Basic Medical Laboratory Tests: Disease Focus
Urinalysis: reveals status of kidneys, ureters and bladder—and also may reveal inflammation in female tract or male urethra and prostate.
pH: normal urine is pH 5-7, due to excretion of lactic acid and dozens of other organic acids. pH 7 is neutral; below 7 is acid; above 7 is alkaline.
Acid pH of urine inhibits bacterial growth and thus protects the bladder.
Physical inactivity or low metabolic rate (le.g. low thyroid) lowers lactic acid production and other metabolic acids. Hence alkaline products dominate urine, raising pH to 8 or 9. Alkaline urine also may indicate failure of kidney tubules to excrete acid. But more often alkalinity is due to diet high in vegetable, low in protein and fat. Protein yields amino acids and Fat yields fatty acids.
Cloudy urine usually reflects dietary phosphate or oxalate combined with calcium. It can lead to kidney stones! Cloudy urine can also be caused by illness, e.g. infection, blood or proteins from kidneys due to infection or inflammation of kidneys or ureters, bladder and genito-urinary tract.
CBC = complete blood count: reflects cell nutrition re: growth; also immune status. This is a microscopic survey of red blood cells (oxygen carriers), white blood cells (immune cells that attack bacteria and cancer cells and/or produce antibodies to bind to kill ‘germs.’
There are several types of white blood cells:
- Lymphocytes, which produce antibodies to interfere with bacteria and viruses, 2.
- Neutrophils, which produce peroxide to kill these germs.
- Eosinophils are armed with hydrobromic acid, the most caustic acid outside of the hydrochloric acid of the stomach. Thus, eosinophils are able to attack parasites and even cancer cells. They can also attack allergy-inducing proteins.
Anemia is a general term for a low red blood cell count. Aside from blood loss by intestine (ulcers) or uterus (menses), the common cause of anemia is dietary deficiency of vitamins, e.g. folate, cobalamin, thiamine, pyridoxal (B6) or the mineral iron. Iron deficiency causes small sized cells; while deficiency of folate or cobalamin causes large sized cells. This is the most common nutrition-related ‘clue’ in orthodox medical practice.
Smaller cells, called platelets, are also counted in CBC. The platelets act by clumping together and binding to proteins in the blood vessel, thus closing small leaks. They also release omega-6 fatty acids that induce a cascade of clotting factors to produce stronger clots. Excessive numbers of platelets or excessive clumping can cause unregulated clotting. Platelets also release a growth factor, PDGF, to promote healing. But it can also promote growth of cancer cells. Antioxidants, Aspirin, and/or garlic are useful treatments for excessive platelet activity.
Blood chemistry panel, also called SMAC, surveys metabolic factors, including glucose, protein, cholesterol, fats (triglycerides), uric acid, creatinine, sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium and phosphorous. Enzymes, called ALT and AST, detect liver and other tissue inflammation.
Thyroid panel is almost a routine test nowadays, due to the high frequency of low thyroid in patients with depression and chronic fatigue. The panel includes direct measure of thyroxine (T4) and tri-iodothyronine (T3), as well as the pituitary TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). Ideally this would be reserved for patients with physical signs of low thyroid. eg. slow pulse, dry skin, thick tongue and fatigue.
What does Orthomolecular laboratory testing have to add?
The foregoing lab tests are in common use in general medical and hospital practice. They do have some basic nutrition clues: excessive glucose is a sign of diabetes. Low albumin is an early marker of malabsorption or dietary malnutrition. Low creatinine suggests under-nutrition; High creatinine most often refers to kidney disease, with lowered filtration capacity.
But these clues are not as complete as the orthomolecular paradigm of : GENETIC, NUTRITION, POLLUTION, STRESS. These refer to Needs and in particular to the most treatable of disease causes: nutrient needs!
The key word here is NEEDS! Nutrients are essential—needed for health, wellness, and Life! Lack of nutrients causes illness in a matter of days or weeks. Vitamin C, for example, was deficient in the diet of sailors in the 16th to the 18th Century and scurvy was a persistent scourge. The usual scenario of scurvy: the crew suffered fatigue, malaise and infections at 6 weeks at sea. By 12 weeks the entire crew was dead! Ghost ships with a dead crew were a frequent tragedy until 60 years after Dr. James Lind published his research that demonstrated the power of citrus fruits to cure—and prevent dreaded scurvy. Why so long a delay in accepting Dr. Lind’s research? The admiralty ‘experts’ were in disbelief even after Dr. Lind wrote his research as a “Treatise on The Scurvy” in 1747!
Now, ask yourself: “why don’t physicians consider nutrition in all patients and measure the patient’s nutrient levels routinely? Sadly, the discipline of nutrition diagnosis and therapy is still under-valued despite the wonderful advances in science and laboratory technology that enable reliable diagnosis of all: vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, and metabolic intermediates, enzymes and excretion products.
And all of these are better interpreted in conjunction with a genetic profile. This has enabled Personalized Medicine to come of age—as a more complete assessment of Nutrition, Pollution, Stress—and Damage.
A brief outline of laboratory testing in Orthomolecular Medicine.
- Vitamin panel (World Health Lab/and Spectracell Lab). https://www.worldhealthlaboratories.com/ https://www.customer.spectracell.com/
- Mineral panel (Urine and/or whole blood). 55 minerals, including toxic metals and halogens (fluoride, bromine, iodine). Urine organic acids.
- Plasma Amino acids panel and Homocysteine.
- Clotting factors Fibrinogen, Lipoprotein(a) Factors 2, 5, 7 and Small Dense LDL
- Methylation panel:(RBC): SAM/SAH, Taurine, Sulfate, Glutathione.
- Gene/enzyme panel (23&me and Genetic Genie/methylation). IgG allergy panel.
- Stool-digestive survey
- RBC fatty acids (include n3-EFA and VLCFA))
- Urine porphyrins.
- Urine Amino acids
- Urine comprehensive hormone panel.
