Did you know congestive heart failure affects more than six million Americans and is projected to climb sharply in the coming decades? Our last newsletter talked about thinking outside the traditional box of taking your medications, cutting back on sodium, and weighing yourself daily.
This round let’s focus on some of the root causes of congestive heart failure and associated tests to explore from a functional medicine point of view.
- Cardiometabolic Profile: Looks at inflammation markers, insulin resistance, and lipid dysregulation, all of which can drive cardiovascular disease. It is a simple blood test that goes beyond typical testing in a traditional medical setting.
- Nutrient Test: This simple hair test looks at vitamin, mineral, amino acid, and fatty acids to detect what deficiencies are present. The heart is a muscle and needs the right amount of nutrients to function properly.
- Organic Acids Test: A simple urine test that looks at the energy production in the mitochondria of your cells. It helps us see if this cycle of energy production needs support and gives a different look at possible deficiencies that could be affecting heart function.
- Tox Detect, Hepatic Detoxification Profile, Hair Elements Test: The simple urine and hair tests screen for different types of toxins in the body and how the liver is handling them. Stored toxins in the body can damage heart function.
- Thyroid & Adrenal Testing: These blood and saliva tests determine hormone levels for the thyroid and adrenal glands, which are essential for influencing how your heart functions.
These are tests that will almost never be run in a traditional medical setting, outside of possibly a baseline thyroid panel. These functional medicine testing options can hold the key to finding root causes of congestive heart failure.