What we measure
You collect blood and urine at home and send them to Athens, where they are analysed by Metabolomic Analysis® in an internationally accredited laboratory.
Who comes to us
Creams worked only while they lasted, and there was no standard for what to feed a child. Since 2017, the majority of the cases we have guided have been atopic dermatitis.
Markers
Very small molecules in the body are measured to show how the metabolism is actually working. These are the ten areas Metabolomic Analysis® examines at a cellular level.
Specimens
The two samples show different things, which is why both are collected.
Fatty acids and their metabolites are analysed in blood — the composition of the fats that build cell membranes and take part in inflammatory processes.
Organic acids, the intermediate products of metabolism, are analysed in urine. They carry traces of energy metabolism, gut environment and how nutrients are used.
Samples are collected at home using the kit that is posted to you. Instructions, fasting conditions and storage and drying requirements are all included.
Laboratory
Metabolomic analysis is not comparable to an ordinary laboratory test. It is highly specialised and is carried out in only a small number of laboratories worldwide that meet very high standards. The clinic’s laboratory takes part in the quality control programmes run by the organisations below.
European Network of Laboratories for Inherited Metabolic Diseases — the scientific body holding the highest laboratory standards worldwide.
Quality control programme of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Quality control programme of the US National Institute of Standards and Technology.
International standards for testing laboratories and for medical laboratories.
Source: Metabolomic Medicine clinic (drtsoukalas.com). The clinic interprets results on the basis of more than 25,000 patients.
After the result
The analysis identifies what can be adjusted through diet, lifestyle and nutritional supplementation. Based on the results, the clinic proposes the following.
Specific vitamins, minerals and amino acids are prescribed by the clinic’s physicians according to the deficiencies found.
A nutrition plan built around your metabolic profile — what to increase and what to reduce, decided individually.
Please note — for any acute condition, for a diagnosis, or for prescription medicine, you should be seen by a physician where you live. This test does not replace that. Tell us about any medication you are taking; the clinic’s physicians will review it.
What you receive
They do not arrive together. The report comes first, the diet plan follows, and the written interview comes last.
An English report of about 15 pages explaining the laboratory results, with recommendations.
A diet plan built on the analysis (English, about 6 pages). It arrives later than the report.
Your questions about the results and the diet are collected and put to the clinic’s physicians and nutritionists, and the answers are returned to you.
Scope
The clinic mainly sees patients in the categories below. In Korea the cases we guide are mostly atopic dermatitis, but the test and the clinic’s practice are broader than that.
Conditions in which the body attacks its own tissues and organs — Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and others.
Health problems lasting more than three months — diabetes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, thyroid and cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, chronic fatigue, obesity, hormone problems.
For healthy people who want to know their deficiencies and metabolic state in advance.
Whether a patient can be accepted is decided by the clinic’s physicians, taking health status and current medication into account.
References
Metabolomic analysis rests on research published in peer-reviewed journals. Below is a selection of papers involving the research group of Dr. Dimitris Tsoukalas at Metabolomic Medicine.
This page explains what the test measures. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, and does not replace medical advice. Interpretation of results and any prescription are the responsibility of the clinic’s physicians.
Contact
Send us a message and we will arrange a call. We listen to your situation first, and decide together whether testing makes sense for you now. The first consultation is free.