Functional Medicine & Naturopathic Lab Testing in Roswell, GA

Food reactions are among the most common reasons people seek testing, and among the most misunderstood. Symptoms are rarely limited to digestion. Fatigue, headaches, joint aches, congestion, skin flares and brain fog all show up on the list.

We use food sensitivity testing the way the research supports using it, as a way to personalize an elimination and reintroduction trial rather than as a verdict handed to you on paper. That distinction matters, and it has been studied properly. A randomized, sham-controlled trial in Gut in 2004 found that patients with irritable bowel syndrome who removed foods identified by testing improved more than those given a sham diet removing the same number of foods, with the difference reaching 26 percent among those who stuck to the plan. A larger multicenter randomized trial published in Gastroenterology in 2025 reached the same conclusion, with significant improvement in abdominal pain compared with a sham diet.

What that means in practice: a panel gives us a starting shortlist. Your response to removing and then reintroducing those foods is what confirms whether they matter for you. Anyone who tells you a blood test alone settles the question is overselling it. Our post on food allergy versus food sensitivity sets out how the two differ and which test belongs to which.

Seasonal and indoor allergies drive a great deal of chronic congestion, sinus pressure, poor sleep and low-grade fatigue around north Fulton County. Testing can identify reactivity to tree, grass and weed pollens, dust mites, animal dander and indoor mold spores. Knowing which triggers are yours changes what is worth doing about your home, your schedule and your allergy care plan .

The gut is usually the first place we look, partly because so much of immune function and inflammation runs through it, and partly because it is one of the few systems where testing gives genuinely detailed answers. Comprehensive stool analysis can look at:

Microbiome balance

Beneficial species, opportunistic overgrowth and the overall diversity of your gut bacteria.

Digestion & absorption

Pancreatic enzyme output, fat digestion and how well you are breaking food down in the first place.

Inflammation markers

Intestinal inflammation markers that help separate an irritated gut from a purely functional one.

Parasites & pathogens

Protozoa, worms and bacterial pathogens that standard screening frequently misses.

H. pylori

A common stomach bacterium linked to reflux, gastritis and ulcers. Stool antigen and breath testing detect active infection, which is what matters clinically.

Candida & yeast

Fungal overgrowth that can accompany bloating, sugar cravings and recurrent irritation.

Intestinal permeability

Markers relating to the integrity of the gut lining, often relevant when food reactions keep multiplying.

Celiac & gluten screening

Immune markers for celiac disease and gluten reactivity, worth ruling in or out before any long-term elimination.

Breath testing is also available where small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is suspected, since that pattern responds to a different approach than a colon-level imbalance. Results feed directly into your digestive health plan. Candida is worth a word of its own here, because it is genuinely common and heavily over-diagnosed; our post on what candida testing can and cannot tell you covers each method and its limits.

• Microbiome balance Beneficial species, opportunistic overgrowth and the overall diversity of your gut bacteria.
• Digestion & absorption Pancreatic enzyme output, fat digestion and how well you are breaking food down in the first place.
• Inflammation markers Intestinal inflammation markers that help separate an irritated gut from a purely functional one.
• Parasites & pathogens Protozoa, worms and bacterial pathogens that standard screening frequently misses.
• H. pylori A common stomach bacterium linked to reflux, gastritis and ulcers. Stool antigen and breath testing detect active infection, which is what matters clinically.
• Candida & yeast Fungal overgrowth that can accompany bloating, sugar cravings and recurrent irritation.
• Intestinal permeability Markers relating to the integrity of the gut lining, often relevant when food reactions keep multiplying.
• Celiac & gluten screening Immune markers for celiac disease and gluten reactivity, worth ruling in or out before any long-term elimination.

Toxic burden is the category patients ask about most and understand least. We test it because exposure is genuinely common, not because everyone turns out to be loaded.

Heavy metals

Lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and other toxic elements, assessed against your actual exposure history. See heavy metals detoxification .

Mold & mycotoxins

Urine mycotoxin panels used alongside a careful history of water damage, since the story of the building matters as much as the number on the report.

Environmental chemicals

Solvents, plasticizers, pesticide residues and other common industrial compounds that accumulate through everyday exposure.

Chemical elements

Full nutrient and toxic element profiles, which show mineral status and toxic exposure side by side rather than in isolation.

Where results and history point the same direction, we build a supported detoxification plan. Where they do not agree, we keep looking rather than treating a number.

• Heavy metals Lead, mercury, arsenic, cadmium and other toxic elements, assessed against your actual exposure history. See heavy metals detoxification .
• Mold & mycotoxins Urine mycotoxin panels used alongside a careful history of water damage, since the story of the building matters as much as the number on the report.
• Environmental chemicals Solvents, plasticizers, pesticide residues and other common industrial compounds that accumulate through everyday exposure.
• Chemical elements Full nutrient and toxic element profiles, which show mineral status and toxic exposure side by side rather than in isolation.

Nutrient deficiency is quietly responsible for a great deal of fatigue, poor recovery, low mood and stalled weight loss. Serum levels alone can look reassuring while function tells a different story, so we combine approaches.

Vitamin & mineral status

Vitamin D, B12, folate, iron studies, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients central to energy and repair.

Micronutrient panels

Intracellular testing that reflects what your cells have actually been able to use, not only what is circulating.

Organic acids

Urinary metabolic markers relating to energy production, B-vitamin need, gut microbial byproducts and detox pathways.

Fatty acids & amino acids

Omega-3 status and amino acid balance, both of which affect inflammation, mood and recovery.

These results shape the nutrition side of your plan, including any work on nutrition and weight loss .

• Vitamin & mineral status Vitamin D, B12, folate, iron studies, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients central to energy and repair.
• Micronutrient panels Intracellular testing that reflects what your cells have actually been able to use, not only what is circulating.
• Organic acids Urinary metabolic markers relating to energy production, B-vitamin need, gut microbial byproducts and detox pathways.
• Fatty acids & amino acids Omega-3 status and amino acid balance, both of which affect inflammation, mood and recovery.

Fatigue, weight change, brain fog, poor sleep and mood shifts often trace back here, and a single TSH will not tell you enough. We look at the endocrine picture as a system.

Full thyroid panel

Beyond TSH to free hormones, conversion and thyroid antibodies. See thyroid care .

Adrenal & cortisol rhythm

Saliva or dried urine collected across the day, because the pattern matters more than any single value. See adrenal health .

Sex hormones

Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA and metabolites for both men and women. See hormone balancing .

Blood sugar & insulin

Fasting insulin, HbA1c and glucose, which often reveal metabolic strain years before a diagnosis.

• Full thyroid panel Beyond TSH to free hormones, conversion and thyroid antibodies. See thyroid care .
• Adrenal & cortisol rhythm Saliva or dried urine collected across the day, because the pattern matters more than any single value. See adrenal health .
• Sex hormones Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA and metabolites for both men and women. See hormone balancing .
• Blood sugar & insulin Fasting insulin, HbA1c and glucose, which often reveal metabolic strain years before a diagnosis.

Advanced lipids & inflammation

Particle-level lipid detail plus inflammatory and clotting markers for a fuller cardiovascular risk picture.

Autoimmune screening

Antibody and inflammatory markers where an autoimmune process is suspected.

Chronic infections

Tick-borne infections and co-infections, which are often overlooked in long-running unexplained illness.

Neurotransmitter markers

Markers related to mood, focus and sleep, interpreted alongside nutrient and hormone findings.

Genetic & methylation

Variants affecting methylation and nutrient handling, useful for tailoring supplement form and dose.

Copper & mineral metabolism

Specialized testing where copper handling or mineral regulation appears to be part of the picture.

• Advanced lipids & inflammation Particle-level lipid detail plus inflammatory and clotting markers for a fuller cardiovascular risk picture.
• Autoimmune screening Antibody and inflammatory markers where an autoimmune process is suspected.
• Chronic infections Tick-borne infections and co-infections, which are often overlooked in long-running unexplained illness.
• Neurotransmitter markers Markers related to mood, focus and sleep, interpreted alongside nutrient and hormone findings.
• Genetic & methylation Variants affecting methylation and nutrient handling, useful for tailoring supplement form and dose.
• Copper & mineral metabolism Specialized testing where copper handling or mineral regulation appears to be part of the picture.

Most testing is straightforward and much of it can be done at home. The sample type is chosen to fit the question, not the other way around.

• Blood Nutrients, hormones, thyroid, metabolic and immune markers.
• Urine Organic acids, mycotoxins, environmental chemicals, some hormone patterns.
• Saliva Cortisol rhythm and selected hormone measurements across a day.
• Stool Microbiome, digestion, inflammation, pathogens and H. pylori .
• Breath Bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine and active H. pylori .

• We start with your history. What testing gets ordered depends on your symptoms, timeline and exposures, not a standard package.
• You collect the samples. Many kits are completed at home and mailed directly to the laboratory.
• We go through the results together. You get an explanation of what each finding means and, just as importantly, what it does not mean.
• The plan follows the findings. Nutrition, targeted supplementation, elimination trials, detoxification support or referral, depending on what turned up.
• We retest when it will change something. Follow-up testing is for confirming progress or redirecting the plan, not for filling a file.

Being straight about this is part of doing it well. Laboratory findings describe patterns, they do not by themselves explain how you feel, and no panel replaces a proper clinical evaluation. Some functional tests are well established and others are still developing, with reference ranges that vary between laboratories. That is why we interpret every result against your history, your symptoms and your other medical care rather than in isolation, and why we will tell you when a result is suggestive rather than conclusive.

Our testing is intended to complement the care you receive from your other providers, not to replace it. We work alongside your physician, and we will refer you when something needs conventional diagnosis or urgent attention. This page is educational and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.