Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) measures the flow or the impedance to the flow of an electric current through the tissues of the body.  Electrodes are placed on the hands, wrists, feet and ankles and a very low electrical current (undetectable by patients) is passed through the body from one electrode to the other.  This is a non-invasive test that takes less than 5 minutes to perform and provides valuable information to assess many areas of health and associated health risks.

While there are several categories of information captured by this simple test, including your Body Mass Index (BMI = your ratio of body fat to lean muscle), your levels of hydration inside the cells (ICW) and between the cells (ECW), the overall health of the cell membrane (capacitance and resistance), and most importantly, the phase angle of the cell.  The measurement of the phase angle is a very accurate assessment of the general health of tissues throughout your body.

This information helps you, as a patient, narrow down the sources of any health issues or potential health risks and with quick and inexpensive follow ups track your progress.

Overall functioning of a living organism is controlled by the autonomic nervous system.  It has two antagonistic branches – the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Every organ is activated by one branch and inhibited by the other.

Generally, when the body is in a calm state (relaxation, sleep, etc.), organs such as the heart, lungs, and blood vessels are under parasympathetic control. When active (during physical activity, psycho-emotional arousal or stress) these organs are dominated by the sympathetic nervous system.

A healthy organism is capable of adjusting to any external influence by means of quick and adequate sympathetic response. Once that factor disappears, parasympathetic activity increases, which balances overall autonomic activity.

It is important to use specific tools to evaluate the level of balance between these 2 branches of the autonomic nervous system, their reaction to specific provocative test factors, and the overall condition of both branches. Such tools can help people learn how to cope with stress by achieving an autonomic balance.

The specific tools I employ are HRV (Heart Rate Variability) and Postural Hypotension.

HRV is a simple, 15 minute, non-invasive test performed in office.  Infra-red light is emitted on the finger or ear and then a pulse wave signal is measured by means of a portable and convenient finger or ear-clip optical sensor.

Postural Hypotension is another simple, non-invasive, in office test that takes only minutes.  This test is performed by taking a series of blood pressure readings while lying down and standing up.  The differences in the readings indicate your body’s ability to adapt to rapid change, indicating the overall health of the adrenal glands.

The information gleaned from these tests help you and your health care provider design specific dietary, exercise and stress reduction programs.  Since these tests are quick, easy and inexpensive they are great ways to track ongoing progress as you fine tune your personalized program.

This particular test is, in my experience, the quintessential test to measure pH, rates of oxidation on the cell membrane, and the conductivity of minerals across the cell membrane.  This test requires a fasting period and collection of urine, saliva and a blood sample.  It is the only slightly invasive test I perform, and the information gained is invaluable.  To obtain similar information would require several hundred dollars in lab tests that could never be as accurate since rates of oxidation increase the longer fluids are exposed to environmental factors.

The information gained from this test provides a comprehensive “snapshot” of a variety body fluids and can be used by your physician to assess the rate of biological aging in the body.  Biological age is an accurate assessment of the rate at which your internal organs are aging as a result of oxidation.

• Body Impedance Analysis
• Heart Rate Variability
• Postural Hypotension Analysis
• Quantitative Fluid Analysis
• Evaluation