Blood Work & Blood Testing in Kelowna | Dr. Emina Jasarevic, ND

FAQ

Cortisol

Cortisol is our primary stress hormone. It is responsible for regulating many other functions in the body including, but not limited to:

Blood sugar levels
Fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism to maintain blood glucose
Immune responses
Anti-inflammatory actions
Sex hormone production
Blood pressure
Heart and blood vessel tone and contraction
Central nervous system activation

Cortisol is secreted in high amounts by the adrenal glands during times of stress. After a short period of time cortisol levels should return to normal following a stressful event. Unfortunately, in our current high-stress culture, the stress response is activated so often that the body does not always have a chance to return to normal. This can lead to “Adrenal Fatigue.” Adrenal fatigue can cause anxiety, depression, insomnia, weight gain and infertility. It is important to note that adrenal fatigue often precedes thyroid conditions as well. Treating your stress, and restoring your adrenal health is possible and often necessary to feeling better and improving your overall health.

Ig E Food Allergy

Ig E Food Allergy is an Immediate Food Reaction that most people are familiar with. As the name implies, this food reaction can occur within minutes or up to 3 hours after ingestion. Peanuts that cause anaphylaxis in a child is an Ig E food allergy. The reaction is caused by the presence of a high Ig E antibody levels in the blood, which sets off an immediate allergic response. Ig E antibodies make up only a small percentage of our immune system (about 5-10% of our white blood cells), but exert the most severe and life threatening reactions. Symptoms can include rashes or full body hives after eating an apple, immediate vomiting or diarrhea from milk, or an intense headache after drinking wine. These reactions can be tested for by either an allergist or a naturopathic doctor.

Do You Offer Seasonal Allergy Tests?

Dr. Emina offers an in-office blood test, following an initial consultation. This test is sent to the lab for objective blood screening of IgE allergic reactions to local Okanagan environmental allergens.

Natural Treatment for Seasonal Allergies:

Based on your allergy test results, we are able to help desensitize you to your allergens in one of two ways:

Individually compounded medicines are created and compounded by the pharmacy based on your results. Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) works by delivering low dose drops of these allergens at frequent intervals, two to three times a day, under the tongue to build up the body’s tolerance over time. It is an ideal treatment for patients with an aversion to needles, like young children and those with busy schedules that can’t make appointments for shots. Sublingual immunotherapy has been recognized as an efficient and effective treatment for allergies by the World Health Organization and has been used extensively in Europe for over 15 years.
Low Dose Allergen Therapy is a novel and convenient way to desensitize the body to common allergens. Ultra Low Dose Enzyme Activated Immunotherapy is a novel and effective option in the treatment of all forms of allergies. Patients who have used this therapy have found it to be cost effective and enjoy the fact that no further testing is required in order to commence therapy. With less frequent injections, it is time-saving and preferred by many patients, especially those who are weary of needles. It is a very safe therapy, when compared to conventional injections (that can be life-threatening).

What Causes Hypothyroidism?

Chronic Stress & Adrenal Fatigue

The adrenal glands take the leading role when it comes to managing stress through the production of cortisol. Research shows that adrenal fatigue has an impact on thyroid function. Even at a mild degree of deficiency, adrenal fatigue can negatively affect thyroid hormone conversion, utilization, and production. For example, high stress can cause too much cortisol in the circulation which promotes inflammation around the thyroid, and this reduces thyroid receptor responsiveness. Therefore, when treating thyroid issues with medicine or therapy it’s important to address the adrenals, this connection, and to care for them both effectively.

Hashimoto’s Hypothyroid

90% of cases of hypothyroidism are due to an autoimmune attack on the thyroid gland by either thyroperoxidase antibodies (TPOAb) or by thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb), a condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. What this means is that the body creates immune cells that attack the gland so that its function – and a person’s health – declines over time. This condition can be triggered by gluten in gluten-sensitive individuals. Similarly, in these people, gluten avoidance for at least 3 months may help lower antibody levels to a normal range.

Thyroid Conversion Disorder

In some cases, the conversion of T4 into T3 doesn’t function properly due an enzyme issue or otherwise. Test results will show normal levels of TSH and T4 but severely low levels of T3. Commonly, in these cases, patients are often told by their doctors that their thyroid function is “normal” even though they do not feel normal! This is also why some patients who receive medication or therapies that only supplement T4 levels may feel like the treatment is ineffective.

Thyroid Hormone Resistance

Thyroid hormone resistance can be thought of in the same way as insulin resistance is in diabetics. In this condition, the body’s cells are unresponsive to thyroid hormones. In these individuals, T3 and T4 levels can be normal but TSH levels are elevated.

Nutritional Deficiencies

For proper function and the creation of thyroid hormones, the thyroid gland requires the trace minerals iodine, selenium and zinc as well as an amino acid, thyroxine. Deficiency in any of these nutrients can create symptoms of hypothyroidism. Iodine is found in iodized salt and sea vegetables (such as nori and dulse flakes). I have come to find that iodine deficiency is more prevalent than previously given credit for (a 24 Hour Urine Iodine Challenge Test can determine this). The trace mineral Selenium is abundantly found in Oysters and Brazil nuts, and Zinc is rich in pumpkin seeds and beef. Thyroxine is the amino acid building block of thyroid hormones and can be found in most sources of protein.

Heavy Metal Toxicity and Mercury

The thyroid hormone and the heavy metal mercury have strikingly similar biochemistry. The long term exposure of this metal wreaks havoc on the thyroid gland and a person’s health, with these negative effects typically being experienced by dental patients who have currently have or previously had mercury amalgams. Sometimes it is prudent to screen for heavy metal toxicity and high levels of mercury that may be causing thyroid suppression. Heavy metal testing, followed by Chelation Therapy for removal of mercury from deep tissue stores is one naturopathic way to treat the underlying hypothyroid condition.

Central Hypothyroidism

In rare cases, disorders of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus in the brain may be an underlying cause for central Hypothyroidism (AKA secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism). There are usually other concerning symptoms (beyond the list seen on this page) that would warrant imaging and more advanced hospital testing.

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302-1630 Pandosy Street
Kelowna BC V1Y 1P7

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250-868-0221

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“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin. ”
– William Shakespeare

“There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophies.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche

“The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.Therefore the physician must start from nature, with an open mind”
– Paracelsus

“Begin with little things daily and one day you will be doing things that months back you would have thought impossible.”
– Swami Satchidananda

“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
– Paulo Coelho

A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought – they must be earned.”
– Naval Ravikant

“I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you.”
– Joyce Meyer

“I don’t count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they are the only ones that count.”
– Muhammed Ali

Dr. Emina jasarevic, nd | Naturopathic physician

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