Your GP can do standard inflammation markers like ESR, CRP or hsCRP, or I can do them for you. Both are non-specific measures of inflammation in the body. They don't tell you where the issue is, but can give you a good idea if inflammatory processes are going on and how high the inflammation level might be. It can often trigger more tests then to find out what's going on, and works as a good progress marker during and after treatment. I prefer hsCRP myself (high sensitivity C Reactive Protein) as I think it is more sensitive (hence the name!), it finds inflammation earlier and is less affected by things like gender and age eg. ESR is higher in women generally and goes up as we age. If I see either high, I consider: is is acute as in an infection, an injury etc, or is it chronic and not coming down? I've listed hsCRP for you, but ask if you need ESR.

For a really good look at your overall immune status, the CytoDx is best, I think. This looks at your balance of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines so we can see what is out of balance and treat accordingly. It measures:

• Pro-Inflammatory; GM-CSF, IFN gamma : Th1, IL-1 beta, IL-2 : Th1, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8
• Pro-Inflammatory: IL-12 p70 : Th1, IL-17A : Th17, IL-18, TNF alpha, IL-15, MIP-1 beta (CCL4), RANTES
• Anti-Inflammatory IL-4 : Th2, IL-5 : Th2, IL-10 : Treg, IL-13 : Th2

You can read all about it here, including collection instructions and sample reports.

For gut inflammation, use a gut test - and make sure it includes calprotectin. Or use the GI Inflammation test, which looks at the four main gut inflammatory markers (note the gut tests usually include these - check before you order). You can order that via that link or here on the shop.