The Cellular Foundation of Health
Chronic disease is steadily on the rise, and much of it can be traced to nutrient deficiencies at the cellular level. Micronutrients—vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fats, and antioxidants—are vital to every function within the body. Each cell depends on these nutrients to operate efficiently. When cells are deprived of what they need, cellular function becomes compromised, setting the stage for dysfunction and disease.
To truly reverse disease, healing must begin at the cellular level—one cell at a time. This approach goes beyond symptom management, addressing the root causes of imbalance to restore vitality and function.
Why Micro-Nutrient Testing Matters
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to wellness. Every person’s body has unique needs, and those needs change over time. Micro-nutrient testing provides a personalized and precise understanding of your body’s nutritional status—what it has enough of, and what it lacks—so that you can support optimal health from within.
This testing allows practitioners to tailor a plan designed specifically for your biology, helping to:
- Identify specific vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- Reveal nutrient absorption issues
- Support cellular repair and energy production
- Guide targeted supplementation and nutrition strategies
Recognizing the Signs of Deficiency
Nutrient deficiencies can show up in many ways. For some, the signs are subtle—like low energy or poor concentration. For others, deficiencies may contribute to more significant symptoms, such as headaches, mood changes, or even cardiovascular issues.
Whether mild or severe, these symptoms often stem from the same underlying issue: cells that aren’t getting the nutrients they need to function properly.
Why Nutrient Deficiencies Are So Common
Even with a seemingly balanced diet, modern lifestyles and environmental factors make nutrient deficiencies surprisingly common. Some contributing factors include:
- Low-nutrient foods: Processed and calorie-dense foods often lack essential vitamins and minerals.
- Depleted soil: Modern farming practices have reduced the natural nutrient content in fruits and vegetables.
- Medications: Many common medications can interfere with nutrient absorption or increase nutrient loss.
Over time, these factors can lead to subtle deficiencies that affect energy, immunity, metabolism, and long-term health.
A Personalized Path to Healing
By identifying specific nutrient gaps, micro-nutrient testing empowers you to take control of your health with a customized plan that supports healing at the deepest level. Whether your goal is to boost energy, prevent chronic illness, or restore balance, this testing provides a clear roadmap toward cellular health and vitality.
At Shine Functional Health, we use advanced micro-nutrient testing to help patients understand their bodies and optimize their well-being. To learn more or schedule testing, contact Dr. Alison Lechner today.
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Frequently Asked Questions:There are a variety of tests that will give similar information each with its own special caveat. Currently, we are using Micro-Nutrient tests from SpectraCell, Vibrant-America and Genova Diagnostics. While very similar, each of these tests have a unique quality that makes one more optimal for certain patient types. The type of specimen used for testing can also help determine which test is right for you – serum, finger-stick blood tests, or urine collections are all available. It is well established that use of many different types of medications can directly and indirectly lead to nutrient deficiencies. For example, Metformin causes B12 deficiency, and cholesterol lowering medications called statins like Lipitor or Crestor cause decreased amounts of a critical nutrient called Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Here is a list of other medications:Â
Maybe, but often times unfortunately it is not enough. As mentioned before, even the healthy food just does not have expected quantities of nutrients in it. Further, not all vitamins are made the same – the nutrients in one brand of vitamin may be more readily available to your body than other brands. Other factors that affect micro-nutrient status: ~ Biochemical individuality; your specific needs are different than the general population. ~Absorption of nutrients; just because you are eating it, it may not be getting absorbed! ~Illness; acute and chronic illness require increased needs of certain micro-nutrients. ~Lifestyle; alcohol, exercise, smoking, medications all affect our micro-nutrient needs. Absolutely! In fact – it is one of Dr. Lechner’s favorite tests for little ones. Growth and development are dependent on the availability of nutrients. Because we have access to a wide variety of test options, it may not require a blood test and can be done for children as young as 1 year of age. To participate in our Insurance Billing program you are required to submit an initial insurance payment with your sample submission. This amount will be reflected as a credit on your billing statement. If you would like for Genova Diagnostics to bill your commercial insurance or Medicare Advantage plan, a payment method is required. Obtain initial insurance amounts by creating a Patient Resource Center account online and using our Pay Assist tool or by speaking with your referring physician. If your commercial insurance plan provides full payment of your test, you will receive a refund of the initial payment. If the initial payment is not provided, your out of pocket costs may be higher as you will not qualify for any credits or discounts when available. If you have coverage under a Government Program such as Medicare or Tricare, you will generally not be required to provide an initial payment. Learn more on Genova’s website. |