The Benefits of Dutch Hormone Testing in my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine Practice
One of the most common requests I get from patients in my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice is testing for hormone levels and adrenal fatigue due to chronic stress and burnout.
One of the best methods of testing for my practice has been the Dutch Hormone testing. It has really changed the way I treat my patients for their hormonal and adrenal issues in the level of detail it provides and the number of markers that we can influence through Naturopathic Medicine.
What makes this test so easy and convenient?
This test is so convenient for my patients because they simply take the test kit home to collect the samples from the comfort of their own home. The test is based on dried urine samples, making it simple, convenient and completely non invasive…no needles required!
What does the Dutch Test test for?
The Dutch test will provide information on Sex hormones (Estrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone), as well as the metabolic pathways the hormones are going down.
For example, Estrogen can go down the 2 hydroxy pathway, or the less optimal 16 hydroxy pathway (this metabolite contributes to tissue proliferation such as cysts and fibroids) and 4 hydroxy pathway (this metabolite can damage DNA and could contribute to cancerous cell growth), in which case we would want to shunt the Estrogen towards the more optimal 2 hydroxy pathway.
It will also look at how your body is methylating out your Estrogen.
This is important for all patients to minimize excess circulating Estrogen, but especially when looking at females with a family history of hormonal cancers, we would want to address these metabolites preventatively.
It can also show us levels of progesterone relative to estrogen, which is also important because a patient could have low estrogen but still be estrogen dominant relative to progesterone.
For Testosterone, we want to look at the 5 alpha vs. the 5 beta pathway and DHT levels which could influence things like hair loss, acne and oily skin in both males and females. For men this could also contribute to prostate issues.
It will also test for adrenal hormones and metabolities such as DHEA, DHEA-s, a 4-point cortisol curve as well as a night time cortisol value if required. The panel can also show patterns of acute vs. chronic stress in a patient, and how the patient is metabolizing out their cortisol.
In addition, the Dutch test will test for select organic acids, such as a few B vitamins, oxidative stress, melatonin levels, Dopamine metabolites, Quinolinate, Indican for gut health, and more.
Overall, we can also see patterns of insulin resistance, inflammation, chronic stress, and more, which can confirm the effects of patients lifestyle, stress levels, and diet patterns.
Click this link to view a sample female report: https://dutchtest.com/api/files/file/Female%20DUTCH%20Complete_101525.pdf
Click this link to view a sample male report: https://dutchtest.com/api/files/file/Male%20DUTCH%20Complete_101525.pdf
Why are the results so important to interpret?
The Dutch test will give us levels of hormones which we could look at supporting (increasing levels or decreasing levels) if needed, as well as making sure the hormones are being metabolized down healthy pathways and not pathways that could create risk for other issues. It can shed light on patterns that need to be addressed, and certain lifestyle changes and behaviors that can support optimal health. I believe that looking at hard data makes us take our health a little bit more seriously. Its easy to take our health for granted but the Dutch test can shed light on how hard our bodies are working behind the scenes to keep us going day to day….but these patterns should be addressed to prevent long term health issues.
All of the results are interpreted in the scope of the patient’s health picture so an individualized treatment plan can be put in place.
The Dutch team is also great at providing support for providers, so if I am stumped by a result or a patient case, I just book a consult with a doctor on staff to shed some light on the result.
What kind of treatments could be used to support the Dutch results?
In treating the results of the Dutch test, I use a lot of different modalities. A lot of herbs, vitamins and supplements, diet changes, and lifestyle changes such as exercise and sleep patterns, are used. In some patients, a referral to their MD or compounding pharmacist is required for hormone therapy. If bio identical or synthetic hormones are used, we are ensuring that the hormones given are being metabolized down a healthy pathway based on the Dutch results.
What further testing could be required?
The Dutch test can absolutely shed light on further testing. Most commonly I will send a patient for additional bloodwork (or send them back to their MD for additional bloodwork). I would look at iron and ferritin levels, a complete thyroid panel including TSH, T3, T4, and sometimes including reverse T3 and thyroid antibodies. I might also look into fasting insulin and fasting glucose to get an idea of insulin resistance. I might also look into inflammatory markers.
If Indican is elevated I could do a Comprehensive Stool Analysis, or Food sensitivity Testing as well.
What health condition could warrant Dutch testing?
The list is endless but the top conditions/symptoms include:
– fatigue
-PCOS, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, adenomyosis, PMS/PMDD, heavy menstruation
– difficult weight loss
– erectile dysfunction
– low libido
– chronic high stress, burnout
– and much much more.
As you can see, the Dutch test provides a lot of important information that will be used in conjunction with a patients health history to direct and support treatment in more detail. If you have any questions about if the Dutch test would be worth testing for you, don’t hesitate to give me a call at my NW Calgary Naturopathic Medicine practice and I would be happy to help!
Naturopathic Vitality Acupuncture and Wellness Clinic
205-5403 Crowchild Trail NW
Calgary, AB
T3R 0E6
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!