Gut testing: an insight into your insides
Some people might think I have a weird fascination with what goes on in peoples guts. Maybe, but most Naturopaths are the same. In fact, I once quieted a busy restaurant by having an “animated” conversation with a friend about the latest gut function testing I was using in my clinic. Lets just say I get a bit excited by getting to the bottom (pun intended) of peoples gut health issues. This is because generally, once we understand them, we can fix them!
There’s not a single day that goes by in my clinic where I’m not talking with patients about their gut health. Whether they present with fatigue, mood challenges, skin issues, hormone imbalance, infections and or other common or rare health conditions, there is very often a link to their digestive system.
I always give them two options in the planning of their healthcare:
we proceed based on what I think might be going on, and treat the suspected cause using my toolbox of nutrition advice and natural medicines or supplements
we get to the cause of the issue quickly and order a digestive stool function test.
If the patient chooses option 2, then this is what happens next:
I give them a kit to take home whereby they collect a stool sample, and have it sent to a lab overseas for assessment
Three-four weeks later, I get in touch once their results are in, and go through the detailed report with them. This assesses: digestion and absorption (of fats, carbohydrates and proteins), liver function, gut pH levels, inflammatory markers, bacterial infections, parasites, fungal infections, and their microbiome (or healthy gut bacterial types and levels).
Obviously we don’t stop there. I then make an plan to rectify what we have found to be out of balance (I’ve done hundreds of these and have yet to have a report that showed a perfect gut!). I’ve also yet to have a patient who didn’t feel better after correcting their gut issues. It’s an exciting part of my job, and I stand by the quality of this test and its ability to shine a light on things that would otherwise likely go unseen for a very long time.
Even if you already take probiotics, or enzymes, or fibre powders etc, this test is a way to ensure you are doing the right thing, and especially that the probiotics you are taking are the right ones for you.
If you’d like to know if testing is for you, you’re welcome as always to get in touch. I’d love to help you get a gold star for gut function.
