Advanced Functional Medicine Perth

Advanced Functional Medicine Perth offers a wide range of functional laboratory testing for their patients covering various diseases and conditions. They source from leading laboratories located all over the world as part of their commitment to bring the latest in advanced functional medicine testing.

These targeted functional medical testing allows them to uncover a multitude of factors that are driving different diseases. It also helps them discover the underlying pathogenic and biochemical marker imbalances that provide great insights into the cause of the conditions.

They have partner laboratories from Australia, USA and Europe that provide clients with the most up to date and accurate testing methodologies and procedures worldwide.They conduct testing through blood, stool, saliva, breath and urine samples to obtain specific and targeted patient information.

What Medical Testings Do They Offer

GI Map Stool Test

This is the most comprehensive stool test available that uses superior DNA and PCR technology to analyse the sample. Stool testing provides a wide insight into the overall function of the gastrointestinal tract. It also gives clues as to why many seemingly unrelated systemic symptoms are occurring, including fatigue, skin issues, anxiety and depression, brain fog, bloating and many more.

Stool testing is done in the convenience of your home and returned to the lab via the provided packaging and express postal bag.

The GI Map stool test is $440, plus $20 to cover postage to and from the lab. Results usually take 4 weeks and are released through their Perth clinic. There is a 30-minute consultation with Jarrod to discuss the results.

SIBO Breath Test

This is an in-home 2 to 3-hour breath test that measures hydrogen and methane gas levels. A breath sample is taken every 20-30 minutes. This test can accurately diagnose bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine through measuring the gas levels that these bacteria produce.

The SIBO test, performed alongside the GI Mapping or CDSA stool test, is arguably the most comprehensive test to be able to assess the health of the whole gastrointestinal tract and check for IBS type symptoms.

SIBO is also associated with many other health conditions and contributes to seemingly unrelated symptoms such as acne, anxiety, depression, hypothyroidism, brain fog and fatigue.

SIBO Breath Test costs $240, plus $20 to cover post to and from the lab.

Organic Acids Test (OAT Test)

This is a comprehensive assessment for over 70 different urinary metabolite markers, which are small by-products from the body’s cellular activity. Testing them is an accurate way to assess levels of various markers in the body, including:

• Bacterial overgrowth
• Yeast and fungal overgrowth
• Various B vitamin levels
• Antioxidants levels
• Neurotransmitter levels
• Detoxification
• Oxalate levels
• Fatty acid metabolism
• Mitochondrial function

The OAT test is a urine test that is conducted in the convenience of your own home. For this test, your first morning urine is captured, frozen overnight and then picked up by the courier to be transported to the lab in the USA.

Identifying these markers can provide key insight into conditions such as:

• Mental health disorders & neurological imbalances
• Overgrowth of bacteria, fungus and clostridia
• Mitochondrial and genetic diseases
• Chronic gastrointestinal and inflammation disorders
• Energy and amino acid metabolism

The OAT test costs $395, plus $20 to cover courier fees to the lab.  The test is completed in the comfort of your own home and results take approximately 4 weeks to be returned to the Perth clinic.

Food Sensitivity, Intolerance & Allergy Testing

This test is a great way to quickly identify and measure food sensitivities that may be causing and contributing to chronic disease, autoimmune disease, gastrointestinal disorders and a range of other seemingly unrelated health conditions. Advanced Functional Medicine offers food sensitivity and intolerance testing that includes up to 132 different foods and additives. It is one of the most sensitive food tolerance tests as it tests both IgG and Immune Complex containing C3d (IC-C3d) simultaneously. By doing this, they can get a better signal in the test, giving much more accurate results than other IgG food tests that only measure IgG.

Among the many benefits of food intolerance testing include:

• Identifying the foods that are causing inflammation
• Reduced intestinal permeability
• Improving mental clarity
• Improved energy levels
• Ability to create a personalised nutrition plan

Aside from the obvious gastrointestinal symptoms caused by food sensitivities and intolerances, there is also a wide range of seemingly unrelated symptoms that can be related to with food sensitivities, including:

• Fatigue
• Skin reactions
• Brain fog
• Sleep disturbances
• Aches and pain

Issues with gut health like increased intestinal permeability, bacterial overgrowth and eating foods that cause an inflammatory reaction in the gut can also cause systemic health problems. That is why it is very important to ensure that the gut is operating optimally, and one of the best ways to establish this is the removal of foods that are causing reactions and inflammation.

Food intolerance testing provided by Advanced Functional medicine can measure either 22 or 132 foods depending on what option you choose. The 22 base food test option costs $195, plus $20 postage, while the 132 foods and additives test cost $445, plus $20 postage. Both tests are performed by a finger prick blood test. The result comes in an easy to read report on foods that are reactive, including chemical additives such as MSG and Aspartame. The 132 food test is also a good leaky gut indicator if there are more than 8-10 high sensitivity foods or the presence of Candida.

MTHFR & Genetic Testing

This set of testing is a simple and easy option for those wishing to understand their genetic variations that can cause certain biochemical pathways in the body to be either upregulated or downregulated. It also allows you to understand your genetic susceptibility, allowing you to support the pathways in your body that are naturally prone to dysfunction when you become run down, stressed or your immune system is under attack.

You have a number of genetic testing options that you can choose from. But the easiest way is to get a full genome test. And currently, there are two companies that offer this service - 23andme.com and ancestry.com. Jarrod recommends ancestry.com as they offer better deals and easier access in Australia.

Getting a full genome test is as easy as ordering a basic test kit online, usually for around $129. You will be sent a kit that requires a saliva sample. Once returned, your data will be available in your registered online account usually within 4 weeks. Once your genome raw data is received, the raw data needs to be analysed with specific software to extract relevant data on certain snps that have been medically researched.  There are a number of different medical software applications you can use, these include nutrahacker, Xcode, genetic genie and Strategene.

Advanced Functional Medicine uses Dr Ben Lynchs Strategene report and specialises in methylation and optimising the expression of your genes. They also provide detailed analysis in consultation to their patients regarding their Strategene report and also other genetic reporting. These include the following snp’s and relevant variants:

• MTHFR
• MTRR
• CBS
• SOD2
• SOD3
• GST
• NOS3
• SULT1A1
• MAOA
• COMT
• BC01
• FUT2
• PEMT
• FADS
• VDR

The report they provide will help a lot when optimising your genes and your methylation process, and help you with:

• Improved gene regulation
• Reduce the aging process
• Improve detoxification
• Improved immunity
• Better resistance to stress
• Increased energy
• Regulated neurotransmitters greatly improving or resolving anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions

There are a lot of conditions that can benefit from having your genes tested and having a customised plan implemented that addresses your underlying health problems while considering your genetic variations, like:

• ADD / ADHD
• Ageing
• Asthma
• Bipolar disorder
• Chronic Fatigue
• Poor detoxification
• Infertility
• Low neurotransmitters
• PCOS
• Recurrent miscarriages
• Addictive Behaviours
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Autism
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Fibromyalgia
• Joint pain & stiffness
• Obesity
• Psychosis
• Thyroid disorders
• Allergic conditions
• Anxiety
• Autoimmune disease
• Cardiovascular disease
• Depression
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• OCD
• Schizophrenia

Just note that genetic testing only details your genetic susceptibility, not what is actually happening in your body right now. Genetic reporting is best when paired up with other functional testing that provides a current snapshot of health biomarkers.

Lyme Disease Testing

With Lyme disease becoming a very common condition, testing and early diagnosis is key to be able to treat it. That is why Advanced Functional Medicine offers Lyme disease testing that uses a combined testing panel that measures various markers and antibodies, including:

• Borrelia Specific Antibodies: Borrelia burgdorferi IgG & IgM, OspA + OspC peptides IgG & IgM, OspE peptide IgG & IgM, Leukocyte Function Associated antigen IgG & IgM, Immunodominant protein IgG & IgM, Variable Major protein IgG & IgM
• Borrelia sub-species Antibodies: Borrelia b. sensu stricto IgG & IgM, Borrelia garinii IgG & IgM, Borrelia afzelli IgG & IgM
• Lyme co-infection Antibodies: Babesia IgG & IgM, Ehrlichia IgG & IgM, Bartonella IgG & IgM
• Borrelia burgdorferi IgG & IgM (tested by Western Blot)

The testing they provide uses blood testing that incorporates ELISA, immunoblot and the traditional western blot test methods.  The sample is sent directly to the USA specialist laboratories for examination.

The price for the Lyme panel $1020, plus $20 postage. Test results are released through their Perth clinic and typically arrive after 4 weeks.

Extensive Thyroid Testing

Thyroid disorders are usually undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as regular testing does not gather enough information about the function of the thyroid. These tests just assess the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which does not provide a full picture of the function of the thyroid. Also, a lot of these “healthy thyroid test ranges” are not that healthy at either side of the scale.  In addition, key nutrient deficiencies such as with Iodine plays a major part in the function of the thyroid.

That is why Advanced Functional Medicine offers extensive thyroid testing that can provide a better insight to your thyroid health. This test check for the following markers:

• TSH
• Free T3
• Free T4
• Reverse T3
• TPO and TGAb antibodies

This extensive thyroid testing also includes urinary loading iodine test, which is a comprehensive assessment of the iodine status of the patient. Iodine is the most important nutrient to the thyroid and much of the population is deficient in this mineral.

The extensive thyroid panel blood test costs $230, plus $20 postage. While the Iodine loading test is an additional $95, plus $20 postage. This includes the blood draw fee from their network of laboratories across Australia.

Results are released through their Perth clinic, and typically takes around 1-2 weeks.

Comprehensive Blood Chemistry Panel

Advanced Functional Medicine can assist you with obtaining a referral for a comprehensive blood chemistry panel through their network of links to nurse practitioners and general practitioners. They regularly assess bloodwork for their patients to provide a thorough understanding on how certain levels of the body chemistry are operating.

This test is a cost effective way to get a snapshot of how well a variety of processes in the body are operating. It gives insight into the presentation of chronic disease and associated symptoms that may be being experienced.

Among the common blood tests they request include:

• Vitamin D
• Vitamin B12
• Plasma zinc
• Serum Copper
• Ceruloplasmin – copper transport protein
• Liver Function Test (ALT, ALP, GGT, Albumin, Total protein, Bilirubin)
• Thyroid Panel (TSH, T3, T4, RT3, TPO, Trab)
• Cardiovascular - Cholesterol, Triglycerides, HDL, LDL, ratio’s, Lipoprotein
• Kidney Function and Electrolytes - Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Bicarbonate, Urea, GFR and Creatinine
• Iron studies
• Blood sugar
• Full Blood Count
• Blood chemistry panel pricing

A customised blood chemistry panel can range from $30 to $700.  However, many of the tests can be performed under Medicare and more often than not there is no cost to the patient for blood tests.

DUTCH Hormone Testing

DUTCH stands for dried urine test for comprehensive hormones. This test is the most comprehensive test available for testing your hormones, which provides a full assessment of sex and adrenal hormones. Hormones that are tested include:

• Free and metabolised cortisol
• A range of estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA and their metabolites

It also includes an assessment of:

• Neurotransmitters dopamine
• Norepinephrine
• Serotonin.

It also tests the status of:

• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B12
• Glutathione, which is a key antioxidant involved in phase 2 liver clearance and the clearance of hormones.

The DUTCH hormone test can be conducted in the privacy of your own home, using a test kit that will be delivered in approximately 3 days. The test kit requires 4 samples of urine to be collected, and will be sent as dried urine samples, as well as 5 saliva samples.  Samples should be taken over the course of one day. The test kit is then returned in the supplied postal bag.

This test measures the following hormones and metabolites:

• Cortisol & Cortisone
• Estrogens
• Testosterone
• DHEA
• Progesterone.
• Melatonin
• Neurotransmitters
• Vitamins

The DUTCH hormone test costs around $400 to order, plus $20 postage.

Request a booking now to if you need any of these medical testing.