If you have been struggling with unexplained gut symptoms for months or years and would like to remove the guess work and get to the root cause of your symptoms then functional testing is an effective way to do this.

IBS is often diagnosed after tests to rule out other causes. The symptoms include stomach pain and cramps, constipation, diarrhoea, flatulence, and bloating, mucus, feeling fatigued, acid reflux/ indigestion.

A diagnosis of IBS can often be quite unhelpful because it does not tell you what has caused the diagnosis (i.e the root cause). Without a root cause it is hard to get rid of the problem so the focus becomes on masking the symptoms instead.

Sometimes the Doctors will do a simple stool test to see if there are any bacteria present which could be causing your symptoms. However the test is not a routine one and if you do manage to get one then it is very basic and can often result in false negative results. One of the reasons for this is that the test does not test for a very wide range of bacteria/ parasites. Plus their test requires the lab technician to be able to see live parasites/ bacteria crawling under the microscope. However, parasites and bacteria can go through dormant phases, meaning they are missed on a standard test, but when we do a private test we uncover a lot more information that was missed. The private functional tests use advanced PCR technology which can detect the DNA of parasites and bacteria so they can be detected even if they are in a dormant phase. Another reason a doctors test may produce a false negative is because they only do a 1 day test, whereas a private test will require you to complete the test over 3 days so that nothing is missed.

There are a few private tests available but the most comprehensive one in my experience is GI Effects test. As this is a private test, it is not available on the NHS. This test is a 3 day stool test which you can complete at home and post back off to the lab for analysis.

The test will provide really useful information on the whole of your microbiome including many markers that doctors test will not test for:

• Maldigestion markers (how well you digest food including proteins and fats  and digestive enzyme status)
• Inflammation (calprotectin, EPX & IgA, occult blood)
• Dysbiosis (microbiome balance including commensal bacteria and beneficial bacteria strains to see if you are lacking in these)
• Metabolite imbalances (SCFA’s) – an indication of the pre-biotic fibres that are available to feed your beneficial bacteria
• Infection (pathogenic bacteria, yeasts (candida) and parasites including roundworms, tapeworms, flukes & protozoa) using PCR technology as mentioned.

The full list of parasites that are tested for include the following (many of which the doctors test do not include):

Nematodes – roundworms

Ancylostoma/Necator (Hookworm)

Ascaris lumbricoides

Capillaria philippinensis

Enterobius vermicularis

Strongyloides stercoralis

Trichuris trichiura

Diphyllobothrium latum

Cestodes – tapeworms

Dipylidium caninum

Hymenolepis diminuta

Hymenolepis nana

Taenia spp.

Trematodes – flukes

Clonorchis/Opisthorchis spp.

Fasciola spp./ Fasciolopsis buski

Heterophyes/Metagonimus

Paragonimus spp.

Schistosoma spp.

Balantidium coli

Protozoa

Blastocystis spp.

Chilomastix mesnili

Cryptosporidium spp.

Cyclospora cayetanensis

Dientamoeba fragilis

Entamoeba coli

Entamoeba histolytica/dispar

Entamoeba hartmanii

Entamoeba polecki

Endolimax nana

Giardia

Iodamoeba buetschlii

Cystoisospora spp.

Trichomonads (e.g. Pentatrichomonas)

• If you have any pathogenic bacteria or yeast present then the test provides a list of natural anti-microbials that the lab has tested on the specific strain that has been found in the sample, to see what it responds best to (some work better than others in killing certain strains so this means that the treatment can be targeted)

Other test types include the CDSA (comprehensive digestive stool analysis) with or without parasitology. This does not include as many markers as the GI Effects test but it will still test for the pathogenic bacteria/ parasites and yeasts. 

Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to have travelled to exotic countries to pick up a parasite or pathogenic bacteria. You can get them from pets and others animals, the water supply, food (especially things like sushi and undercooked meats especially pork), soil, dirty toilets etc. Also they can live in your gut for years if not treated. 

In my experience, the presence of pathogens in the gut or the lack of beneficial bacteria and enzymes are at the root cause of most unexplained gut symptoms and once these have been eradicated the symptoms will go away.

Parasites or any other pathogen that should not be residing in our digestive systems can wreak havoc on your health. When the immune system is pre-occupied dealing with gut infestations, it can be distracted from other things that may require its attention. Not only can these pathogens affect your immune system but they can cause nutritional deficiencies, especially iron deficiency as the organism will use this in order to replicate and grow. This may leave you feeling constantly hungry and unable to gain weight. Other symptoms include constipation/ diarrhoea, bloating, flatulence, but also skin issues, teeth grinding, problems sleeping, fatigue, brain fog and depression/ anxiety.

A stool test only tests the large intestine and a separate test would be needed for testing the small intestine for SIBO.

A SIBO test is a breath test and this measures hydrogen and methane gases from the small intestine. These gases are produced by bacteria residing in the small intestine. High levels indicate the presence of bacteria in the small intestine where they should not be.

Symptoms of SIBO are widespread and can include:

• Bloating
• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Stomach pain
• Gas/ burping
• Reflux
• Brain fog
• Fatigue
• Skin problems
• Joint pains

Check out my post all about SIBO here.

If you are interested in ordering a stool or SIBO test then you will need to do so via a practitioner who will be able to assess which test would be the most appropriate for you. Feel free to book in for a free 15 minute discovery call to chat about test options with me.