Naturopathic Evaluation Tools: Other Flashcards
Contracted pupil
Parasympathetic dominance; ‘inward tension’ / internalised / cautious / reserved (slow responses). Acetylcholine is the dominant neurotransmitter.
Dilated pupil
Sympathetic nervous system dominance, possible adrenal exhaustion, (fast responses —fight and flight). Adrenaline is the dominant neurotransmitter
Dry eyes
Vitamin A
EFAs
Night blindness
Vitamin A
Zinc
Pale conjuctiva
Iron
Blue Sclera
Iron
Photophobia
Vit B2
Vit B3
Beta-carotenee
Vit A
Zinc
Lack of eyelashed and eyebrows
Copper; thinning eyebrows may indicate that the thyroid gland needs support.
Facial skin: Dermatitis (nasolabial, eyelids, in ears)
Vitamin B2
Facial skin:Hyperpigmentation of mouth, cheek and eye areas
Protein
Facial skin: Inelastic skin
Vitamin C, EFAs, copper.
Hair loss
Iron, protein, biotin, endocrine(e.g. hypothyroidism).
Brittle, dry and lacklustre hair
Iron, protein, EFAs
Perifollicular hyperkeratosis
Vitamin A, EFAs.
pH
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).
Urine colour: Straw, yellow colour.
Normal
Urine colour: Pale yellow/colourless
Drinking a lot of fluid
Urine colour: Dark yellow/strong smelling
Dehydrated
Urine colour: Very dark yellow, orange or brown
Jaundice
Urine colour: Blood
Red flag -> consult doctor
Urine smell: Unpleasant smelling / cloudy urine
Possible UTI
Waist-to-hip ratio
Performing an anthropometric measurement, using waist-to-hip ratio can indicate risk level for a heart attack, stroke, diabetes or premature death
Waist-to-hip ratio: Health Risks
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+
Stool types
- 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.
Stools: Floating
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.
Stools: Sinking
Heavy with decaying matter or non-used minerals.
Stools: Thin
Tension(colon spasm as seen in irritable bowel syndrome).
Stools: Dry
Poor waterintake, slow transit time —poor fibre, hypothyroid, stress.
Infrequent stools
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.
Stool colour: Very pale / clay colour
Insufficient production of bile.
Stool colour: Green
Release of toxic matter in bile.
Stool colour: White mucous
Indicates disturbance of intestinal flora, microbial infection or an immune response to gluten, lactose or inflammation from ulceration.
Stool colour: Very dark brown
Slow transit time in colon; hypothyroidism
Stool colour: Orange
Mayindicate insufficient bile production or pancreatic lipase enzyme insufficiency. The stool is usually frothy and poorly formed.
Stool colour: Black tarry
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.
Stool colour: Blood
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.
