Functional Medicine and Lab Testing in Edmonton
Functional medicine and lab testing
Testing works best when you know what you are looking for.
Most people arrive with the order reversed. They want a panel first, expecting the results to explain what is wrong. It rarely works that way. A test is most useful once someone has heard your history and knows what they are looking for, because that is what decides which test is worth doing and what its result would mean for you.
This page is the catalogue. Every test we offer, what it looks at, and what it can and cannot say. Functional medicine here is an approach rather than a separate profession: it is practised by naturopathic doctors and nurse practitioners at this clinic, each within their own scope.
No referral needed.
What the research says
What these numbers mean.
37 to 62%
One odd result is usually not the answer.
Between a third and two thirds of raised thyroid results return to normal by themselves. Abnormal is not the same as diagnosed.
Observational studies cited in a 2019 Canadian guideline.
12.8%
Low vitamin D is a young adult problem too.
Canadians in their twenties and thirties are the most likely to be low, not older adults.
Ages 3 to 79, ten provinces, 2016 to 2019.
8.0%
Below optimal is not the same as deficient.
About 1 in 12 Canadians is truly deficient. The gap between those two words is where most of the confusion starts.
Same survey. A further 22.7% sat in between.
98.5%
Finding a chemical is normal. The amount is what matters.
Almost everyone tested carries traces of common industrial chemicals, and average levels are about half what they were a decade ago.
Ages 3 to 79, 2016 to 2017, Statistics Canada.
10%
Thyroid problems are common after 45.
About 1 in 10 Canadians over 45, and four times as many women as men.
Self-reported diagnoses, aged 45 and over.
1 in 100
You can have celiac disease and feel fine.
About 1 in 100 people have it, often without obvious digestive symptoms. How you feel is not a reliable guide.
Health Canada estimate.
These figures describe health conditions in the Canadian population. They are not treatment results, they describe different groups, and they should not be added together or compared as if they measured the same thing. A number here cannot tell you whether a test is right for you.
Understanding the approach
An approach, and a catalogue of tests.
Functional medicine at Red Leaf Wellness means looking at how your systems are working together and using testing to investigate specific questions rather than to survey everything at once. It is an approach rather than a separate profession, and it works alongside the care you already have.
Testing is most useful when there is something to investigate: a symptom, a pattern, a family history, or a result from previous bloodwork that needs following up. A Canadian guideline body advises against routine screening of people with no symptoms and no risk factors, and we take the same view: ordering a panel without knowing what you are looking for gives you numbers that are hard to act on.
The testing catalogue
What each test looks at.
Digestive health testing
Comprehensive stool analysis
Looks at the bacteria, yeasts and digestive markers present in a stool sample.
Learn More →Intestinal permeability testing
Measures markers associated with the integrity of the gut lining.
Learn More →SIBO breath testing
A breath test measuring gases produced by bacteria in the small intestine.
Learn More →Hormone and endocrine testing
Salivary hormone and DUTCH testing
Measures hormones and their breakdown products across a day.
Learn More →Adrenal function testing
Measures cortisol and related hormones through the day. It is not a test for adrenal fatigue, which is not a recognised medical diagnosis.
Learn More →Male and female hormone testing
Measures sex hormone levels.
Learn More →Nutritional testing
Vitamin D testing
Measures 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the marker used to assess vitamin D status.
Learn More →Organic acid testing
Measures organic acids in urine as indirect markers of metabolism.
Learn More →Food sensitivity testing
Measures antibody responses to specific foods. Not the same as allergy testing.
Learn More →Celiac and gluten sensitivity testing
Blood testing for the immune markers of celiac disease. Health Canada advises testing before going gluten-free.
Learn More →Who orders your testing
How these tests get ordered.
Private functional testing is typically ordered and interpreted by our naturopathic doctors, so results are read against your wider health picture rather than in isolation. Dr.Ac Tammy Lalonde and our nurse practitioners may also order it, each within their own scope. Whoever orders a test is responsible for its results, so the clinician who ordered it is the one who goes over it with you.
Publicly funded bloodwork is a different pathway, and what it covers depends on your province. Our nurse practitioners can requisition publicly funded lab work where it is clinically appropriate. When our naturopathic doctors order lab work it is private and you pay for it, even when the sample is drawn at the same lab that handles publicly funded tests.
Sometimes a private test answers a question that publicly funded testing cannot. Most people raise this at their initial consultation and decide from there. If you already know that ordering is all you want from us, you can book a preliminary test access consult instead: a short appointment focused on identifying the right test for you and ordering it. You then book an initial consultation with a naturopathic doctor to go over the results.
If you already have recent results from another provider, bring them. Depending on your province, our practitioners may also be able to see your provincial lab results directly. Existing results are reviewed before anything new is ordered.
Before you order
What it involves, and what it costs.
- Before your appointment. Bring your medication and supplement list and any recent bloodwork.
- At your appointment. Your practitioner takes your history and, if testing is warranted, explains which test, what it would show, and what it would change.
- Afterwards. Results are reviewed with you. A single unexpected result is often repeated before anything is decided.
What it costs. Testing in this catalogue is private pay and separate from your appointment fee. Costs are quoted before anything is ordered. See our fees.
Meet your care team
Our functional medicine practitioners
Serving AlbertaIn-clinicCEO, Acupuncture, Herbalism
Dr.Ac Tammy Lalonde
Provides acupuncture and herbalism at Red Leaf Wellness.
Serving AlbertaIn-clinic & virtualNaturopathic Doctor
Dr. Lorraine McCarthy (ND)
Graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine.
Serving AlbertaIn-clinic & virtualNaturopathic Doctor
Dr. Riley Forbes (ND)
Her practice centres on women’s health.
Serving Alberta & OntarioVirtualNaturopathic Doctor
Dr. Amira Abdelaziz (ND)
Provides naturopathic care at Red Leaf Wellness.
Serving Alberta, Ontario & British ColumbiaVirtualNurse Practitioner
Allie Kusnierczyk (NP)
Provides primary health care at Red Leaf Wellness.
Edmonton clinic. Canada-wide reach.
We see patients in-person at our Edmonton location and virtually across Canada – though availability varies by service and province. Use the interactive map below to find out what’s available where you are. See our team page for current practitioner licensing.
Before you decide
Common questions about lab testing
Is this testing covered by my provincial health plan?
No. The testing in this catalogue is private and paid out of pocket, separate from your appointment fee. Publicly funded bloodwork is ordered by a nurse practitioner on a different pathway. Some extended health plans reimburse part of the appointment cost; confirm with your insurer.
Can I just order a panel without an appointment?
No, and the reason is clinical rather than administrative. A naturopathic doctor needs to work out which test actually fits your situation, go over what it costs, what it can and cannot show, and any risks or concerns you have. Clinicians are also responsible for the results of what they order, so when a test is ordered for you, you book a follow-up appointment to have those results gone over with you.
What happens if a result comes back abnormal?
It is reviewed in the context of your history and symptoms, and an unexpected result is often repeated before anything changes. Many single abnormal results normalise on their own.
Should I stop eating gluten before celiac testing?
No. Health Canada advises testing before starting a gluten-free diet, because removing gluten interferes with detection.
Can you use lab results I already have?
Possibly. Depending on your province, our practitioners may be able to see your provincial lab results directly, and your clinician may be able to work from testing you have had done in the past. Because whoever orders a test carries responsibility for acting on its results, there are times when your clinician will want to repeat testing rather than rely on an older one.
Can I bring private test results from another clinician for review here?
The clinician who orders a test is responsible for reviewing its results and acting on them, so that responsibility stays with whoever ordered it. Our practitioners may decline to take on private testing ordered elsewhere, and may recommend repeating a test under their own name so they can be responsible for the results. If you are thinking about testing elsewhere first, raise it at your consultation so you know where you stand before you pay for anything.
Who orders and interprets these tests?
Our naturopathic doctors typically order and interpret the private functional testing in this catalogue. Other clinicians here may order it as well, each within their own scope.
Is functional medicine the same as naturopathic medicine?
No. Functional medicine is an approach to investigation used by more than one provider type here. Naturopathic medicine is a regulated profession with its own scope.
Do I need a referral?
No.
Further reading
More on lab testing
Explore salivary hormone and DUTCH testing
Read about measuring hormones and their breakdown products.
Understand the SIBO breath test
Read about breath testing for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
Learn what organic acid testing measures
Read about organic acids in urine as indirect markers of metabolism.
Research sources
Research sources and how to read the statistics
- Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, thyroid screening clinician summary.
https://canadiantaskforce.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Asymptomatic-Thyroid-Dysfunction-Clinician-Summary.pdf - Statistics Canada, vitamin D status of Canadians, combined cycles.
https://doi.org/10.25318/1310087201-eng - Statistics Canada, environmental laboratory data.
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/191113/dq191113a-eng.htm - Health Canada, celiac disease.
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/food-allergies-intolerances/celiac-disease.html
These figures describe different populations and should not be compared as if they measured the same thing.
