In the Naturopathic industry this is the case and for good reason. Did you know that your gut microbiome is home to over 1 trillion cells that can contribute to the functioning of your immune system, your mental health and your nutritional status just to name a few. So, when things are off in your gut, it’s important to understand what exactly is going on.
This is one of Rebecca’s favourite quotes. So, while you may have a beautifully balanced diet, if your gut isn’t doing its job properly, your ability to absorb nutrients and eliminate toxins becomes near impossible.
It does this through different symptoms (or lack thereof). If you have been experiencing stomach pain, burping, reflux, excessive flatulence and gas (farting), bloating, discomfort after certain foods (**it’s usually not the foods fault), irritable bowel symptoms, or irregular bowel movements, these are sure signs that your gut and digestive system isn’t very happy.
Your digestive system is made up of several organs working together and our job is to find out which team member is letting your system down. Common things that your naturopath will look for when testing include:
- Are you making enough stomach acid?
- Is your microbiome in balance? Do you have enough good bugs? Do you have bad bugs? What about parasites?
- Do you have bacteria where there shouldn’t be?
- Could you have an infection?
While we usually get a hunch from your symptoms and piecing together your health history, testing and gathering additional data lets us go to another level that can make a difference when designing your treatment plan.
SIBO testing
SIBO, or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth is an overgrowth of bacteria in your small intestine. While you’ve probably heard of the gut microbiome, our gut is made up of a number of different organs that all have different bugs doing different things. The job of the small intestine is to focus on absorbing nutrients, so if you have too many bugs in here, it can be a problem.
When excessive, the delicate mucosal lining of the small intestine is disrupted, including structured called microvilli. These are super important when it comes to nutrient absorption. Think of SIBO like having bad house guests – these ‘guests’ come in uninvited, make themselves at home, eat all your food, leave their mess everywhere and then stay well beyond their welcome.
SIBO Testing – how it’s done
SIBO testing is simple and non-invasive breath test. It’s usually conducted over a 2 – 3 hour window where you drink a sweet drink and then breath into test tubes so that we can measure the amount of methane and hydrogen gas in your breathe.
SIBO is a common gastrointestinal disorder that often underlies chronic gastrointestinal symptoms which can include bloating, gas, diarrhea, irregularity, constipation and abdominal pain.
GI Mapping and microbiome testing
More than ever before, we are keenly aware of the health benefits and disease risks brought about by the microorganisms that live in your gut. GI Mapping and Microbiome testing is an extremely comprehensive stool analysis designed to assess a person’s microbiome from a single stool sample.
The GI map and microbiome test looks for pathogens (the bad bugs – bacteria, worms, parasites, yeast and fungus) that upset your normal balance and can contribute to disease. This test also gives us a great understanding into the health of your Gut lining and if things like inflammation or leaky gut (intestinal permeability) need to be corrected. A stand out feature of this test is that it also tells us about your good bugs, how many you have and how happy they are. This is an important thing to know because some gut conditions can be caused by an over growth of bad bugs, some conditions are from too little good bugs and other conditions are a combination of both.
This test allows your naturopath to have an in-depth view of your gut microbiome so that they can help you get back on track and feeling well again!
Intestinal Permeability and ‘Leaky Gut’
Leaky gut was once touted as a ‘non-existent or made-up condition’ by many medical practitioners, however the research now confirms what many naturopaths have been saying for hundreds of years…leaky gut is a thing, we just call it something more scientific: Intestinal permeability.
Your gut lining is a highly specialised system of cells, all arranged by Mother Nature with painstaking detail so they could do very specific jobs. Damage to your gut lining can create a number of different symptoms including alterations in your bowel movements, reflux, indigestion, bloating and abdominal pain. Leaky gut can also contribute to non-gut symptoms like brain fog and poor concentration, skin conditions like eczema and acne, food intolerances, allergies, frequent bouts of thrush, asthma, chronic fatigue syndrome and joint pain/inflammation.
To test for leaky gut, it’s quite straight forward. You drink a sweet liquid and then collect your urine over a 6hr period. The lab will analyse your sample to see how much of the sugars from the drink you consumed made their way into your sample. Your naturopath will then go through your results and the best solutions to correct this if necessary.
