Patients may hear about something new from our naturopathic doctors—neurotransmitter testing. The functioning of the human nervous system influences every emotion and every function of the body. We can now dig deeper when appropriate and determine how specific chemical messengers are helping or hindering a patient’s progress in dealing with his or her health issues.
What are neurotransmitters? Neurotransmitters are the body’s communication highway. They are the chemicals that tell our heart to beat, our lungs to breathe and our stomach to digest. They are required for sleeping, energy, fear and other bodily functions and require a delicate balance within our system to function appropriately. When there is a deficiency or a surplus of a particular neurotransmitter being produced in the body, symptoms can begin to manifest both mentally and physically. With testing we can now measure specific neurotransmitter levels through a simple urine sample.
Urinary neurotransmitter measurements are reflective of the entire physical system. This means that symptoms of depression, insomnia, anxiety, fatigue and headaches (among other symptoms) can be correlated with neurotransmitter levels excreted in the urine and indicate how the body functions as a whole. These results are combined with a detailed medical history to provide the patient with an appropriate treatment plan. If an imbalance is identified, supplementation of neurotransmitter precursors may be warranted. This particular methodology has proven to be quite effective to help restore and balance neurotransmitter production.
The Nardella Clinic’s naturopathic doctors look forward to continuing to provide our patients with state-of- the-art assessment and diagnostic testing.
