Hormone testing and treatment in Edmonton

Top Hormones Tested

Our Naturopathic Doctors commonly test for: Estrogen, Progesterone, Thyroid hormone, Testosterone, DHEA, Cortisol and their hormonal metabolites to be able to make specific natural treatment recommendations for our Edmonton patients. 

Cortisol - Althought it's a stress hormone, it's crucial for energy production as it increases availability of all fuel substrates by mobilizing glucose, free fatty acids, and amino acids. The Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) is the rapid rise in cortisol that lasts 30 – 45 min immediately after waking up. Cortisol is also needed for proper Thyroid function as it is involved in the entry of Thyroid Hormone (T3) into cells.

DHEA - Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a hormone primarily secreted by the adrenal glands (and in smaller quantities by the testes and ovaries). Double-blind trials have found that DHEA-replacement therapy can improve overall well-being, depression, anxiety, energy level and sexuality. Our Naturopathic Doctors screen for DHEA levels in our Edmonton patients and results seen with supplementation (which requires referral to a MD) mirror what was seen in clinical trials. DHEA levels can drop along with cortisol levels as a result of prolonged stress, and levels also decline naturally with age. 

Testosterone - Low Testosterone is an issue our Naturopaths see frequently in our Female Edmonton patients.  Low testosterone may be associated with decreased sex drive, fatigue, low moods and motivation & mood - it can also be associated with vaginal dryness, as well as bone loss. Low Testosterone can be associated with low DHEA as DHEA is an upstream hormone to Testosterone. Of course we always screen for "Low T" in our male patients. There is a fairly robust nutrient workup when we are looking for causes of low Testosterone in our patients. Saliva is a convenient way to measure Bio-available "Free" Testosterone easily but we also use Blood for "Total" Testosterone levels and Urine for Testosterone and its androgenic metabolites. 

Estrogen & Progesterone -  Estradiol is the most potent estrogen and is the major estrogen secreted by the ovaries. It's the Estrogen we screen for most commonly in both men and women. With Urinary "DUTCH" hormone testing we can also look at other Estrogens such as Estriol (E3) and Estrone (E1) and their downstream metabolites. Our Naturopathic Doctors screen for Estrogen deficiency (usually Estradiol) in our Menopausal patients but we commonly look at Luteal Phase Estrogen Female patients especially with regards to cycle irregularity and various female concerns such as PMS, PCOS, Endometriosis.

We usually consider total amount of the Estrogen as well as that particular quantity relative to a patient's Progesterone as Progesterone balance the effects of Estrogen in a simple sense. Low Progesterone is a common occurence and can be rectified herbally, nutritionally and hormonally with hormonal replacement. Urinary "DUTCH" Hormone testing allows us to look at metabolism of Estrogens down the 2-OH, 4-OH and 16-OH pathways. By understanding your particular Estrogen metabolism pathways our Naturopathic Doctors can make more specific recommendations on how to approach your female symptoms. 

We do consider Estrogen and Progesterone in males as well. Excess Aromatization of Testosterone into Estrogen is a common issue in males (contributor to Low T) and Progesterone can serve as a surrogate marker of Pregnenolone.    

We use blood, salivary and urinary hormonal testing to get to the root of female and male health concerns. There is no single best method for testing hormones, therefore we use all available methods at our naturopath practice in Edmonton. 

HORMONE PANEL Sample

Comprehensive Thyroid Testing 

Often, our Naturopaths are running comprehensive Thyroid panels to address Thyroid concerns that may have been missed through conventional testing methods. We are able to run Thyroid laboratory testing that is not available in Edmonton through Alberta Health.

TSH - TSH is released from the pituitary gland, and is a signal that helps regulate the activity of the thyroid gland through a feedback mechanism. The pituitary secretes more TSH in response to a hypothyroid state (TSH goes up as Thyroid hormone levels go down) and decreases as Thyroid hormone levels increase. 

However our Naturopaths have noted that the TSH is a unreliable gauge of Thyroid hormone as situations occur where the levels of Free Thyroid hormones are low normal (indicative of low Thyroid function), and the TSH is also low normal (indicative of high Thyroid function). Therefore we always measure the TSH simultaneously with the Free Hormones (Free T3 & Free T4) to get a clearer understanding of your true Thyroid function. 

Free T3 - Free T3 is the thyroid hormone that is most metabolically active, Dr.Muradov calls it the "work horse" Thyroid hormone. T3 is the hormone we're usually most concerned about and want to maitain in an optimal quantity. Our clinic also offers reverse T3 testing for out patients when the situation calls for it and it's cost feasible. 

Iodine - Iodine levels are crucially important for Thyroid hormone production - T3 is actually three iodines bound to one tyrosine (an amino acid). 

T1 & T2 - We actually can't measure T1 or T2 but they are made by the Thyroid as well. We often supplement patients with T2 based preparations. T2 is thought to be why desiccated Thyroid seems to work better than a combination of T4 & T3 in patients.

Subclinical or Sublaboratory Hypothyroidism is a common concern our Naturopaths see in Edmonton that results in fatigue and weight gain amongst other issues.

Free T3, Free T4, TSH , Ferritin and Cortisol and basal body temperatures are all used to assess Thyroid status. 

Our Naturopathic Doctors always do adrenal function screening in patients with Thyroid concerns as the two hormonal systems work intimately for energy production in the body.