Comprehensive Vitamin and Mineral Testing
Get answers for fatigue, hair loss, brain fog, mood changes, and nutrient-related symptoms
Vitamins and minerals play a major role in energy, metabolism, hormone production, thyroid function, immune health, mood, sleep, hair growth, and cellular repair. When key nutrients are low or out of balance, symptoms can show up throughout the body.
If you feel tired, foggy, run down, anxious, depleted, or like your body is not recovering well, nutrient deficiencies may be part of the picture.
At Ponderosa Natural Medicine in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, we use targeted vitamin and mineral testing alongside a detailed health history to better understand what your body may need. Rather than guessing or relying on generic supplements, we evaluate your symptoms, diet, digestion, medications, health history, and lab markers to create a more personalized plan.
Your care plan may include food-based nutrition recommendations, targeted supplements, digestive support, lifestyle changes, and additional lab testing when appropriate.
Your symptoms may be connected to what your body is missing or not absorbing well
Many people take supplements without knowing what they actually need. Others are told their labs are normal even when they feel exhausted, weak, foggy, or depleted.
Nutrient status can be affected by diet, digestion, stress, inflammation, medications, heavy periods, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, restricted diets, chronic illness, thyroid issues, and gut health. Testing helps us identify deficiencies, imbalances, or absorption issues that may be contributing to symptoms.
We may evaluate:
- Vitamin D status
- B12 and folate
- Iron and ferritin
- Magnesium
- Zinc and copper balance
- Selenium and iodine when appropriate
- Electrolytes and mineral balance
- Protein and metabolic markers
- Blood sugar and insulin patterns
- Inflammation markers
- Thyroid-related nutrient needs
- Digestive factors affecting absorption
What to Expect
A personalized process to better understand your nutrient needs.
Initial Appointment
We review your symptoms, diet, digestion, health history, medications, supplements, hormones, stress, sleep, and prior lab work.
Your visit may include:
- Review of fatigue, mood, hair, skin, immune, and sleep symptoms
- Discussion of diet patterns, restrictions, cravings, and appetite
- Review of digestion and absorption concerns
- Review of medications or supplements that may affect nutrient status
- Physical exam when appropriate
- Lab recommendations based on your history
Review of Findings
At your follow-up visit, we review your lab results and explain how they may relate to your symptoms.
Your care plan may include:
- Food-based nutrition recommendations
- Targeted vitamin and mineral supplementation
- Digestive and absorption support
- Blood sugar or hormone support when appropriate
- Thyroid, adrenal, or immune support when relevant
- Retesting recommendations when needed
Follow-Up Care
Follow-up visits help monitor your response and adjust your plan over time.
We may track:
- Energy, mood, sleep, and focus
- Hair, skin, nail, and immune changes
- Digestion and absorption symptoms
- Lab changes when retesting is appropriate
- Supplement response and dosing needs
How Vitamin and Mineral Testing Can Help
Vitamin and mineral testing can help identify whether nutrient deficiencies or imbalances are contributing to your symptoms. This allows your plan to be more specific, effective, and appropriate for your body.
More Stable Energy
Fatigue, weakness, and poor stamina may be related to low iron, B12, vitamin D, magnesium, thyroid function, blood sugar, sleep, or inflammation.
Better Brain and Mood Support
Brain fog, low mood, anxiety, irritability, and poor focus can be influenced by B vitamins, magnesium, vitamin D, iron status, blood sugar, and hormone patterns.
Support for Hair, Skin, and Nails
Hair thinning, hair shedding, brittle nails, and skin changes may be connected to iron, zinc, thyroid function, protein intake, hormone balance, or inflammation.
Improved Immune Resilience
Frequent illness, slow recovery, or chronic inflammation may involve vitamin D, zinc, vitamin C intake, selenium, sleep, stress, and digestive health.
Better Thyroid and Hormone Support
Thyroid and reproductive hormone function depend on several nutrients, including iron, selenium, zinc, iodine, vitamin D, magnesium, and B vitamins.
Targeted Supplement Recommendations
Testing helps reduce guesswork so you are not taking supplements you do not need or missing nutrients that may be important for your symptoms.
Why Vitamins and Minerals Matter
Nutrients are essential for energy, hormones, immunity, and repair.
Your body depends on vitamins and minerals to make energy, produce hormones, support the nervous system, maintain healthy bones, build blood cells, regulate inflammation, and support immune defense.
Even mild deficiencies can affect how you feel. Low iron can contribute to fatigue, hair shedding, dizziness, and poor exercise tolerance. Low vitamin D may affect immune health, mood, inflammation, and bone health. Low B12 or folate may contribute to fatigue, nerve symptoms, mood changes, and brain fog.
Testing helps clarify what your body may need instead of relying on trial and error.
Comprehensive Vitamin and Mineral Testing
Lab testing can help identify deficiencies and guide a more targeted plan.
Depending on your symptoms and health history, testing may include vitamin D, B12, folate, iron, ferritin, magnesium, trace minerals, metabolic markers, inflammation markers, blood sugar markers, and select genetic testing when appropriate.
Testing is selected based on your symptoms, diet, health history, medications, and goals — helping create a more personalized plan rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Targeted testing can help uncover what may be contributing to fatigue, mood changes, hair shedding, brain fog, poor recovery, and other persistent symptoms.
Symptoms That May Be Related to Nutrient Deficiencies
Vitamin and mineral testing may be helpful if symptoms suggest your body may be missing key support.
These symptoms can have many possible causes. Our goal is to identify what may be contributing and create a plan tailored to your body.
Ready to Better Understand What’s Driving Your Symptoms?
You do not have to keep guessing. If you’re dealing with frustrating cycle changes, perimenopause or menopause symptoms, hormonal acne, hair changes, mood symptoms, low libido, or unexplained weight changes, we can help you take the next step with a more thorough, individualized approach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer vitamin and mineral testing?
Yes. Depending on your symptoms, we may test vitamin D, B12, folate, iron, ferritin, magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, electrolytes, metabolic markers, and other nutrients when appropriate.
Can digestive issues affect nutrient levels?
Yes. Poor digestion, inflammation, food restrictions, low stomach acid, gut conditions, and certain medications can affect how well you absorb nutrients.
What symptoms suggest I may need nutrient testing?
Nutrient testing may be helpful for fatigue, brain fog, hair loss, brittle nails, mood changes, muscle cramps, poor sleep, frequent illness, heavy periods, digestive issues, or symptoms that have not improved with general supplements.
Do you recommend supplements?
When appropriate, your plan may include targeted vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other supplements. Recommendations are based on your symptoms, labs, medications, and health history.
Can low iron cause fatigue and hair loss?
Yes. Low iron or ferritin can contribute to fatigue, weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath with exertion, poor exercise tolerance, and hair shedding.
Do you provide dietary recommendations based on labs?
Yes. Based on your labs you will be provided with specific foods to increase in your diet that will support your deficiencies and/or symptoms.
Can vitamin D deficiency affect mood or immunity?
Yes. Vitamin D plays a role in immune function, inflammation, mood, bone health, and hormone regulation. Low levels are common and can be evaluated with blood testing.
What is the first step?
Schedule a new patient appointment. If you would like to make sure the practice is the right fit first, you can also schedule a free 15-minute consultation.
Why test instead of just taking supplements?
Testing helps identify what you actually need. This can reduce guesswork, avoid unnecessary supplements, and guide safer, more targeted recommendations.