functional
TESTING
Better information leads to better clinical decisions.
Testing isn't something I recommend for everyone. Many people improve significantly with a detailed case history, nutrition, lifestyle and targeted treatment alone. But sometimes symptoms only tell part of the story. Functional testing gives us another layer of information. Rather than relying on assumptions or trial and error, it helps us understand why something may be happening and allows treatment to be tailored specifically to you.
test don't guess
01 / WHEN TO INVEST IN FUNCTIONAL & NATUROPATHIC TESTING
Rather than relying on assumptions or trial and error, functional testing helps us understand why something may be happening so we can make more informed decisions about your care. Whether we're investigating complex symptoms or optimising an already healthy foundation, a well-chosen test can confirm clinical suspicions, rule out potential contributors, identify patterns that would otherwise be missed, and provide a baseline from which we can monitor meaningful change over time.
Depending on your goals, this may include exploring gut health, hormones, metabolic health, nutrient status, inflammation, the microbiome or other physiological systems that influence how you feel today and how you age into the future.
​
02 / TARGETED TREATMENT PLANNING
Testing allows us to focus on what your body specifically needs. In many cases, this saves money in the long run by reducing unnecessary products, appointments, relapses and trial-and-error. It also means you and your data are at the centre of the process. Your results belong to you, and we'll review them together so you understand what they mean, how they relate to your symptoms, and why each recommendation has been made. My aim is not simply to provide answers, but to help you better understand your own body so you can make informed decisions about your health, performance and longevity long after our appointments have finished.
03 / THOUGHTFUL PRESCRIBING BENEFITS THE WIDER COMMUNITY
Every supplement has an environmental cost through manufacturing, packaging and transport. By using quality testing to prescribe only what is needed, we can often reduce unnecessary supplementation and its associated waste.
Most importantly, testing is about making better clinical decisions. If I don't believe a test will meaningfully change your treatment plan, I won't recommend it. But when the right test is ordered at the right time, it can provide clarity, confidence and a more efficient path towards better health.
Gut & microbiome testing
Gut microbiome testing is one of the most comprehensive ways to investigate digestive health and better understand the factors contributing to ongoing gastrointestinal symptoms. I use advanced microbiome and stool analysis to assess the composition and function of your gut bacteria, identify signs of inflammation or infection, evaluate digestive function, and uncover potential drivers of symptoms such as IBS, dysbiosis and microbial imbalance.
This type of testing can be particularly valuable if you experience bloating, reflux, excessive gas, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, food sensitivities or ongoing digestive discomfort. It's also helpful for those who feel they always need to know where every nearest toilet is before leaving the house. I see you, I've been there.
Rather than guessing which diet or supplement might help, microbiome testing allows us to make more informed decisions, target treatment to your unique gut ecosystem, and monitor your progress over time.
Common
TESTING
Standard
blood tests
We can gain so much insight from standard blood testing, even if your results came back "normal". Most standard blood tests compare your results to a reference range. These ranges are created by measuring large groups of people and identifying where around 95% of results fall. They are incredibly valuable for diagnosing overt disease and identifying results that require urgent medical attention.
However, a result that falls within the laboratory reference range isn't always the same as being optimal for your age, stage of life, symptoms or health goals.
As a naturopath, I look at your blood tests through a slightly different lens. Rather than asking only, "Is this normal?" I also ask, "Could this help explain why you're experiencing symptoms?" and "Is there room to optimise this marker before it becomes a problem?"
This means I look for patterns between multiple results, consider your individual health history, and compare your results with research-informed optimal ranges where appropriate.
It's about understanding how your body is functioning as a whole, rather than interpreting each marker in isolation.
The goal isn't to find problems where there aren't any. It's to identify opportunities for earlier intervention, more personalised treatment and better long-term health.
SIBO
breath testing
Persistent bloating, abdominal discomfort, excessive gas, reflux, burping, constipation, diarrhoea, food intolerances or symptoms that worsen after eating may be caused by different forms of small intestinal microbial overgrowth.
While many people are familiar with the term SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), research now recognises that there are three distinct overgrowth phenotypes based on the primary gas produced in the gut:
-
Hydrogen-dominant SIBO
-
Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth (IMO), driven by methane-producing archaea rather than bacteria
-
Intestinal Sulfide Overproduction (ISO), characterised by excess hydrogen sulfide production
Each phenotype has different underlying mechanisms and each requires a different clinical treatment approach. This is why identifying the specific gas pattern through comprehensive breath testing is so valuable.
Complete thyroid
testing
For many people, a thyroid assessment begins and ends with TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). While TSH is an important screening marker, it doesn't always provide the complete picture, particularly if symptoms persist despite "normal" results.
Depending on your symptoms, health history and previous blood tests, a more comprehensive thyroid assessment may include TSH, free T4, free T3, reverse T3, thyroid antibodies (TPOAb, TRAb, TgAb) and other nutrients that support healthy thyroid function, such as iron, vitamin B12, folate, selenium, iodine and zinc.
Looking at the thyroid more broadly can help us better understand how well thyroid hormone is being produced, converted, and utilised by the body, whether there is evidence of autoimmune thyroid disease such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and whether other factors may be contributing to symptoms like fatigue, weight changes, brain fog, hair loss, constipation, menstrual irregularities or difficulty regulating body temperature.
precision
HORMONE ANALYSIS
Hormones don't work in isolation. They are part of complex biochemical pathways, with one hormone acting as the precursor for another and multiple organs working together to regulate their production, conversion and metabolism. Looking at a single hormone in isolation never tells the whole story. This is why I take a nuanced approach to hormone testing. Rather than just understanding what may be 'low' or 'high', I look at how your body arrived at that result. Understanding the relationships between hormones, their precursors, metabolic pathways and feedback loops often provides far greater insight than interpreting individual results alone.
This approach is particularly valuable when investigating complex presentations such as PMOS (formerly PCOS), endometriosis, PMDD, recurrent miscarriage, pregnancy, postpartum recovery and perimenopause. These conditions are never driven by a single hormone and often require careful interpretation of multiple interacting systems.
For example, not everyone with PMOS presents with the same hormonal pattern. While many people associate PMOS with elevated androgens, some individuals have more complex biochemical profiles that require a different diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Recognising these less common patterns requires careful clinical interpretation and an understanding of endocrine physiology, rather than relying on one or two laboratory values.