There are numerous lab tests that can help your doctor evaluate and diagnose your condition. In fact, there are far too many to discuss in this book. The purpose of this book has been to educate you about how the immune system works, what viruses are and how they cause disease, and to outline a method of designing a safe and effective self-directed plan to enhance your immunity and treat the consequences of your viral illness with natural medications.
Thus, the lab studies reviewed here are not meant to deliver a specific diagnosis, which is the work of a licensed doctor, but to assist you and your doctor in understanding the function of your body and immunity and to provide objective markers with which to evaluate improvement. Medical diagnosis is between you and your doctor.
Interpretation of blood or urine tests involves a considerable amount of training and experience, and should be left to a competent naturopathic physician, medical doctor, or doctor of osteopathic medicine. No test replaces a complete review of your medical history, a detailed list of your symptoms, and a thorough physical examination by a skilled and astute clinician.
For general health evaluation in patients with viral disease:
To evaluate for inflammation:
To evaluate immune status:
For patients with chronic viral disease or other illness in which immune function is impaired, have the tests listed below to establish a baseline. If your doctor suspects a virus, he will order a screening panel for several viruses or will check antibody levels for a specific virus.
Toxic chemicals:
Hormones:
Blood testing is not the only method of evaluating health and immune status. Several useful alternative methods are available, though keep in mind that there are often no well-established standards for these tests and interpretation may vary greatly among practitioners.
Bio-energetic Techniques: Electro-acupuncture according to Voll (EAV), also called electrodermal screening (EDS), is a bio-energetic method developed in Germany performed by using a small probe along the sides of the fingers to measure very small amounts of electrical current in the acupuncture meridian system. This form of testing is often applied when other diagnostic results are inconclusive or difficult to evaluate; it can have a wide range of clinical uses including evaluation of different types of latent viral infection.
Dark Field Microscopy: This method is performed by taking a drop of blood from the patient's finger and placing it on a slide that is then viewed under a special “dark field” microscope. The advantage of this system is that you are looking directly at living blood cells. It can evaluate some aspects of general health status but it is not as conclusive a diagnostic method as some proponents believe.
High Resolution Microscopy: This method, designed by Robert Bradford of American Biologics in Mexico, is considered highly accurate for evaluating live blood and other tissue in ways that dark field microscopy cannot. Bradford, once a leading figure in dark field analysis, uses high resolution microscopy to detect subtle biochemical changes at the tissue level in order to evaluate the patient's health status and monitor progress of therapy.
Clinical Microscopy: A skilled immunologist or pathologist will often look at your blood, urine, or other live tissue under a normal light microscope in his office. William Hitt, M.D., Ph.D., also in Mexico, is famous for his ability to evaluate slides prepared from a patient's nasal swab to assess immune reactivity including allergy, virally induced, or other inflammation. Clinical microscopy can be an invaluable addition to laboratory diagnosis and a good medical history and exam.
Chinese and Ayurvedic Pulse Reading: This method is used by Oriental medicine practitioners to evaluate the body's energetic status, including the energy flow in the individual meridians and channels.
Tongue Diagnosis: Both Chinese and Ayurvedic practitioners use tongue diagnosis, but it is more emphasized by the Chinese. The practitioner evaluates the state of your body fluids, digestive function, and other aspects of the body's internal function by examining the condition of your tongue.
Facial Diagnosis and Body Morphology: Through examining the face and body constitution, skin and hair quality, and other bodily features, a skilled practitioner can gather information on your character, stress reactions, constitutional tendencies, hormonal deficiencies, and energy balance.