- Comprehensive evaluation to assess your present health and risk factors
- Natural medicine treatments options for preventing and treating medical conditions
- Bio-identical hormone restoration
- Nutritional assessment and counseling
- Food allergy/sensitivity testing
- Specialty testing
- Initial Consultation: Comprehensive evaluations to assess your present health and risk factors
After you have downloaded and filled-out a detailed health and symptom questionnaire you will meet with Dr. De La Cruz for an initial consultation. This meeting will review your health concerns, symptoms, health history and risk factors. Based on this discussion appropriate testing will be ordered with your approval that includes blood tests for blood chemistries, thyroid function, lipid profiles and saliva test for hormone evaluation. Allow 45 to 60 minutes for this initial consultation.
- Natural medicine treatments options for preventing and treating medical conditions
Your follow-up visit after the initial consultation is to review the results of blood and saliva tests and form a treatment plan based on your symptoms, risk factors and testing results. Natural medicine treatment options will include dietery recommendations, exercise program and supplements to restore imbalances and deficits. You may choose this option to review natural options for your current medical conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or thyroid disorders.
- Bio-identical hormone restoration
Hormone balance is essential to good health for women and men. For women, the transition from premenopause (30’s), to perimenopause (40’s), to menopause (50’s) is accompanied by a variety of disruptive and often debilitating symptoms for which prescription drugs are too often recommended. For men over 40, a significant drop in testosterone levels may lead to loss of libido, stamina and muscle mass often attributed to the ageing process as well as an unwanted increase in estrogen levels. The most common form of testing for hormone imbalance are saliva testing and serum testing. Saliva testing more correctly measures the level of hormones in the tissues. Your saliva test will measure several hormones including Estrogen, Progesterone, Testosterone and DHEA. The impact of stress on hormone imbalance is assessed with Cortisol levels on waking, noon, dinnertime and bedtime. Serum testing is available for some hormones as well
- Nutritional assessment and counseling
Your nutritional assessment begins with the Medical Symptom and Health questionnaire you downloaded. During your nutritional consultation a more detailed assessment of your dietery habits reviews the strengths and weaknesses of your present nutrition. Guidelines for better nutrition begins with your review of the Nutrition chapter in Balancing Act. More detailed recommendations based on your preferences, eating habits and health needs will follow from your consultation with your physician.
- Food allergy/sensitivity testing
A common, often overlooked cause of chronic symptoms and ailments is food allergy and food sensitivity. Unlike sudden food allergy symptoms, such as a sudden reaction to peanuts or shrimp, most food allergy or sensitivity symptoms may not occur for hours or days. Non-invasive testing using electrodermal testing for food allergy and sensitivities . A strict allergy-elimination diet followed for 1-2 weeks may be very useful in detecting elusive food allergies/sensitivity.
- Specialty Testing
Electrodermal Testing – developed in Germany and used extensively in Europe, electrodermal testing offers a painless method for detecting imbalances and deficiencies before they are manifest as symptoms of disease. In those already experiencing hard to diagnose symptoms, this form of testing can reveal the hidden causes. Along with a comprehensive history, this form of testing provides a comprehensive approach to preventative and restorative medicine.
Heavy Metals Testing- Heavy metals toxicity often presents as subtle, elusive and hard to diagnose symptoms. Traditional blood test for heavy metals often miss heavy metal toxicity unless there has been a recent strong exposure. A urine test after challenging the body with a chelating agent is a more accurate test for long-term heavy metal toxicity as seen in those with mercury poisoning due to consuming tuna for years.
Digestion Testing- Comprehensive analysis of stool is useful for detecting problems with digestion and imbalances in intestinal “good” Â bacteria that precede or follow common diseases such as Irritable Bowel Disease, Food Allergies/Sensitivities, Chronic Fatigue, and Autoimmune Disorders such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Crohn’s Disease and other inflammatory conditions.
Iodine Loading Test- Iodine is essential for good health. Unfortunately, iodine deficiency is a problem worldwide and in the U.S. (especially in the Midwest). The connection of low iodine to most thyroid disorders, elevated cholesterol and hormone-related cancers like breast and prostate make testing for iodine levels essential for health. In this test, you collect your urine for 24 hours after taking a standard 50mg dose of iodine.
Neurotransmitter Test- For the thousands of people with mood disorders including ADD, anxiety, panic attacks and depression this test can reveal deficiencies or imbalances that can then be treated with supplements and lifestyle changes that help restore chemical balance.
Organic Acid Test- In some hard to treat cases of fatigue or mood disorder, the cause may be an imbalance in metabolism or energy production that requires specialty testing to determine the imbalance or deficiency which may then be corrected with specific nutritional supplements.