IBS and Digestive Issues
IBS is an umbrella term for many different digestive issues and symptoms which can have different underlying causes.
Finding the underlying cause for digestive issues will help to restore digestive health. Factors such as poor digestion, leaky gut, the environment in the digestive tract and bacterial imbalances play a major role in your digestive wellbeing, along with your diet, stress and lifestyle.
Key Facts
- Symptoms are wide ranging including constipation, diarrhoea or loose stools, cramping, bloating, reflux, excess feelings of fullness or even feeling hungry straight after eating.
- Functional medicine tests can tell far more than conventional medical tests about the gut microbiome, leaky gut, inflammation and damage in the digestive tract
- A targeted supplement protocol is much more likely to restore digestive health
- Restrictive diets according to food intolerances can lead to longer term problems. Dealing with underlying issues usually means that foods can be re-introduced to maintain dietary variation
- Leaky gut and gut inflammation are key factors in immune responses, and play an important role in many chronic illness, inflammatory conditions and autoimmune diseases
- Nutrient deficiencies can easily arise from malabsorption in the gut giving rise to a variety of symptoms including fatigue and mood issues
Best Test Options
Gut Health & Microbiome – GI Ecologix
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth SIBO Breath Test
Food Intolerance Test – Food Map IgG
Candida IgG Tests
Patient Story
History
Gavin attended our clinic with complaints of loose stools, flatulence and reflux. He also had a high intake of saturated fat, red meat and low intake of fibre. He had previously taken Nexium, a PPI/ acid reflux medication, and probiotics but neither had helped.
Tests
Gavin carried out a gut microbiome analysis which showed reduced digestive capacity, and elevated markers of inflammation and leaky gut. His bacterial diversity was limited and representative of a higher fat diet.
Plan
Gavin commenced a very targeted supplement protocol, to support healthy digestion and breakdown of food and importantly to reduce inflammation, damage and restore the leaky gut.
He dramatically reduced intake of red meat, alcohol and other potential gut irritants. He gradually increased fibre and additional wholefoods and was able to better manage overseas trips by choosing more fish and salads when away.
Re-test
On repeat, Gavin’s inflammatory markers and leaky gut had much improved. His digestive capacity was still low which indicated the need for ongoing digestive support with a digestive enzyme supplement.
Outcome
Gavin’s reflux was eliminated and his bowel movements normalised. He still needed to be mindful to manage his diet well and maintain good fibre intake and diversity. He continued to take the digestive enzyme support long term and dipped in and out of additional supports to maintain good digestive health over the coming years.
“The testing identified some key areas of concern, I was really glad to know what was wrong and specifically how to help it. Life is much easier now that I don’t have to deal with those symptoms!”
