Functional Lab Testing

Functional Lab Testing

Uncover H.I.D.D.E.N. Stressors and Get To The Bottom of Your Health Concerns

QUANTUM LEAP Your Health

Are you dealing with deeper health issues that aren’t relieved with wellness foundations (eg. healthy diet, supplements, movement/exercise, and sleep)? Functional Lab Tests (saliva, blood, blood spot, stool, dried urine) that are drop shipped to you can help. This is why I like to call myself your ‘Health Detective“.

Many people get a “full panel blood test” annually and expect to get all the answers to why they aren’t feeling well. Or they feel reasonably OK and get their bloodwork annually, which is awesome anyway, to stay on track. Most conventional routine panels aren’t as comprehensive as you may think they are, plus, blood doesn’t tell the entire story. 

Many people think you need a doctor to run any type of functional lab tests or blood tests. Fortunately for you, this is not the case.

That’s where I come in. I do exactly this.

 

Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis
(FBCA)

"Normal" Bloodwork Isn't Optimal
Approaching blood chemistry from a functional perspective, using FBCA, allows us to assess dysfunction and imbalances in the body BEFORE they develop into more serious issues and/or illnesses.
Whether you have had blood tests done recently, you're about to get labs done, or you want guidance to get them done (what/how/where), we are here to help.
We look at ranges associated with OPTIMAL health allowing earlier natural interventions (diet, lifestyle, supplementation, exercise habits).
Sounds Amazing? It is...

Functional Lab Testing
>Labs at the wholesale cost<

Functional lab tests, drop shipped to you, and evaluated by us give a more comprehensive assessment of your health and understanding of body function that are otherwise not identifiable in conventional blood work including in FBCA. You gain insights into your body (endocrine, hormonal, immune, detoxification, metabolic, gastrointestinal). You uncover H.I.D.D.E.N. stressors that may be the root of Metabolic Chaos®. This step may be pivotal if you have been struggling with your health for a while, tried everything, cannot get 'answers', feel stuck in your health journey, and most importantly, want to Stop the Cycle of Trial-and-Error. Test. Don't Guess!

You Need a Healthy Body to Have a Healthy Weight!

The allopathic model of medicine might not be sufficient to get to the root of Metabolic Chaos®. You want to take action. You want to be proactive because some people don’t get a second chance.

So many people can get healthier by taking little steps. My goal is to help people take steps for themselves by giving them access to coaching, tools, and resources such as lab tests to help them understand their body better and implement lifestyle and wellness protocols that matter to them. 

Clients at Be Fab - Be You get access to incredible functional labs, explanation of findings on lab reports, and diet and lifestyle recommendations based on natural wellness principles as they embrace a self-care model of care!

When Are Functional Lab Screenings Right For You?

Functional Lab Tests by Be Fab Be You Maria Horstmann

Examples of Areas Functional Lab Screenings Help Get Answers

Do You Want To Know How Well Your Body Is Functioning?

Your health is not assessed by changes seen in an X-ray or a blood pathology report but by how well your body systems are functioning. 

Just like there’s not ONE physician, coach, trainer, therapist, and practitioner who knows it all, there is not ONE single lab that will tell it all either. 

Most of the time, people experiencing the issues mentioned above cannot identify the actual cause of their symptoms. Therefore, they frequently visit multiple doctors, experiment with various drugs and treatments, and turn to different products and strategies to find relief . 

Yet they still don’t find the answers they are looking for and are caught in the cycle of trial and error. Often, the target treatments of “take this for that” or “do this for that” lack a whole-person approach and only consider biochemistry results.

We can address the underlying causes of our health issues when we work *with* the body as opposed to against it.

SYMPTOMS aren’t the problem; they are the END result of imbalances happening for quite some time! That includes excessive weight, fatigue, muscle loss, brain fog, aches and pain, inflammation, etc. A level of dysfunction and dis-ease already exists upstream in the body. Left unresolved, higher are the risks for worsening symptoms and chronic illnesses.

Functional lab testing provides objective criteria and detailed insights about obstacles of healing and may answer reasons for your symptoms before a significant deterioration in your health has occurred.

Blood, urine, stool, and saliva provide information about how your body is functioning, especially within Hormone, Immune, Digestion, Detoxification, Energy Production/Oxidative Stress, and Nervous Systems (H.I.D.D.E.N). 

*We encourage you to always ask your doctor before undertaking functional lab testing or protocols. The information on this page does not serve as medical advice or to replace your relationship with your healthcare provider(s). 

The Horstmann Method and H.I.D.D.E.N. Stressors

The Horstmann Method incorporates FDN methodology which includes using functional labs to identify subclinical dysfunctions and body rebalancing opportunities caused by [H.I.D.D.E.N.] internal/external stressors in the following areas: 

Hormones imbalances / H-P-Adrenal Axis Dysfunction

Immune Deficiency / Dysbiosis / Overgrowth / Melatonin

Digestion / Maldigestion / Malabsorption/integrity

Detoxification capacity / Congested liver / Toxicity / Gut Permeability

Energy / Oxidative Imbalance / Oxidative Stress

Nervous System Imbalances / Autonomic System

We correlate lab results, health history, and intake health forms with your symptoms in order to establish a diet, rest, exercise, stress reduction, and supplementation (D.R.E.S.S.) protocol that meets you needs and transforms your health.

Examples of Functional Lab Tests and Laboratories We Work With

DSL GI Map Pathogen Test

The GI-Map stool test utilizes cutting-edge, Quantitative PCT technology to provide a true DNA/PCR-based stool test.  It assesses pathology, dysbiosis, bacteria overgrowth, and infection. It identifies biofilms that prevent healing and contribute to dysfunction and Metabolic Chaos®. 

Three questions for you…

  • > How aware are you of the relationship between gut health and hormones?
  • > Did you know that chronic stress (i.e., physical, biochemical/chemical, environmental, etc.) impact your gut health, microbiome diversity, and intestinal permeability? 
  • > Did you know that many hormones and neurotransmitters are produced in your gut and depend on a healthy/diverse microbiome? 
  •  
  • Nothing in the body works in isolation!  

Why/When To Consider Testing?

I believe everyone benefits from a comprehensive stool test. You do not have to be experiencing digestive issues to have dysbiosis, H. Pylori, and/or a compromised immune system–inhibitors to weight loss, fatigue, depression, anxiety, mood swings, etc. Learning what’s going on inside your body gives you the opportunity to reset and heal to prevent more serious complications later. 

A GI pathogen becomes a no-brainer if you’re experiencing bloating, reflux, constipation, weight gain, inability to lose weight, depression, anxiety, skin issues, fatigue, poor immune function (get sick often), or any combination of these ailments. Plus, gut health is often impacted by antibiotics, nutrition diversity from birth on, and even whether you were a c-section baby.  

Click Image To See/Download Sample Report

Stress & Sex Hormone Test

Hormones are messengers in the body that communicate with your cells. When they are off, we are off too. Go figure, right? 

When assessing cortisol (stress hormone) and sex hormones, salivary and dried urine (DUTCH test – video below) samples will tell us what’s bio-available in your body, versus what’s in your blood stream that may not be available for use!

We offer tests from different laboratories (i.e. Precision Analytical and Fluids IQ). And depending on the lab, it may or may not include hormone metabolites which may be more beneficial at times. 

Stress_Sex_Hormone_Test_Report_Samples

H-P-A Axis Dysfunction

Assessing H-P-A Axis Dysfunction (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Axes — thyroid, adrenal, gonad) and assuring our hormones are balances is essential in determining how we feel NOW and especially in our 70s, 80s, and beyond.

Most Common Symptoms of H-P-A Dysfunction:

  • > Weight gain and inability to lose weight
  • > Fatigue and  brain fog
  • > Low sex drive, erectile dysfunction 
  • > Anxiety, depression, irritability, mood swings
  • > Sleep issues and insomnia
  • > Blood sugar imbalances
  • > Acne and hair loss
  • > Infertility and changes/irregular menstrual cycle

A Stress & Hormone Panel includes:

  • > Cortisol levels over a 24-hour day (4 samples)
  • > Testosterone, progesterone, DHEA
  • > Estrogens and estrogen clearance pathways
  • > Melatonin levels 
  • Depending on the laboratory, the test may include organic acid markers such as Dopamine, Epinephrine, B6, B12, Glutathione, and Oxidative Damage.

So, are you excited to learn more about your body?  It’s priceless and it can finally answer the health questions you’ve been longing for!

P.S. If you’re worried about what tests or labs you may need, don’t! We’ll help you make a decision and we’ll explain the results to you as well.

MRT Food Sensitivity Test

Compared to IgG test (i.e., ELISA IgG), the MRT (Mediator Release Test) offers advantages that cannot be ignored. The MRT measures all the immune-based adverse reactions that cause mediator release.  Whether they’re antibodies or other mechanisms, a [food or chemical] reaction will cause white blood cells to realize mediatorsThe MRT tests for 140 foods and 30 food chemicals.

Most Common Symptoms and Conditions Related to Food Sensitivities

  • > IBS, bloating, GERD, other G.I. issues
  • > Migraines and headaches
  • > Skin rashes, hives, eczema
  • > Brain fog, irritability, anxiety, anger
  • > Fatigue, joint/muscle pain
  • > Fibromyalgia

MRT Animation [How It Works]

Metabolic Wellness Profile

MWP is one of my favorite functional labs because it measures essential processes in the body that give clues to intestinal permeability (leaky gut), infections, food sensitivities, and more:

  • > Indican monitors protein digestive efficiency or breakdown, maldigestion, and potential impact on amino acids production.
  • > Total Bile Acids tests for liver function in general and more specifically for liver detoxification or how well detoxification is taking place.  
  • > Oxidative Stress, measured by 8-OHdG, is a major cause of cell and DNA damage due to imbalances in the body’s ability to detoxify free radicals or elevated Reactive Oxygen/Nitrogen Species (ROS/NOS) or repair the damage that’s being caused. OS comes from within the body and outside the body. Our lifestyle choices matter!
Click Image To See/Download Sample Report

Signs of Oxidative Stress

  • > Fatigue
  • > Brain fog
  • > Headaches
  • > Sensitivity to noise
  • > Muscle/joint pain
  • > Wrinkles & grey hair
  • > Decreased eyesight
  • > Prone to infections

Signs of Imbalanced Indican

  • > Insufficient HCL (low stomach acid)
  • > Pancreatic insufficiency
  • > Intestinal overgrowth of bacteria and candida
  • > Inadequate dietary protein digestion which can disrupt blood sugar, hormones & neurotransmitters
  • > Liver dysfunction

Signs of Congested Liver
(low and high TBA)

  • > Chronic malabsorption
  • > Persistent diarrhea or starvation
  • > Suggestive of IBD
  • > Risk of viral disease, cirrhosis and drug-induced liver injury
  • > Possible liver dysfunction, detoxification issues including hormones, and leaky gut

Mucosal Barrier Assessment

Elevated Stress, toxicity, and antigen burden–if left unresolved for a prolonged period of time, these external and internal stressors can lead to systemic disease. Chronic exposure to these stressors can damage the villi, leading to hyperpermeability (leaky gut) and inflammation.

Check out this short video about the role the mucosal barrier plays in our immune health. It’s truly fascinating!

In addition to testing histamine levels (inflammation), the MBA test measures Zonulin, which are protein molecules that regulate the tight junctions between epithelial cells (mentioned in the video). It not only gives us insights into the integrity of your mucosal barrier in the intestines but also it gives insights into the blood brain barrier. 

Intestinal Permeability: Examples of Related Conditions

  • > Food sensitivities
  • > Food allergies
  • > Chronic fatigue
  • > IBS and IBD
  • > Hashimoto
  • > SIBO
  • > Migraines
  • > Nutrition depletion
  • > Type 1 Diabetes
  • > Psoriasis, eczema

High Histamine: Examples of Related Symptoms & Conditions

  • > Runny nose
  • > Sneezing, congestion
  • > Gas, GI cramps
  • > Vertigo or dizziness
  • > Itching, hives
  • > Hashimoto’s
  • > Hypertension
  • > Shortness of breath
  • > Abnormal cycles
  • > Abnormal heart rate
  • > Headache, migraines
  • > Diarrhea
Functional Lab Tests | Mucosal Barrier Assessment | Maria Horstmann | FDN-P | Weight Loss | health Coach |Atlanta
Click The Image To See/Download Sample Report

Organic Acid Test / OAT (Nutritional Assessment)

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Insights OAT Offers

Organic Acids in urine are often present 100 times their concentration in the blood/serum making it more detectable. The OT by Great Plains evaluates 70 metabolites (normal byproducts of biochemical processes in the body) giving a great snapshot of overall health: 

  • > Energy Metabolism
  • > Detoxification Pathways
  • > Ketones
  • > Neurotransmitters
  • > Vitamin and Mineral Metabolism
  • > Dysbiosis
  • > Fatty Acid Oxidation
  • > Oxalate levels

Signs of Nutritional Imbalances

  • The symptoms or dysfunctions are not the answer to the problem. They reflect imbalances upstream in the body often caused by nutrition and lifestyle choices, environmental toxins, and genetic factors. Abnormal organic acids may show up as:   
  • > Hyperactivity
  • > Fatigue
  • > Poor memory and brain fog
  • > Anemia and immune deficiency
  • > Behavioral Disorders
  • > Movement Disorders
 
This test or any other functional lab test we may recommend are NOT used to diagnose or treat diseases and illnesses. They help us identify hidden stressors that may be contributing to symptoms and may be causing Metabolic Chaos®
Click Image To See/Download Sample Report

Take a Step That Can Change Your Life Forever

1

Schedule your one-time Strategy Call appointment using our convenient online scheduling tool and completing the pre-meeting intake form.

2

At your appointment, we'll discuss your health challenges and goals, see if I can help you and we're a fit to work together, and discuss the ideal functional lab tests and wellness program for you.

3

We’ll design a custom plan to meet your goals and aspirations. Let’s get personal and real so we can effectively implement, evaluate, adjust, and execute the plan together.

How Can FDN and FDN Practitioners Help You?

Let’s start by reviewing the basic approach that you’re likely familiar with…

Typical lab tests most doctors run during annual ‘comprehensive checkups labs’ will include:

> Complete blood count.

> Generic metabolic panel.

> Lipid Panel.

> TSH for thyroid function.

> General biomarkers for liver and kidney function.

As articulated HERE, general physicians use markers that fall outside the “normal” to diagnose and assess disease and monitor sickness. However, various cutting-edge tests have now been developed to identify imbalances and interactions among your body’s many organs and systems, all thanks to functional and nutritional techniques and laboratories’ commitment to healthcare.

The great news is that consumers like yourself have access to these screenings too. 

And here is how Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® (FDN) and  Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioners (FDN-Ps) can help you…

Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® (FDN) is an opt-in model of self-care (vs forced-in disease care model) that includes cutting-edge functional lab testing which goes far deeper than what’s commonly available through the traditional medical system.

Reed Davis, the founder of FDN, says it best…

We (FDN) don’t diagnose or treat anything specifically. We work on everything non-specifically.”

My role as a certified FDN-P is to NEVER give a diagnosis or attempt to treat any medical conditions. The only non-medical diagnosis I give as an FDN-P, when granted, is of Metabolic Chaos®.  Instead, I help you evaluate how well your body is (or isn’t) functioning or performing over what is considered a normal spectrum of health.

A Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner (FDN-P) acts as a health detective on a mission to help you discover and handle physiological imbalances in your body before they manifest as outright illnesses.

This is because they are able to identify obstacles to healing,  weak links, or dysfunctional areas based on the lab tests they carry out. These tests can provide the information necessary for practitioners to take a more holistic approach to restore overall health.

As an FDN-P, I will ask you to check with your medical doctor before making changes in diet, supplementation, and exercise!

Unfortunately, many symptomatic people are unknowingly taking steps that do not address the root cause of health issues and/or Metabolic Chaos®. 

Oftentimes, they seek relief care through the latest supplements, diets, exercises, or therapies to fill in the “needs gap” between symptomatic to non-symptomatic. At the end of the day, we need to push through, right?

But at what cost? At whose expense?

While there is nothing wrong with relief care strategies, we all do it, ignoring the signals your body has been sending for weeks, months, and years isn’t ideal at ANY AGE!

An FDN-P employs a non-specific approach (=looks at you as a whole human being) and uses results obtained from different functional lab tests, clinically correlating the lab results with YOU as a person (not what the paper/result says), and performing comprehensive health history.

Because this step-by-step assessment approach provides objective information, your FDN-P is equipped with the tools to create more individualized and targeted natural drug-free therapy protocols using D.R.E.S.S. (Diet, Rest/sleep, Exercise, Stress reduction, and Supplementation) protocol that can help improve the health of cells, tissues, organs, and overall body function over time.

No matter the diagnosis or symptoms you may have, our job is to get to the bottom of what is going on and help reestablish the normal balance and harmony needed for your well-being.

This is a key reason functional lab testing is so important. It provides detailed insights about obstacles to healing and insights into your symptoms before the significant deterioration in your health has occurred.

Metabolic Chaos is a state that exists in the body that originated from exposure to different HIDDEN internal and external stressors that were left unresolved for a prolonged period of time. This cascades throughout the body producing malfunction and symptoms that can often be very difficult, or near impossible to predict their root cause.

Dysfunction of one or more systems in the body can be the result of systemic poor health or vice-versa. This is especially true when we take into consideration that a person’s genetic predispositions and natural weak links can be contributors to imbalances and symptoms they’re experiencing.

When we combine all these factors, the, how, where, and why of the way symptoms express themselves are unique to each person making it difficult to identify the root cause of the problem (s). By running functional labs, listening and correlating results to your biodiverse body, and performing a health history, we are able to uncover obstacles to healing and find opportunities to improve function in the body by personalizing and helping you successfully implement the D.R.E.S.S. protocol (Diet, Rest, Exercise, Stress Reduction, and Supplementation).