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Naturopathic
Diagnosis
Every
year Canadians go to their general practitioners for an
annual physical which includes a series of blood tests.
These tests are intended to screen for clearly defined
chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease; they
are based on a range of norms established using a
so-called ‘healthy population’. If you fall into the
normal range you are given a ‘clean bill of health’ and
sent away for another year.
Critical Approach
to Ordinary Blood Tests
Since
naturopathic medicine is focused on prevention, it is
more concerned with identifying optimal function rather
than statistical norms. In reality, health exists on a
continuum and is determined by a complex dynamic of
interconnected systems. Isolated individual markers do
not reflect this dynamic. For example, a single high
blood sugar count does not reflect the complex
contributions that the gastrointestinal tract, liver,
pancreas and adrenal glands all make towards blood sugar
regulation.
Naturopathy is interested in markers that are helpful
for early detection of dysfunction. Our goal is to
intervene years before disease develops, with the hope
of moving towards optimal function. In contrast,
conventional medicine usually intervenes when the first
sign of disease has been identified.
As a
naturopath, I still make use of conventional laboratory
blood tests, but I analyze them from a more critical
angle. Firstly, I recognize that the established ranges
are based on an unhealthy population. As the majority
of our population deviates from being healthy, the
reference ranges continue to stretch out (bell cure gets
wider) in order to keep the unhealthy top and bottom
percentages around 3% of the population. For this
reason, I strive to have my clients fall within an
optimal range that lies within the normal range.
Furthermore, I use blood tests to track changes within
the normal range over a period of months or years; these
shifts indicate movement towards disease and/or
health.
Specialized
In-House Functional Tests
There
are many wonderful and inexpensive in-house tests that
can be used to identify dysfunctions and imbalances that
would otherwise go unaddressed and lead to pathological
changes in the future. These tests rely mostly on
urine, saliva and/or blood levels of specific markers to
assess the functionality of different systems. These
tests are important because often symptoms only arise
long after dysfunction has started and similarly
disappear before full function has been restored. My
most popular in-house tests are those that identify
heavy-metal burden, chronic stress, mineral
deficiencies, antioxidant status, bowel toxicity,
thyroid functioning, relative body acidity, and
fat-muscle-water body ratios. To read more about theses
tests visit
http://www.naturopathicmilestones.com/Tests%20Special.htm.
I use
these tests, in conjunction with physical observations
and a thorough history, to identify dysfunction as well
as to track progress during the course of a treatment.
Beyond
Laboratory Tests
Naturopathic Medicine also relies on the use of ancient
diagnostic tools. We incorporate tongue and pulse
diagnoses from Traditional Chinese Medicine in order to
pick up patterns of imbalance within the body.
Furthermore, we place great significance on a full range
of physical signs and symptoms that might otherwise be
ignored in conventional diagnostics. Many of us
experience peculiar or unusual signs and symptoms that
don’t fit within the normal definitions of any
particular disease. However, in my view all signs and
symptoms deserve attention as they are a reflection of
the body’s dynamic transition towards either health
and/or disease. I believe the body is smart and
therefore never random. If we cannot scientifically
compartmentalize a finding it does not make it
insignificant, it just reflects the limitations of
science.
Take
Home Message
On the
one hand, I encourage all of my clients to be diligent
about attending their yearly physicals. Your blood
tests and other screening methods such as yearly PAP
smears and/or prostate exams can provide important
information. On the other hand, I stress that we should
not get a false sense of security solely based on the
outcome of those screens. If you have a hammer, you
will find a nail. These screening tests have many
limitations. Pay attention to your general sense of
well-being, your energy, your mood, your sleep, your
stress and how you feel physically. These too are
important indicators of your state of health.
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