Not ready for a full functional medicine protocol?
Our office is now offering the following services à la carte:
Integrative Thyroid Services
LEAP/MRT Testing
Functional Testing
Integrative Thyroid Services
We are excited to announce our new Integrative Thyroid Services with Dr. Laura Ruby, DNP, CRNP. Dr Ruby is an Integrative Medicine practitioner with over 20 years of thyroid disease management. This service is designed for clients with Hypothyroidism who want a more comprehensive dive into their thyroid function or are interested in switching to T4/T3 combination therapy. Refer to our Integrative Thyroid Services page for more information.
LEAP/MRT Testing
Is your food making you sick? It can be frustrating to be eating “all of the good foods” and still feel awful. Sensitivities to foods can be involved in a wide array of symptoms and chronic health problems.
What is the difference between a food sensitivity & a food allergy?
Both are inflammatory responses, but sensitivities are much more common and harder to nail down. Typically, if you ask a doctor to run a food sensitivity test they will run an IgG test. Unfortunately, while this is the most common food sensitivity test, it can only detect what is called a Type 3 sensitivity reaction, which covers only about 25% of food sensitivity reactions. Determining food sensitivities can be a COMPLEX task. It is incredibly difficult to pinpoint what foods cause what reaction in the body, due to the fact that there are so many variables at play (such as how many times the food has been eaten and what shape the gut is in). But the bottom line is and always will be gut health. Why are supposedly healthy foods causing so many symptoms? And why did you suddenly become intolerant to a food that you never had a problem with before?
What is Leap/MRT?
Leap/MRT is classified as a food sensitivity test, but actually provides so much more information, specifically in regards to gut health. Gut health can have a HUGE impact on overall health. Year upon year of bombardment from stressors, toxins, medications, etc. can lead to the intestinal membrane becoming hyperpermeable. This triggers an immune response in the body, in turn contributing to chronic inflammation. With Leap/MRT testing, specific foods that are causing that inflammatory response can be pinpointed. Instead of measuring IgG, Leap is measuring how your white blood cells respond to foods. Your white blood cells are “defenders” that work hard to protect you from what they deem a threat. And right now, they are working hard to protect you from whatever is working its way through that leaky gut lining. This makes Leap/MRT testing more of a gut health test rather than a food sensitivity test. The idea is to remove the foods that are reactive, allowing the gut to heal some, and then bring those foods back in after a certain amount of time. This “snapshot in time” gives us a peek into how your immune system is currently responding to these foods and chemicals. When we take the foods out for a bit, the immune system “calms down.” If the triggering foods are nutrient-dense, whole foods, we want them back in the diet. We don’t want them out forever! We just want to give the lining of the gut some time to heal, and the immune system some time to reset, so that when those foods are reintroduced, we don’t end up back at square one. After Leap, your newly healed gut will allow you to go back to being able to tolerate those “healthy” foods that you were having troubles with before. And you have learned so much about how your body responds to the foods you put into it, which is something you can apply for a lifetime.
Getting Labs Drawn for Leap/MRT*
Our center located in Westminster, MD offers draw services on select days of the week. Please give us a call to schedule your appointment at: 410.861.5256
This is a specific test that is done by Oxford Biomedical Technologies, Inc. They offer draw sites throughout the USA. If you cannot find a site near you, you have the option to have a mobile lab or travel lab do the draw for you at an additional cost.
*There might be some exceptions, but typically Quest and Labcorp will not do this draw
Find a lab near you here: https://www.nowleap.com/draw-locator/
Insurance
This is considered a functional test, and therefore typically not covered by insurance. If you have an HSA, you can use that. You can also apply for an Advanced Care Credit Card. Apply at: www.mymedicalfunding.com
Price
$725– Includes the cost of the test and the initial interpretation with our clinical nutrition specialist
$995–Includes the cost of the test, the initial consultation and up to 2 additional hours with our clinical nutrition specialist
Disclaimer
Please be sure that you have access to a lab to get the Leap/MRT test drawn BEFORE you sign up. Not all traditional laboratories offer LEAP testing. For a comprehensive list, please visit: https://www.nowleap.com/draw-locator/
Additional Appointments & Functional Testing*
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Visits with Dr. Ruby
Up to 45 Minutes | $225
Up to $60 minutes | $300
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Nutrition Visits with CNS
1 hour | $150
3 hour package | $405
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LEAP MRT Food Sensitivity Test
Includes the cost of the test and review of results with the clinical nutrition specialist ONLY (up to 90 minutes) | $725
Includes the cost of the test, the initial interpretation (up to 90 minutes), and up to 2 additional hours with the clinical nutrition specialist. This option allows for a full protocol designed specifically for you and based on your Leap results, in which you will meet with the CNS several times over the course of 4 months. | $995
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GI Map Stool Test
The GI‑MAP (Microbial Assay Plus) is unique in the field of comprehensive stool testing. It relies exclusively on quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology to detect parasites, bacteria, fungi, and more, by targeting the specific DNA of the organisms tested. | $600
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Genova Diagnostics Salivary Cortisol Test
A saliva test that uses advanced machine learning via the Opus23 informatics platform to provide a unique insight into your genomics. This particular test reports an array of the most clinically significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a multitude of domains in one comprehensive functional DNA test that evaluates eight key areas of health. | $432
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Designs for Health SPOTLIGHT Tests
Get a “snapshot” of your health status in the following areas:
Metabolomics Spotlight
An organic acids test that will provide an in-depth view of the function and efficiency of multiple aspects of your unique biochemistry and metabolism. | $416
GI Spotlight
A stool test that provides an in-depth look into the health of the gut microbiome. | $514
Genomics Spotlight
A saliva test that uses advanced machine learning via the Opus23 informatics platform to provide a unique insight into your genomics. This particular test reports an array of the most clinically significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a multitude of domains in one comprehensive functional DNA test that evaluates eight key areas of health. | $432
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*All pricing includes practitioner interpretation and appointment for review of results (up to 45 minutes total)