While some of these labs—like the GI-MAP—are also part of the foundational suite, they’re worth revisiting here through a more advanced lens. In complex or stubborn cases, these specialty tests give us added insight into how systems interact and where deeper support is needed.
While the foundational labs give us a strong starting point, sometimes we need to go even deeper. Specialty lab tests help us uncover what’s going on at a more detailed or nuanced level—especially when symptoms persist despite healthy habits.
These labs are ideal when we need to:
- Understand complex hormonal patterns or HPA-axis dysfunction
- Assess detoxification or mitochondrial pathways
- Investigate lingering digestive or immune issues
- Personalize interventions based on how your body is metabolizing and processing key nutrients and hormones
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most insightful specialty labs.
🌟 DUTCH Complete: Hormone & Metabolite Panel
This dried urine test offers a comprehensive view of your sex and adrenal hormones, along with their metabolites. It includes estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and cortisol, plus insights into how your body is processing and clearing these hormones.
It also assesses methylation capacity, melatonin, and oxidative stress markers, making it a great option if you’re dealing with hormonal symptoms, perimenopause or menopause, cycle irregularity, low libido, or stress-related burnout.
Why it matters:
- Trouble sleeping, brain fog, low mood or anxiety?
- Irregular cycles, heavy periods, or signs of estrogen dominance?
- Struggling to recover from stress or feel consistently fatigued?
The DUTCH Complete helps us understand not just your hormone levels—but also how your body is using, clearing, and recycling them.
🔄 DUTCH Plus: Deeper Insight with Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR)
The DUTCH Plus includes everything in the DUTCH Complete, but adds salivary cortisol sampling across the first hour after waking, called the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR).
This gives us an even more precise look at how your HPA-axis is responding to your day, and whether your cortisol rhythm is helping—or hindering—your healing.
Why it matters:
- Waking up exhausted, alert at night, or crashing mid-afternoon?
- Symptoms of burnout or chronic stress?
- Feeling stuck even after addressing other hormone imbalances?
The CAR reveals how your body’s stress response is kicking in first thing in the morning—and can help explain why you feel wired, tired, or both.
🦠 GI-MAP: Microbiome & Pathogen Panel
The GI-MAP is a foundational test in my practice—and for good reason. But when we look at it through the lens of deeper healing, it becomes even more powerful. This DNA-based stool test doesn’t just tell us what bacteria or pathogens are present—it helps us understand how your entire digestive ecosystem is functioning.
We can revisit this test to track progress after a protocol, identify stubborn dysbiosis, or explore new symptoms that arise. It also helps guide advanced strategies for those dealing with histamine intolerance, autoimmune flare-ups, hormone detox challenges, or lingering gut permeability.
What makes it stand out in the specialty category is its ability to bridge the gut with every other system—especially immune, hormonal, and neurological health.
Why it matters:
- Still bloated, inflamed, or reacting to foods despite a clean diet?
- Need to monitor gut progress after SIBO, H. pylori, or parasite protocols?
- Want to understand how gut imbalances might be affecting mood, immunity, or hormones?
When foundational work has been done but healing feels incomplete, the GI-MAP gives us next-level insight—and points us toward more targeted, strategic support.
🧪 Organic Acids Test (OAT)
The Organic Acids Test is a urine-based metabolic snapshot that dives into your cellular-level function—giving us a big-picture view of how your body is running behind the scenes. It evaluates mitochondrial health, detox pathways, B-vitamin status, neurotransmitter balance, oxidative stress, and the presence of fungal or bacterial overgrowth.
While the DUTCH test includes a few organic acid markers related to hormone metabolism, the OAT goes far beyond. It offers a much broader scope—especially useful when symptoms are wide-ranging or don’t seem clearly connected.
This test can be especially revealing if you’re dealing with unexplained fatigue, sensitivities, sugar cravings, or cognitive and mood challenges that haven’t improved with other strategies.
Why it matters:
- Feeling tired or wired despite good sleep and solid habits?
- Sensitive to supplements, chemicals, or even “healthy” foods?
- Struggling with sugar cravings, foggy thinking, or mood shifts?
The OAT helps us identify deeper root causes and gives us insight into your biochemical individuality, helping tailor support that reaches the core of your metabolism and resilience.
🧩 Here’s the Bottom Line
These specialty labs offer a deeper, more refined lens into how your body functions—and where it might need support that isn’t always obvious on the surface. They’re especially powerful when you’ve done the foundational work but still feel like something’s missing, stuck, or out of sync.
Think of them as compassionate tools—not just data points. They help us better understand your story, your symptoms, and your strengths so we can move forward with greater clarity and care. When you’re ready to explore the next layer, these labs are here to gently guide the way—at a pace that honors where you’ve been and where you’re going.
If you’re just beginning this journey, the best place to start is with the Foundational Labs and a guided 90-day program. This gives us the groundwork to address the basics—stress, digestion, detox, and food triggers—before layering in more advanced insight. From there, we build with purpose, using specialty testing only when your body is ready and asking for it.
📩 Let’s Connect
Not sure if specialty labs are your next step, or simply want to talk things through? Feel free to reach out. I’m here to listen, support, and help you find the right path forward—wherever you are on your journey.
