Have you gone to the doctor hoping for answers as to why you’re constantly bloated, either running to the bathroom or backed up and have a ton of food sensitivities?
You may have done blood tests, colonoscopies, endoscopies, only to be told everything is “normal.”
While this is definitely good news, it can also be frustrating and deflating when you still don’t feel well.
But here’s the thing, conventional docs are excellent at diagnosing illnesses and prescribing medications. Unfortunately, they typically aren’t trained in identifying gut imbalances and their root causes. Meaning that they’re more interested in treating the symptoms than helping you heal and/or prevent them.
So, while everything might seem “normal” and major illnesses are ruled out, there’s still something that is driving your gut issues.
One way to identify these root causes is functional stool testing. Functional stool testing goes deeper into the balance of your microbiome than traditional tests, providing insight into the drivers of your gut symptoms.
Here are 6 common issues that I see in my client’s stool test results:
Elevated H. Pylori levels:
High levels of this bacteria can cause bloating, burping, heartburn, abdominal pain, nutrient deficiencies and can even manifest as skin rashes and hives.
Depleted good bacteria:
Lacking beneficial gut bacteria can lead to food sensitivities, poor immune health (constantly catching a new cold?) and leaky gut. We NEED these good guys at sufficient levels to support digestion, decrease gut inflammation and keep the gut lining strong and healthy.
One way these get so depleted is with lack of diversity in the diet, chronic stress and frequent antibiotic use. I see this pattern alot and an elimination diet like the low fodmap can just make matters worse. And simply taking a probiotic won’t help on its own.
Too much “bad” bacteria:
These types of bacteria cause inflammation and chronic digestive symptoms like bloating, diarrhea or constipation and food sensitivities.
Some are histamine producers, meaning they can cause issues like allergies, headache and rashes too. Not only do we want to work on lowering levels of these bacteria, but address WHY they overgrew in the first place, so they don’t keep coming back!
Candida Overgrowth:
When overgrown, candida (aka yeast) can cause chronic gut symptoms but also look like skin rashes, joint pain, brain fog and sugar cravings.
High B-Glucuronidase:
Imbalanced gut bacteria can lead to elevated levels of this enzyme that leads to excess estrogen (and toxins!) in the body and symptoms like weight loss resistance, PMS and hormonal acne.
This is one way the gut is so closely tied to hormonal health and why taking a look at the gut is a root cause approach.
High Anti-Gliadin IgA:
Shows an immune reaction in the gut to gluten aka gluten sensitivity. If you’ve been to the doc and told you were celiac negative, there’s a chance that gluten could still be contributing to your symptoms.
Do you see why a generic probiotic or eliminating random foods isn’t the answer? Each of these imbalances require a personalized approach using nutrition, targeted supplementation and lifestyle changes to get the gut back into balance
If you’ve been struggling with gut issues and conventional tests haven’t provided answers, functional stool testing may be the missing piece to finally get you the answers you’ve been searching for.
By utilizing specialized testing, we can identify the root cause(s) of your bloating and gut issues so we can create a road map for permanent healing!
That means no more guessing or googling what to do. You’ll receive personalized recommendations based on your results for targeted supplements, nourishing food ideas, recipes, and lifestyle changes to get started on the path to better gut health and lasting relief from your symptoms.
If this sounds like what you’ve been searching for, book a free Root Cause Clarity Call with me!
