What is Functional Pathology?
Functional pathology is a range of tests that investigate functional, biochemical, nutritional, metabolic and hormonal states of health. Functional pathology is not diagnostic per se, rather it reveals how your body is performing at a functional level. Functional pathology requires interpretation of results and this takes skill.
Why am I such a big fan of Functional Pathology?
Take thyroid function for instance, something which is commonly an issue for people. When you go to your GP complaining of fatigue, foggy head, weight gain, anxiety etc..., your GP may order a blood test for TSH levels. Your results might come back 'in range' and your GP tells you it's not your thyroid. Then you come to see me, a Naturopath. After taking a thorough case history, I would likely order a 'Complete Thyroid Panel', a functional pathology blood test which indicates how your thyroid is functioning on a biochemical level. There are several ways thyroid function can be disrupted, a simple TSH test is unlikely to pick up the vast majority of these. A Complete Thyroid Panel will indicate the possibility of auto-immune issues, peripheral thyroid issues (you are producing enough TSH and T4 but the active form of these hormones are not available to your body in sufficient quantities), sub-clinical hypo/hyperthyroidism (just out of pathological ranges), as well as indicating other precipitating issues which are driving the symptoms (root causes). This is why I love functional pathology because it reveals so much more.
Take thyroid function for instance, something which is commonly an issue for people. When you go to your GP complaining of fatigue, foggy head, weight gain, anxiety etc..., your GP may order a blood test for TSH levels. Your results might come back 'in range' and your GP tells you it's not your thyroid. Then you come to see me, a Naturopath. After taking a thorough case history, I would likely order a 'Complete Thyroid Panel', a functional pathology blood test which indicates how your thyroid is functioning on a biochemical level. There are several ways thyroid function can be disrupted, a simple TSH test is unlikely to pick up the vast majority of these. A Complete Thyroid Panel will indicate the possibility of auto-immune issues, peripheral thyroid issues (you are producing enough TSH and T4 but the active form of these hormones are not available to your body in sufficient quantities), sub-clinical hypo/hyperthyroidism (just out of pathological ranges), as well as indicating other precipitating issues which are driving the symptoms (root causes). This is why I love functional pathology because it reveals so much more.
Did you know?
Often your health care professional is required to complete many hours of training to be able to interpret functional pathology correctly. Functional pathology also usually comes with practitioner access to technical support to assist with test interpretation. Specialised training alongside many years of experience and education is required to utilise functional pathology most effectively.
Why does Functional Pathology cost more?
The simple answer is because they do not qualify for a Medicare rebate.
