Intermediate Testing Procedures

 

Here I include procedures for intermediate tests that you can run yourself to acquire more information about your chemistry.  You should have already read chapter seven and eight before jumping into these intermediate testing procedures.  

 

To get the most from these intermediate testing procedures, you will need to include the results from your simple self-tests from chapter seven.  Be sure to have your filled-in Data Tracking Sheet handy so you can include that data along with any new findings from the intermediate tests discussed here.   The simple tests from chapter seven include:

 

• pH of Urine and Saliva
• Blood Pressure
• Breath Rate
• Breath Hold Time
• Blood Glucose

 

Many of the tests explained in this appendix will not only provide more information about the imbalances discussed in this book, they could also give insight to additional imbalances that were not covered in the main chapters.  In Appendix C you will learn about the Sympathetic/Parasympathetic Imbalances, and the Acid/Alkaline Imbalances.

 

To perform one of these tests, you will need to get a pack of 11-parameter testing strips.  You can find these urinalysis reagent test strips on www.NaturalReference.com under the category, Self Monitoring.

 

If you have acquired the tools needed to run the intermediate tests, go to www.KickItInTheNuts.com and click BOOK TOOLS to download an Intermediate Imbalance Guide to use for these procedures.  You will input the information from these procedures onto the  Intermediate Imbalance Guide instead of the basic version.  You will learn how to fill this guide out later in this appendix.

 

These are great tests that everyone should run initially, if you have the ability to do so.  You won’t need to run most of these tests as often as you may the frequently used tests from chapter seven, but they can still provide excellent information as you get started.

 

Resting to Standing – Blood Pressure Test

To get an indication of how your body is recovering from a given stress, you can perform a “resting to standing” blood pressure reading.  You will actually take your blood pressure reading two times in a row during this test.

 

1. To test your resting blood pressure:  Lie down and test on your left arm according to the directions for your blood pressure cuff, just like you did previously in your normal resting blood pressure test in chapter seven.
2. To test your standing blood pressure:  Remain in a lying position, push the button to start the inflation again, then stand up and hold your arm still as not to disturb the machine from taking its reading.  You may need to have the machine in your other hand so you can hold it as still as possible as you get up.  If the tube from the cuff to the machine is long enough, setting the machine on a table next to you is the best option.  If the tube is not long enough, you will have to try to hold the machine as still as possible (along with holding yourself as still as possible) so the machine will not show an error code and require you to retest.  If you do get an error code, you will want to lie back down for about 30 seconds to relax and do both steps one and two again.

 

Since you won’t likely perform this test very often, a space is not reserved for it on the Data Tracking Sheet.  Instead, just place both resting and standing readings on each line separated by a slash.  For example, your systolic pressure line might look like this: 122/130.  The 122 would indicate your systolic (top) number while you were lying down and the 130 would represent your systolic number when you were standing up.  Then, you can do the same thing for your diastolic and pulse numbers.  The ideal result is to see your standing systolic reading higher than your resting systolic reading.  If the standing number is lower, this can be an indication that the system may be having a hard time recovering from a given stress.

 

Dermographic Line

 

To perform this test, run the non-ink side of a pen across the inside of your arm and then wait 20-30 seconds to see if your skin turns red, white, or the mark just disappears.  If the mark disappears, you would be considered balanced in this test.

 

This is an autonomic nervous system indicator.  Typically if a person’s vascular system is constricted, the dermographic line stays with a white center and can indicate the individual is leaning too far on the sympathetic side.  If the dermographic line stays red, that can indicate a person is leaning toward the parasympathetic side.

 

Gag Reflex

 

Gag reflex is another indicator of the autonomic nervous system.  High gag reflex is indicating that a person is leaning toward the parasympathetic side.  The lack of a gag reflex indicates a leaning toward the sympathetic side.  No test is required here.  Simply ask yourself, if I’m brushing my teeth and the toothbrush goes a little too far back, do I have a tendency to gag?

 

Pupil Size

 

Pupil size is another indicator of the autonomic nervous system.  Small pupils indicate parasympathetic; large pupils indicate sympathetic.  Looking at the colored area of your eye, if your pupils cover less than 25% of that space, they can be considered small.  If your pupils cover more than 50% of the colored area, they can be considered large.  If your pupils take up between 25% – 50% of the colored space, this can be considered normal.

 

11-Parameter Urine Dipstick

 

On the website, www.NaturalReference.com, you can find a product, Urispec 11-way urine test strips.  A canister of 100 test strips will run you about $45 and very few people will need to order these more than once.  The Urispec 11-way urine test strips (also referred to as a 10-parameter urine test strip) measure blood, urobilinogen, bilirubin, protein, nitrite, ketones, ascorbic acid, glucose, pH, specific gravity and leukocytes, in urine.  Not only can these measurements help you recognize which imbalances may be the most severe for you, but also, individuals could uncover some fairly major issues that could cause all kinds of trouble if undetected.  In my opinion, with these test strips, people can uncover information that is very meaningful—all for about forty five cents a strip.

 

When using an 11-parameter urine test strip, all of the measurements can be read right away except the leukocytes reading.  You want to start a two-minute timer as soon as you dampen the test strip and read the leukocytes box right at that two minute time.  Pee into a cup and then dip the strip all the way into the cup.  You may have to bend the strip a little by pushing the strip against the bottom of the cup in order to get all the colored boxes covered in urine.  Pull the strip out right away and touch its edge on a paper towel to wick away some of the excess urine.  Read the colors against the color chart on the strips container.  On the Data Tracking Sheet, circle the colored boxes that match the colors on your dipstick for each reading.

 

This dipstick is a great, cheap way to look at some more in-depth numbers.  I recommend using this 11-parameter dipstick at least once to get a bigger picture of what is going on with your body.  Of course, you’ll want to perform repeat tests if the dipstick test indicates a problem that you need to track.  As I explain each parameter, understand that some of the words are all big and fancy.  I just want to let you know what’s available on these dipsticks.  In this section, I give you a quick blurb about some of these variables.  I don’t spend time defining what some of these terms mean.  Instead, I just let you know what indications they can provide.  

 

Non-Hemolyzed / Hemolyzed

Blood should not be seen in urine.  If it is, that could be an indication of either kidney or bladder distress or trauma.  Sometimes non-hemolyzed blood can be seen during a woman’s monthly cycle; if that is the case, the test should be administered again at a different time of the month.

 

Bilirubin

Bilirubin should not be seen in the urine.  When bilirubin is seen in the urine, that means it did not go out the biliary pathway, down through the intestines and out the south gate (your butt).  It is a validator that the biliary pathway isn’t running as nicely as it should.  Since bile flow is so important for digestion and waste removal, this is an excellent parameter to have access to.

 

Urobilinogen

Urobilinogen is not normally seen in urine.  Urobilinogen is bilirubin that has been eaten for lunch in the intestines by bacteria.  When bacteria eats bilirubin, they poop urobilinogen.  This can be common if an individual is constipated.

 

Protein

Protein should not be seen in the urine.  If it is, that can be an indicator that the kidneys may be overwhelmed.  Protein in the urine can also be an indicator that the body is breaking down its own tissue.

 

Nitrite

A positive reading for nitrite is one of the indicators of a UTI (urinary tract infection)—some type of bacteria in the bladder.

 

Ketones

Ketones are produced by the burning of fat.  Typically diabetics show ketones because they are not burning carbohydrates, they are burning fat.  People on the Atkins Diet were given ketone strips to show that they had reached the goal of ketosis, so that they would burn fat.  I’m not saying this is your goal.  This parameter can help indicate if your body is predisposed to burn more fat or more glucose.

 

Ascorbic Acid

Ascorbic acid will alter the readings on the dipstick.  So while this reading lets you know how much ascorbic acid might be being excreted in the urine, it also alerts you that some of the reagents may react improperly when there is too much ascorbic acid.

 

Glucose

The dipstick color chart shows that some glucose in the urine is “normal.”  I might agree that is “common” however one would not want to conclude that it is optimal or “normal.”   I don’t feel it is correct that glucose should be in people’s urine.  Typically you see a glucose reading in the negative box, showing no glucose—that is how you want to see it.

 

pH

I already talked about pH in chapter seven.  This is just nice to have on the strip so you can conveniently check pH with all the other parameters.

 

Specific Gravity

Specific gravity can be used to validate whether or not your body is leaning too anabolic or too catabolic.  This alone is not an indication, however, it can be a great piece of data when looking for further confirmation.

 

Leukocytes

If you see both leukocytes and nitrite in the urine, that is a very positive indicator of a urinary tract infection and bacteria in the bladder.

 

Bonus Test – Hemochromatosis

 

Hemochromatosis is also known as iron overload.  Women who still get their period regularly have a much lower risk of experiencing any iron overload conditions since you bleed out iron every month.  All the same, since excessive iron levels can cause so much trouble, it’s really smart to know your iron levels before you start to use any iron supplements.  You can find out for free by donating blood.  When you donate blood to the Red Cross, they will always check your iron levels first to make sure you can afford to give up any iron before they start draining blood out of your arm like a giant mosquito.  If your iron is too low, they won’t let you donate.  They will prick your finger and put a drop of your blood into a little box that will output a number indicating your blood iron levels.  Below 12.5, they won’t let you donate.  It is not likely that your number will exceed 15; but if it does, you may want to have a full iron panel done at a lab.  I will provide you with a website where you can order one through the Internet, without a doctor’s prescription, since it is used only for educational purposes.

 

There is a hereditary DNA malfunction, hemochromatosis, which is very common for men of Irish or Scottish descent.  I am both Irish and Scottish, yet 23 doctors never figured out that I have hemochromatosis.  Even though my iron levels were through the roof, nobody picked up on it.  One doctor even asked me if I eat a lot of spinach.  I told him no and he simply said, “Good, don’t.”  That was it.  Seeing that there is no reasonable drug or expensive procedure to correct hemochromatosis, it simply isn’t in a doctor’s ongoing education, since that education is most commonly provided by pharmaceutical companies.

 

Iron issues are not often a problem with weight gain.  I simply want to add this information to all of our titles to spread awareness of this problem, especially for males (or females who no longer have a period) who are of Irish or Scottish descent.  The medical world has removed the iron panel from most standard blood tests to cut down on costs, but they will add it on your test for free if you ask.  You just have to know to ask.  This condition is very easily treated if you know it is a problem for you.  If you don’t know, it can certainly cause a world of trouble and baffle doctor after doctor, run up a six figure medical bill, and flat out be annoying.

 

In the past, I have used the website www.healthcheckusa.com to order iron panels without a doctor’s prescription.  You simply buy the test online (it will run you about $60) and they email you a form to take into the lab.  You just show up with the form and they draw a blood sample.  You’ll get your results back in a week or two.  You may need a professional to help you interpret them, but the result sheet usually at least indicates if specific numbers are high or low.  If your numbers are high, the same website also has a hemochromatosis DNA test you can order to find out if you carry any hemochromatosis genes.   

 

It’s all about education.  There is now a wide variety of tests that you can order online in this manner.  It’s very easy to do and most tests are reasonably priced.  It really works just like when your doctor sends you to a lab for a test, but in this scenario, the test results are sent to the online company and they send you a copy too (either by mail or email).  There is value in consumers having the ability to learn about their own bodies so there are companies that can make this happen without a doctor.

 

Learn More

 

To learn more about advanced testing equipment or where you can take courses teaching how to use advanced testing methods, contact us at www.KickItInTheNuts.com.  On this same site, you can also click on BOOK TOOLS > ADVANCED TESTING DETAILS, to read about more tests.

 

Sorting Out The Data

 

On the Intermediate Imbalance Guide, you see that some items have special symbols next to them.  The items with a dagger symbol (†) are measurements that you will need to use the 11-parameter urine dipsticks to acquire.  The delta symbol (∆) indicates measurements acquired with use of a special set of equipment or with help from a professional.  You can see that you can gain quite a lot of info with just the basic tests that were outlined in chapter seven, using tools like pH strips, a blood pressure cuff, and a stopwatch or egg timer.  

You can follow along as I go through each measurement on the Intermediate Imbalance Guide.  Many measurements are self-explanatory, but there are a few that I describe in a little more detail because they could use extra clarification.  You can then use this as a reference tool as you’re filling out your Intermediate Imbalance Guide.  You don’t want to check off an item if you don’t really understand what it means.  Having blank items is normal and should be expected.  You want to check off only the items that are clearly a problem for you.  For example, under catabolic, you see “Soft/Loose Stool.”  Check it off only if that is something you have been experiencing frequently, over the last month or so.  Don’t just check it off because you went to Mexico once and had some ass soup for two weeks.  In that same regard, don’t say you’re not constipated if you’re using two tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia every day in order to see any movement.  Check off only the things that are apparent for you regularly so you don’t sway your “snapshot” and make yourself look like someone you’re not.

 

Imbalance Guide Content

 

Symbols Key

 

< less than (i.e. Pulse < 70 means Pulse is less than 70)

> greater than (i.e. Glucose > 100 means Glucose is greater than 100)

† requires an 11-parameter urine dipsticks

∆ requires special equipment or a professional

 

Electrolyte Status

 

For both of these imbalances under “Electrolyte Status,” the numbers are pretty self-explanatory.  Resting Systolic BP is the top number of your blood pressure while you are lying down or resting in a seated position.  Standing Diastolic BP is the bottom number of your blood pressure while you are in a standing position.  Pulse is the number that comes up on the very bottom of most automatic blood pressure cuffs (for this form you want to use the pulse from the lying or seated position).  Some individuals have a pulse that skips beats.  These individuals should understand that this is unacceptable, even though it is often seen by professionals as “normal.”  It’s best to regard a skipping pulse as far from “ideal.”  This issue can be time sensitive enough to talk to a health professional.

 

Imbalance – Electrolyte Deficiency

 

• Low Blood Pressure (Resting Systolic BP < 112)
• Standing Diastalolic BP < 73
• Pulse < 70

 

Imbalance – Electrolyte Excess

 

• High Blood Pressure (Resting Systolic BP > 130)
• Standing Diastolic BP > 87

 

Circadian Rhythm (Cellular Permeability)

 

Imbalance – Anabolic

 

• Urine pH > 6.3
• Saliva pH < 6.6
• † Specific Gravity < 1.011
• Low Debris in Urine (This means that if you have your urine in a clear cup, you really won’t see much floating around in there.  Anabolic people are usually stuck in the rebuilding state, so they’re not doing a lot of breaking down of old tissues or cells and the amount of debris found in the urine is much lower.  You see the opposite under the catabolic state as a catabolic individual seems to always be peeing out junk the body is throwing away.)
• Hard Stool/Constipation
• High Body Temp
• Polyuria (Polyuria means frequent urination.)
• Difficult to Rise (Meaning the snooze button might be your best friend.)
• ∆ Adjusted Surface Tension > 69
• ∆ Saliva mS < 4.5
• ∆ Urine rH2 High

 

Imbalance – Catabolic

 

• Urine pH < 6.1
• Saliva pH > 6.9
• † Specific Gravity > 1.020
• Soft/Loose Stool
• Oliguria (Infrequent urination, or frequent but in small amounts.)
• † Protein on Dipstick (This can be a strong catabolic marker because it’s an indication that the body is breaking down tissues in the body.  The protein that you’re seeing here is protein from bodily tissues and usually not protein from a chicken sandwich.)
• Wake Easily
• Low Body Temp
• High Debris in Urine
• Migraines (A true migraine starts in the back of the head or the neck.  The word “migraine” has come to describe any really bad headache, but not all headaches are truly migraines.  If your headaches start at the front or top of your head, don’t check this item.)
• ∆ Adjusted Surface Tension < 67
• ∆ Saliva mS > 5.5
• ∆ Urine rH2 Low

 

Energy Production

 

Imbalance – Carb Burner

 

• Breath Rate > 18bpm (The “bpm” stands for breaths per minute.  Remember, each inhale counts as one.  Don’t count on both the inhale and the exhale.)
• Breath Hold < 45sec
• Low Blood Pressure (Resting Systolic BP < 112)
• ∆ Glucose < 70 (I categorized this in the “need equipment” group, but you could do this test with a glucometer that can be picked up at any pharmacy.)
• Urine pH > 6.3
• Saliva pH < 6.6
• Irritable When Hungry

 

Imbalance – Fat Burner

 

• Breath Rate < 14bpm
• Breath Hold > 60sec
• High Blood Pressure (Resting Systolic BP > 133)
• ∆ Glucose > 100
• Urine pH < 6.1
• Saliva pH > 6.9
• Type II Diabetes

 

Autonomic Nervous System

 

Imbalance – Parasympathetic

 

• Small Pupils
• Pulse Pressure < 37 (The pulse pressure is a measurement found by subtracting your Resting Diastolic BP number from your Resting Systolic BP number.  This number is your pulse pressure.  When you register on The Coalition and input your blood pressure numbers into the progress charts, the charts will automatically calculate your pulse pressure for you and display it on the graph as well.)
• Gag Reflex Increased (If you brush your teeth and your toothbrush goes a little further back, do you gag?  When you go to the dentist, do you gag?  Most women seem to know if they have a gag reflex or not.)
• Red Dermographic Line (With this test, you run the non-ink, round end of a pen across the inside of your arm and then wait 20-30 seconds to see if your skin turns red, white, or the mark just disappears.  If the mark disappears, you don’t need to add a check here.  If it turns white, you’ll place the check under “White Dermographic Line” in the Sympathetic section.)
• Low Body Temp (Below 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.  It should probably be at least a full point below or above before you would check this box or the high body temp box under sympathetic.)
• Warm Dry Hands
• Fingertips Warmer than Triceps (This is too hard to test on yourself since your triceps are the back of your upper arm, but you can have someone grab your fingertips and your triceps at the same time and tell you which is warmer.  I recommend not having someone on the subway help you with this.  Awkward.)
• Allergies
• Asthma

 

Imbalance – Sympathetic

 

• Large Pupils
• Pulse Pressure > 46
• Gag Reflex Decreased (You generally don’t have a gag reflex.)
• White Dermographic Line
• High Body Temp
• Cold Hands
• Fingertips Colder than Triceps

 

Acid/Alkaline Balance

 

Imbalance – Tending to Acidosis

 

• Breath Rate > 18bpm
• Breath Hold < 41sec
• Shortness of Breath

 

Imbalance – Tending to Alkalosis

 

• Breath Rate < 14bpm
• Breath Hold > 64sec

 

Digestive Issues

 

• Low Blood Pressure (Resting Systolic BP < 112)
• Standing Diastalolic BP < 73
• Burping or Bloating (Many people don’t really understand what bloating means.  If you ask a woman, “Do your clothes fit tighter at night than when you put them on in the morning?” and she says, “Yes,” she’s bloating.  As far as burping goes, I’m not talking about a huge belch.  But if you have little burps after a meal, that is burping.  Many people don’t even notice that they burp until you ask them and they’ll come back a day later and say, “Ya know, I really do burp.”)
• Passing Gas
• Reflux/Heartburn
• ∆ Total Ureas < 13
• Light Colored Stool (Either it is lighter than the color of corrugated cardboard, or your stool color will vary from light to dark depending on what you eat.)
• Constipation
• Urgent Diarrhea
• Nausea
• ∆ rH2 > 20 or ∆ rH2 < 17.5
• † Bilirubin on Dipstick

 

Okay, I Can Add Check Marks… Now What?

 

Once you’ve gone through the Intermediate Imbalance Guide and added a check mark next to each piece of information that applies to you, you’re ready to begin getting to know yourself.  As you look over each imbalance box, the idea is just to see if one side has more check marks than the other side, and by how much.  An entire box could have almost no check marks, or the check marks could be evenly distributed to both sides.  Either of those options can be an indication of balance in that area.  However, if you have more check marks on one side of an imbalance box than you do on the other side, that can be an indication of an area that could use some work.  You’re going to have to use your judgment here.  Having one check mark on one side, and none on the other side, is hardly evidence of an imbalance.  I really like to see at least a 30% increase of the check marks on one side compared to the other side before I start to consider there to be any imbalance.  Of course, I usually consider measurements to be more influential than symptoms in most cases.

 

Don’t confirm an imbalance with just symptoms.  If you have a few symptoms that are common for an imbalance, but none of your numbers point in that direction, I don’t usually view that as enough to point me in any one direction.  I really want to let the chemistry guide me and then use symptoms as tools of confirmation that the chemistry is an accurate picture.  If an imbalance appears to be strong, go to the bottom of the Intermediate Imbalance Guide and circle that imbalance.  If it looks like you could be leaning that direction, but it’s not so bad, you can just underline the imbalance to indicate that it needs work, but may not be your biggest trouble area.  While evaluating your numbers, also look at how far out of range your numbers are.  For example, if your systolic blood pressure is 89, that’s a pretty long way from 112 so you can add more weight to that particular parameter.  If your systolic blood pressure is 111, yes, that is still below range, but you may have just caught yourself at a low point and you’ll want to test that number a couple more times over the next week or so.

 

When you test all your numbers, you’re really looking at a range.  You don’t know if the day that you tested is an example of your best day or your worst day.  That is why you will continue to check the simple self-tests a couple times a week so you can start to look for patterns in your numbers.  If your systolic blood pressure is below 95 every time you test it, you know it’s low.  Just keep in mind that you’re not using NASA equipment.  It’s just a blood pressure cuff you picked up at the pharmacy, right next to where they sell condoms that are ribbed for her enjoyment.  It’s probably not high-tech stuff or it wouldn’t be sold right next to the contraceptive devices.  You may often notice that you can check your blood pressure and see a systolic of 101 and then check it a few minutes later and see a systolic of 92.  That’s okay.  Those are both low and you at least understand the range that you are in.  It is the same with pH strips.  You’re using pH strips that are just indicating a measurement that you’re interpreting through a color, you’re not using a pH meter that’s accurate to the hundredth.

 

Conclusions

 

Once you’ve completed this process, make your conclusions just like you did in chapter eight.  The only difference is you now have more data to guide your decision making process.  In Appendix C you can read more details about all of the imbalances covered in this section.