Testing I Trust in My Practice
Insider Secrets You Won't Learn Elsewhere
I have refined the testing I offer and recommend in my practice over the years to a fine balance between risks, costs, and benefits.
The standard battery we open with now is the hair tissue mineral analysis and our comprehensive wellness panel.
Here’s our comprehensive wellness panel:
CMP
CBC with differential
Lipid panel
Hemoglobin A1C
DHEA-S
Free and total testosterone (men only)
Copper
Zinc
Magnesium, serum
Vitamin D (25-hydroxy)
Vitamin A
Retinol binding protein
Urinalysis
IGF-1
Cortisol
Cardiac CRP
Homocysteine
Uric acid
Fibrinogen activity
Insulin
Ferritin
Iron studies
Full thyroid panel
Typically, this will cost you $800 to $3,000.
We offer this panel to our patients for well under $400 (as of this writing, in early June 2025 - pricing is subject to change). Part of the value of membership at my practice is members-only lab pricing.
Read more about this here:
From my initial battery of tests I am able to deduce:
Methylation status
Heavy metal burden
Cellular energy levels
Emotional state and psychological profile
Gut function
Protein intake
Sleep quality
Sun exposure
Stress levels
Patients often come to me with hundreds or thousands of dollars of lab testing that they did not need, as I wrote about here:
Just the other day, a patient of ours, who had to use her insurance due to living in New York, was billed $400 for a panel that should cost less than $50. We are not allowed, by law, to let patients pay cash for labs in New York State. Yet another reason not to live in New York State.
How are we able to do more with less?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
-Leonardo Da Vinci
Great clinicians are distinguished by their ability to do more with less. For the same reason, we will get better results with supplement protocols consisting of only a few ingredients rather than the twenty to forty we see other practices using.
From these tests, I can usually determine exactly what supplements a patient needs. Patients often ask me, "do I need any other supplements in addition to the ones you have recommended for me?" The answer is almost invariably "no."
When I create a supplement protocol, the point is to include every nutrient the patient could possibly need.
When will I order additional lab tests?
I will often order allergy testing. Why? Listen to Sina McCullough's story in this podcast for an incredible story of healing thanks to allergy testing:
For Sina, allergy testing was the key to her case. She did all the right things for years, and despite this, she was dying.
Allergy testing is an investment. The testing we prefer is hundreds of dollars, ranging from small panels for a few hundred dollars or less to over five hundred dollars. I let patients make this decision with an understanding that sometimes, allergy testing is life-changing. Sometimes, however, patients struggle to identify a trigger and wonder if they might have better spent the money on something else.
If you want a deeper dive into allergy testing, here it is:
Organic Acid Testing
For a deeper look into someone's nutritional status, I will order organic acid testing. While I usually make B vitamin and amino acid recommendations on hair tissue testing, the organic acid test does give us deeper insight for more individualized protocols. This can help get us better results in some cases. I like to order this in addition to hair tissue testing, but it isn’t necessary to get great results.
Stool Testing
In rare cases, I still order stool testing. I cannot recall the last time I recommended it. Why?
That’s a topic for a future post… Subscribe to make sure it lands in your inbox.
Toxin Testing
What about toxin testing? I rarely order toxin tests. These include mycotoxin or industrial toxin tests.
Why don’t I routinely test for most toxins?
We might as well assume that sick patients in the modern world have some kind of total toxic burden. We then treat the hair and blood test results, balance hormones, and focus on gut health. We often see toxic metal levels rise in the hair as we do this. That is a sign that the body is detoxifying itself. Do I need another test to track this? I am happy to order testing that patients ask for, but I also don't want to spend more money than necessary. I seek to be highly efficient in getting people well. If we can do more with less, we will. If we can do more with more, we discuss this with patients and let them make the decision.
Am I missing something by not routinely testing toxins?
Our patients are happy, send us all their friends and family, and generally get great results. If I am missing something, it is not making much difference in most of our cases. In tough cases, where we are not getting the results that we want, I am more likely to look for toxins with testing.
What about hormone testing?
That’s a story for a future post. Subscribe to make sure it lands in your inbox.
Until next time, be well,
Dr. Stillman