Introduction

Functional Medicine is a personalized, root-cause approach to health that uses advanced laboratory testing to help you understand what’s truly driving your symptoms and overall health.

Rather than focusing only on symptoms, Dr. Lerner-Powers works with you to explore how your metabolism, gut health, hormones, genetics, brain function, and cellular nutrition are working together, allowing for targeted, effective strategies tailored specifically to you.

When nutritional supplements are recommended as part of your protocol, you can conveniently order professional-grade products through Fullscript.

Gut Health Assessment

Gut health testing explores digestion, immune function, microbiome balance, and inflammation within your digestive system.

These tests assess:

• Beneficial and harmful bacteria levels
• Yeast, parasites, and pathogens
• Digestive enzyme function
• Gut immune markers
• Inflammatory indicators

Comprehensive stool testing such as the GI-MAP test from Diagnostic Solutions are commonly used, or gut health panels from other specialized laboratories such as GI Effects from Genova Diagnostics. Dr. Lerner-Powers uses these insights to help you build a strong foundation for digestion, immunity, hormone balance, brain function, and overall wellness.

Metabolic Testing

Metabolic testing allows us to assess numerous essential metabolic pathways and see how well they are functioning together.

These tests quantify organic acids and other metabolic breakdown products produced as your cells process nutrients for energy, detoxification, and repair. By analyzing these byproducts, we can see how efficiently different metabolic pathways are working, and exactly where slowdowns or imbalances may be occurring.

You can think of your metabolism like a system of plumbing pipes carrying nutrients and energy throughout your body. When everything flows smoothly, your body produces energy efficiently and clears waste effectively. When certain pathways become partially blocked — like clogs in a pipe — pressure builds up, backups occur, and the system doesn’t work as well as it should.

These “clogs” can develop over time due to factors such as nutrient deficiencies, chronic stress, toxin exposure, inflammation, poor digestion, infections, imbalances in how your body processes fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, and in some cases genetic factors that affect how certain pathways function.

Metabolic testing provides insight into:

• Mitochondrial (energy) function
• Fat and protein breakdown
• Oxidative stress
• Detoxification pathways
• Nutrient deficiencies

One advanced metabolic testing option that Dr. Lerner-Powers often recommends is the OMX (Organic Metabolomics) test through Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory. Depending on your needs, she might suggest metabolic assessments from other laboratories.

This type of testing is especially helpful if you experience fatigue, inflammation, pain, brain fog, or chronic stress.

Omega Fatty Acid and Cellular Health Testing

Omega fatty acid testing provides valuable insight into inflammation control, cognitive performance, neurological function, and overall cellular wellness, while also helping to alert you to potential cardiac and neurological risk factors, including patterns associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s risk.

Even if you already take fish oil or other omega supplements, you don’t know whether your omega levels are optimal unless you have tested recently.

Absorption and utilization of omega fatty acids vary widely from person to person and are influenced by factors such as:

• Age
• Digestive and gut health
• inflammation levels
• The form and quality of supplements
• Individual metabolism and genetics

Testing removes the guesswork and shows exactly where your omega balance stands, allowing for precise, personalized recommendations.

Maintaining a healthy balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids plays a key role in regulating the inflammatory climate of your cells, which directly influences:

• Brain health and longevity
• Pain and inflammation 
• Heart health
• Concussion recovery

These assessments offer precise dosage guidance, putting you on a reliable path to optimal balance and measurable improvement.

BrainSpan NeuroHealth Assessment

BrainSpan combines a simple finger-prick blood spot test with an online, validated cognitive performance assessment to provide a broad picture of nutritional status and brain function.

This testing measures:

• Specific fatty acids including the Omega-3 Index, Omega-6/3 ratio, and % DHA
• Key nutrients such as Vitamin D
• Palmitic acid

In addition, BrainSpan includes an online, validated cognitive function test that provides scores across five domains:

• Memory
• Processing speed
• Attention
• Cognitive flexibility
• Executive function

Together, these results help clarify how fatty acid balance and nutritional status may be influencing cognitive performance, the inflammatory climate of your cells, and overall brain and cellular health.

OmegaQuant Testing

Advanced fatty acid testing is also offered through OmegaQuant, including the OmegaQuant Complete Index.

This test uses a simple finger-prick blood spot sample to provide a detailed analysis of fatty acid levels in your body.

It measures:

• Omega-3 and omega-6 balance
• Cellular membrane health
• Inflammation-related fatty acids
• Fatty acids associated with cardiovascular and metabolic health

OmegaQuant testing is an excellent option when the primary focus is understanding inflammation balance, and identifying potential cardiometabolic and neurological risk factors.

Hormone Testing

Hormone testing helps you evaluate key systems that influence energy, mood, sleep, metabolism, weight management, and fertility.

This may include assessment of:

• Cortisol and daily stress patterns
• Sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone)
• Thyroid function
• Adrenal health

Dr. Lerner-Powers often recommends hormone panels offered by ZRT Laboratory, which sends home-test kits. Hormone testing can help you address imbalances that may be contributing to fatigue, sleep issues, mood changes, weight shifts, and chronic stress.

Genetic Testing

Advanced genetic testing is available, using the GenomicInsight assessment from Diagnostic Solutions.

In addition to identifying genetic variations, GenomicInsight translates your genetic data into practical, evidence-based guidance grounded in currently published scientific research.

Genomic testing can provide insight into:

• Detoxification pathways
• Inflammation and pain
• Nutrient metabolism and requirements
• Musculoskeletal health
• Metabolic tendencies
• Mental health and brain function

Clear, Actionable Report Features

In addition to information about specific genes, your report includes easy-to-understand summary pages outlining:

Personalized supplement and lifestyle recommendations

Top nutrients, natural products, and lifestyle strategies shown in research to best support your genetic profile.

Medication considerations

A dedicated page outlining known pharmaceutical interactions and genetic sensitivities, which you can share with prescribing doctors to help inform medication choices and dosing decisions. Please note that while this is a potentially useful feature of the GenomicInsight report, Dr. Lerner-Powers does not advise on pharmaceutical medications.

In your Genomic Insight lab review appointment, Dr. Lerner-Powers will discuss with you how you can optimize your health according to the most current research insights to your genetic profile.

Getting Started

The first step is to schedule a consultation with Dr. Lerner-Powers to discuss your health concerns, goals, and which testing options may be most helpful for you.