A stool test is a critical part of a comprehensive gut evaluation. However, not all stool tests are created equal. And unfortunately, your doctor may not know that. Many health practitioners understand that treating the gut is important for many health conditions, but most of them don’t know the best way to evaluate the gut. This article reviews the basics of stool testing so you don’t waste your money on the wrong test.

In up to 2/3 of patients diagnosed with IBS, SIBO is actually causing their bloating, abdominal pain, and abnormal bowel movements. While we have been researching SIBO for the last few decades, it has not been until recently that researchers have been able to clearly elucidate the microbiome of the SIBO patient. This may pave the way for new therapeutics and a personalized approach for SIBO.

While SIBO can cause many symptoms and may lead to other health conditions, SIBO did not just randomly happen. The bacteria grew in your small intestine for a reason and for successful treatment, you need to address the cause. Otherwise, SIBO will recur.

Bloating is the sensation of pressure in the abdomen WITHOUT a change in girth. A change is girth (often described as a pregnant belly look by patients) is abdominal distention. You can have bloating with abdominal distention but you may just have bloating. With abdominal distention, there is usually pain, which we call visceral hypersensitivity

The bottomline with functional thyroid hormone resistance is that the thyroid hormone is not getting where it needs to be and that results in symptoms of hypothyroidism (fatigue, hair loss, constipation, depressed mood, dry skin, etc.) even with “normal” thyroid labs.

If you are like many women, managing your hypothyroidism has been difficult. Your thyroid medication hasn’t really made you feel better and you wonder if you really need to be on it for the rest of your life. You wonder why your thyroid is having trouble making enough hormones and what else might be going on in your body to explain everything.

Leptin is more than just a hormone that regulates weight & metabolism. It is also a hormone involved in inflammation and autoimmunity. 

Butyrate is a really important fatty acid, not just for our gut, but also our entire body. Butyrate is made by bacteria in our gut when they ferment starches.

If you have been struggling with weight gain or inability to lose weight, leptin may be the solution.