 2017 practitioner conference, courtesy of the SIBO presentation by Dr. Nirala Jacobi ND) 

Medications:  Proton Pump Inhibitors, Opiates/pain meds, possibly calcium channel blockers
Endometrial surgeries, C-section, and/or gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) and other pelvic surgeries (such as a hip replacement)

Testing: 

Positive SIBO breath test (methane, hydrogen and a 3rd gas that can’t yet be measured)

Positive anti-Cdtb and anti-vinculin antibodies indicating post-infectious cause (details here)

Also, here is a more recent blog post on this topic: MINDD 2017 practitioner conference, courtesy of the SIBO presentation by Dr. Nirala Jacobi ND 

 

Nutritional testing for figuring out the root cause/s of your anxiety

By Trudy Scott 51 Comments

test

This blog covers the nutritional or functional testing I use with my clients, and what tests I’d run (and/or have my client’s doctor run) if everyone had unlimited funds.

Often it can be challenging to figure out the root cause/s of your anxiety, but that’s where questionnaires, nutritional/ functional/ testing, and a good practitioner (or team of practitioners like nutritionist, functional medicine doctor, nurse practitioner, therapist etc.) comes in – so you can put all the puzzle pieces together.

The following are what I have most of my clients do:

  • The basic blood work that I like to see is a lipid panel, a CBC (complete blood count), a metabolic panel, an iron panel that includes ferritin, and a thyroid panel that includes TSH, free T3, free T4, reverse T3, thyroid antibodies (antithyroglobulin and antithyroperoxidase), vitamin D, and CRP (C-Reactive Protein). There is much we can determine by looking at functional values: digestive status, possible gut dysbiosis, adrenal function, malabsorption, inflammation, as well as low iron, low vitamin D etc. I’ll share more about the markers on this panel of tests in a later blog post.  
  • I also like to see an adrenal saliva test, which measures four times cortisol. So it’d be a saliva collection first thing in the morning, noontime, 5:00 PM, and 10:00 PM. It also shows DHEA; Secretory IgA; and an anti-gliadin antibody (a marker of gluten sensitivity)
  • I rely on the Pyroluria Questionnaire and response to the supplements. The pyroluria urine test is a possibility. But I seldom have clients do it, because we can often see a false negative.
  • For neurotransmitter imbalances – low serotonin, low GABA, low catecholamines and low endorphins – I rely on the Amino Acid Questionnaire and response to amino acids. Vitamin Diagnostics offer a platelet serotonin/dopamine/norepinephrine and epinephrine panel, which is the most accurate way to measure neurotransmitters, if you really wanted to measure them. I don’t ever recommend urinary neurotransmitter testing. It just doesn’t seem to correlate with symptoms.
  • B12 levels. To determine a B12 deficiency, you would want to measure B12, methylmalonic acid (or MMA), and homocysteine.
  • The 23andme genetic testing. This will measure MTHFR, COMT, MAOA, CBS, GAD and many more polymorphisms.

Here is other testing that may be helpful for certain individuals:

  • A sex hormone saliva test. This will measures progesterone, estriol, estrone, estradiol, and testosterone.   I have a wonderful nurse practitioner that I work with, and, if need be, will refer people out to the nurse practitioner if we need support when it comes to bioidentical hormones.
  • A food intolerance test that measures IgG antibodies to 60+ foods. This shows a delayed reaction to the foods.
  • A fatty acid test. This will measure omega-3s (EPA and DHA), omega-6s and omega-9s. And it’ll also measure trans fats. Doing this test is really helpful if you have pyroluria or think that you may have pyroluria.
  • A RBC (red blood cell) magnesium test. Dr. Carolyn Dean talked about the usefulness of this test season 2 of The Anxiety Summit: Take magnesium and melt your anxiety away
  • A stool test. Metametrix/Genova and Diagnostechs offers functional stool testing. It’ll show good bacteria, yeast, parasites, bad bacteria, and digestive markers.
  • A hydrogen breath test or SIBO test. Genova offers this or you can ask your conventional doctor to order this.
  • The H/pylori antigen test. Genova offers this or a conventional doctor can do this.
  • Intestinal permeability profile. Genova offers this.
  • A celiac panel. Genova offers this, or a conventional doctor can do this.
  • The Cyrex panels, which will show gluten and food cross-reactions, and various autoimmune markers.
  • The histamine whole blood is a useful test to see if you have high histamine/histadelia or low histamine/histapenia. This is offered by Vitamin Diagnostics and must be WHOLE blood.
  • Spectracell shows vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
  • A VAP test. If you have concerns about high cholesterol and heart disease, this is going to measure particle size, fibrinogen, Lp(a) and other cardio markers (since looking at only high total cholesterol is not particularly useful).
  • The OAT/Organic Acid Test. Great Plains offers this and it has markers of digestion, yeast overgrowth, infections, B vitamin status and neurotransmitter function.
  • A hair mineral analysis. This is a great way to look for toxic metals and mineral status. You want to look at ratios, not just levels. This is a good marker for copper toxicity as well. Analytical Research Lab offers this test.
  • If you think your copper is too high, or you’ve got low zinc, you can measure copper or ceruloplasmin. This is in serum.
  • Porphyrin testing. This is a measure of the effect of heavy metals such as lead and mecury. Kris Homme talked about this in Season 2 of the Anxiety Summit: Your hidden mercury burden – A likely root cause of the other root causes of anxiety – part 2
  • An amino acid profile, which is a plasma or blood spot test. It’s not something that I use very often, but I have seen people with this test.
  • You can also test candida antibodies in blood, which is not terribly accurate, but sometimes will show up.

I want to look into the following testing:

What functional/nutritional testing have you had done and have found to be helpful? Which of the above tests would you like more detailed information about?