Lab Testing
-
- Tweet
SWFL Integrative Medicine
Board Certified Gynecologists & Integrative Medicine Specialists located in Fort Myers, FL
Testing samples of blood and other substances from your body can be one of the most reliable ways to make a diagnosis or rule out a potential health condition. Highly experienced integrative specialist Heather Auld, MD, and her team at SWFL Integrative Medicine in Fort Myers, Florida, provide extensive testing services including genetic testing for a comprehensive range of health conditions. To find out more, call SWFL Integrative Medicine today or book an appointment online.
Lab Testing Q&A
What is lab testing?
Lab testing is the collection and analysis of fluids or tissue samples taken from your body. To better understand your health, the team at SWFL Integrative Medicine offers a comprehensive range of labs that can provide invaluable additional information.
As an integrative practice, the SWFL Integrative Medicine team does take regular blood work through standard labs as well as offering specialty labs when regular blood work may not be sufficient.
Examples of some of these labs include:
- Annual labs
- Hormones
- Cortisol
- Nutritional status
- Genetic SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms)
- Microbiome
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
- Environmental toxicity
- Food allergies
- Stool testing
- Mycotoxin mold testing
- Environmental toxin testing
- Heavy metal testing
- Detailed hormone and thyroid panels
- Cardiometabolic testing
Lab testing provides invaluable information about you and your health that can help your provider create an effective treatment plan.
What does the lab use for testing?
Blood is the most common medium for testing, but other fluids and substances are also useful. Samples you might need to provide for lab testing include:
- Urine
- Saliva
- Sputum
- Semen
- Discharge fluids
- Stool
- Cell swabs
These samples provide information about what may be causing your symptoms and the effects of any disease you have. Samples such as cells from your cervix can also be a valuable way to screen for conditions like cervical cancer.
Your provider decides on the kind of sample they need depending on what’s the most likely cause of your symptoms. You might need a comprehensive blood workup that measures a broad spectrum of potential problems, including infection, poison, and micronutrient imbalance.
How are samples collected for the lab?
Collecting blood involves your provider at SWFL Integrative Medicine drawing blood from a vein in your arm. They might need to take a swab of cells from your throat or genitals, using a cotton swab.
If they need to test waste products like urine and stool, you simply return a sample container with the required substance in it. You don’t need to feel embarrassed by having to provide a sample — the SWFL Integrative Medicine staff are discreet professionals who are highly accustomed to receiving all different types of samples.
Your provider will let you know the results of the tests as soon as possible.
If you need help diagnosing your illness, call SWFL Integrative Medicine today or make an appointment using the online tool.