“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – Ben Franklin  

Here at Avonworth Chiropractic we offer a multitude of holistic and natural healthcare alternatives to traditional allopathic medicine.  Our office utilizes several different forms of laboratory testing in order to determine the patient’s overall nutritional, hormonal, and neurotransmitter status.  Whatever your nutritional goals may be we will assist you in achieving a holistic balance without the use of medication focusing on dietary adjustments in conjunction with natural supplementation in the form of herbs and vitamins.  It is important to understand however, that we offer nutritional, natural support for patients with not only diagnosed conditions but also those who would like to practice preventative habits.  Our goal is to try and determine the cause of your symptoms rather than treat the symptoms and if necessary help to enhance the efficacy of the medications you are currently taking.  Below is a detailed description of the testing we offer to suit each individuals needs:

 LabCorp

 This company, much like Quest Diagnositics, offers several locations in the Pittsburgh Area with walk-in appointments, accepting most major medical insurance companies.  For a complete list of insurance companies accepted, locations and test menu please visit their website: www.labcorp.com.  LabCorp is primarily used in this office for routine serum level examination of conditions such as anemia, diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, and evaluation of cholesterol.  

 Spectracell

 This company offers a facility in Pittsburgh for blood draws and is covered, in part by most major medical health insurance.  Please feel free to email us or call the office with additional questions in regard to pricing and insurance coverage.  Nutritional status is a vital foundation of health and disease prevention.  As health care practitioners we are on the front line in the war against the chronic diseases that plaque our nation.  The good news is that we can play a vital role in prevention by taking a functional and wholistic approach to patient care by understanding that diet and exercise is often not enough.  Many factors determine our nutritional status, such as biochemical individuality, absroption, chronic illness, the change in nutritional requirements as we age, and lifestyle habits.  The SpectraCell MicroNutrient Test measures functional levels of 32 vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants within your white blood cells to determine if cellular nutritional deficiencies are effecting your DNA and your body's ability to generate new cells.  This is vastly different from a standard blood serum test, which is only a short window of nutritional status, but more importantly doesn't tell us if our cells are able to absorb, assimilate and utilize nutrients.  This is a functional test that allows us to identify specific functional deficiencies affecting the patients DNA and possibly leading to premature aging.  Furthermore, we have the opportunity to support our patients nutritionally rather than taking the popular pharmeceutical "shotgun" approach of treating signs & symptoms. 

NeuroScience

 This laboratory focuses on the Neuro-Endocrine-Immune Relationship.  The lab testing utilizes an effective approach for measuring hormonal, neurological, and immunological levels.  Patient’s truly benefit from this laboratory due to some of the non-invasive forms of testing provided by the company in which the patient can obtain salivary and urinary samples in the comfort of their own home.  This company is also accepts most major medical insurance creating a cost effective way for the patient to obtain necessary nutritional information.  A growing number of healthcare providers and patients are looking for more effective ways to address today’s most common health issues. In our ever-expanding understanding of human health, we have come to the realization that our health is never as simple as it may seem. There is a holistic relationship between the different biological systems in the body, just as there is in our external environment. Our understanding of these relationships requires a new approach to health- a systems approach- whereby the impact of each human biological system is evaluated in relationship to each other, not in isolation.  Neuroscience advocates an assess-address approach to nervous, endocrine and immunological system function. This process entails laboratory assessment of the body’s chemical messengers, via urinary neurotransmitter and salivary hormone testing.  MELISA® is a test that Neuroscience also uses to identify metals and other physical stressors that can cause Type-IV hypersensitivity reactions, which may lead to inflammation and chronic disease.  Based on the laboratory results, we develop Targeted Amino Acid Therapy (TAAT^tm) protocols designed to address the spectrum of neurotransmitter and hormone imbalances. Addressing neurotransmitter and hormone imbalances through TAAT^tm can lead to significantly improved patient outcomes for a number of today’s most challenging conditions.

• Neurology: Urinary neurotransmitter assessments Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that transmit signals between neurons. Scientific literature has established the link between neurotransmitter imbalances and the manifestation of clinical complaints.

 • Endocrinology: Salivary hormone assessments The nervous and endocrine systems are intimately connected. Some neurotransmitters affect the release of hormones while some hormones alter enzymatic activity involved in the metabolism of neurotransmitters.

 • Immunology: Neuroimmune marker assessments Chronic infections and inflammation stress the nervous system, leading to imbalances in neurotransmitters. In turn, the nervous system is intimately involved in the coordination of the immune response.

Online Forms

Click on the link to print out the following forms

• Symptom Survey
• Adrenal Questionnaire
• Female Health History Questionnaire
• Male Health History Questionnaire
• Low Carb Meditteranian Type Diet
• Hypo-Thyroid Quick Check
• Dos and Don'ts of Recovering From Adrenal Fatigue
• Detoxification Questionnaire