Do you experience bloating, stomach pain, gas, food sensitivities, irregular bowel movements, nausea, reflux or maybe all of the above?
Have you been told that there's 'nothing medically wrong', 'Your tests are normal', ' You just have IBS', that your symptoms are all 'normal' or worse that your symptoms are just 'hormonal!'??
Then continue reading to see why functional testing might be the missing link.
If you have been experiencing any form of digestive discomfort for long enough you have generally done one or both of the following; seen your doctor to find out why and what can be done, or deep dived into the internet to try and get the same answers. For some this is perfect, they get the answers they need and a treatment that works for them. Unfortunately, for most they leave with the general umbrella diagnosis of IBS and told to restrict their diet, eat more fibre and get used to their new 'normal'.
While this can give you some answers and some ways to better improve the symptoms of your gut imbalances, it doesn't get to the root cause as to what's actually going on & why. This is where functional testing comes in.
What is functional testing?
Functional testing for gut health provides a comprehensive understanding of your gastrointestinal (GI) system, helping identify imbalances, potential overgrowths or dysfunctions that may be impacting your overall health. Depending on the test they can also give insight into your functional digestive markers (like the complete GI map below),indicating if you're experiencing digestive inflammation, leaky gut symptoms (intestinal hyper permeability) and even poor stomach acid production.
The most common functional gut tests include;
Complete microbiome mapping- a Comprehensive Stool Analysis, examining bacteria, yeast, parasites, inflammation markers, and digestive capacity. It also shows the levels of your beneficial gut bacteria, giving more information on areas for improvement.
SIBO Breath Test- Detects bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine.
Organic Acids Test (OAT)- Assesses metabolites linked to gut dysbiosis, nutrient deficiencies, and yeast overgrowth.
The main benefit of functional gut testing is to get a deeper understanding of what is going on in your digestion and identify the root cause of your discomfort or imbalance/s. From there personalised treatments can be created to target what needs to be removed, provided nourishment and support to what needs to be rebuilt and even tailor probiotic treatments to help repopulate your microbiome, allowing your body to then recreate a balanced environment. This takes the guessing out what you should be taking, what you should be avoiding and it puts your treatment on the most direct path available, giving you long term results.
And since chronic gut conditions have also been linked to skin conditions, immune dysfunctions, hormonal imbalances and mental health concerns, I think the most effective direct treatment is always the better option!
If you feel like functional testing is something that yourself or a loved one needs, reach out, lets start the conversation and get you one step closer to better gut and overall health!
Thanks for reading beautiful human!
Samii BHSc- Naturopathy
Sacred Natural Health Founder.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog post is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult with your health practitioner before making any changes to your treatment.
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