With our busy lifestyles, having a healthy home-cooked meal has become a rare luxury for many of us. Grabbing food on the go, eating processed foods with more salt, sugar, and fat, higher stress levels, and myriads of other reasons, have all contributed to assaults on our gut. The antacid industry alone has grown to over 7 billion in sales.
I was diagnosed with peptic ulcers at 15 years of age. I have tried numerous medications and numerous tests, including upper and lower endoscopy and colonoscopy. Over 40 years ago, they just didn’t know what to do with me, and the medications I tried were not helpful. My curiosity for all things gut-related has continued throughout my life. Now, one of my favorite things to do is to help patients resolve what is going on in their guts and with their microbiome.
To do so, I need to look under the hood. I typically start with 3 tests. The first is a SIBO breath test. This test identifies bacteria in the small intestine that does not belong there. Having bacteria in the small intestine leads to things like heartburn, bloating, and abnormal fullness. Sometimes, there are minimal to no symptoms at all. Not treating SIBO can lead to things like IBS, fatigue, and autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.
As SIBO is used to evaluate the small intestine, a stool test is necessary to evaluate the large intestine. I am oddly fascinated by what we can discern from these tests. Not only do they evaluate pathogens in the body, but they can demonstrate how strong an immune response your system is having to the foods you are eating. They can identify whether our bodies are properly breaking down fats, proteins, and carbs. They can help diagnose IBD (intestinal bowel disease). They can tell whether you have too few bacteria in your gut or too many. They can also highlight the level of inflammation your gut has and whether particles of food are escaping the intestine and ending up in the blood stream.
Lastly, I do a test called IBS Smart. This test can diagnose IBS-D (diarrhea) and IBS-M (mixed diarrheal/constipation). Having mostly suffered constipation, I was surprised when I discovered I was positive for this test. The treatment is to work on the migrating motor complex, a system in our stomach and small intestine that does cleaning sweeps when there is no food in the system for at least 90 minutes. For many of us, having the MMC work at night when we are not digesting food is sufficient, but for others, we may need to space our meals and snacks further apart to allow cleaning waves to occur between meals.
To allow more people access to these amazing tests, I am offering the first 10 people to sign up to get all 3 tests plus 6 months of help, protocols, and support for $999. I wish I could maintain this price forever, but it is impossible. If you have suffered from gastric upset and have not received answers, this may be just what you need. Please call today to reserve your spot: Artistry Skin and Hormone, 720-593-1816.
