Diagnostic Tests
The majority of the tests below require only a
pin-prick sample of blood or a urine sample, as indicated below. (Prices are inclusive of VAT.) Results are available within 10 working days from the lab's receipt of sample. The lab (Cambridge Nutritional Sciences) will bill the client directly on receipt of the sample.
Hair Mineral Analysis
Mineral & Metal Toxicity
This test is provided by Mineralcheck and can be arranged with Monica Mcsherry.
Minerals are vital for life, and unlike some vitamins they are not produced naturally in the body. You need the right amount and balance of the required minerals for you to operate at your best.
Mineralcheck is the simple way of checking your body's mineral levels - through a small sample of hair. It can be sampled and transported easily.
Vital information about the body's chemistry is locked into every strand of hair, reflecting your energy, diet, environment and wellbeing.
Mineralcheck tells you whether your body has all the minerals you need - and in the right quantities.
When hair reaches the skin's surface, its outer layers harden and lock in a blueprint of the nutritional metabolic activity during the past 1 to 2 months. A properly obtained sample indicates your body's mineral levels and accumulation of toxic metals. You can detect what the levels are right now and see how the levels have changed during the last month or two. A blood test cannot do this.
Fee: £49
Possible Minerals looked at are:
Zinc deficiency can cause infertility in men.
Calcium strengthens bones and helps the heart work efficiently.
Iron enriches the blood, assisting oxygenation. Most people's average iron intake is only one third the recommended daily intake.
Selenium is widely believed to offer protection against some cancers and many ageing conditions. Selenium defficiency is common in the UK.
Phosphorus is linked to endurance. Deficiency can cause mental confusion, irritability and low resistance to infection.
Food Intolerance Tests (IgG)
from FOODPRINT TM
The CNS Foodprint Test is one of the most accurate tests available for food allergies and intolerances. The results show the exact U/ml measurement for each food tested.
Choose from:
Foodprint 40+
Foodprint 60+
Foodprint 120+
Foodprint 200+
Foodprint Vegan
Foodprint Vegetaria
Foodprint Herbs & Spices
Please check with Monica Mcsherry (contact details below) which one of these tests would be most suitable for you or click here for a full breakdown of which foods will be tested for in each of the the testing categories above.
We also offer the tests listed here:
Candida Test Blood £60
We measure IgG and IgM antibodies and the results will show whether there is a current infection, current or past infection, a recent onset or a normal yeast growth.
Rheumatoid Screen Blood £60
Until now there has been no good blood test for early detection of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The CNS Rheumatoid Screen combines two key RA tests to provide the most accurate assessment; Rheumatoid Factors (RF) test and Citrullinated Protein Antibodies (CPA) test. A positive CPA + RF is 99.9% diagnostic of R Arthritis. A positive result may also indicate the onset of RA up to five years before symptoms appear, making early treatment more effective by avoiding the worst effects.
Coeliac Disease Blood £60
Testing is simple and involves screening the patient's blood for Anti-gliadin (AGA) or TGA-IgA Antibodies.
Osteoporosis Screen Urine £65
Only N telopeptide (NTx) accurately monitors bone resorption since it is derived from type 1 collagen, which is found only in bone.
Thyroid Antibody Test Blood £50
Both excess and insufficiency of thyroid hormones can give rise to different disease states. The measurement of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies may give early warning about thyroid disease.
Helicobacter Pylori Screen Blood £50
H.pylori infection is a major causative factor in gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastric cancer and other forms of gastritis.
Anaemia Blood £50
Intrinsic factor is required for the absorption of Vitamin B12. Sometimes an immune reaction occurs causing antibodies to be formed, resulting in anaemia.
Sample Fee
Blood £99
Blood £149
Blood £199
Blood £275
Blood £149
Blood £149
Blood £99
For enquiries or to arrange a test, please contact:
Monica Mcsherry
Nutritional Therapist
t: 020 8299 6040 (Healthmatters)
m: 07984 511 959
Evidence for Food Intolerance Testing:
Food elimination based on IgG antibodies in irritable bowel
syndrome: a randomised controlled trial
Background: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often feel they have some form of dietary intolerance and frequently try exclusion diets. Tests attempting to predict food sensitivity in IBS have been disappointing but none has utilised IgG antibodies.
Aims: To assess the therapeutic potential of dietary elimination based on the presence of IgG antibodies to food.
Patients: A total of 150 outpatients with IBS were randomised to receive, for three months, either a diet excluding all foods to which they had raised IgG antibodies (enzyme linked immunosorbant assay test) or a sham diet excluding the same number of foods but not those to which they had antibodies.
Methods: Primary outcome measures were change in IBS symptom severity and global rating scores. Noncolonic
symptomatology, quality of life, and anxiety/depression were secondary outcomes. Intention to treat analysis was undertaken using a generalised linear model.
Results: After 12 weeks, the true diet resulted in a 10% greater reduction in symptom score than the sham
diet (mean difference 39 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 5–72); p = 0.024) with this value increasing to 26% in fully compliant patients (difference 98 (95% CI 52–144); p,0.001). Global rating also significantly improved in the true diet group as a whole (p = 0.048, NNT= 9) and even more in compliant patients (p = 0.006, NNT= 2.5). All other outcomes showed trends favouring the true diet. Relaxing the diet led to a 24% greater deterioration in symptoms in those on the true diet (difference 52 (95% CI 18–88); p = 0.003).
Conclusion: Food elimination based on IgG antibodies may be effective in reducing IBS symptoms and is worthy of further biomedical research.
Source: www.gutjnl.com
read full research paper (29/10/2004)
