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Neff Functional Medicine Clinic<br />

🧭 I Am Sober – Now What?

Your Path to Full Recovery: Functional Medicine Testing In Early Recovery

If you’ve recently completed alcohol rehab—congratulations. You’ve taken an incredibly brave step. But the truth is, the real healing has only just begun.

Alcohol use affects every system in your body: your liver, your brain, your gut, your hormones, your energy, and even your mood. That’s where functional medicine can help. Instead of chasing symptoms, we get to the root of imbalances—using detailed, science-backed tests to rebuild your body and mind step by step.

Here’s how we do it—together.

🔹 Phase 1: Stabilize & Assess

In the early weeks after rehab, the focus is on stabilizing your system, checking for damage, and beginning gentle restoration.
alcohol, red wine

✅ Step 1: Foundational Blood Work

We start with a full picture of your current health:

  • Liver enzymes (AST, ALT, GGT)

  • Blood sugar and insulin markers

  • Inflammation levels (CRP)

  • Vitamins like B12, D, and folate

  • Minerals like magnesium, iron, and zinc

👉 Why? Your liver has taken the brunt of the damage. These tests help us see what needs urgent attention and where your nutrition might be lacking.

✅ Step 2: Adrenal, Stress & Hormone Testing

We look at:

  • Sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone)

  • Thyroid function (TSH, T3, T4, reverse T3)

  • Stress hormones (cortisol, DHEA)

👉 Why? Alcohol and stress go hand-in-hand. If your stress system is burned out, you’ll struggle to rebuild energy, motivation, and sleep. Hormone imbalances often linger long after rehab. They affect motivation, energy, sleep, and even weight.

alcohol alcoholic
Neff Inspiration Stephan Neff Alcoholic

✅ Step 3: Genetic Testing

We strongly recommend genetic testing—especially for variations like MTHFR—as well as checking homocysteine levels.

👉 Why this matters:
Living fully and feeling your best often requires getting to the root of what’s holding you back. Genetic variations like MTHFR can quietly impact your detox ability, mood, energy, and mental clarity. Identifying these roadblocks gives us the power to target your support and help your body heal, detox, and thrive.

🔹 Phase 2: Rebuild the Gut-Brain Connection

Alcohol harms the gut lining and microbiome, which directly affects your mental health, cravings, and immune system. Now we begin deeper healing.

✅ Step 4: Comprehensive Stool Testing

We check for:

  • Bacterial imbalances (dysbiosis)

  • Inflammation

  • Gut lining integrity (leaky gut)

  • Candida or parasites

👉 Why? A damaged gut fuels anxiety, depression, fatigue, and poor nutrient absorption.

alcohol alcoholic
Neff Inspiration Stephan Neff Alcoholic

✅ Step 5: Organic Acids Testing (OAT)

A simple urine test gives us insight into:

  • Brain chemistry (serotonin, dopamine)

  • Mitochondrial health

  • B-vitamin status

  • Yeast overgrowth

👉 Why? Your energy, focus, and sleep depend on healthy mitochondria and brain chemistry.

🔹 Phase 3: Optional Tests Based on Your Story

Life is complex. And it is likely that other health challenges are affecting you, beyond alcohol.
toxic soup, poison, toxin

If symptoms persist, we may also explore:

  • Mold toxicity (if you have brain fog or tremors)
  • Heavy metal toxicity (if you have brain fog or tremors)
  • Food sensitivities (if you’re reacting to healthy foods)
  • Autoimmune screening (if you have joint pain or mystery symptoms)

There are other tests that may be of value for your future development, but with the approach above we will have focused on 95% of biological root causes.

Your Recovery, Reinforced

Functional medicine is not just a test—it’s a journey of rebuilding, restoring, and reimagining your health.

Each test gives us a precise roadmap to help you:

  • Rebuild energy

  • Stabilize mood

  • Heal your gut

  • Reduce relapse risk

  • Restore your sense of self

You’ve already done the hard work by getting sober. Now it’s time to thrive.

alcohol, red wine