WHAT IS FUNCTIONAL (HEALTH) TESTING?

Functional wellbeing testing usually refers to health assessments that help to gain deeper understanding of your health and predisposition to disease. The tests involve examining a person’s blood or other DNA tissues to build a complete health profile that can help understand what would work best to achieve health goals, longevity and vitality.

Through better understanding of the unique way that your body functions, highly personalised treatment, or preventative care can be taken into action. The results of a functional assessment can also confirm or rule out a suspected condition or help to discover a person’s chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder.

In recent years, functional testing has become more common and commercially available to anyone who is serious about their health and longevity. The analysis can potentially detect relationships to wellness and health with information on cancer risks, health predispositions, and more. Functional testing has become known for empowering longer and healthier lives.

The information gained from functional testing may be helpful in several ways such as starting treatment, or initiating prevention strategies, diagnosing a genetic disease, as well as making life decisions such as career choice and family planning.

The Types of Functional Tests

At-home DNA test kits have come a long way, the results include everything from diet and nutrition that are optimal for you, food sensitivities & intolerances, to minerals and toxicity exposure in your body, pollution, and drug response. These tests can also determine gut health and the intestinal microbiome to help you optimize your diet and digestion. More in-depth tests include ancestry composition, genetic traits and predisposition to diseases, biological aging, skin assessment, and even personality traits.

A comprehensive finger-prick blood test can provide insight into what elements could possibly contribute to the inflammation in the body, and a complete food intolerances profile. Other test can help determine antioxidant and vitamin levels, as well as mineral balance in the body. Hair analysis test can provide information regarding recent and ongoing exposure to potentially toxic metals (including methylmercury, arsenic, iron, aluminium, lead, platinum, selenium, phosphorus, and zinc) and time-averaged status of specific nutrient elements. These tests usually take about 2 weeks to be developed.

An advanced stool test can provide valuable insight into digestive function, intestinal inflammation, and the intestinal microbiome, which is essential for the management of gastrointestinal health. While a genetic saliva test can focus on genetic risk factors and influence that affect nutritional and fitness performance. These tests are perfect for someone who wants to build a healthier and more efficient lifestyle and take about 4 weeks to develop.

A molecular genetic test for predisposition to disease using saliva ascertains if there are any genetic mutations that can cause specific diseases or conditions. Its an ideal test for preventative and holistic health management routine, it takes around 6 weeks to be developed.

The next frontier in DNA testing is an epigenetic finger-prick blood test that determines biological age, which is an accurate biomarker of the rate of the ageing. This assessment is perfect for someone who is interested in longevity and vitality. Gained knowledge can be used to design specific health protocols to reverse or slow down the aging process. This test takes about 9 weeks to develop.

Functional Testing Analysis

Functional testing analyses an individual’s DNA tissue to look at chromosomes, hormones, or proteins. Assessments can reveal imbalances in the system and once identified, wellness programmes and health treatments to reverse the imbalance can be developed.

Personalised results reveal invaluable insight into the health and wellness requirements of a person, allowing wellness professionals to customize care and treatments to meet the needs of the individual. Based on the findings, health and wellness programmes can be tailored to support the unique biology, genetics, and DNA of a person.

Wellness-oriented and results-focused, functional testing can identify any unmet needs that require correcting to improve any imbalances in functions such as sleep, movement, nutrition, hydration, vitality, social connection, purpose or meaning to ultimately preserve future health.

Functional testing is a deep dive into a person’s health and wellness with personalised and results-focused responses to optimise health, improve vitality, enhance life quality, and increase longevity.

Who Should Consider Functional Testing?

If you are considering doing functional testing for yourself or a family member, keep in mind various issues from medical and emotional standpoint. Although genetic testing can detect a mutation, the test cannot always tell when or what symptoms of the condition may show, or how severe the condition will be and how will it develop over time.

To help with the complexities of the medical and emotional issues involved in functional testing, it is essential to speak to a wellness expert or counsellor. The consultation will help you understand the benefits and possible risks, as well as answer any questions you may have before and after testing. Our partners at PAAR London offer initial wellness consultation complimentary and it is bookable online, for more details click here.

Together with PAAR London, Kamalaya offers comprehensive packages that can support your wellness retreat before you arrive through functional testing. Once your testing is done, your results will then be sent to Kamalaya prior to your arrival. Our wellness therapists will help you work through your results, understand your health patterns, and develop preventative care. Functional testing, before your stay at Kamalaya, can also help us personalize your program journey for a lifelong wellness.