Blood, stool or saliva tests as a supplement

In functional medicine, we look at the person as a whole. I don't wear blinders and don't rely on a single diagnostic tool, but rather utilize the synergy of various factors. Nevertheless, it's neither economically nor strategically sound to test "everything." We need a logical hierarchy.

Hair mineral analysis (HMA) is almost always the starting point. It reveals cellular deficiencies and toxic burdens that have accumulated over months. But the human organism is highly complex. HMA detects a great deal, but with organic problems, it sometimes only sees the "shadow": It shows us the effects of a disturbance (e.g., that nutrients are not being absorbed), but not always the microbiological cause in detail.

Therefore, it is important to understand which test illuminates which level of your body.

The HMA

The condition of the soil

Let's compare your health to a garden. Before you cultivate delicate plants (such as specific bacterial cultures for gut health), you need to know: What is the condition of the soil? Is it depleted and in need of minerals? Is it acidic due to stress? Or is there waste (heavy metals) in it?

The HMA examines precisely this foundation. It is your long-term cellular archive. Healing is an energy-intensive process. If our analysis shows that your body is operating in a state of absolute exhaustion (we call this the "Four Lows"), then it simply lacks the energy for complex repair processes. We first need to build and stabilize this foundation.

The limits of the HMA & the “shadows”

The HMA is excellent at determining the status quo of your minerals and heavy metals. Its value lies particularly in the ratios (proportions) of the parameters to one another. These patterns provide me with an in-depth analysis from which I can derive a detailed and tailored therapy recommendation.

But with organic issues, we often only see the outlines of the problem. For example, does the HMA consistently show low mineral levels even though you have a perfect diet and take supplements? That's the "shadow" telling us: something's wrong with absorption. But the HMA can't always tell us exactly what's stealing the nutrients.

This is where the specialists come into play:

The stool test (The microbiological cause)

If the HMA (hemoglobin analysis) indicates malabsorption (poor absorption), we use the stool test as a magnifying glass. It reveals what remained hidden in the "shadow" of the HMA: Are there inflammations of the intestinal lining ("leaky gut")? Or do we find parasites, fungi, or dysbiosis that are consuming your nutrients before they reach the cells?

The blood test (The transport)

Blood is a transport medium, not a storage medium. The body often artificially maintains stable blood levels (homeostasis) for extended periods, even when tissue stores (HMA) are depleted. This also applies to toxins: Blood only transports them for short periods. If heavy metals were to circulate in high concentrations in the blood continuously, acute poisoning would occur. To protect the organs, the body therefore stores these substances in the tissues (and thus in the hair) as quickly as possible. A "clean" blood test, therefore, does not rule out tissue contamination. We use blood tests specifically for snapshots of your current health: What is your vitamin D status right now? Are there any acute inflammations or iron deficiencies in your serum that we need to address immediately?

The saliva test (the rhythm)

Hormones follow a subtle daily rhythm. A single blood test at the doctor's office is like a snapshot of a single second of this dance – it reveals little about the dynamics. Saliva, however, shows us the curve: When exactly does your energy wane? Do you struggle to get out of bed in the morning (low cortisol) or find it hard to wind down in the evening (high cortisol)?

Conclusion: The order matters

Hair mineral analysis is the method of choice in most cases and for the majority of your healing journey. It is precise, and the ratios of the minerals to each other reveal a great deal about you and your health.

It shows us not only flaws, but your entire system:

• Your metabolic rate: Are you a "fast" or "slow oxidizer"?

• Your stress resilience: How do the adrenal glands and thyroid work at the cellular level?

• Your energy reserves: How much energy do you really have available?

With this knowledge, we strategically decide whether we need to dig deeper at a particular spot (e.g., stool test) or whether we should first focus on replenishing your reserves and preparing the "ground" for real healing.