Dr. Jennifer Yee shares more information about testing in her practice when it comes to children:

A large part of my practice is focused on children and there are a number of tests that I have found to be useful when assessing and treating children and their diverse health needs. 

Food Sensitivity Testing

Food sensitivities can cause digestive symptoms as well as systemic reactions that can express themselves in a variety of different ways – skin-based reactions (e.g. eczema, acne), the respiratory system (e.g. sinus congestion, asthma, snoring), behavioural and mood disruption (e.g. mood swings, anxiety), cognition (e.g. focus, memory, task completion), energy and sleep. Identifying and removing these irritating foods is a good first step to re-balancing the system and allow healing to occur from the inside out.

One of the primary benefits of food sensitivity testing is that it removes a lot of the guesswork around what dietary changes to make. A simple fingerprick sample (a few drops of blood from the middle finger) can assess the body’s reaction to over 200 different foods and identify which foods are creating an elevated inflammatory immune response in the body and which ones are not. The food results are also ranked according to the intensity of reactivity which helps us prioritize which foods should be temporarily removed from the diet. As the digestive system is better supported, our hope is that the problem foods can be re-introduced into the diet again without triggering symptoms.

Organic Acids Testing

Organic acids are by-products of chemical reactions that occur in the body and are detectable in the urine. The amounts and concentration of 76 different organic acids can be tested in a urine sample and they can be very informative. We can measure markers that can indicate microbial or yeast overgrowth in the digestive system (microbiome), the balance of neurotransmitters (hormones produced in the brain that can affect mood and behaviour), see indications of how well or poorly the system is detoxifying, identify certain nutritional deficiencies, and many other things.

I have found this test particularly useful for patients experiencing neurological symptoms (e.g. Tourette’s, tics, PANS/PANDAS, etc.), have cognitive or focusing challenges (e.g. ADHD, dementia, etc.), mood disorders (e.g. anxiety, depression, etc.), and those on the autism spectrum.

Stool Sample Analysis

Children’s digestive systems mature as they age and develop but sometimes the microbiome (balance of bacteria, probiotics, and other microorganisms within the digestive tract) doesn’t develop quite as it should or there may be organisms like parasites, harmful bacteria, and viruses that shouldn’t be there.

A Comprehensive Stool Sample Analysis of a sample collected from home with a specialized testing kit, can provide us with a lot of information about what is present in the microbiome, the good and the bad, as well as the level of biodiversity (we want a lot of different types of probiotics to be present and in healthy amounts). If we’ve identified the presence of problematic bacteria, viruses, yeast, or parasites we can work to eradicate them with naturopathic treatments that will be specifically targeted. Within the same sample, we can also assess how well the body is digesting and absorbing nutrients from the foods that are eaten and look for markers of inflammation that can indicate problem areas for us to treat.

The above are just some of the tests that might be utilized to support a child’s health. All children are unique and have their own unique physiology and health concerns. As part of a thorough assessment, focused testing can help to inform the development of a customized treatment plan specific to their needs.