Immune System Testing Overview:
In order to gauge your current state of health, our clinic will often request copies of your last two years of medical testing and will often recommend further testing as needed. Our clinic does request some testing that is and not commonly performed in more "mainstream" medical clinics. 24-hour heavy metal testing with provoking agent, neurotransmitter analysis, food sensitivity testing, comprehensive stool testing and Candida antigen testing are commonly recommended by our medical staff. Some of these are discussed in detail in the links in this section.
What to Expect on Your First Visit:
First office visits typically last 45-60 minutes. Your doctor will review your intake form with you and gather a detailed medical history. A partial physical exam is usually performed and medical records are often requested from your primary care physician and/or other doctors. Specialty laboratory testing may be recommended. Most clients are offered an initial protocol consisting of nutritional supplementation, dietary and life style recommendations.
First Visit: Blood Test
To assess and identify kidney, liver, blood sugar and other key factors such as blood cholesterols. The results are explained to the patient, giving him/her a fuller understanding of the blood chemistry, so that they may take control.
Patients are required to fast for 14 hours before the test. Water may be drunk freely, but not tea, coffee, juices or other beverages. Appointments are normally arranged for mid-morning so that food and drink can be consumed up to 8pm the previous evening. On the day of the appointment, any prescribed medication should be taken with water as normal.
Patients are recommended to bring food to eat after the blood sample has been taken. Diabetics should advise the clinic, and separate arrangements will be made.
First Visit: Urine Analysis
To establish exactly how the kidneys are functioning. Patients are required to collect urine over a period of 24 hours. This should be as near the date of the blood test as possible, but must not include the 14 hours fasting period prior to the appointment.
A recommended timetable is that the first urine of the day should be excluded, than all subsequent urine for the next 24 hours collected in clean plastic containers. (If collection starts at 8am, this process must be followed until 8am the following day.) Eg. Appointment 10am Friday, fasting commences Thursday 8pm. Urine collection starts Wednesday 8am. until Thursday 8am.
Containers should be clearly labeled with the patient’s names and brought to the clinic at the time of their appointment.
First Visit: Resting ECG for Doctors Report
The electrocardiograph (ECG) determines the condition of the heart and measures its actions and the pulse.
The doctor in charge reports any findings in his medical notes.
Specific Immune System Testing:
Antibodies Tests
What are Antibodies Tests?
The Antibodies tests use your blood sample to evaluate the immune system. This test is used to detect the presence of antibodies that attacks the red blood cells. Through an Antibodies Test, antibodies specific to certain diseases are detected. It is also done to assess the severity of autoimmune diseases, allergies, and infection.
Indications and Contraindications:
The Antibodies tests are used to diagnose patients with symptoms of autoimmune diseases such as polymyositis, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, HIV and pulmonary fibrosis. It is also used to screen patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The Antibodies tests can also be used to evaluate other conditions such as allergies, Celiac disease, chronic infections, blood diseases, lung diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, and cancers.
How do you prepare for the Antibodies tests?
Fasting is not necessary before testing. There are no special preparations required prior to testing for Antibodies.
How does it feel? How long will it take?
This test requires a blood sample that is drawn from the veins on your arm. It is a painless procedure that usually lasts for a few minutes, about three minutes or less. Some patients may feel a slight stinging pain while the needle is being inserted into the vein on your arm to draw blood. After the test, a small amount of throbbing might occur on the needle site
Expected effects after the test:
Normally, there are no major effects after the test. In most cases, patients may feel a little sore and slight bleeding may occur on the needle site. Bruising or swelling may occur.
Special instructions after the test:
After drawing the blood, cover the needle site with a bandage and apply pressure on it for several minutes. If the site becomes swollen, do warm compresses few times a day. You may resume your daily activities after the test.
Interpretation of Results:
Normal Findings: Negative Test Result- No antibodies found, very low level titers found
Abnormal Findings: Positive Test Result- Presence of antibodies and increased titers
A positive result may indicate conditions such as:
- Hemolytic anemia
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Rheumatoid disease
- Lymphoma
- Scleroderma
- Chronic hepatitis
- Viral infections
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Addison’s disease
- Raynaud’s disease
- Leukemia
- Cirrhosis
- Allergies
- Celiac Disease
Notes:
- Patients with SLE tests positive by approximately 95%.
- The higher the titer level, it is more likely that an autoimmune disease exists.
- Drugs such as steroids may cause a false-negative result while drugs such as penicillin, phenytoin, streptomycin and phenylbutazone may case a false-positive.
The Right Diagnosis and Treatment for Immune System
Once the comprehensive review is completed for each patient, our doctors and our team of medical professionals will evaluate your diagnosis. At this point, our doctors will spend one on one time with you to interpret and explain your results. Together you will explore your goals and discuss your treatment plan options. These treatment plans can be implemented using multiple modalities such as medications, hormones, diet, supplements, behavior and lifestyle changes, and alternative therapies. Our doctors will prescribe a preventative and comprehensive treatment plan that is tailored to your needs and fits into your lifestyle.
Patients Medical’s Personal Approach to Immune System
Our doctors and our team at Patients Medical will regularly monitor your progress and track the effectiveness of your program making adjustments if necessary. Our goal is to support you and advise you every step of the way.
We work in conjunction with your existing doctors. Any gaps between specialists are filled to ensure we support your overall health and well-being. While we treat serious medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Diabetes, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, anxiety, depression, and heart disease; the primary objective of our staff is prevention and early detection of disease.
Next Steps:
While you may find this medical information useful, as the next step we strongly recommend that you make an appointment to see one of our physicians to ensure that your health issues are properly addressed.
To schedule an appointment with our physicians, please call our patient coordinator at 1-347-269-4748, send the form below or an email to: info@patientsmedical.com. We are currently accepting new patients and look forward to being of assistance.
We are located at: Patients Medical PC, 800 Second Avenue, Suite 900 (Between 42nd & 43rd Street), Manhattan, New York, NY 10017.
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Date of Publication: 07/21/2009
Article Last Updated: 06/26/2009