Category: Autoimmune Disorders

Posted on by — Leave a comment

The DUTCH Hormone Test

Are you feeling tired, burnt out, or exhausted? Are you experiencing issues with adrenal issues like stress, sleep disturbances, or energy problems? Do you struggle with fertility issues like PMS, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), or irregular/painful periods? If you answered yes to any of these questions, keep reading to learn how a DUTCH test can help you. 

Often, men and women come into my clinic unaware that they are suffering from a hormonal imbalance, which may be presenting with symptoms such as headaches, bloating, mood swings, fatigue, anxiety, depression, decreased sex drive, and weight gain. With these patients, I almost always recommend they get a complete DUTCH test. 

The DUTCH test stands for Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones it is the most comprehensive test available for testing hormones. The test measures the following hormone metabolites from dried urine samples:

  • Cortisol
  • Cortisone
  • Estradiol 
  • Estrone
  • Estriol
  • Progesterone
  • Testosterone
  • DHEA and DHEA-s 
  • Melatonin

Recognized for its ease-of-collection, and comprehensive reporting, the DUTCH test provides a unique look into your hormones that is not available elsewhere. Here are some reasons a DUTCH test may be right for you:

  • Stress or Adrenal Issues: If you’re experiencing issues with depression & anxiety, managing stress levels, or a lack of energy, your adrenal hormones may be responsible. Testing these hormones and their rhythms, specifically the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal), gives us a look at how your adrenals and brain are communicating. The HPA axis is part of the endocrine system and is a key regulatory pathway in maintaining homeostatic processes. This influences our immune function and our body’s response to stress. When actual or perceived stress occurs, your HPA axis is activated and cortisol is produced. Altered cortisol levels can lead to a multitude of health problems, such as acne, chronic fatigue, nausea, and weight gain. 
  • Fertility Problems: For fertility problems, such as decreased sex drive, irregular or painful periods, moodiness, endometriosis, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), fibroids, or PMS, the DUTCH test is the gold standard for identifying hormonal imbalances that may be the culprit. These conditions can be associated with imbalances in the adrenal or reproductive hormones, and the DUTCH test gives us a comprehensive view on what might be contributing to these issues.
  • Difficulty with Sleep: Melatonin plays a vital role in regulating our sleep/wake cycles. If your melatonin is low, or your cortisol is high, you may experience difficulty sleeping or staying asleep. A melatonin deficiency can be associated with certain forms of dementia, mood disorders, and how the body handles pain. 
  • Hormone Replacement Therapy: If you’re using HRT, it’s essential to monitor your levels, and this test works uniquely well for testing for those using oral progesterone, vaginal hormones, patches, pellets, and injections. 
  • DHEA and DHEA-s: DHEA is a key precursor hormone that our body uses to produce other hormones, like estrogen and testosterone. Also known as the “feel good” hormone, low DHEA can cause fatigue, a decrease in muscle mass or bone density, aching joints, loss of libido, and lowered immunity. The DUTCH test measures DHEA and DHEA-s, which is an alternative form of the hormone, and your patterns will provide further insight into your DHEA production. 
  • Estrogen Disruptions: Estrogen Dominance is a form of hormonal imbalance affecting women, and involves abnormally high estrogen levels, possibly due to the production of progesterone. Potential symptoms you may experience with this condition include: PMS, painful periods, fibroids, tender or fibrous breasts, or endometriosis. Alterations in the metabolic pathways for estrogen can lead to health problems like estrogen dominance, as well as certain types of cancers like breast, cervical, or uterine cancer. The DUTCH test detects levels of estrogen and can help identify instances of nutrient deficiencies or genetic mutations associated with your symptoms. 

We have had the honor or working with and helping countless men and women combat their hormone issues with the DUTCH test. Each test is unique, and the findings will influence the unique protocol that will help you heal your imbalances and find your optimal wellness.

To find out more about if the DUTCH test is right for you, schedule your appointment today. 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Mediator Release Test/MRT Food Sensitivity Testing

Are you struggling with symptoms that don’t seem to go away? Have you seen countless professionals who are unable to determine the cause of your issues? If this is you, then you may be dealing with food sensitivities.

Food sensitivities tend to be chronic, occur frequently, and can be difficult to identify. In many cases, symptoms don’t appear until 48-72 hours after consumption, which can make it difficult to determine what’s causing your symptoms. Food sensitivities trigger immune-mediated responses to specific foods, and when our body encounters these food or food chemicals, our immune system releases mediators, or pro-inflammatory chemicals, which cause unpleasant or adverse symptomatology. Medications can also make identifying the underlying causes of our health issues difficult. This delays our healing process and can lead to unnecessary treatments and medications.

There is a difference between food sensitivities and food intolerances or allergies. With a food allergy, the immune response is usually immediate, or within 30 minutes of consumption or exposure. These symptoms most often impact the skin, lungs, throat, and GI tract, with anaphylaxis being the most severe reaction. Food intolerance refers to the lack of an enzyme, such as lactose intolerance. These symptoms generally appear within a few hours of consumption and only impact the GI tract. Symptoms associated with food intolerances are things like gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, or nausea.

When dealing with food sensitivities, any bodily system can be impacted, and a variety of conditions are often associated with food sensitivities, such as: Migraines, ADD/ADHD, Fibromyalgia, Autism, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Atopic Dermatitis, Psoriasis, Epilepsy, Insomnia, Chron’s Disease, GERD, Ulcerative Colitis, and more. Symptoms that may be associated with food sensitivities are: brain fog, hives, eczema, or skin rashes, bloating or diarrhea, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, mood swings, congestion or respiratory conditions, joint or muscle pain, behavioral issues such as anger, aggression or hyperactivity, and more.

The most comprehensive and accurate blood test available for recognizing food sensitivities is the MRT-LEAP test. The MRT, or Mediator Release Test, is a blood analysis test that identifies trigger foods. This test indirectly measures mediators from various white blood cells. It does so through a precise method that measures changes in liquid/solids ratio of blood samples after the whole blood has been incubated with either an individual food, additive, or chemical. This test will identify 170 foods and food-chemicals as either non-reactive, moderately reactive, or highly reactive, and will also identify the best foods for a patient to consume. Once we receive your MRT test results, we will work together to create a customized diet and nutritional plan to fit your needs and symptoms.

For more information on MRT testing or to schedule your first appointment, please visit www.DrRyanBland.com, email Dr.RyanBland@Gmail.com, or call 253-302-3131.

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

What is Cupping and Is It Right for Me? 

woman receiving cupping therapy on back

For thousands of years, people have been using cupping to ease headaches, neck pain, back pain, and other problems. Cupping is a relaxing and relieving therapy that uses suction cups placed directly on the skin, and then manually pumped to create a suction. The cups are left for several minutes, during which the suction in the cups gently separates muscle from the surrounding connective tissue to improve blood and lymph flow. This process stimulates the body’s natural healing process and helps restore balance. 

Cupping can have benefits for just about anyone who uses it. It can treat physical and emotional issues and can be used for chronic problems such as rheumatism, inflammation, asthma, hypertension, irritable bowel disease, digestive issues, headaches, acne, chronic constipation, and more. In addition to its use in healing various health conditions, cupping is a modality that is widely utilized in sports medicine and has been used to improve athletic performance, as well as prevent and heal musculoskeletal pain and injuries.

Our bodies already have organs that deal with and remove toxins, but in today’s modern world we sometimes overwork our body’s natural systems. Toxins can build up in the body from stress, poor diet, or being exposed to pollutants like cars, chemicals, and heavy metals. When the body is overloaded with toxins, it can damage your enzymes and lead to a lack of energy, and lower your body’s ability to protect against oxidative stress. 

With cupping, skin, muscle, and other soft tissues are pulled due to suction which naturally increases the blood circulation to the treated area. This increased blood flow helps flush out any toxins in the blood as well as attract immune cells to the area. The blood now contains increased oxygen which can then assist with cell repair and forming new connective tissues. Focusing the blood flow to specific areas helps your body’s lymphatic system clear built-up toxins. The increased blood flow also aids in relieving the body of inflammation, which helps with managing pain, as well as lessening the time needed for the body to repair itself. [The medical perspective of cupping therapy: Effects and mechanisms of action]

This process is may cause some discomfort, but should not be a painful experience. Many patients equate the experience to being similar to the sensation of a deep tissue massage. The sensations you experience are going to be dependent on several factors, such as your condition, the area of treatment, and your goals for your session. 

At our office, each patient is assessed as an individual, and treatment plans are given based on what is going to provide you with the best outcomes for optimizing your health and wellness. Dr. Bland will give recommendations for the best way to reach your health and fitness goals. This may include follow-up cupping sessions, home stretches, dietary modifications, herbal supplements, or other integrative health and wellness treatments, like chiropractic or applied kinesiology. Together, these treatments work to retrain your body’s natural ability to heal, and though most patients begin to feel improvement after their first visit, some may take two or three sessions before they begin experiencing real change. 

If you’re experiencing pain or other chronic conditions and want to find out if cupping is right for you, give us a call at 253-302-3131 or visit our website to schedule an appointment today.