Functional testing
What your child's genes can(and can't) explain
Genetic testing here means nutrigenomics: a cheek swab or saliva sample, collected at home, that looks at common gene variants influencing how your child processes nutrients, including the methylation cycle. It suits families where careful groundwork has been done and symptoms remain stubborn, or where a strong family pattern makes this context genuinely useful. It is the most over-hyped test category on the internet, which is exactly why we use it sparingly and interpret it alongside the other testing pathways, never as a label.
What it measures
Variants, in plain language
Everyone carries small, common variations in their genes. Nutrigenomic testing reads a defined set of these variants, the ones with evidence for influencing everyday biochemistry: how efficiently the body activates folate and B12 (the methylationcycle, including MTHFR), how it handles certain other nutrients, and how some metabolic pathways tend to run. The result is a map of tendencies: where your child's biochemistry may need more support than average, and which nutrient forms are more likely to suit them.
What it can and can't tell you
Said plainly: genes are not a diagnosis, and a variant is not a verdict. Carrying a common variant does not mean your child will experience any particular symptom, and plenty of children with identical variants thrive without ever knowing about them. This test cannot tell you why your child has ADHD or autism, cannot predict their future, and is not the diagnostic genetic testing a medical geneticist performs. What it canoffer is context: when the same stubborn pattern keeps surfacing despite solid foundations, knowing how your child's nutrient pathways tend to run can refine choices we were already making, such as which form of a nutrient to use. Useful, modest, and only ever 1 layer of the picture.
When we recommend it
Rarely first. Genetic testing earns consideration when symptoms persist after the fundamentals (history, diet, sleep, relevant pathology) have been worked through, when a family pattern suggests inherited tendencies worth understanding, or when nutrient decisions keep stalling and the “why isn't this working” question needs another angle. Because it never changes, it can also be a once-only investment that keeps informing decisions for years.
How it works at ReMed
If the consultation points here, we quote the exact cost first (panels differ by provider and are not Medicare-rebated). The kit is posted to your home anywhere in Australia, the swab takes a minute, and the sample goes to an accredited laboratory with results returned to your practitioner. A results consultation, online or in clinic, translates the report into plain language and specific, proportionate adjustments to your child's plan. Consultation fees are on the fees page.
Wondering if genetics is the missing layer?
Usually the answer starts somewhere simpler. A consultation will tell you honestly whether this test would add anything for your child.
Genetic testing: questions parents ask
No, and the difference matters. Diagnostic genetic testing (such as a chromosomal microarray) is a medical investigation ordered through your doctor or a genetics service to look for causes of a condition. What we use is nutrigenomic testing: common variants that influence nutrient processing. If your paediatrician has recommended diagnostic testing, do that; ours does not replace it.
No. The variants we look at describe tendencies in everyday biochemistry, not diagnoses or predictions. We will never present a gene report as your child's future, and we'd encourage you to be wary of anyone who does.
A cheek swab or saliva sample, collected at home with a posted kit. No needles, no clinic visit required, which makes this 1 of the easiest tests to do from anywhere in Australia.
No. Genes do not change, so the result stands for life. What evolves is the interpretation: as your child grows and their picture changes, the same report can be re-read in new context without re-testing.
Nutrigenomic panels are not Medicare-rebated; they are privately billed and we quote the exact cost before anything is ordered. Diagnostic genetic testing ordered by your medical team sits under a different system entirely, which your doctor can explain.
Where this pathway leads