Naturopathic Evaluation Tools: Other

Question 1

Contracted pupil

Answer 1

Parasympathetic dominance; ‘inward tension’ / internalised / cautious / reserved (slow responses). Acetylcholine is the dominant neurotransmitter.

Question 2

Dilated pupil

Answer 2

Sympathetic nervous system dominance, possible adrenal exhaustion, (fast responses —fight and flight). Adrenaline is the dominant neurotransmitter

Question 3

Dry eyes

Answer 3

Vitamin A
EFAs

Question 4

Night blindness

Answer 4

Vitamin A
Zinc

Question 5

Pale conjuctiva

Answer 5

Iron

Question 6

Blue Sclera

Answer 6

Iron

Question 7

Photophobia

Answer 7

Vit B2
Vit B3
Beta-carotenee
Vit A
Zinc

Question 8

Lack of eyelashed and eyebrows

Answer 8

Copper; thinning eyebrows may indicate that the thyroid gland needs support.

Question 9

Facial skin: Dermatitis (nasolabial, eyelids, in ears)

Answer 9

Vitamin B2

Question 10

Facial skin:Hyperpigmentation of mouth, cheek and eye areas

Answer 10

Protein

Question 11

Facial skin: Inelastic skin

Answer 11

Vitamin C, EFAs, copper.

Question 12

Hair loss

Answer 12

Iron, protein, biotin, endocrine(e.g. hypothyroidism).

Question 13

Brittle, dry and lacklustre hair

Answer 13

Iron, protein, EFAs

Question 14

Perifollicular hyperkeratosis

Answer 14

Vitamin A, EFAs.

Question 15

pH

Answer 15

Testing pH can give an insight into your client’s internal environment. This is especially important given that an acidic tissue environment is favourable for cancer cells (e.g. it encourages angiogenesis).
* pH: 7 is neutral, < 7 is acidic,> 7 is alkaline.
Healthy pH levels:
* Blood: 7.35–7.45.
* Urine: 6.5–7.25.
* Saliva: 6.8–7.5 (<6 = very acidic).

Question 16

Urine colour: Straw, yellow colour.

Answer 16

Normal

Question 17

Urine colour: Pale yellow/colourless

Answer 17

Drinking a lot of fluid

Question 18

Urine colour: Dark yellow/strong smelling

Answer 18

Dehydrated

Question 19

Urine colour: Very dark yellow, orange or brown

Answer 19

Jaundice

Question 20

Urine colour: Blood

Answer 20

Red flag -> consult doctor

Question 21

Urine smell: Unpleasant smelling / cloudy urine

Answer 21

Possible UTI

Question 22

Waist-to-hip ratio

Answer 22

Performing an anthropometric measurement, using waist-to-hip ratio can indicate risk level for a heart attack, stroke, diabetes or premature death

Question 23

Waist-to-hip ratio: Health Risks

Answer 23

Health risk
Male W:H ratio
Low: 0.95 or below
Moderate: 0.96–1.0
High: 1.0+

Female W:Hratio
Low: 0.80 or below
Moderate: 0.81–0.85
High 0.85+

Question 24

Stool types

Answer 24

• Type 1 and 2 seen more in constipation.
• Type 3 and 4 are more common in a more protein-rich or Western-style diet.
• Type 5 is a softer bulkier stool associated with a more vegetarian or vegan diet.
• Type 6 and 7 seen more in diarrhoea.

Question 25

Stools: Floating

Answer 25

Tend to not flush away / float on the surface of the water. This indicates that fats in the diet are not emulsified properly by bile. This can be due to an excessive intake of fats, or more commonly insufficient bile.

Question 26

Stools: Sinking

Answer 26

Heavy with decaying matter or non-used minerals.

Question 27

Stools: Thin

Answer 27

Tension(colon spasm as seen in irritable bowel syndrome).

Question 28

Stools: Dry

Answer 28

Poor waterintake, slow transit time —poor fibre, hypothyroid, stress.

Question 29

Infrequent stools

Answer 29

Constipation is defined as passing stools less than three times per week, needing to strain or passing hard pellet-like stools on more than a quarter of occasions.
*Naturopaths would expect one to three bowel movements per day. Less than one per day would be indicative of reduced function.
*Infrequency may be the result of:
– A low-fibre diet.
– Digestive insufficiency—i.e. mechanical (reduced peristalsis) and chemical (e.g. low bile, HCl, pancreatic enzymes).
– Inadequate waterintake / dehydration.
– A sedentary lifestyle / stress/ a change in route e.g. travelling.

Question 30

Stool colour: Very pale / clay colour

Answer 30

Insufficient production of bile.

Question 31

Stool colour: Green

Answer 31

Release of toxic matter in bile.

Question 32

Stool colour: White mucous

Answer 32

Indicates disturbance of intestinal flora, microbial infection or an immune response to gluten, lactose or inflammation from ulceration.

Question 33

Stool colour: Very dark brown

Answer 33

Slow transit time in colon; hypothyroidism

Question 34

Stool colour: Orange

Answer 34

Mayindicate insufficient bile production or pancreatic lipase enzyme insufficiency. The stool is usually frothy and poorly formed.

Question 35

Stool colour: Black tarry

Answer 35

Red flag —(can be indicative of oesophageal / gastric bleed), refer patient to a doctor.However blacker stools can be due to iron supplementation, although should notbe tarry.

Question 36

Stool colour: Blood

Answer 36

Red flag —refer patient to medical doctor. As a general rule of thumb, the darker the stool the further the blood has travelled through the GIT. Darker blood is typically a sign of a more serious pathology. Bright red blood around the stool / on toilet paper is often caused by haemorrhoids.