Why would I need a stool analysis?

08 May Why would I need a stool analysis?

Posted at 10:31h in Digestion, General, Testing by
Feeling tired? Bloated? Sick of not getting anywhere with your health?
Gut function testing with a Complete Digestive Stool Analysis may be the answer!
Did you know that your microbiome (gut bugs), literally ‘programs your immune system?
Naturopaths have always loved to talk about bowel habits and stools. We even love to embarrass you with fancy poo pictures ala The Bristol Stool Char. It’s because your poo tells us so much about your health. The microbiome of the gut is carefully balanced to  produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, support detoxification of wastes, support mitochondrial production of energy and program your immune function – to name a few! So it is clear that if this is out of balance, you can experience discomforting symptoms. Now we can get confirmation of what is going on with the microbiome of your gut with Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA) testing.
What does the CDSA test involve?
The CDSA involves a stool sample collected and posted to the lab. Your practitioner will give you the CDSA test kit at your appointment and talk you through the instructions so it is very clear what you need to do.
Why do you request your patients get a CDSA test?
Our Naturopathic practitioners request a patient to do a CDSA test to get to the root cause of illness. It is essential to establish the health of your digestive system in order to ensure that we are removing any obstacle to you getting well.
Are there different types of CDSA tests?
There are many different types of CDSA testing available so after carefully assessing your health your Naturopathic practitioner will recommend a particular test. So for example if you have familial or personal history of bowel cancer an M2-PK bowel cancer marker will usually be added.
Would I benefit from having a CDSA test?
If you have symptoms such as burping, constipation (less than once daily, every day), diarrhoea, bloating or discomfort after eating and or any auto immune disease or chronic immune challenge as the gut microbiome programs the immune function.
What kind of results should I expect to receive? What will I learn about my health?
The results we receive can lead us to treat the client with dietary advice and therapeutic natural medicines which will restore their vitality. You will learn about your own health such as:
  • Whether you are producing enough digestive enzymes to break down and absorb your food
  • If you have low levels of beneficial bacteria which will protect your immune system
  • If you have too high levels of bacteria that are causing an issue such as ferment and constipation or excess wind and also how to kill these using natural agents.
  • If you have undigested food in your stool, fats ,vegetable fibres or meat fibres,
  • If you have the right digestive markers to support optimal digestion
  • If there is fermentation of food in the gut which causes excess bloating and flatulence
  • Markers for colonic function and liver detoxification
  • Excess yeasts in the GIT (candida) and parasites, as different parasites require different treatment for eradication/reduction
  • A table of effective inhibitors to specific bacteria, as bacteria can become resistant to particular treatment. This is invaluable as we often used to treat these bugs with antibiotics but have now found that many respond really well to natural agents. Interestingly we have also found that commonly used natural agents are often not going to kill the bugs our patients are carrying so this has radically changed how we create our protocols.
Thank god for good science that now can inform our clinical decisions and get our patients better quicker and with a great deal of certainty!
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Jacky Dixon
[email protected]